Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
Things are still a little bit confusing after coming out of my heat.
Before, I was just a lone omega pining for her best friend, and now I apparently have three hulking alphas tending to me.
Not just alphas, but scent matches. They text me all day long, cute little quips about their days and cheeky questions about me and my life.
It’s become a staple of my day now that classes have resumed.
It was hard to go back to my routine after a week of being gone, especially since spooky season has now been quickly pushed aside for Thanksgiving decorations; turkeys, cornucopias, random vegetables like snap peas and carrots.
Thankfully, pumpkin is still a big thing. I freaking love pumpkin.
I’m crossing the quad on my way to the psychology building when my phone vibrates in my hoodie pocket.
Well, not my hoodie. Apparently my hormones were still in a frenzy because I stole it from Brodie before everyone left.
He asked me later that day if it was at my apartment and I may or may not have sent him a suggestive photo of me wearing it as my answer.
That was bold for me, but his voice memo of him groaning in response was so worth it.
As far as matches go, the universe gifted me with some amazing ones. They’re silly, gentle, and ridiculously sexy.
The group chat that DJ created has been the main source of communication between the five of us since my heat ended.
Apparently when your scent matches are collegiate athletes, their schedules are busy.
Practice, games, and classes have kept us from being able to talk in person, but you wouldn’t think that by how often they text us.
I expect the text to be from the group chat, but when I pull my phone out, I find a text from Casey instead.
Casey: Are you still going out with DJ and Brodie later?
My heart thumps heavy in my chest, the feeling that I haven’t let myself process since my heat ended coming back up. Casey and I have spoken minimally since my heat, which is a whole can of worms in itself, but I also haven’t fully worked through what having the same scent matches means for us.
Now it’s not a worry of if we’ll be in each other’s lives or not… it’s a worry about whether or not my feelings for him will make things awkward in our pack.
Our pack. It’s still so weird to think about.
Never in a million years did I even consider the possibility that we’d have the same scent matches.
It’s extremely rare, and since Casey and I aren’t scent matches, it seemed even more unlikely.
I guess you never really know what fate is going to throw your way until it’s right in your lap.
My fingers are slow as I type out my reply.
Elsie: Yes, they’re taking me to the movies at the mall.
Little dots appear immediately and I find a smile tugging at my lips.
Casey: That sounds like you. To see the new horror movie that we missed?
I grimace.
Elsie: Yes I’m sorry we missed it.
Casey: No need. We might have missed it, but we still had a lot of fun this weekend
A blush creeps up my face, but another text comes through before I can reply.
Casey: There will be plenty of new horror premieres in our future, El No worries. Just promise me we’ll catch the next Terrifier.
I huff out a laugh.
Elsie: Fuck no.
Casey: Boooo
Casey: Enjoy your date
I feel my smile soften; it’s bittersweet.
I sent him a heart and a thumbs up, because I do plan to have fun with Brodie and DJ.
I plan to make the most out of this despite whatever’s going on between Casey and I.
Having a pack of alphas is something we have both wanted for a long time.
I’m ready to finally let my inner omega out and embrace it.
While malls across America are dwindling into boring, empty buildings, White Pine Crest’s has only rejuvenated.
A part of me wonders if the owners are part of some secret cult that drains the energy of all other malls just to funnel it back into their own, but that would be crazy.
Still, the exuberance here is electric, the crowds always large no matter what day it is.
I venture through throes of people despite it being a Monday evening.
It’s so weird to me. I’m walking through like a normal human, no one the wiser that I’m an omega who just experienced my first heat—one that turned my world upside down.
I could be anyone, just here for new clothes, or pretzels, or to start Christmas shopping.
But I’m not. I’m here to go on my first date with two of my new scent matches, which is wild and bizarre and mind-boggling.
I find them the second I get to the plaza.
Brodie towers over everyone, his brown hair mussy and his jersey perhaps a size too small. Not that I’m complaining, because it shows off his erotic as fuck abs and his lower hip lines that disappear into his joggers.
I lick my lips and try not to pant like an omega in heat in the middle of this crowded mall.
Then there’s DJ, wearing a nice beige coat and an even nicer deep red sweater underneath.
Their aesthetics differ greatly, but I love both of them, and for different reasons.
Not to mention, they look very authentic right now, like they’re trying to show me who they are as quickly as possible, which is something I deeply appreciate.
I know they are soccer stars, but this is who they are off the field, and I love every glimpse of it I get.
“What are you guys doing?” I ask when I finally reach them.
They both turn, and when they see it’s me their smiles light up. “Watching the staff try to put the tree up.”
“They’re already putting up a Christmas tree?” I scoff, peering over at the maintenance employees putting up the twenty-foot tree How did I miss that? It’s huge!
Brodie smirks. “What do you have against Christmas? Too much jolly cheer?”
“Too many gingersnaps?” DJ adds.
“Elf magic?” Brodie squints at me. “You kind of look like an elf. Elsie the Elf.”
I push his shoulder, the playful gesture surprising me because it’s like we’ve been friends for ages. “No, but Halloween just ended. Why can’t we let it rest in peace for a moment?”
“Says the spooky-season fan that probably starts celebrating on August first,” DJ comments.
My cheeks heat. “Hey! I do not!”
“Your reaction says otherwise,” he teases. “But that’s fine. We all love spooky season.”
“I wish it was at least six months of the year,” Brodie agrees, and my shoulders relax a little.
“You two are jerks,” I joke, my lips curving, and their answering grins make something in my stomach dip.
I keep forgetting I’ve been fucked by both of them, once at the same time…
“Speaking of scary things,” Brodie adds. “I know we’re here to see a horror movie, but I have to be honest with you and say they’re not my favorite.”
“You don’t like horror movies?”
He shakes his head. “I get spooked easily. One time, my father put on one of the Saw films, and I puked right onto my mother’s favorite rug.”
DJ snorts, and I hide my mouth behind my hand. “That’s horrible, Brodie. I’m sorry that turned you off to other spooky films.”
Brodie smiles. “Just movies with gore, to be honest. I like animated Halloween movies, like Coraline or The Corpse Bride.”
I feel stars in my eyes. “I love those movies.”
“At least we have those in common.” He laughs. “But if you catch me closing my eyes or trying not to cry in the theater, please don’t hold it against me.”
I take his hand and give a supportive squeeze. A surprised gasp escapes his lips before he squeezes back.
“Don’t worry, Alpha,” I say, loving how natural it feels. “I’ll keep you safe.”
His smirk returns. “Those are beautiful words to hear indeed.”
The movie is amazing just like I knew it would be.
The alphas bought popcorn, drinks, and any snack I wanted, and didn’t complain about movie theater pricing once, which made my guilt for getting two different candies a lot more reasonable.
I held Brodie’s hand the entire movie and let him put his face into my neck during the scary parts.
DJ giggled at him a few times, which I had to shut down with my ferocious and scary glare (he just laughed again, but he kept quiet after that, so a win is a win).
After exiting the theater and throwing away our food, the boys walk us over to the bookstore.
“Are we going in there?” I ask, my eyes wide.
Brodie nods. “It’s one of your favorite places, right?”
I nod, still stirring with surprise. “But how did you—”
“A little birdie told us that you like books,” DJ answers.
I narrow my gaze. “A little birdie, huh? Does this birdie happen to have blond hair?”
“Yes. And he has the most delicious chai scent,” he adds.
I feel my face heat up at that. He does have a really good scent.
“I’m going to get us some drinks,” Brodie says before heading off toward the crowded in-store coffee shop.
When I turn back to DJ, his grin is wide and knowing. “Where do you want to start first, beautiful?”
We start in the fantasy section before swinging around to romance. DJ holds my tiny stack of books in his arms as we peruse the selection of stories.
“I have to say, it’s been a while since I’ve been here. I usually go to the library instead.”
“Do you like to read?” I ask.
He nods. “Mainly manga and comic books, but… I mean, that’s still reading, right?”
He’s looking at me hesitantly, like he’s afraid of my answer, which makes something in me crumble a bit.
“Of course that’s still reading! Has someone told you it’s not?”
He shrugs. “You know how people can be.”
I nod. “There’s a lot of pretentious people out there, I get it. But you found something you love, and you’re still consuming content and understanding the material. That’s reading and comprehending, which is all that matters.”
His shoulders seem to relax the tiniest bit, and I decide to take that moment to shuffle to his side. We’re so close that I can feel his breath on my skin, the slight push and pull of nervousness brushing over my goosebumps.
“You are something else, Elsie,” he whispers, his beautiful brown eyes meeting mine.
“Oh?” I say, amusement tugging at my lip. “A good something, I hope.”
There’s something soft and dazzling about the way he’s looking at me. His gaze never leaves mine, the contact both a gentle caress and a sultry seduction at the same time.
“An amazing something,” he finally says, and I inhale a sharp breath. The sound causes him to peer down at my parted lips and my heart practically stops from anticipation.
When he closes the distance between us and kisses me, it consumes my every thought. I completely forget where we are, sitting in the middle of the romance section of this very public bookstore. There’s nothing but us and this moment, the one that reminds me why we’re here.
I found my scent matches, my mates, and they are just as perfect as I always imagined they would be.