Chapter 24
TWENTY-FOUR
Now that it’s further into November, it’s so frosty that it’s nearly unbearable.
The cool crisp air of autumn is turning bleak and bitter now that winter is just around the corner.
I don’t expect anything less of Maine, but I still pull my jacket closer to my face as I walk out of the English building.
I’m excited to be done with classes for the weekend. I have mates that I’d like to spend that time with, who are waiting for me right this second.
Still, there’s more to life than romance, so I dig my phone out of my pocket and find Mavin’s contact info despite my fingers bristling in the cold.
“Elsie!” She answers on the first ring, her voice so excited that I bite my lips to contain my grin. “It’s been like two weeks, what’s going on?”
“Can’t I have the winter blues, Mav?” I joke. “Your mate didn’t give me an ‘A’ on my term paper, so I’m calling to give you a formal complaint.”
Mavin laughs. “You don’t even have him as a professor this semester, he would have mentioned it.”
“You caught me. I just wanted to talk and see how you were.”
I can practically hear her smile. “You could just say that. You don’t need an excuse to call me.”
“I know,” I digress. “Anyway, what’s up? What are you guys doing for the holidays?”
She talks to me about her pack’s plans as I make my way to the parking lot, all while holding my jacket close to my neck to protect myself from the cold. She eventually begins to rave about her pack’s winter extravaganza because of the upcoming holidays, and it makes me giddy as hell.
“And Soren is just cleaning like a mad man, but I kind of love it. I don’t even have the chance to be ahead of schedule for cleaning because he’s already on it.”
“There’s nothing better than men doing chores before you’ve even asked them to.”
She pauses, clearly picking up my hint. “And when have you had men doing your chores? Last time I checked you were living alone and in a painful one-sided yearn for your best friend’s affections.”
At her assessment, I laugh and then clear my throat. “There may have been a few alphas at my place recently,” I say. “As well as a male omega.”
“Oh my god, Elsie!” Her screech nearly bursts my ear drum. “I knew you were hiding something from me. Fucking spill.”
“Well, again, I’m sorry I didn’t call you but… I had my first heat.”
She gasps dramatically. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Not fine, I’m great. It actually started at your Halloween party.”
“That explains why I didn’t see you. You texted me that you were there and then just vanished. Poof.”
I wince. “Yeah, Casey had to take me home.”
“And?”
“And… he helped me, first, which made me happy and confused, and then he told me to sign up for Heat Seekers.”
“Fuck,” she whispers, sounding on the edge of her seat.
“It’s okay though! We met a pack. They play soccer here at White Crest, and it turns out… they’re my scent matches!”
If I thought Mavin’s screech was loud before, there’s no coming back from the sound she lets out now. The high-pitched yell punctures me, causing me to pull my phone away from my ear. Still, I can’t help but beam at her reaction.
“You have fucking scent matches?! I am so happy for you!”
“It’s still a little bit surreal—”
“Wait a minute.” Mavin stops me, and during the brief silence I can almost see the face she’s making as the pieces slide into place. “You said ‘we met a pack.’”
“Yes, I did. Casey and I…”
I let the words linger, building up the suspense because I know it’ll drive my friend crazy.
I was right.
“You piece of shit, spit it out!”
I chuckle, finally getting to my car. I get in and turn it on, ready for the heat to thaw my skin.
“We have the same scent matches,” I finally say, ending Mavin’s suffering.
“Oh. My. God,” she says, and then she bellows out in laughter. “Holy shit, that must have been incredible to figure out. Are you serious? After all this time, the universe was just like ‘here you go, a solution to your problem.’”
I end up laughing with her, recognizing the absurdity of the situation. “Yes, it’s been wild, to say the least. Even after knowing that, I didn’t know how to process it! We ended up not talking for like five days while the guys courted both of us.”
“You two were always destined for each other,” she puts it simply.
I let out a relieved breath because I know it’s true. We may have had our doubts separately, but we knew what we were to each other, even if we didn’t have the bravery to voice it.
Meeting our guys allowed us that, and I can’t even imagine a world where we’re anything but each other’s now.
“So, everything is good? You two have figured things out?”
I nod before realizing she can’t see me. “Yes, we’re good. Bonded, actually.”
Her squeal this time is softer, more angelic. “I am so happy for you, Elsie.”
I don’t expect it, but my eyes prickle with tears. I am, too, happier than I ever expected. I can’t wait to get back to my pack.
When I walk into Casey’s apartment, my key in hand, I hear a rush of male voices coming from the living room.
It’s something I’m still not used to, the heightened testosterone that comes with being bonded to athletes.
They are always excited, their adrenaline pumping.
It’s starting to bring out that same energy in me and Casey; the vitality of it is contagious.
That thought puts a smile on my face all the same.
As I venture closer, all their combined scents have me swallowing a moan. Brodie’s honey and bourbon, both sweet and piercing; Raivat’s nutty nutmeg and fresh fig; Casey’s warm and rich masala chai; DJ’s pumpkin eggnog that’s energy is just as jam-packed as he is.
That’s something I’ll never get tired of: scenting them, individually and together. It makes my omega so happy in my chest, the swirls of mixed scents so comforting and lulling that I could crawl into one of their sides and immediately ease into sleep.
I walk into the room, and the game pauses for a moment as they all look over at me, their eyes trailing over my body.
“Elsie!” Raivat exclaims. “Did you have a good day?”
“It’s over now,” I say, but my smile gives me away. “I’m just happy to be home.”
DJ then pushes Raivat’s shoulder. “You’re leaving me wide open! You’re on defense, fucking defend me!”
Casey chuckles as I sit beside him. At first, my instinct is to keep my distance like I have for our whole friendship, but then he hooks his arm around me and pulls me into his side.
His skin is soft, and his clothing is smothered in his scent.
I want to nuzzle right into it and inhale every remnant I can.
He kisses my forehead. “You’re cold. Was it bad today?”
“Fucking winter,” I mutter, nodding. “What are the plans tonight? Are the guys hoping to pull us away from our warm beds and go back out into that blizzard?”
He chokes on a laugh. “I wouldn’t call forty degrees a blizzard.”
“Thirty-two point five degrees, actually.”
He shakes his head, his smile never swaying. “Actually, the guys and I were talking about ordering in from that Thai place you love.”
My eyes widen and my hands scrunch into his hoodie. “And?”
“And… we were thinking about having a cozy night in and having a movie marathon with our favorite holiday films.”
I bounce in my seat. “Oh my god, that sounds incredible.”
When my excitement dies down and I snuggle back into his side, I let out a sigh of relief.
“I knew you’d be happy,” he says, his thumb caressing over my side.
“You know I love seasonal things.”
“I do, because I love you.”
He whispers softly so only I can hear, the forbidden words coasting over my ear as our alphas hoot and holler over their imaginary match.
I curl in closer, my body the most relaxed it’s ever been. “I love you too. I always have.”
For years, Casey and I both struggled with the idea that we wouldn’t be able to be together. We wasted so much time on what-ifs and fear-based thinking.
But we’re not in that place anymore. Everything worked out just the way fate intended, and although we should have never doubted our instincts, we can’t dwell on the past. We’re right here, together, with our scent matches who were meant for us.
All we had to do was reach out and accept it, and now that we have, I don’t plan on wasting another moment.
My best friend, our alphas, they’re all I’ve ever needed. I am the luckiest omega in the world.
I look over at Casey, noticing his eyes shimmer as he watches the guys push each other as they get more and more competitive. My lip twitches.
Well, I think. Maybe I’m the second.