4. Juliette
CHAPTER FOUR
juliette
With my makeup removed, my hair in a messy knot on the top of my head, and wearing my most ratty pair of sweats and the Phoenix Heat t-shirt that I snatched from Elliott the last time I visited, I softly open Charlotte’s door and peek in.
She’s sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware that her mama just pulled a ridiculous stunt in front of an Alpha she’s got a long and tangled history with.
At her age, Kash and I were already thick as thieves.
Now look at us.
Leaning up against the frame, I ponder our life here.
It’s been her and me against the world, my family supporting me in the background as I raised this little bundle of energy and joy.
Sure, it would’ve been easier with her daddy by my side, but that’s why I’ve finally taken the step to consider Pack Latham—to give us the one thing we’re missing.
Pack . A place where we belong. So what if it’s not a romance for the ages? Right?
Doubt begins to filter in.
Are they too old?
Am I making the right choice?
Sure, it’s just the two of us, but we’re not completely miserable, right?
With a sigh, I gently close her door and make my way down the hall to my suite.
I head for my sitting room, climbing onto the oversized chaise lounge in the corner.
Settling in, a glass of sangria in my hand, I tap the group chat name on my screen.
Not only am I desperately in need of some advice, but if there’s anything these girls love, it’s drama and intrigue, especially if sexy men are involved.
That disastrous dinner tonight checks off all the boxes.
Elliott is the first to pick up, her flushed face and partially naked body coming up in the little box on the screen. Luckily, I can only see from her shoulders up, so I don’t get a full-on frontal flash.
I open my mouth to ask what’s going on, but she cuts me off.
“Yes. I’m in the shower. No. Don’t ask me why. I’m sure we’ll get to that soon enough.”
“Understood.”
Cadence pops up on a small screen beside Elliott. Her long blonde hair is falling in big waves around her face, and she’s wearing a worn gray Heat sweatshirt. Whenever we’re together, people think we’re sisters. It’s hilarious.
“Hey, girls.” She pauses, eyeing us both. “Elle’s in the shower, and Jules looks like a hobo. I can see this is going to be a very interesting call.”
West’s smiling face pops up, her hair pulled back in a high ponytail as she clacks away on her keyboard. “Wait! Don’t start without me, bitches.”
“We wouldn’t dream of it.” Elle rolls her eyes as she works suds into her hair.
“I just have to finish up this one. Last. Sentence. There. Done. Phew.” She brushes a stray hair off her forehead as she takes in her screen. “Tough day. Got it,” she quips. “Hey, where’s Ez?”
I swallow down a healthy gulp of my sangria. “She’s on tour, so it wouldn’t surprise me if she’s not available. I can’t remember what country she’s in to calculate the time difference.”
“Bummer. Okay. Proceed.”
Staring into the faces of the girls that have been a huge part of my support team after recovery, I smile.
I’m not even entirely sure how I survived the first twenty-four years of my life without them.
They barreled into my life during a time when I needed to be surrounded by love and acceptance, with Elliott being the conduit that brought us all together after our stint in the Omega Trauma Center.
Those days are dark, and I don’t like to think of them. The loss of my longtime assistant and best friend after a drunken night of celebrating, too much partying, too many men, lack of focus on my career, and eventually a one-night stand that led to the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
My daughter.
She’s the reason I finally agreed to get help to work through the trauma from the night of the accident.
With Elliott and Ezlynn by my side, I worked through the guilt and the pain, plotting out my plans for the future.
Now, here I am. With my career once again on the rise, an adorably precious little girl who is the light of my life, and a group of friends who are always willing to cheer me on or chew me out, depending on what the situation calls for.
I’m a lucky bitch!
“You want to go first?” I ask as I stare into the screen. Elliott’s sigh tells me she’s very aware I’m talking to her.
“Sure. Why not.” She turns around to rinse her hair out. “Our packiversary is coming up and?—”
West chuckles. “I’m sorry. Did you just say packiversary ?”
“Yes, bitch. I did.” Elle glares over her shoulder. “Now, can I finish?”
“My bad. Go on.”
“This has got to be good,” Cadence murmurs, failing to hide her grin.
“Why do I even bother with you all?” Elle grumbles.
“Because you love us,” we all say in unison, which turns into a chorus of giggles.
“You’re lucky I do. Anyways … It's our packiversary next week. I get the feeling the guys are putting something big together, but I’m at a complete and utter loss as to what I can do for them .”
“I’m not sure I can be of much help. I am currently packless.” And completely clueless when it comes to anything and everything regarding Alphas and the unique bond with their Omegas.
“That won’t always be the case,” West replies with a surety that warms my heart.
“Wait until I tell you what happened tonight, then we’ll see if you’d like to amend that statement.”
“Deal.” She chuckles. “Elle, do you guys always celebrate this packiversary ?”
“Yes, but it’s usually just a simple dinner and flowers, followed by a night of hot sex.”
“So what makes this different?” Cadence asks, stuffing a Cheeto in her mouth.
“I don’t know. I just get the feeling they’re plotting something, and it’s making me…twitchy.”
Elle and West bicker back and forth for a minute while I just sit back and appreciate the utter normalcy of it all.
I needed this. Needed the reassurance that life had not entered the Twilight Zone.
After the run-in with the hunky Beta who awakened thoughts I had no business having, then the disastrous dinner with Kash, I was really starting to think I’d entered the seventh circle of hell.
Just the thought of Kash has me swallowing down a tiny whine.
The boy from my memories has turned into a tall, ruggedly handsome Alpha that made me damn near swallow my tongue in shock.
To add insult to injury, his scent—strong espresso with a hint of cocoa…
like mouthwatering tiramisu—left my panties damp, though I’ll deny that to the grave.
“Earth to Juliette. Come in, Juliette,” Elle snarks, drawing my attention away from the man I’ve been trying to forget for the last twenty minutes.
Son of a bitch, Jules. Get it together.
“Sorry. What did I miss?”
“The girls just ordered me an obscene amount of kinky sex shit. If that doesn’t say I love you, Happy Packiversary , I don’t know what will.”
I laugh. “Why am I picturing fuzzy handcuffs and toys that I wouldn’t even know how to use?”
West’s smug smirk tells me everything I need to know. “It’s not like it’s a secret that Sy is a little kinkster. He’ll appreciate it all, and the other guys will reap the benefits too.”
“But something tells me your current situation has nothing to do with sex,” Cadence begins pointedly, “and everything to do with the Alpha you were forced to reunite with tonight.”
My sigh is long and heartfelt. These girls were already tuned into the shit show that is my life when I texted them earlier and asked for prayers for patience. They offered to have bail money ready just in case.
“Remember how I told you about the marriage contract written on a cocktail napkin?”
They nod.
“Well, I sort of… ate it .”
“I’m sorry. Did you just say you ate the cocktail napkin?” Elle’s wide-eyed stare meets mine head on.
Shocking Elliott Mitchell is a feat. I’d high five myself if the reason for it wasn’t insanely ridiculous.
I dive into the full story of how the fucked up dinner went, the surprise of how attracted I was to my ex-best-friend, and everything else that led up to me consuming a twenty-eight-year-old piece of family history.
“Wow. I’m not even sure where to start with that one,” West murmurs, shaking her head.
“You guys, am I really doing the right thing by letting Pack Latham court me? I know they're older and it isn’t exactly a love match, but… It could become one, right?” Three grimaces flash across the phone screen. “I’m just about at the end of my rope, y’all.”
I down the rest of my drink and grab the pitcher from the side table to pour another healthy glass.
“Look, Jules,” Cadence begins, drumming her fingers along the desk in front of her.
“You have to do what’s best for you and Charlotte.
Whatever that is. No one else can tell you if you’re making the right decision.
I’d just really think about what you want and listen to your gut because nine times out of ten, it isn’t wrong. ”
“She’s right, Jules. What is your heart telling you?” West prompts.
Biting my bottom lip, I’m a little worried to open myself up to those inner thoughts right now because I’m pretty sure I know the answer.
“How about this,” Elle begins, washing her body as she bends and contorts in a way that doesn’t flash all of her goods. “What does your vagina say?”
The other two girls groan.
“What? It’s a legitimate question.”
“Are you kidding? My vagina has been locked up and abandoned for the last four years thanks to the heat curative you shared with me. No heats, no demand for knots. At this point, if given half a chance, it would eagerly accept attention from the first man with enough initiative and courage to face off against the cobwebs and dust.”
“That was a very descriptive yet apt answer,” Elle deadpans. “But seriously, just because you’re a mom doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to air that shit out and let an Alpha sweep your chute once in a while.”
West gags. “You did not just say that.”
“Oh, she definitely did,” Cadence responds, shuffling through the bag for another Cheeto.
“But she’s right about one thing. You’re a healthy, twenty-eight-year-old Omega.
Sex isn’t just about pleasure, it’s also about intimacy, and us Omegas crave that shit.
If nothing else, take all that angsty tension between you and your ex-bestie and put it to good use in a way that will benefit you both. ”
“I don’t know, you guys. That sounds like a disaster in the making, especially considering the fact that if our grandparents ever found out, we’d be led to the altar wearing pack bites and promising forever in a heartbeat.
Not to mention, I have a pack of good men that would be hurt in the process. ”
“Why not test those waters out then?” Elle shuts off the shower and opens the door to grab her towel. “Just because they’re older doesn’t mean their dicks don’t work. Or at least that’s what Cadie has assured me on more than one occasion.”
“Lalalala.” West puts her fingers in her ears. “I will not take part in a discussion about my dad’s dick, thank you very much. This group chat has rules in place for a reason, Mitchell.”
Cadence and I laugh, and for the first time tonight, I realize the tension has eased from my shoulders.
I feel like I can breathe again. These girls always have that effect on me, and I say yet another prayer of thanks to whoever may be listening upstairs.
Especially since I didn’t need the bail money.
“I mean, there’s also the pretty-boy Beta I met in town yesterday.”
Shocked eyes meet mine, and I give them the rundown of my brief encounter with Wyatt.
“You lucky bitch. All these hotties waiting in the wings.” Elle wraps her hair in her towel. “My vote is for the pretty boy. Easy and hassle free.”
“Mine too,” Cadence agrees.
“While I would also cast my vote on the Beta, long term I think you should consider what we said,” West says.
“You deserve to be happy, as well as loved and cared for. Charlotte will know if you’re miserable.
Keep that in mind when you’re debating the pros and cons of bonding a pack you’re not in love with.
And for the record, I know your father pressured you into this in the first place.
It’s perfectly reasonable to tell him to go fuck himself. ”
She’s right, I realize. Considering Gran basically said the same thing, for some reason it hits just a little bit differently coming from West. Maybe that’s because Gran can’t see the forest for the trees, or simply because I need it hammered into my thick skull by multiple sources.
Regardless, I’m starting to understand that while stability and a father figure are two important pieces of the pack puzzle, happiness should be a large consideration too.
“I promise I’ll make sure I’m doing the right thing for us both. Charlotte deserves the world, but so do I.”
I repeat the mantra Elliott, Ezlynn, and I learned at the Omega Trauma Center.
I am worthy of love. I am deserving of everything life has to offer me. I will not let fear or the toxic voices win.
As the girls discuss their packs and the upcoming hockey season, Elle and I share a look loaded with everything I'm sure she sees whirling through my head. She gets me, and if I find myself sliding back, I know just who to call to give me a swift kick in the ass.