CHAPTER TWENTY
“O kay, how long do you think it will take for someone to say something about us coming in together?” The words are playful, but I am a little worried about it.
Packing up with Archie’s pack is going to make me come clean about the whole Reggie thing…not something I’m looking forward to. His hand reaches for mine in my lap and he keeps one hand on the wheel. “Fuck ‘em,” he grins at me from the drivers seat. “If they want to talk shit about the best thing that’s ever happened to my pack, then they can go eat a dick. Or seven.”
I snort a laugh and cover my mouth. “Archie! Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?” I tease, but then the rest of his words hit me. The best thing…? “Archie…"
“Nope. Don’t want to hear it, CJ. You are undoubtedly the best thing to have ever happened to my pack. Do you know the last time we ate together as a family before we met you?” He glances at me, and I shake my head. “I don’t either. Simon would be working, Titus would be holed up in his office…” he sighs, “but now you’re here, and you’re going to be the glue that holds our family together again.”
I swallow hard. That’s a lot of pressure to be under. “But what if…”
Nobody has said anything about bonding yet, but that has to be where this is headed, right? I've spent so long avoiding everything to do with alphas, packs, and bonds, the thought of a bite sends a little wave of terror through me.
But then, just as quickly, I remember how my scent match pack values me just as I am, and the fear recedes.
“No what-ifs, blossom. You don’t even have to try.” The nickname makes me smile. No doubt a reference to my orange blossom scent. This is the second time he’s called me by it today, the first being this morning when I woke up to his morning wood pressing into my thigh.
Getting ready for work this morning was not fun, but waking up between Mattie and Archie in a yummy-man sandwich?
Very, very fun.
My scent fills the car at the memory of the two of them working me over, not dissimilar to how they did in the car on saturday. Only this time, it was Mattie with his hand between my thighs and Archie kissing me breathless. Archie only gives a knowing look and chuckles, shaking his head. “This morning could happen every morning if you want it to, blossom.”
By the time we get to the office, walking through the lobby hand in hand, we get more than a few stares but nobody says anything. When we’re the only two on the elevator, part of me wants to test if they actually watch the cameras by getting on my knees for my beta, but then I realize Simon really might be right about a breakthrough heat. I mean, if I’m thinking about sucking off my beta in a work elevator at eight on a monday morning.
My perfume fills the enclosed space anyway, and Archie lets out a groan. “Shit, you’re killing me here.”
My cheeks flood with heat, unused to the amount I seem to be perfuming over the last couple of days. “Sorry.”
“Don’t misunderstand me, CJ. I don’t want you to be sorry, I just wish I could get to my knees and lick away the evidence so nobody else on our floor can smell it.”
I give him a cheeky grin and kiss on the cheek before the elevator doors ding open, and we separate with a squeeze of our hands, heading to our own desks.
An hour later, I’m ready for my meeting with Grady to update him on my progress. Hopefully the fact that I’ve found my scent-matched pack will put an end to this deal we have.
I really did start out not wanting an actual pack, but Pack De Lucca is more than I ever could have hoped for. Simon’s quiet carefulness, Ollie’s pure joy, Titus’ protective instincts, Mattie’s calm collectedness, and Archie’s quippy banter all twine together in a combination that makes me feel perfectly at home. I’m half in love with all of them already, and it’s only been two days.
“Hey, do you want to come to this meeting with me?” I’ve stopped at Archie’s desk, peering over the back of his computer monitor. He looks up at me, his lips turning up in a smile when he sees me.
“The one with Grady?” He asks, moving to stand. All the guys know about my meeting with Grady today, and they are just as hopeful as I am that I won’t need to prove my pack status further.
“That’s the one,” I grin as he joins me, and we walk side by side to Grady’s office.
***
“So let me get this straight,” Grady looks at us from behind his desk, wiping his glasses with cloth. “You scheduled a date with a pack, showed up, and it turned out to be Archie’s pack? And you guys are a scent match? Not just scent sympathetic?”
I bite my lip and nod. “Yes, sir. We have't discussed bonding yet but if you need me to have the OMS send over records of our scent compatibility, I completely understand —”
“No, no, that won’t be necessary,” he gives a tired sigh, sitting back in his chair, “I have to say, Cady, I really expected you to give me some trouble over this. But finding a true scent match? Not many packs can boast that. I’m happy for you, kid.” He looks at Archie and smiles. “For both of you.”
A sigh of relief escapes me and I grip Archie’s hand tightly. I really thought he might think I’m faking the whole thing. This time last week, I was so desperate that I wouldn’t have put it past me.
“Thank you, Grady, we appreciate it.”
“I hope this goes without saying, Cady, but you can consider our deal done and fulfilled, considering there's no way someone can walk away from their scent matched pack.”
Archie, who had only served as moral support thus far, speaks up. “Yeah, not like we’d let her walk away at this point anyway.”
Grady snorts and shakes his head. “About the OMS article though...I still think you should write it, even though it all wrapped up fairly quickly."
"I completely agree," I tell him quickly. I've already started.
He brushes us off and we both stand, before I turn back to him. “Oh, um Grady?”
“Yes?” He looks up at me expectantly. While I don’t know if the attack on my apartment really had anything to do with my work as the Knotty Omega, he should know, just in case.
“On Saturday, my apartment was broken into and vandalized. They wrote ‘pack-wrecking bitch’ on my mirror. I haven’t done anything lately that could be considered pack-wrecking…unless someone knows that I’m the Knotty Omega.”
Grady’s face turns hard. “Did you call the police?”
Archie chimes in. “Yes, and one of our alphas owns Lone Star Security, so he’s handling the investigative aspect of it.”
Grady nods, his expressions still shut off. “Good. Let me know if anything changes.”
We thank him again and head out of the office. As soon as we shut the door behind us, the scent of angry beta reaches my nose and I turn to find Laura staring at where our hands are joined, and she looks like she’s seething.
“Oh, give me a break,” she hisses, rolling her eyes. “You won’t get away with this, Cady. Do you really think we’re all that stupid?”
“What the hell are you talking about, Laura?” Archie snaps, moving slightly in front of me in a protective way.
“You don’t think it’s just a little convenient that the beta who’s been lovesick over a ‘taken’ omega is part of a pack that’s ‘scent matched’ to her?”
Damn, those are some aggressive finger quotes.
“Take it up with Grady, if you have an issue with it.” I snark, pushing past her and pulling Archie behind me. “Who I mate with is nobody’s business, least of all yours.”
We’re almost out of earshot when she calls after me, “You should really be more careful. Your column makes a lot of alphas angry, and one day you’re going to piss off the wrong pack!”
We hurry out of there, hand in hand before exchanging a look.
Was Laura somehow involved in the break-in at my apartment? “We’ll tell Titus what she said later,” he says quietly before pressing a kiss to my hair.
***
Dear Knotty Omega,
My pack and I are courting an omega. Well, sort of. The issue is, she’s only looking for a pack to help her through her heat, but somewhere along the way we fell for her. Hard. How do we tell if she feels the same way? What if we tell her our true feelings and she walks away?
Help!
An Alpha with Big Feelings
Dear Alpha with Big Feelings,
Love is hard. There is always a risk when it comes to your heart and telling someone how you feel about them. You have to ask yourself, are you okay with keeping things to heats only? It would be unfair to both your pack and omega if you went through her heat while having feelings she doesn't know about. Trusting a pack to help you through your heat is a big deal, and there needs to be some level of attraction there for her to even consider it.
Tell her how your pack feels, but do not force a decision on her feelings. If she still wants you to help after your admission, there is hope for you yet.
Sincerely,
The Knotty Omega