Chapter 26
Ariana
“Don’t you guys have to be at work?”
Nico’s eyes snap away from where my hand is laced with Evan’s. “And leave you alone after what you went through?”
I flush, not expecting him to have been so appalled by the question. “Surely work is more important.”
“In what world?” The blond next to me shifts, voice rough and husky from sleep. I feel my face burning harder. It feels oddly intimate, hearing him speak so drowsily instead of with his normal playfulness. “We’d rather make sure you’re alright.”
In my old world, I want to tell him. My wellbeing wouldn’t take precedence over business. Instead of saying that, I study Evan.
He was breathing softly when I woke up, smelling fresh and clean in a way different to the linen sheets. The aloe scent that clings to him reminds me of cold water in the summer heat and trips to the spa. Rejuvenating, I think, is the right word.
Kneeling on the floor beside my bed, his hand was resting on top of mine.
That’s twice the alphas of this pack have been on their knees for me in the last twenty four hours, I realize.
Jason’s had gotten soaked doing so too. It was unfamiliar to see him so quiet in his sleep, but it didn’t make me uncomfortable waking up next to him.
The opposite, really. Turning to face him, my other hand had found its way to his hair, stroking the blond locks.
They were softer than I’d expected, like his touch gently fixing the matted state of mine last night.
I’d startled when Nico had come to the door and quietly asked about lunch, feeling like he’d caught me doing something I shouldn’t have been.
The older man had only smiled fondly looking at us. The hour being late enough for lunch had surprised me, but I finally feel well rested after a week of only brief stints of sleep.
“Is there anything you’d like to eat? Or anything you can’t stand? Any allergies besides silver?” Nico asks from the doorway, snapping me away from studying Evan.
I shake my head. “I’m not picky. I eat everything.”
He nods. “We’ll get started on that then. There’s a toothbrush, towels and a change of clothes for you in the bathroom. Let us know if you need anything else.”
A warm shower sounds amazing right now. Extracting my hand from Evan’s, I give them a small wave before heading into the en-suite, aware of the lack of warmth on my hand without his touch.
The bathroom is as large as the rest of their nesting room, with the biggest tub I’ve ever seen and a shower with multiple heads. Acutely aware of the reason and purpose for the spacious appliances, heat creeps up my neck. My-
The pack I was living with before didn’t have a nesting room. We simply resolved heats in my bedroom. It’s unexpected that the Coates pack has one. A lot of packs consider them a waste of space that could be used for something better.
Dressed in another set of clothes much too large for me, I’m similarly surprised to see Sebastian leaning against the wall of the bedroom when I exit. It reminds me of Ian, sitting and waiting for me before my birthday.
“Just making sure you didn’t fall or anything. In case you needed help.” Their dark hair may be similar, but Sebastian’s green eyes look at me with a compassion I’m not sure the other man’s ever have. Shame floods my body at the comparison.
He escorts me through their apartment, explaining pictures on the wall or the backstory of art as we go.
Nico and Evan are fluttering around the kitchen, preparing the meal.
I like that there’s no wall between their kitchen and dining table, leaving the space open.
Jason’s already seated at the lengthy table in front of a laptop, greeting me as I pass.
“Can I help?” I ask the two in the kitchen. They exchange a glance.
Evan asks me gently, voice no longer drowsy. “Are you sure you feel alright? We could bring it to you in bed if you’d rather rest.” He sends a pointed glance to Sebastian, who’s settled down at the table with Jason. I get the sense that was their original plan.
I’m wide awake and feeling better than I’ve felt in a long time though. “No need. What are you guys making?”
“Pasta,” Nico responds after an extended silence. “Want to cut these?” He nods towards a wooden cutting board.
Eagerly nodding, I pick up the knife sitting on the board in one hand and a bell pepper. Despite my enthusiasm, the knife feels awkward in my hand. I wrack my brain, trying to remember if you’re supposed to take the seeds out of bell peppers.
I’ll just cut it in half first. That sounds right.
My grip on the knife is clumsy at best. The pepper rolls, nearly sliding off the board and onto the floor.
Evan catches it easily, placing it back swiftly.
He doesn’t say anything, pouring olive oil into a steel pan with practiced ease, but embarrassment makes my cheeks burn anyways.
The next attempts aren’t much better. Nothing falls, but my pieces are jagged and uneven. Feeling Evan’s gaze on me makes me self conscious.
“I think I’m terrible at this.” The admission is a sore spot. Cooking is one of the things most omegas are good at. Another point where Amy was better than me too.
Nico leans over my shoulder, looking at the pathetic pieces of vegetables. “What do you mean? You’re doing great.”
“My mother was an amazing cook,” I try to explain. “I just didn’t spend a ton of time learning from her. Once I moved to the city, I worked a ton and just lived off those cheap frozen meals. Then I met my pack and…”
When I trail off, Evan fills the resulting silence. “So you’re not terrible, you’re just new.”
He stands behind me, close enough that I can feel his chest brushing against my back.
Both his hands rest above mine, big enough to dwarf mine.
My eyes catch on the blue veins running across his skin.
His hands hold mine steadily, cutting the vegetable precisely.
“Here. Like that.” His breath tickles the top of my head.
My heartbeat quickens, repeating the motions. Satisfied I’ve picked up the technique, he returns to the stove. My cheeks flare again, but not for the same reason as before.
“You said your mom was a good cook?” Nico asks. “What’s your family like? I’m curious.”
Thankful for the distraction, I start to recount my childhood days of being covered in dirt, the tight-knit community of my small town.
The four of them listen attentively, chiming in or joking occasionally.
Once the bell peppers have been chopped, in squares that aren’t quite clean but are closer than before, Nico gives me an approving thumbs up.
By the time Evan’s pressed a wooden spoon into my hand and given me the long and arduous task of stirring the sauce, we’ve moved on to the pack’s past.
“He used to be so cute when he was younger,” Sebastian chimes in from the table. “What happened?”
Evan scoffs. “Spent too much time with you idiots.”
“You used to follow us around all the time, wanting to play with the big kids.” Nico says fondly, his gaze faraway and a smile on his face as if he’s reminiscing on a pleasant memory.
“Fuck off,” Evan directs at him before he looks at me, face serious. “That never happened.” He was kind enough to point out the red on my cheeks before, so I don’t comment on the faint blush on his. I’ve been in his shoes before anyway. I’m the last person to judge him for following anyone around.
“Sounds true to me.” Jason comments wryly, looking between the paper he holds in one hand and his laptop, typing every so often.
He’s wearing a different pair of black, rectangular rimmed glasses. They suit him, I notice. His wine scent mixes pleasantly with the aroma coming from the tomato sauce on the stove.
Evan grows outraged. “You weren’t even there yet! I was like five!”
“It didn’t happen, but you remember how old you were during it?” Jason stops typing to raise his eyebrows at Evan, smiling wryly.
“Did you join the pack after?” I ask Jason, curious.
He nods, cleaning his glasses with a tissue. “I didn’t grow up with these guys.” He holds his glasses up, inspecting for smudges. Satisfied with the lenses, the alpha puts them back on. “I met Sebastian in university and he invited me.”
“How’d you know this was the pack you wanted to join?”
Jason considers my question thoughtfully. “I knew Evan would miss me too much if I didn’t.”
The blond snorts. “Okay, that one actually isn’t true. It’s alright to admit you like us, Jace.”
“I can’t stand you.”
“Bullshit.”
“Nuh uh,” Jason replies dryly, returning to his work.
“You’re a grown ass man saying nuh uh. That’s grotesque.”
“Spell it.”
“What?”
“Spell grotesque.”
Nico cuts them off. “Okay, enough. We formed a pack because we all got along, Ariana,” he explains kindly. “Even if it doesn’t seem like it with these two idiots. It was that simple.”
Envious doesn’t cut it. Alphas get to choose their pack. Friendship seems like a good foundation for one. Better than for business reasons, like the one I was bonded into. The one I didn’t have a choice to join and didn’t have a choice to leave. It’s not so simple for omegas.
“Look, you’ve upset Ariana.” Nico holds out a pair of tongs threateningly. “No more fighting in front of her.”
“Yes, mother.” Evan mutters sarcastically, but he throws me an apologetic look. I smile back. I thought their back and forth was funny. It wasn’t any fault of theirs that put a damper on my mood.
His sarcastic remark does jolt my memory, though. “Oh! Actually, can I borrow someone’s phone really fast? I don’t have mine and there’s a call I want to make.”
The aloe scented blond is closest to me, so he quickly unlocks his and hands it to me. “The password’s two, zero, four, six if it locks.”
“Thank you,” I accept it with both hands, careful not to drop it. Especially since he trusted me enough to give me his password. I didn’t have the codes for any of my pack’s phones. My old pack’s? I don’t know. My head hurts. “I’ll be right back.”
Once I’ve made my way back to the room I’ve been using and closed the door behind me, I punch in the number from memory. It’s been the same for years.
It rings for longer than I’m used to. “Hello?”
“Hi, mom.”
“Ariana!” Her voice brightens immediately. “Hi, sweetheart. Sorry honey, I didn’t recognize the number! Did you change yours? I’ve been trying to reach you.”
My mouth has suddenly turned dry. The last time I spoke to my mom was on my birthday, and that was only brief. I didn’t tell her where my pack was that day, not wanting her to worry. I can’t trouble her now either.
They’ll know going home is my first instinct. Ian will march there and charm his way into making me look like an oversensitive runaway omega. Or my dads will try to kill him and the pack, without being as young to win a fight or having the money for lawyers they do.
And I begged my parents to let me move to the city. How do I admit it was a mistake when I groveled to them for it for all of high school?
“Is everything alright, sweetie?” I’ve gone silent, I realize.
“Yeah, sorry. My phone was dead. Everything’s fine.” She already has issues with her blood pressure. I don’t want to stress her out and make them worse. She’ll freak out, and I’ll have to deal with her panic on top of everything else. “I just missed you.”
It’s not entirely a lie. I know I won’t get on the bus and go home like I wanted to. The Coates pack promised they would protect me, and despite it being burdensome for them, I want to stay. But that means I won’t be seeing her anytime soon. Even as an adult, hearing my mom’s voice comforts me.
She updates me on everything I’ve missed in the days we haven’t spoken. A woman at her book club is having a grandchild and one of my dads saw a steal for a used fixer-upper car he thinks he can make almost as good as new.
I listen attentively, Evan’s phone held to my ear. We talk about mundane things. Each time she asks about how my pack is doing, I divert the conversation back to her. I don’t mention my adventure into the rain or where I’m staying at the moment.
“Oh, look at the time. Your dads will be home soon. They’d love to see you, Ariana. Do you have an idea when you’ll come down to visit?”
“Soon, mom.”
“How soon?”
“As soon as I can.”
It’s the exact exchange we’ve had with almost every phone call for the last ten years. Only this time, I’m not waiting for my alphas to give me permission or have the time to take me. I’m waiting to be sure they won’t be there with me.
“Mom, if my pack calls you, can you say you didn’t talk to me?”
Her reply comes through the phone with a mixture of surprise and suspicion. “Are you sure you’re alright, Ariana?”
“I’m fine. They just want me to be on my phone less.” I use the first excuse that comes to mind. “Too much screen time, they say.”
“Right. If something’s the matter, you can always talk to me or your fathers. I love you. Call me soon, okay?”
“I will. I love you too. Bye.” Hanging up quickly before she can use the motherly tone that makes me want to spill my guts out, I stare at the number pad on the screen, deliberating.
I don’t know what compels me to punch his number in. I’ve memorized it for emergencies, but never had to use it before. Maybe I’m used to him being the voice of reason, maybe it’s one last hurrah.
It rings for so long I think it doesn’t matter either way. I’m about to give up when someone picks up, but it isn’t Cole.
“Hello?”
I almost drop the phone hearing Amy’s voice. My entire body goes rigid, unprepared to hear her again. The sound of her wailing and lies spilling out of her mouth flash into my mind.
“Hello?” She says again. It comes out breathlessly, like she’s been running.
Faintly, I hear the sound of the alpha I was looking for. “Who is it?” Cole sounds distant, but the words are clear.
“It’s me.” I respond, finally. “Ariana,” I add for good measure.
Amy doesn’t speak for a moment. When she does, her tone is sickly sweet. “It’s just spam. Come back to bed, please?”
Instead of hanging up, there’s a muffled thump like she’s put the phone down. A creak that sounds suspiciously like the sound of a mattress shifting under weight spills into my ear.
I end the call.
I don’t know what I expected. To persuade Cole into helping me, maybe. All that talk about the pack always being busy and he’s at home on a workday? It’s unlike him. Have they even wondered whether I’m alright, or bothered to check at all?
My grip tightens on the phone. My breath comes out shakily. I don’t leave the room until it’s normal again.
“Great timing,” Nico’s twirling a pair of tongs in the pasta. “Food just finished.”
Marching up to Evan, I hold out his phone. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” He grabs it, then does a double take. Blue eyes growing slightly wider, he scans my face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Ariana.”
“I’m fine.”
Our exchange has caught the attention of the entire pack. Evan has his hands out like he’s scared I might fall, already preparing to catch me.
“I’m fine,” I repeat the lie for the second time, and it tastes even worse on my tongue than the first.