23. Chapter Twenty-Three #2
Chase shifts in his chair, his rich brown eyes meeting mine for the first time without looking away.
His voice comes out low, the gruff edge softened by the game.
“Most packs live off campus. Dorms aren’t really built for mated packs, especially once an omega is involved.
Too many people, too many scents, no real space to breathe. ”
I nod, the short hem of my dress brushing my thighs as I shift in my seat. The alcohol makes the questions feel easier to ask. “Is it because of the whole nest thing?”
All four of them nod at once, the movement so synchronized it makes me smile. Adrian leans forward a little, his glasses catching the kitchen light as he adds the deeper layer in that introspective way of his.
“It’s more than that too. Mated people struggle to sleep apart. Daytime classes are fine, but nights in a different house would feel wrong. Empty in a way that’s hard to explain.”
His words sink into me, fervent and honest, and it makes me realize how seriously they take their pack and one another. I take another small sip of beer and let the conversation wrap around me, the kitchen lights glowing overhead while their scents mix in the air.
Alex’s fingers drift into my hair, gently stroking through the loose waves as if he has done it a hundred times before. The touch sends lively little sparks down my spine, and I lean into it without thinking.
“Tell me more about your parents,” he says, his low voice curious against the side of my head. “The beta ones. You mentioned they did a lot of research.”
I nod, the motion easy and loose. “They did endless research. They read every book they could find, watched every documentary, made sure I had every supplement and scent blocker and safety guide an omega could possibly need. They wanted me to have everything, even though they didn’t really understand it themselves. ”
Alex makes a faint sound of approval, his hand still moving through my hair in that rhythmic cadence. “I don’t doubt that for a second.” He pauses, then asks even more gently, “Were you ever around any packs while you were growing up? Real ones, not just stories?”
The question sits between us for a moment.
I take another small sip of beer and feel the words rise easily.
“Pretty much everyone in my school were betas. But there was one other omega I was friends with in school. Her family was a pack, and her omega parent… she seemed so controlled. She gave up her art studio because the alphas didn’t like the mess.
She stopped traveling even though she loved it.
She was always waiting for permission, always checking if it fit the pack schedule.
I saw how little freedom she had, and it scared me. I’ve never wanted that for myself.”
Jamie leans forward on his elbows. “You never saw packs on TV shows or anything? The ones that look all perfect and balanced?”
I laugh, the sound bubbling up from my chest. “None of that is real. It’s all edited and scripted. Real life doesn’t work like that.”
Alex’s hand stills for a second in my hair, then resumes its languid strokes. His voice comes out low and sure, wrapping around me like the cozy lamplight overhead.
“In a properly functioning pack the omega is the center. But it’s not one sided.
You decide what you want, what you need, and the pack falls in line.
Everyone compromises so that all of us get the life we desire.
It isn’t about control. It’s about making sure you are free to be exactly who you are. ”
The words sit with me, so different to how I’ve thought about it all before.
Between turns in the game the guys keep me supplied without me ever having to ask.
Jamie slides a small bowl of pretzels closer, Adrian refills my water glass before it gets low, and Chase swaps my empty beer bottle for a fresh cold one.
Their movements are thoughtful, never letting anything stay empty for long. The kitchen feels cozier with every passing minute, their scents blending together until the air itself feels like safety.
I take another sip, my heart beating with strange wonder.
The game loosens me more with every round, the beer and easy laughter melting the last tight places inside my chest until everything feels warm and liquid and safe. I turn toward Alex without thinking, the words rising up bold and tipsy on my tongue.
I lean in close so only he can hear, my lips brushing the edge of his ear. “Are you going to kiss me again?”
Alex chuckles, the sound low and hot against my hair. His arm tightens around my waist as he teases gently, “Maybe you’ve had a little too much to drink tonight.”
I hiccup softly, then giggle at the sound, pressing my face into his arm to hide the flush I can feel climbing my face. The fabric of his shirt is soft beneath my cheek, and I nuzzle there for a second, begrudgingly agreeing even as the words slip out anyway. “Maybe.”
My filter vanishes completely in the next breath. The thought has been circling in my head for the last few turns, growing louder with every sip, and now it tumbles straight out of me.
“It’s so intoxicating when all four of your scents mix together like this,” I blurt, voice ringing out over the others in the kitchen.
“It feels like warm rain and sun-warmed skin and safety all at once. I can’t even describe it right, but it’s everywhere and it makes me feel…
anchored. Like nothing bad could reach me here. ”
Jamie’s grin flashes across the table, his blue eyes sparkling with delight. “You’re literally intoxicated, sweetheart. That’s the scientific term for it.”
Adrian smiles beside him, pushing his glasses up his nose with one finger, his expression a little shy. “We all are,” he says.
The air between us feels thicker for a moment, charged with something sweet and electric, and I take another small sip of beer just to give my racing heart something to do while their combined scents settle deeper into my skin.
I shift uncomfortably in the hard kitchen chair, the wooden edge pressing into the backs of my thighs through the thin fabric of the dress.
The beer has made everything feel softer except this one spot, and I finally give in.
“Can we move to the living room?” I ask, the words coming out a little loose at the edges.
They stand immediately, no questions, no hesitation. Chairs scrape gently against the floor as all four of them rise at once. The easy way they move together sends a small flutter through my chest, but I don’t let myself think about it too hard.
“I need to pee,” I announce, the words slipping out before I can control them. I push back from the table and slip down the hallway toward the downstairs bathroom, the short hem of Sophie’s dress brushing against my legs with every step.
Once inside, I close the door and let out a long breath.
The light here is much dimmer. I wash my hands deliberately, letting the cool water run over my fingers.
When I finally look up at the mirror I almost don’t recognize the girl staring back. My pupils are blown wide and dark, my cheeks are flushed a deep pink, and I’m wearing the most ridiculous, giddy grin I have ever seen on my own face.
A shocked laugh escapes me. I’ve been having fun. Real, easy fun. The kind I didn’t think I was capable of having with alphas, especially not four of them at once.
I pull my phone from the small pocket of my jacket and open my messages. Sophie has texted twice asking if I’m OK. I type back quickly, fingers moving slower than usual.
I’m safe… and having a good time?
The words feel true as I send them.
I set the phone down on the edge of the sink and stare at myself again.
This pack is nothing like I imagined packs would be. They’ve been incredible hosts, thoughtful in small ways I didn’t expect. It should feel strange that I’m their only guest here tonight, but it doesn’t. It feels like I belong here. Like the house itself has made space for me without trying.
Even grumpy Chase, who has been mostly quiet all night, makes something flutter in my chest every time he looks at me. Why do I find his grumpiness so strangely attractive too?
I press my cool hands to my flushed cheeks and take one more stabilizing breath before I open the bathroom door and step back into the glow of the house.