“I’m okay. It’s only a cut,” Faye says quickly. “I got checked over, then we went for ice cream.”
Laz raises his eyebrows. “It smells like you got more than ice cream.”
I can’t stop the grin from breaking out over my face. Now that they’re over the shock of our return, Cole and Ren’s eyes fly straight to our linked hands.
Faye chews her lip. “We should probably talk.”
She’s anxious. Worried about hurting their feelings. Scared they’ll be angry with her. Our omega doesn’t understand how bonds work for alphas. As her pack, all we want is for her to be happy.
“We bonded,” I announce, sparing her from telling them.
I proudly turn my head to show them her bite mark on my neck. It’s red now, but over time, it’ll fade into a silvery scar.
Laz’s phone slips from his fingers and lands on the floor with a thud. “What…? How…?”
“It’s pretty simple, really,” I snark. “You should know how bonding works by now.”
“I bit him first,” Faye says hastily. While an omegas bite doesn’t create a lasting bond, like an alphas, it’s still an extremely powerful act. “It sorta just happened.” From the look on her face and the smirk on mine, I’m sure it’s clear how it happened. “I maybe lost control a little.”
“It sounds hot,” Laz fans himself.
I nod. “Oh, it was.”
“Are you okay, Ren?” Faye asks Ren who seems to be speechless. I can feel her need to go to him. “Are you mad?”
“Mad?” He frowns. “No, of course not. Why would I be mad? You bonded with my brother. You’re part of us now, and I’m going to sleep much better, knowing that you’ve been claimed.”
Anger ripples through me. “Faye has a habit of being chased by football players.”
“Show me again.” Laz approaches me to get a better look at my neck. “I want to see.”
Ren chuckles. “He’s just jealous because he wants one.”
“Hell yeah, I do!” Laz agrees, then he quickly turns to Faye. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to presume?—”
“I’d love to bond with you,” she states with zero hesitation. “With all of you.”
Cole’s grin widens now that he’s recovered from the initial shock. “I guess we officially have a new member of the Silverwood Pack.”
Legally, Faye won’t officially become a pack member until she bonds with Cole, but in our eyes, she’s always been one of us.
“Are you going to stop acting like such an ass now, big D?” Laz jokes.
Usually, I’d snarl back something grumpy, but right now, I’m too happy.
“We’ll make up the living room for the night,” Cole jumps into action. “Damon will sleep next to Faye, but there’ll be room for the rest of us.” He looks at her. “If you don’t mind?”
She beams. “It sounds perfect.”
“How about I show you how I kick ass onMario Kart?” Laz suggests. “While everyone else gets all the blankets?”
Faye grins as she follows him into the living room. We’re only a few feet apart, but I already feel an ache in my chest the farther she gets, even though I know she’s safe with one of my brothers, and I sense how happy Laz makes her. I can’t believe I resisted her for so long. I didn’t realize that by holding back, I’d been hurting her.
“Congratulations. I’m happy for you, brother.” Ren pats me on the back as he goes to get blankets.
“Thanks.” I smile then turn my attention to Cole, who crosses his arms. He has every right to be mad at me. “I know an omega usually bonds with the pack leader first, I fucked up. We were caught up in the moment, then she bit me, and?—”
Cole holds his hand up to silence me. “You know I don’t care about traditions like that. What I can’t believe is that you finally stopped fighting it.”
