“We’re all set,” Cole replies from the stove where he’s cooking a fresh batch of pancakes. As well as spaghetti Bolognese, he’s pretty good at making breakfast foods too.
“Stellas incoming!” Laz sings, skipping to answer the door.
“I’m okay.” I kiss Ren’s cheek, sensing his concern. He worries too much. “I promise, alpha.”
I head toward the door, an excited shriek meeting my ears as Laz welcomes the Stella girls. It’s the first time they’ve been to see the house since we’ve completed our renovations, so I can’t wait to show them around.
“Holy shit,” Sabs gasps, looking around. Dropping her gym bag down, she’s dressed in tiny shorts and a tank top, ready to head to volleyball practice. “This is pack goals right here.”
Kady’s gaze sweeps over the entranceway as she smiles in approval. She’s scraped her hair into a bun and wears a blazer with aValley Voicelanyard over it. “This is an incredible space.”
“It’s amazing!” Delilah is beaming, her floaty dress dusted in flour, presumably from baking whatever goodies she’s carrying. “I can’t believe you’ve made it so homey already.”
“You have Laz to thank for that,” I say. “He really has an eye for decorating.”
“My older brother isn’t completely useless after all, then,” Sabs jokes, nudging him in the ribs.
He grins cheekily. “I think you’ll find I’ve been extremely useful these past few days. My knot has?—”
“I don’t want to hear anything about your heat antics, dude!” Sabs interrupts then turns to me. “How are you feeling now, Faye?”
“Much better. The guys took good care of me.”
“You’re rocking a post-heat glow,” Delilah sighs. “The first heat after bonding is supposed to be on another level.”
Damon leans in the doorway, smirking knowingly. “Oh, it was.”
My cheeks burn. It’s too early in the morning to be talking about our sex life with my friends.
“Are you hungry?” Ren calls from the kitchen, saving me.
“Starving,” Sabs declares, kicking off her sneakers and marching through to make herself at home.
“I made some apple and cinnamon muffins,” Delilah dips her chin to the tray she’s holding. “I’ll set them down.”
“Before I forget, Faye.” Kady hands me a bag. “I thought we already sent over all of your belongings, but I found this underneath your bed.”
My blush deepens. I grab it, trying to hide its contents from the watchful view of my brooding alpha. Unfortunately, nothing gets past Damon.
“What is it?” He swipes it from my grasp and peers inside to see the hoodie he gave me when we first met. I feel his shock through our bond when he realizes, then he grins widely. “Kady found it under your bed, huh?”
I smile meekly. “It might have helped me sleep, okay?”
His love permeates our bond as he bends down to kiss me then whispers huskily,“Now that you have the real thing, you don’t need to sleep with my clothes again.”
I clear my throat, thinking of carrion flower sap to stop me from soaking my panties in front of the girls.
“You two are just the cutest,” Delilah gushes.
“What about me?” Laz puts his hand to his chest like he’s wounded. “I thought I was the cutest alpha?”
“That has to be Ren,” Kady intervenes. “No offense, Laz.”
Laz pouts. “I’m highly offended.”
“Pancakes are getting cold,” Cole calls out.
“Nice apron, Cole,” Delilah teases as we walk into the kitchen.
