“She may be yours,” Damon scoffs. “But she sure as hell ain’t mine.”
“How much longer are you going to fight it?” I cross my arms, leaning back against the counter. “I know you’re drawn to Faye like we are. Look, I understand that you’re worried after?—”
Damon hurls the empty ice cream tub across the room, the spoon landing with a tinny thud. Cole will have a fit when he sees ice cream splattered everywhere.
“I’m not fighting or worried about anything!” Damon snarls. “Why are you so brave all of a sudden anyway? Did knotting an omega for the first time make you feel like more of a man?”
“Enough, dude, okay?” Laz’s face reddens as he steps between us. “Now you’re just being an asshole.”
I suck in a cleansing breath so I don't retaliate, letting Damon’s comments wash over me. Damon’s first reaction to anything uncomfortable is to get defensive or smash things. Unfortunately, it’s a trait he inherited from his father, and it’s a tough one to break. Hurt people hurt people.
“I didn’t want to be here, remember?” Damon throws up his arms. “You made me stay, and now I have to sit and listen to you rail her in the nest! Cole may have forced me to come to this cabin, but he can’t force me to be happy about it. I’m going to chop more wood.”
“Fine, go get eaten by a grizzly! They’ll need a big meal to bulk up for winter anyway!” Laz yells to Damon’s back as he storms into the night. “I give up with him.”
“He’ll come around.”
“What if he doesn’t?” Laz drops down onto one of the breakfast stools, staring wistfully at his fruit art. “Ren, I don’t know if we can live without Faye.”
“It won’t come to that.” Damon is fighting his own inner demons, but he can’t deny what his alpha needs forever. “Damon just needs time.”
I have to believe that he’ll come around. Finding an omega should be something that brings a pack together, but as I gaze out the window at the inky tree line, I hope it doesn’t tear us apart in the process.
TWENTY-FIVE
Faye
I thought I’d be aching after being knotted by two alphas. There is some mild tenderness down there, but despite that, my body already craves more. While I get another brief respite between sessions, the guys have helped to keep me grounded so far, there’s no doubt that heats are relentless.
“You need to eat something.” Cole steers me downstairs. “You need to keep your energy up.”
Despite Cole buying me many cute pajama sets, I insisted on wearing his T-shirt. It absolutely drowns me, hanging around my knees, but it smells amazing.
“Faye!” Laz excitedly jumps up when he spots me, and my mouth falls open when I see what’s behind him.
The entire countertop is covered in snacks. There’s everything from veggie sticks and dips to mini sandwiches, cakes, granola bars, and more.
“I know you like sweet treats, but Cole would castrate me if I didn’t include some healthy options. Drink this before anything else.” Laz shoves a glass of orange juice into my hands. “It’s full of all the vitamins and electrolytes you’ll need.” I take a sip, expecting it to be bitter, but it’s delicious and tastes like passionfruit. “I made it super fruity for you.”
“Is that…?” My eyes jump to an adorable piece of expertly carved melon. It has a tiny beak and wings, sitting on strawberries that look like waves. “A swan?”
Laz shyly runs his hands through his auburn curls. “Yeah.”
“It’s so cute!” I squeal, picking it up like it’s a tiny animal. “No one can eat it!”
“Note to self, don’t make the food so cute that she won’t eat it,” Laz jokes, but I can tell he’s buzzing from the compliment.
“No one will eat your swan,” Cole chuckles. “But you really should eat something else.”
I gravitate to the three-tier chocolate cake.
“Little omega,” Cole chastises.
“Fine!” I turn away from it, adding a few pieces of chopped fruit to my plate before sprinkling them with walnuts. “Better?”
“Drink the rest of that first.” Cole motions to my juice.
I literally salivate, eyeing the cake. “But I have fruit too. They’re one of my five a day.”
