I tap into a few apps and see that Simon has somehow magically transferred all my contacts, pictures, and game high scores.
“I may have worked a little extra magic,” he admits.
“I saw that! You got all my pictures back.”
Simon fixes me with a level stare. “That wasn’t magic, kit-kat. I backed up all your data to the cloud months ago.”
“’The cloud is just other people’s computers,’” Ellie mutters, mimicking her brother so well their mother lets out a delighted laugh.
Simon taps into the map app and shows me the congregation of flashing dots on the screen. “See? That’s all of us.” He swipes to our neighborhood in the city of Fairhaven. “And that’d be Ian at the pack house. So you can find us whenever you need us. And I souped up the encryption and packed your phone with every spell I could think of to keep your sensitive data protected. I also?—”
Ellie hops up from her chair and pulls me up after her, cutting her brother off. “Cool story, Simon. Junie, I think this calls for breaking in your brand-new phone by taking a selfie and sending it to our group chat.”
“That’ll sync to the cloud, too,” Simon calls after us as we head for the family room and one of Bethany’s lavishly decorated Yule trees.
We pose in front of the tree, flashing the camera cheesy smiles and peace signs, and Ellie smirks as I hit send in the group chat.
“Oh man,” she laughs. “Bitsy and Alyssa arenotgoing to believe this!”
CHAPTER28
Ireceive a video call from our Omega Girl Gang chat immediately, Alyssa’s shocked face appearing on the phone’s screen just seconds before Bitsy’s does.
“What in the… where are you two?”
“Um, who cares where they are? Can wepleasetalk about the bite on Junie’s neck? Girlie, you’remated?”
Bitsy pinch-zooms on her phone screen, and squints and her mouth falling open. “Damn, girl. First Alyssa and now you. Is mating at Yule a thing I didn’t know about?”
Alyssa lets out a dreamy sigh. “So, you and Luca finally?—”
“Pft,” Bitsy interjects, rolling her eyes. “That isdefinitelyProfessor Panty Melter’s bite. You owe me fifty bucks and a handle of cherry brandy, Bells. Man, Itotallycalled it.”
Ellie elbows me, throwing her hand over her mouth to hold in her giggles and when I look up from the phone, I meet Ian’s wide eyes.
He’s blushing so fiercely his cheeks are nearly as red as Bethany’s Yule baubles, and I feel my own blush creeping up my neck.
“Oh saints, he’s there, isn’t he?” Bitsy cackles. “Happy Yule, Professor!”
Ian shoots me a stricken look, and my own blush darkens.
Beside me, Ellie’s composure fails the moment she sees Simon trying to hold in his own laughter, and within seconds, the Monroe siblings are doubled over, laughing so hard they’re crying.
“So, does Ellie owe me or what?” Bitsy asks, one hand on her hip.
Cassian comes into the family room just as she asks, undoubtedly trying to figure out what all the commotion is about. I flip the phone around and he gives our video chat an awkward little wave.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Bitsy says. “I guess this means I have to leave your dick unhexed, huh?”
“Yes, please,” Cassian, Simon, and I say all at once, which just sets Bitsy off laughing again.
“Oh, girlie, I am so dang happy for you! Darika, babe,” Alyssa says, looking over the top of her phone screen. “Can you grab me my sketchbook? I’ve got a cake for a mating celebration to design.”
“Aw fuck,” Bitsy mutters after a moment, looking away from her phone and frowning. “Hey, I have to dash. Pack Jordan drama. But we are totally partying our pants off soon, all right? Mating celebration and Omega Girl Gang Yule. Cookies, booze, and silly presents are mandatory.” She smiles a bright, cheeky smile and blows us a loud, messy kiss, then hangs up.
“For the love of the saints, Lys, those pants only come off for me,” Darika grumbles, popping on the screen to give me and Ellie a wave.
“Rawr,” Alyssa teases. “Yes, alpha!”
