I make for the kitchen, but Alyssa bats me away and chides me when I try to help her plate up hors d'oeuvres for all of us to share. She sidles up to me, refills my champagne glass and presses it into my hands, guiding me back to the living room.
Luca looks up, arching an eyebrow.
“I was kicked off snack duty.”
“That quickly?”
“Apparently, I’m not supposed to help at a party that’s in our honor.”
Luca pulls me down to his side, my first lover, my second mate. “Good, because I want you here with me.”
Marcus comes and takes my other side, taking my hand in his, brushing a kiss over the back of it, marking me with his scent.
“Oh!” Alyssa says, coming out of the kitchen, her phone in hand. She races to the front door, and I follow her out to the foyer. She throws the door open, revealing Bitsy and her honor guard, Connor. She embraces the other omega, throwing her arms around Bitsy and hugging her tightly.
“It’s so good to see you, Bits. We’ve all missed you so much.”
Bitsy smiles, but it’s a small, fragile thing. She hoists a bottle of champagne in the air. “I heard there was a party I needed to crash.”
I hug her tightly. “It’s not crashing if you’re invited. I’m glad you’re here, Bitsy. Come in and let’s pop that bottle of champagne.”
The Omega Girl Gang congregates in the kitchen, snatching snacks off Alyssa’s plates of hors d'oeuvres. Alyssa doesn’t even bother to stop us, snatching a crostini covered in bruschetta for herself.
“Tell us everything, Bits. We’ve all been so worried about you,” Alyssa says.
“Where’s… where’s Ellie?” Bitsy asks, fiddling with her bracelets.
“I’m here,” Ellie says from the doorway to the kitchen.
The two omegas exchange a heavy look and a brittle hug.
Alyssa must notice the tension, because she takes that moment to fill a glass of champagne for Bitsy.
“Is it terrible?” Ellie asks, her voice hoarse.
“It could be worse,” Bitsy deflects, turning away from her best friend. “I always knew I’d have to do my duty for Pack Jordan. I just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. I thought I had more time.”
“How are your fathers being about it?” Alyssa asks, pressing a plate of snacks into Bitsy’s hands.
“Surprisingly supportive. I’m encouraged to join in on meetings with the alphas, allowed to get to know them a bit. I think my family will make the best choices they can for me, but it still sucks ass.”
“I still think we should get you, Ellie and Melissa out of the country to a sovereign sanctuary state,” I say quietly. I know Pack Leclerc could pull it off.
Bitsy waves me off with a fragile smile. “Enough about me. This is meant to be a celebration for you and your pack, Junie.”
Following Bitsy’s lead, we head to the family room. Bitsy and Ellie take a sofa together, but Ellie sits as far from her best friend as she can. Oh, Ellie. If only Bitsy knew what she’s been going through in her absence, though perhaps she does. Ellie hasn’t paid any heed to her own deadline for making a mating match, instead pouring all her worry into Bitsy, who can barely look at her.
Alyssa circulates through the room, passing out snacks to lighten the mood. I’m sandwiched between Ian and Marcus, and cuddle up with my final mate, breathing in his pine-and-winter-wind scent.
“Love you,” he murmurs, his love filling my heart with sunshine. When I look over at his mother, her face shines with pride, tears beading at the corners of her eyes. She shoots me a huge smile, and I take her son’s hand, lacing my fingers with his.
“Oh! We should do toasts!” Alyssa says, sensing the tension that still drifts through the room.
The new laws, the past few months, they’ve taken a heavy toll on all of us here. I don’t mind a subdued celebration—we’re finally all back together after all. Still, the future is uncertain. Can Gerard regain control of the Council of Nine and overturn some of the draconian laws put in place by Baphomet’s Prince? Saints, if he could, it feels like that’d solve just about everything.
Still, I know war is coming. It may not be the all-out chaos in the streets I saw in my visions, but Baphomet’s Prince won’t stand down, not when his twisted heart is full of hatred for omegas. Not when he has so many supporters.
“I’ll toast!” Bethany says, and the mood in the family room lightens immediately. “To Juniper, the daughter I never had. You’ve brightened all our lives with your kindness, your bravery and your brilliance. I’ll forever be grateful for Cassian bringing you into our lives, along with your wonderful pack. You’ve all become family to us in such a short time, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. To all of you!” She raises her glass, and we all follow suit. I clink glasses with Ian and Marcus, then with Simon, who lounges against the back of the sofa. “To us,” I murmur. “To all of us.”
