There was a brief pause. “You know… I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that specific scenario before. I mean, a quintet with four alphas is almost unheard of by itself, but add in an omega and you’ve got one rare goddess-blessed combination.”
My sigh escaped as she confirmed what I suspected. “That’s what I figured, but I wanted to ask anyway.”
“I’ll do some research,” she added quickly. “If this quintet is out there, or has been out there in the past, I’ll find out about it.”
I almost told her about Mom but decided at the last minute not to mention it. She shouldn’t find out on her own; in the pack world we never existed. And Mom’s story would be no help anyway—I already knew that tragic ending.
“I would appreciate that a lot,” I said, my eyes closing as I attempted to release the tension from my muscles. “Let’s organize that girls’ night soon. I think I’m going to need a little break from all the alpha-ness around here.”
Cora’s laughter was soothing, and I relaxed just a touch. “I’ll see you at the track on Sunday morning. We can plan it then.”
“Perfect.”
When we hung up, I knew there was no way I’d sleep now, so I headed into the bathroom. Filling the clawfoot tub was therapeutic on its own, as I sniffed the different oils and salts. Everything was fairly neutral, so I just tossed a handful of each one in, pinned my hair up to keep it off my neck, and sank into the warm water.
Bliss.Absolute bliss engulfed me as I bathed in temperatures just shy of a hell pit. I mean, was it even a bath if you weren’t bright red and half-baked?
As the water cooled, I finally drifted off into the nap I’d wanted, waking wrinkled and disoriented, with just enough time to get dressed and race down the stairs for dinner.
To my relief, when I reached the kitchen, Kellan was the only alpha there, chatting with Florence and a male shifter I hadn’t met before. The golden shifter turned as I entered the room, the blue of his eyes darkening as he took in the damp tendrils of my hair curling around my face.
He looked amazing, having changed into a fitted, dark blue Henley that was an almost perfect match for his eyes.Gorgeous.This alpha was distractingly gorgeous.
“Hey there, Shortcake,” he said, and I blinked at him, not hating his choice for once but needing to point out the facts.
“Shortcake? I’m five feet eleven, I’ll have you know.”
A broader smile appeared, and I forced myself to look away. It was that or step into him, which was dangerous. “You’re short in this house, Emme, but I actually chose that one fromStrawberry Shortcake. As a tribute to all your glorious hair and those adorable as fuck freckles.”
He tapped me gently on the nose, and my breath caught as his thumb scraped along my right cheek, leaving a tingling path of heat in its wake.
“Why not Strawberry?” I huffed out, my brain unable to come up with anything better through the haze he’d created.
Another stroke of his thumb and I was relieved when he removed his hand before I irrevocably fucked up my life. “Wouldn’t want to be predictable, pretty girl.”
Just kill me now. Take my damned life and throw me into the trash because Kellan had shattered every protective barrier around my emotions in less than twenty-four hours. He’d worn me down so quickly that I wondered if he was an actual magician.
“Dinner will be ready in ten minutes.”
I jumped at the reminder that we weren’t alone.
Kellan placed a hand on my back and nudged me forward. “Gerald, meet the fifth of our quintet: Emmeline. She’s part of Reeves Pack and will be joining us for meals from now on.” He tilted his warm smile toward me. “Emme, if you have any allergies, or specific requests for food, you can go through Gerry here. Or Florence.”
The housekeeper nodded enthusiastically, and I couldn’t help but shoot her a genuine smile. I had thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with her today, and hoped she felt the same way about me.
“It’s really nice to meet you,” I said to Gerald, who was a short, plump shifter giving delta wolf vibes. “I have no allergies, and I’m not super fussy as long as the meal is eighty percent meat.”
Kellan’s hand on my back flexed, his fingers brushing along a sliver of bare skin between my jeans and shirt.
“Easily done.” Gerald let out a huff, looking relieved. “Alpha Slade would end my family line if I didn’t serve a majority of meat in the dishes.”
“Well, scary shifter and I have that in common,” I replied, my smile a touch more forced at the mention of Slade.
Kellan threw back his head and laughed, his hand sliding higher on my bare skin, and I needed to move out of his hold before I begged him to strip my shirt off completely.
If only I could find the strength to step away.
“You nailed his nickname,” he said, “and I might even be brave enough to use it in the group chat.”
