Ezra chuckles. “Poor Timothy Oakwood.”
“Trust me, the last thing you need is to feel sympathy for that asshole,” Kady scoffs.
“How did you leave things?” I ask gently.
“Okay. I think.” She sighs. “He wants us all to meet him for dinner in New York, so I guess that means he’s okay with whateverthisis.”
“Do you want to talk about what ‘this’ is?” I question.
She motions to the kitchen. “Maybe over coffee?”
“Coffee sounds good.” Ezra jumps up to prepare some.
When we join him in the kitchen, there’s a brewed pot waiting, Kady’s mug already poured and steaming. After ignoring her for most of the weekend, it appears he wants to make up for lost time.
Riven retrieves the box filled with blueberry muffins that Mom insisted we bring home. Although the three of us have already eaten, Kady and Ezra may want some. And there’s always room for more where muffins are concerned.
We eat in silence around the island. I’m no mind reader, but if the others feel anything like I do, none of us know quite where to start. Luckily, Kady eventually speaks.
“I should probably address what I said outside.” Her tone is business-like and to the point, even her posture changes–shoulders pinned back, hands clasped in front of her, wearing an unreadable expression. She must have learned to communicate like this from her father. This Kady is totally different from the carefree, mud-splattered woman at my parents’ farm or the one who snorted when she laughed. “Although I acknowledge that we’re scent matches, bonding is not something I’d planned on.”
“I meant everything I said outside.” I hope she can feel my earnestness. “And I know I speak for the entire pack when I say that whatever happens next is up to you. Bonding is your choice.”
“What if I never want to bond?” Her voice wavers, and her shoulders slump like her body is caving in on itself. “I know the need to bond for alphas is strong. It’s a biological drive.”
“You’re our omega, Kady.” I reach over, placing my hand on top of hers. “Bonded or not, it doesn’t matter to us.”
She looks at the others. “Do you all feel that way too?”
“Obviously, I’d love to make sure every other alpha knows that you’re mine.” Calder grins mischievously. “But Hale’s right. You’re who we want. Bonding doesn’t change that.”
“Riven?” she prompts. “What do you think?”
“I never even thought I’d find an omega who wants me.” Riven looks down at his lap. “I’m just grateful you want to give me—us—a chance.”
My chest tightens. I had no idea he felt that way. I always assumed he was too intensely focused on his interests to even think about a relationship. The fact that he thought he was unlovable hits me like a ton of bricks. How did I miss that?
“You already know my views on bonding,” Ezra chimes in. “I don’t know if it’s something I’ll ever want. But what I do know is that I can’t fight my connection to you. Not anymore.”
“I understand how you feel about not wanting to be tied down, Ezra.” She pulls her hand back, picking at a fingernail. “But I don’t think I can handle seeing you with someone else.”
Ezra almost falls off his stool. “Someone else?”
“I know you’re not a one woman kind of alpha. You said that to me yourself,” she continues. “I saw you with another woman in Marco’s, remember?”
“Her? We were having a meeting about me buying seeds for the SVU greenhouse.” Ezra’s standoffish nature seems to have fallen away. “Since that night at the bar, there hasn’t been anyone else, Kady.”
“Really?” Her head quickly lifts, looking at him. “What about your rule not to sleep with the same woman twice?”
“I think we already broke that one, don’t you?” Ezra chuckles. “It seems like you’ve broken me.”
“Or fixed you.” Riven grabs a napkin, wiping crumbs from his fingers.
“And you’re really all okay with this, just seeing how things go.” She doesn’t phrase it like a question, seeming to be speaking more to herself than to us.
“As long as you’re happy, so are we.” I cup her cheek, wanting her to look into my eyes so she knows I’m speaking the truth. “I don’t know about the other alphas you’ve come across, but we’d never make you drop out of school or do anything you don’t want to. That’s some seriously messed up shit.”
Her expression darkens. “You didn’t meet some of the packs my father made me date over the summer.”
