“Sabs!” The brunette wearing sparkly hair clips swats her. “Sorry about her, Ezra. She can’t control her mouth sometimes. I’m Delilah. It’s good to meet you.”
“Prof—” Faye clears her throat. “I mean, Ezra. Is something wrong? Is Kady okay?”
“She’s fine.” I skim a hand over my jaw. “She unexpectedly went into heat before we left, so we decided to stay in Rose Harbor for a few more days. She’ll be more than comfortable here. We have a nest here.”
Sabs winks. “I bet she’s more than comfortable.”
“I can contact Kady’s professors to let them know she won’t be in class for a few days,” Faye offers. “She did the same for me before.”
“Thank you, Faye.” I smile gratefully. “We’d appreciate that, and none of you have to worry. We’ll make sure she has everything she needs.”
“We’re glad to hear it,” Delilah replies. “Thank you for looking after our friend. Kady’s not always an easy person to take care of.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, we’re learning that.”
Behind me, Larry meows.
“Is that Larry?” Sabs snatches the phone up from wherever it’s balanced in front of them.
“Sure is.” I pan the camera around to show her him. He’s currently lounging across the cushions in a French lady pose. “Say hi, Larry.”
“Look at him!” Delilah clucks. “He looks like he’s made himself at home.”
“You better watch out for him, though,” Sabs warns. “He’s a furball straight from hell when he wants to be.”
Larry hisses at her, apparently disapproving of her comments.
“It’s okay, Larry,” Faye coos. “She doesn’t mean it.”
I swear, Larry’s mouth stretches into a smile.
“Well, I better go.” I crack my neck. “Riven and I are making snacks for when Kady’s ready.”
“Thanks again, Ezra,” Delilah chirps. “When you’re back at SVU, we’d love to meet you and the rest of the pack properly. Kady already said she’d like that.”
“She did?” Riven asks in the background. “She wants us to meet her friends?”
I can’t stop a smile from spreading over my face at this too. Kady seems fiercely protective over the Stellas, so it’s a big deal that she feels ready to introduce us already.
“We’d like that.” I nod before saying goodbye and hanging up.
“I’ll be right back.” Riven gestures toward his room. “I’m just going to do some more research real quick.”
“Research? Now?” I frown. “About what?”
“I want to know more about an omega’s biological response during heat.” He lifts up a bulky shoulder. “Maybe there’s more we can do to help her.”
“There are some things you can’t find out about in books, Riven.” I rearrange a platter of cookies. “Every omega is different. We need to learn what Kady needs. It’ll come with experience.”
“Still, it’ll make me feel better to study the theory.” He nibbles on his lip, surveying the snack table. “It’s either that or I’ll just stand here and eat all the donuts.”
“Go, if it makes you feel better.” I clap him on the shoulder as he passes then sit next to Larry. I turn on the television, flicking aimlessly through the channels, but nothing keeps my attention.
“Was that Delilah’s voice I heard earlier?” Kady suddenly comes from behind me.
Her wet hair covers her breasts, soaking through the thin fabric of the white button down she’s wearing that I recognize as being Calder’s. Behind her, Hale follows, a towel wrapped around his waist. Lucky fuck. From the look on his face, they did more than shower.
I swallow hard, noting how she only fastened a few of the shirt buttons, giving me a tantalizing glimpse of her cleavage. The shirt leaves little to the imagination. When she moves, the dwindling sunlight streaming through the windows highlights her peachy ass and that she isn’t wearing underwear.
