I strain to hear theclick clackof Riven’s keyboard. He’ll be busy for a while. Riven is a genius, but he’s very set on routines and things being in their place. The move is going to be tough, considering how hard a change of environment will be on him. It’ll take him hours to get his new configuration set up in his room exactly how he likes it.
“So this omega…” Calder fishes for information. “Will you be seeing her again?”
Although I’ve long decided that I’m not interested in bonding, and the rest of the pack is focused on their careers and studies for now, I detect a trace of potential interest in his voice. Out of the four of us, he and Hale are the ones who have heldthe most hope in finding an omega to complete our pack. Riven and I are more than happy with our current situation. I get my omega fix with random hookups, and Riven’s content looking at the sky or doing math equations.
“Calder.” Hale clasps Calder’s shoulder. “I think Ezra’s done answering your questions.”
“I was only asking,” Calder grumbles. “If he’s going to shirk his moving responsibilities and let the rest of us pick up the slack, the least he can do is divulge some of the details.”
“You know my rule,” I smirk, putting an end to the conversation.
I have sworn to never sleep with the same girl twice. Although as I head for a cool shower with Victoria’s panties stuffed in my pocket, the temptation to make an exception for her—if we ever see each other again—may be too hard to resist.
FIVE
Kady
“I’m home!” Sabs bumbles into the house, wearing her volleyball attire—skin-tight tiny navy shorts and a little crop top that shows off her incredible abs. “And we won!”
“Congratulations!” Delilah choruses from the kitchen, where she’s currently elbow-deep in a giant pumpkin. “I knew you would.”
“You guys will have to come see me play a real game in a few months. We’re going to kick serious ass.”
She just played an away game at Knottsville University. Although it was just a scrimmage before the official season starts, they’re SVU’s biggest rivals, so she’s been talking about it nonstop.
Sabs pauses as she reaches the bottom of the stairs where my bag of dirty laundry lies on the floor. She draws in a deep inhale then whips her head around in our direction.
“Why can I smell an alpha?”
Damn her ridiculously good nose. I purse my lips, continuing to tap away on my laptop and pretending not to hear her. I’m sure Del has already smelled Ezra on my clothes too, but she hasn’t broached the topic—probably because she was waiting for Sabs’s return and knows she’d ask. That or she knows betterthan to speak to me until I’ve finished my morning coffee, which Delilah insisted that I add some pumpkin spice to for the spooky season.
When I woke up this morning, I almost questioned whether yesterday happened, but with Ezra’s smell burrowed deep into my pores, there was no denying it. I had to spend over an hour, scrubbing my skin and washing away any trace of him. Right now, I can’t afford any distractions.
“Del?” Sabs wiggles her eyebrows. “You didn’t say anything on the group chat.”
“Don’t look at me.” Delilah stares pointedly in my direction. “I was at the Tea House with Faye and Ren for a spoken word night. There were no alphas of interest there. Sadly.”
“Kady!” Sabs gasps. “You dark horse! I thought you were pulling an all-nighter atThe Valley Voice.” A smirk spreads over her face as she drops onto the stool next to me and grabs a plate, helping herself to a gargantuan portion from the spread of pastries Delilah set out earlier.
“Hey!” Delilah flicks a lump of pumpkin flesh in her direction as Sabs reaches for the jumbo triple-chocolate-chip muffin. “I made that especially for Faye.”
“Fine.” Sabs opts for a thick slab of banana bread that’s drizzled with blueberry frosting to look like cobwebs instead then winks at me. “I take it you found your fake pack, and they threw in a knot to sweeten the deal?”
“I did find a fake pack.” I shudder at the thought of letting the Blandon Pack anywhere near my naked body, feeling sorry for the omega who eventually ends up with them—if they’re lucky enough to find one. “But…” I shuffle around in my seat. “That’s not who you can smell.”
Stella House would need to be fumigated if the Blandon Pack scent infiltrated the premises.
Delilah’s eyes widen. “But I thought?—”
“Okay, spill!” Sabs cuts her off. “We want all the details!”
From the looks on their faces, they’re not going to let this rest, so I give them a quick rundown of yesterday’s events—my deal with Tyler, drowning my sorrows, and my chance meeting with Ezra in the bar that might’ve gotten more than a little out of hand.
“Holy shit, girl. I’m jealous!” Sabs fans herself dramatically with her hand. “Tell me about him. Was he hot?”
“That’s seriously what you’re asking?” Delilah shakes her head. “Kady—the same Kady who makes alphas sign a contract before her heats—just told us she fucked a random and made a deal with the biggest jerks on campus, and you’re asking if the fuckboy was hot?”
“I’m a sunshine gal, what can I say?” Sabs is completely unapologetic. “We have to focus on the positives, starting with this mysterious alpha from Forestville. Whenever I’ve been over there, I’ve only seen old dudes.” Sabs leans forward. “What was he like?”
