“I’m going to go and get dressed.”
I step towards the door and bang into it when it doesn’t magically open.
“Shit!” My cheeks burn, and I almost lose my grip on the towel.
“Are you okay?”
“Fine! Bye!”
I grab the handle, push it down, and manage to get inside, leaning against the wood while I wait to see if I’m going to burst into flames or drop through a hole in the ground. I pull on my clothes as fast as I can and then rush down the stairs and to the kitchen where I find the whole Sol family.
Except her.
Where is she?
“Hey, Elijah,” Lorelei says as she passes me. Franco seizes her hips as she passes and kisses her.
“Good evening, my beauty.”
She giggles. I’ve gotten used to their displays of affection.
Imogen is leaning on the counter, talking to her father, Milton, who is filling up a row of mugs with secret recipe cocoa. She’s got long ginger hair and freckles and, at fifteen, is surprisingly quiet. Sebastian is glaring at the wall, his arms crossed over his big chest, his brown hair is messed up, like he’s been running his hands through it. Daphne and ten-year-old Ivy are sitting at the table, both of them like miniature versions of their mother.
Most shockingly, the twins are here. Felix leans against the wall, scowling at his sister Asher. Both look tense and angry. They are twenty-three and fraternal twins, though they look similar enough that they can and do pass for each other. They are also both omegas. The Sol pack adopted them when they were two, and though they are part of the family, their secret twin relationship keeps most people at arm’s length.
Asher looks at me and mouths that we’ll catch up later, then she pulls Felix with her, and they both disappear.
Devon slides into the room like a blast of warmth on a wintry day. I find myself breathing easier with him here. The bond thrums lightly in my chest, buzzing in a way it never has before.
She appears and slips into the room, casting a wild look at us before she focuses on her family. But before she can enter, a dachshund races past her, yapping happily.
Mack fills the doorway.
“Sofia.”
She turns slowly and stumbles back, and I can almost see her putting the information together.
I wonder what she’d think if she knew the reason we all met is because of her.
“Mack,” she whispers and retreats further, but Devon’s there, boxing her in.
She turns, looking up at him with wide, panicked eyes.
“So, you three are in my room? Are there any more of you?”
Mack laughs. “No, Sofia, it’s just the three of us.”
She bobs her head. “Just you three.” She sounds like she’s going to strangle on her words. Her mango, coconut, and ginger scent gets stronger, intense. I take a step across the room towards her before I force myself to stop.
She inhales, and her face clears. “Vanilla, coffee, and sandalwood.”
My heart pounds in my chest. That’s me. That’s my scent.
I bite my bottom lip, and she lasers in on the spot where my teeth hold my flesh. She tears her gaze away and sidesteps Devon until she is safely behind friendly lines, staring at us from beside her mother.
“So, how's the Pack Maker event coming along?” Franco has the indecency to ask.
“Good. We’ve found Sofia a splendid match.”
