“Whoa,” Cali says, reaching out and grabbing my hand. “Breathe.”
I take a few deep breaths. “Isn’t breathing what I’m supposed to be telling you?”
Everyone laughs.
“Listen,” Cali says. “A lot can change in a few weeks. Especially with fated mates. But let’s talk worst case for a second. If you still don’t feel ready, you have options. The same ones you used before.”
She’s right. Before the alphas, I managed my biannual heats with suppressants. It wasn’t fun, but I avoided clinics. Suppressants won’t work as well now, but waiting is still an option. Painful. Miserable. But possible.
My omega hates the idea. She squirms and whines inside me.
My phone buzzes.
Zeke: you okay?
The bond. What would it be like for him if I went through heat and he felt everything without being allowed to help? I know he’d respect it. But hurting him like that feels unbearable.
Me: yeah, just talking things out with my friends. I’m good. We’re having fun.
The conversation shifts to Clara’s book tour, Sunny’s bee farm expansion, Rose’s new passion project, and Cali’s continued insistence that her baby belongs in her arms, not her stomach.
By the time we wrap up, we’ve discussed the book Clara picked. Cali and Clara loved it. Sunny thought it was weird. Rose thought it was boring. I thought it was good, but not one I’d reread.
Sunny picks a nonfiction book roughly the size of my thigh, and we all head out, reminding Cali to call if she needs anything. Her freezer is already full, and none of us can resist buying baby clothes whenever we see them.
I sit in my car for a minute before driving, thinking about Sunny’s question.
Bonding with an entire pack is serious. Permanent. With normal scent matches, omegas sometimes take months or years. With scent sensitivity, weeks isn’t unusual. Sometimes even days.
And what about the bond I already have?
The questions follow me all the way home as I start getting ready for the beach party.
Corbin
Riding into the social event of the season with my former pack and my new mate is a fucked-up kind of experience. The entire ride there, I watch Winnie leaning into Eli, and to my shock, Eli lets her. Encourages it, even.
Have things really changed that much since I left?
Yes, I can see they have. Not just this but other little adjustments I've noticed since they came back. Rafe is more in tune with Eli’s needs. Zeke, though still full of energy, is more carefree than before we lost Nick. More.
The thought twists guilt deep in my gut. At the time, I truly believed I was doing the only thing I could. That the pack would be better. I thought they'd split and find a new pack. Looking at them now, at what they’ve built and what happened with Zeke and Winnie, I can admit I might have been wrong.
A happy bark pulls me from my thoughts. I glance in my mirror. Deputy is sprawled on the back of my bike in his custom harness, fully secured. He wears his helmet and goggles, something that took a lot of patience and more treats than I care to admit. His tongue lolls out, and he looks like the happiest creature alive.
We park at the edge of the beach lot. The sand is pale and soft beneath our boots. Lake Michigan stretches out endlessly, wide enough to feel like an ocean. Food trucks line the shore alongside games, beanbagtoss, horseshoes, giant Connect Four and more. The sun sinks lower, scattering color across the water like glitter. I free Deputy and remove his harness and he jumps down and bounds to Eli's side. I feel a swell of pride at how much that mutt’s learned in such a short period of time.
“Winnie!” someone calls.
She’s already off Eli’s bike, handing him her helmet. She turns when she hears her name, and breaks into a smile so bright it cracks something open in my chest. I’d do anything to make sure she always looks that happy.
“Rose!” she squeals.
They hug like they didn’t see each other just yesterday. Rose’s alpha, Harlan, follows behind her. He and I lock eyes. Our alphas bristle, but we both keep them leashed. He nods in acknowledgement and I nod back.
“Did you hear?” Rose asks.
Winnie scrunches her brows. “Hear what?”
