I swallowed hard. “Yes.”
Madison groaned and thunked her forehead hard against my chest. “How long have you known?”
“I learned the same day as the others. You already seemed so overwhelmed, and I worried it would make that worse to say it without any proof. Then I waited too long.”
She turned to the rest of the pack. “Did you guys know? Did everyone keep it from me?”
Nathan lifted his arms in surrender. “I knew the day he found out. The others only learned today. If you want to be mad at someone, you can be mad at me.”
“Mad?”
“Are you not?” I asked tentatively. Her scent was still sweet, so that should’ve been a clue, but I needed her to say it.
She looked at me, still securely tucked in my arms. “Should I be? Is this something people would normally be mad about?”
“I…guess it depends on the person?”
Madison snuggled in, nose pressed to my shirt. “How am I supposed to be mad right now? I wish you’d told me, but you’re not a mean person, so I know you didn’t keep it a secret to hurt me.”
“But did I anyway? Hurt you, I mean.”
“I don’t know. I’ve had so many big things hurt me recently. This feels more like a sliver compared to a stab wound. I think mostly I’m happy fate got it right with us. I didn’t know if it would, but I like knowing fate agrees we’re supposed to be together.”
I melted, clutching her so tightly her breath wheezed out. “I’m glad too. You can be mad, though, if you need to be. I won’t get mad back.”
She hugged me tighter in return. “I know. That’s part of why I’m not. I could freak out and you’d understand, but I’m not here to make a conflict over something you did to protect me when I was teetering on the edge. I don’t really know if it would’ve made things better or worse on that day, but it’s not like you kept it hidden all these years.”
Relief settled into the marrow of my bones. None of us would’ve judged her for being reactive to the news, or at least I wouldn’t have. Things were still new, and she was only beginning the process of unlearning her survival strategies for living with Tyler. Down the road it might be different. For now, though, if she was going to offer me absolution for this, then I would take it.
My relief rippled through the pack. Madison pulled me down for a kiss that further stamped out my worries, before moving to kiss each of the others. It was a strange sensation to feel myself settling into a pack existence. For so long I’d wanted her all to myself, but I liked seeing her blossom with the others. We could give her the stability she needed to be who she was without Tyler’s influence, and I wanted that for her. Everyone grew up with a different laundry list of traumas, but the rest of us were further distanced from ours. She was fresh out of her cage.
“What smells so amazing?”
“Team effort enchiladas,” Nathan told her. “And by team effort, I mean it was mostly Leo. We were his sous chefs.”
I slid up behind her, looping an arm around her waist, relieved all over again when she leaned into me. “Did you have a good time with Charlotte?”
“I did!” Madison beamed up at me. “It was really nice to get some girl time.”
“Alve, Nathan, and I could always invite our sisters over if you want even more girl time.”
“Let me relax into this a little more before we invite that many omegas over.” Madison laid her hands over my arm. “I need to feel like this new family is secure before I meet everyone. Is that okay?”
“Of course it’s okay,” Leo answered for us. “I haven’t even told my parents yet.”
“Ava knows,” Nathan said with a shrug, “but I think that was obvious to everyone.”
“That’s different, I already know her.” Madison brought me into the living room, gesturing for the others to follow, then climbed straight onto my lap. “Everyone is too far away.”
Nathan slid down by our feet, laying his arm over her thighs while Leo and Alve took up a spot at each of our sides.
“Much better.” Madison purred while we told her about our day.
If past-me could see me right now, I would’ve assumed it was some sort of parallel dimension. I’d wanted Madison for so long, but getting to hold her like this kept hitting me with a wave of surreality. She fit so perfectly in my arms.
If I were a little less selfish, I might have encouraged her into Leo or Alve’s arms, but I couldn’t make the words form.
She wiggled, her scent sweetening as she squirmed my dick to life.
