“Oh, I see. And how has she taken your choice to move away to college, then?” Mable enquired, opening the box and presenting me with the baked goods.
“You know what? Forget my alphas, I thinkyou’remy favorite,” I declared, plucking one of the chocolate hazelnut pastries out of the container and taking a bite. “Oh, fuck, this is glorious.”
The taste momentarily distracted me, but then I refocused, considering Mable’s question. “My mother doesn’t really understand it, but she accepted it. Begrudgingly. At least, that’s what I thought. Did my guys tell you the stunt she pulled today?”
“Umm, no, they didn’t,” she sighed, grabbing one of the raspberry pastries for herself.
“My mother, who lives in the Midwest, turned up here randomly. She made a whole scene at my old apartment. It’s probably my fault because I didn’t answer any of her textswhile I was in heat—but as far as she knew, I’d never even had a heat. Worse, she didn’t come alone. No, she broughtan alphafrom my hometown who she wants me to date.”
The other omega’s eyes widened comically. “Wait, she came because she wasconcernedabout you, but brought you a date?”
I nodded, raising my brows. “Yup.”
Mable stared at me for a moment before bursting into laughter. “Oh my gosh, I shouldn’t laugh, but that’s so bad. Who would do that?”
“Oh, no, you can laugh. It’sdefinitelyridiculous,” I agreed. “Anyway, I should be asking howyouare.”
“I’m doing amazingly,” she beamed. “Maggie is getting so big. I can’t believe she’s already three months old. Being a mother is wonderful, but sometimes getting out of the apartment and talking to someone who isn’t a member of my pack is a godsend,” she added, looking at me pointedly.
“So, what you’re saying is my family drama is highly entertaining and gets you out of your ever-present baby bubble?” I smiled, cocking my head as I gave her a knowing look.
“Exactly,” she exclaimed happily. “And I am not above bribing you with treats.”
“Well, I’m never going to say no to treats, given that Spencer keeps trying to make me eat healthy. Gross.”
Mable’s nose scrunched adorably. “Yeah, he does seem like the kind who’d make you eat a lot of veggies.”
“Yep—and protein shakes. Lord knows, I’m in love with the grumpy bastard, but would it kill him to let me have some chocolate once in a while? I cannot survive on rice cakes alone.”
“So youarein love with him,” Mable cooed, looking at me with a knowing expression that made my cheeks heat.
“Unfortunately,” I grumbled, even as a smile spread across my face.
She grinned at me, taking my hand from across the nest. “I’m glad they found you. You seem like a really sweet omega, Flora. I’m sorry about your mom, but I’m sure all of this will work out.”
“I appreciate that. The guys have made itpretty clearthat they feel the same way, but I just…” I trailed off.
“You just what?” Mable tilted her head, squinting at me.
I bit my lip. There hadn’t really been anyone I could discuss my situation with. Mable seemed like a kind, trustworthy omega. And I didn’t realize how much I needed to have another one of my kind to talk to, especially now.
“What did Bear tell you about our bonding?” I asked.
“Not much. He just said that you guys bonded during your heat, which is why he needed to take a bit of leave to be with you. Trust me, I remember when I bonded with my alphas. It’s so hard to separate from them.”
“It is,” I agreed. “Today was my first day going to class, and he couldn’t come with me. It wasnotpleasant. Chase was with me the entire time, though, which was a relief. But I guess it’s the fact that we didn’t plan the bond.”
“A lot of bonds aren’t planned,” Mable pointed out.
“Yes, but I ended up here because someone was stalking me, and then I accidentally went into heat because my stalker swapped my heat suppressants with sugar pills, and then during said heat—when the guys so kindly offered to help me—I went ahead and bit Bear,” I said in a rush, the words spewing out of me.
“Oh, dang. Wow, umm… Do you feel like you’ve been pushed into this at all?”
“Oh no, not in the slightest,” I insisted. “Sure, it’s been weird at times, a little fast, but honestly, I’ve grown so attached to them all. I just don’t want them to resent me one day forpushingtheminto this. I mean, we started this because they saw I needed help. It wasn’t exactly what I’d describe as a meet-cute.”
The omega stared at me for a moment before bursting into laughter. My face flushed, burning from cheeks to ears.
“Oh, Flora, you don’t have to worry. They areobsessedwith you,” Mable assured me. “Now, I adore all three of those guys, and they are absolutely amazing with my daughter, but let’s be honest—they can be a bit emotionally constipated at times. My alphas have known them for years and said they’ve never seen them so happy.”
