Izzy says hello to Ezra, salutes Jasper, then gives a dramatic eye roll to Adam. “Yeah, I may know this fool.”
Adam sighs through his nose, a long exhale that, if he were a cartoon, would have puffs of smoke shooting out of his nostrils.
“And these two smoosh-faces,” she gestures to her dogs, “are Demeter and Persephone. I wanted you to meet them because my pack and I adopted them from your uncle, going on three years ago.”
A well of emotion rises in my chest, warm and happy. I am slow to crouch, so I don’t scare either of them.
Demeter is beautiful, her face black and white with small patches of light brown, that pattern covering her whole body and her floppy ears. And Persephone is unlike any pitbull mix I’ve ever seen. Her coat is gray and black with speckles, kind of like a Blue Heeler, but she has white on her face and chest.
“They’re both so gorgeous.” I peer up at Izzy, who’s smiling like a proud mama.
“I know, right?”
Persephone sniffs me, her tail wagging fast and slapping against Izzy’s shin. Demeter sits and gives me an expectant look. I slowly reach out to pet her side, and she pants happily.
“Our guest is hogging our guests.”
The Alpha from the table with the brown hair joins us and starts shaking hands with Ezra. “I’m Vaughn,” he says as I rise to my feet and shake his hand as well, then he says hello to Adam and Jasper before he gestures to the table. “That’s Quinn, who’s holding our son Brandon.”
“It’s great to meet you all,” Quinn says before making Brandon wave his little hand. “Hello!” he calls in a little kid’s voice, which makes me smile like an idiot.
“Nice to meet you.”
“And last, but never least, is—”
“I’m Violet,” says the Omega with auburn hair. Her smile is bemused as she looks at Vaughn, who shrugs. “Please, excuse mefor not getting up. It’s a little bit of a hassle when you’re the size of a house.”
I press my lips between my teeth to suppress a laugh and go over to Violet to take her hand. “It’s really wonderful to meet you. Thank you so much for letting us take a look at your home.”
She waves her hand in the air. “It’s not a problem at all. I’m just glad that we’re getting another wonderful pack here in town. It means a lot to us all here. And it means a lot to my pack that Adam found his.” She smiles at Adam, and when I look back at him, his face is turning pink.
“Come on, everyone,” Ben calls. “I’ll show you around.”
We go through the house, room by room, and by the end of our tour, I see how thoughtful this pack was with their setup. Each member has their own bedroom, their own bathroom, and there’s a dedicated nesting room at the back. We weren’t allowed in there, which is completely understandable, but Ben told us what it was.
The new addition on the side opposite the kitchen is where the kids’ rooms and playroom are, plus an extra bathroom. And Violet gets a huge office with a personal library on the ground floor.
In that room is where I found out she’s a romance author.
After the tour is over, the Alphas all gather in the living room and put on a basketball game. Ivy and Brandon play on the floor on top of a lush carpet. I feel a little voyeuristic watching them all, like it’s an intimate act I’m spying on. But seeing all the Alphas converse with each other, and how they regard the kids, makes my heart flutter. And I realize something.
I want this. I want a life like this with my pack, where we spend time with other packs for social gatherings, where our kids can grow up together, and maybe even become friends. Play dates and holidays.
Never before had I really thought about it, but now that I’ve found my pack, and I see what we could be one day, I don’t know I’ll ever be able to see things differently.
“Ooh, girl, she’s got it bad.”
I turn to look at Izzy as she snickers beside Violet, whose smile is knowing.
“Uh…”
“No need to explain,” Violet says, her voice smooth and calm. “We’ve all been where you are.”
“Some of us more recently than others.” Izzy winks.
“And some of us, not present, are more stubborn than others.” Violet’s kind tone goes flat, and I know I’m missing something.
Izzy rolls her eyes and grumbles. “She’ll come around. One of these years.”
