My eyes grew heavy as his hand soothed my back. Tonight had shown me a glimpse of what a future with this pack could be like. I was desperately trying to remind myself that all of this was temporary and I shouldn’t get attached, but I wasn’t sure how to do that when everything felt soright. Maybe it was just this road trip lulling me into a false sense of security. When we got to Sol, things would change. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing a doctor, to be poked and proddedagain. I was afraid they wouldn’t find something and tell me it was all in my head, but Iwas equally frightened that theywouldfind something terribly wrong.
But lying here in Gray’s arms, a tiny tendril of hopefulness took root inside me. It seemed to whisper, “What if everything turns out okay?” What if the doctors figured this all out and I got better? Then I would maybe be worthy of being this pack’s omega.
64
WESTIN
Ipushed my cereal around, trying to prolong breakfast for as long as possible. It was a bad stalling technique since myOmega Oshad practically disintegrated in their bowl of milk.
“Are you sure they’re going to like me?” I asked Henry, not for the first time.
Today we would arrive at his parents’ house. Obviously, I had known where this trip would end, but in addition to blocking out the upcoming doctor’s appointments, I also hadn’t let myself think about the fact that we were driving towards Henry’s family. The thought of meeting Henry’s parents filled me with terror. None of my high school boyfriends’ parents had liked me. My own uncles didn’t even like me. Henry’s family was all beta, and here we were—an omega and three alphas rolling up to disrupt their lives.
“Darling, they’re going to love you,” Henry said, reaching out his hand to take mine across the hotel dining room table. “My sister keeps texting me for updates, wanting to know exactly when we’ll arrive.”
“She’s going to be there?” I asked.
“She and her new husband live down the street, so I’m sure we’ll see a lot of them. Well, we’ll see Rose at least since she’s not working right now. Her husband, Luke, is in the middle of a court case that’s keeping him busy.”
“Is everyone in your family a doctor or lawyer?” I asked, feeling suddenly self-conscious of the high school degree I’d barely scraped together.
“Rose went against the grain and became an architect. But the rest of us are doctors and lawyers. We’re pretty boring,” Henry said, squeezing my hand.
“Maybe we should stay in a hotel or something,” I muttered, pushing my cereal around some more.
“Do you want more to eat, princess?” Gray asked, placing a hand on the back of my neck. His touch grounded me, and I forced myself to take a deep breath.
“No, I’m good,” I said, finally putting down the spoon. I wondered if there was something else I could do to stall. Bear and Liam had gone to get more food from the lackluster continental breakfast buffet, but it wouldn’t take them long to demolish a plate of food.
“Of course we can get a hotel, darling, if you’d prefer that,” Henry said. “But my mom is really excited to host us. I think you two will get along well.”
“She doesn’t think it’s weird that you’re showing up with a whole pack?” I asked.
Henry hesitated, and I pulled my hand out of his and fidgeted with the edge of the tablecloth instead.
A low rumble started in Gray’s throat. “She better fucking not,” he muttered.
Henry got up and moved his chair around the table so he was beside me. He put his arm around me, pulling me close to his side.
“My family doesn’t quite understand it,” he said, kissing me on the temple. “They don’t know a lot of packs. But I wasn’t lying when I said my mom is excited. She’s asked about all your favorite foods and even read some articles about omegas and pack life. She’s going to love you right away. You’re so easy to love, Westin.”
“No one has ever said that about me.” I was so used to being told I was a burden that his words rang false in my ears.
“Well, it’s the truth,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “They’re going to love you. They might not understand pack life, but that’s their problem, not yours.”
Bear and Liam sat back down at the table, their plates piled high. Bear placed a Belgian waffle in front of me and I raised my eyebrows.
“Bear almost broke the fucking waffle maker, convinced you had to have a waffle. So you better enjoy that,” Liam said with an exasperated sigh. I grinned, looking down at it. I wasn’t very hungry, but it did look pretty perfect.
“What’s going on here?” Bear asked, gesturing at Henry and me with his fork.
“Westin’s worried about Henry’s parents not liking her,” Gray said.
I scowled at him, but he just squeezed my neck, his expression calm.
“Of course they’re going to like you,” Liam said. “Everyone likes you.”
“You do realize the four of you don’t constituteeveryone?” I asked.
