By the time I hung up, the tension had eased from my shoulders.
Everything was coming together for our grand gesture. The guys and I had started planning this after our trip to Nest Wonderland. Olive needed to know we were all in, and we wanted to do something big for her before asking if she wanted to bond.
If she wasn’t ready, that was totally fine. We would never pressure her. But she needed to be clear on what we wanted, how sure we felt about her, and by tomorrow, she would.
50
OLIVE
I bracedmyself against the wind as I headed to Rosie’s, trying to keep my bike straight on the path. It was already sprinkling, and the forecast said there was a big storm front rolling in. I needed to get back to the lighthouse before it hit so I could monitor the radio, but I didn’t want to cancel this lunch. Especially because my guys had left the cottage early this morning with a vague excuse about having to pick something up for the lighthouse.
Even though it was Sunday.
And they wouldn’t tell me what they were getting, just that they would be gone for the entire day.
Maybe I had just imagined how shifty they’d been, how they couldn’t quite meet my gaze. Because it was fine that they were doing something without me. Absolutelyfine. My omega definitely wasn’t clawing in my chest, telling me to hunt them down.
I took a deep breath as I parked my bike outside Rosie’s—this time making sure I looked both ways before stopping to avoid Stanley—and adjusted the hood of my rain jacket to protect myself from the increasingly heavy downpour.
I knew why I was feeling so upset about my guys leaving me alone, and it had everything to do with my upcoming heat. All the signs were there—I’d barely felt the cold of the ocean this morning,my skin felt sensitive and uncomfortable, and I’d had to bite my cheek to stop myself from bursting into tears when the guys told me they were leaving. It didn’t help that I was still a little raw from seeing their exes. What if they went to pick up this thing and ran into another omega? A less prickly one? A prettier one?
Okay, get a grip, Olive. You can survive a day without them.
I steeled myself as I entered the diner, the bell above the door and the chatter of townsfolk greeting me as I slipped inside. Lucy, Ivy, and Summer were already at the corner table, smiling and waving me over.
My tension eased at seeing them, and I couldn’t stop my matching smile. Hormones were such a bitch because, truly, how was this my life? I had amazing alphas, friends, a home I loved… it was a dream come true, and I wouldn’t let my body ruin this for me.
Lucy waggled her eyebrows. “I would ask why you’re running late, but I don’t want to know.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop my cheeks from heating. I was late because of the rain, but she wasn’t far off. Before heading out the door this morning, Easton had insisted on giving me one more orgasm. He’d pressed me against the wall and knelt down to eat my pussy.
“Bike trouble,” I responded, flipping my hair over my shoulder as I took a seat.
“Is that what we’re calling being fucked within an inch of your life?” Summer quipped.
I huffed. “It’s nice to see you,Ivy,” I said pointedly.
Ivy grinned. “It’s nice to see you can still walk.” She lifted her mug of hot chocolate and took a prim little sip while Lucy and Summer screamed out with laughter.
“That was cold,” I said, but I couldn’t hide my smile. “But not wrong.”
That spurred on more peals of laughter from the table.
“Did things work out the other night?” Lucy asked.
“Yeah, it did. We went apple-picking instead.” I hesitated for a moment. Should I tell them about the disastrous ex encounters? Part of me wanted to, but my guys had reassured me all dayandnightthat they only wanted me. And I had more pressing things I needed to talk to my friends about.
“Good,” Lucy said, reaching out to squeeze my hand. I smiled, lightness filling my chest. These girls really had accepted me into their group, and it made me feel brave enough to ask them for their opinion on the question that had been plaguing me.
I leaned forward and lowered my voice. It would be just my luck if the two old men at the table next to ours overheard this conversation. “Actually, I have a question, um, about heats.”
“Ooh, are you considering having a heat with the guys?” Summer asked, leaning forward as well.
“Sort of,” I hedged. I knew my alphas had picked up that something was going on with me yesterday, but I had been too afraid to tell them about my heat.Again. “Are you all on suppressants?”
Most omegas took suppressants these days so they didn’t have heats, but they could intentionally go off them if they wanted to experience a heat with their pack.
“I am,” Ivy said.
