6
EASTON
It was Thursday,and there was no sign of Olive. I’d been sitting by the living room window for hours, waiting to see the cute omega coming down the road on her bike. The one time I’d had to go to the bathroom, I’d sprinted there and back to make sure I didn’t miss her.
But the sun was setting, and she still wasn’t here.
I knew how much she bought at the store. It wasn’t much—just what she could bring home on her bike. She didn’t have enough food to skip her grocery shopping. Memories of staring down an empty pantry as a child flooded me, and my alpha roared for me to go get her. Feed her. Love her.
I waited another few anxious minutes, and then I’d had it. I couldn’t go a full week without my Olive sighting. A realization struck me—this was theperfectexcuse to ask her to dinner. Showing up at her house would show her how committed I was, and taking her to dinner would show her omega I could provide for her.
My chest filled with excitement. This was it, my chance to win Olive over. I could feel it.
I pulled on a jacket and bounded out of the door. I jogged down the path to the lighthouse, even though my body wasn’t quite built for running, and I tripped a few times. Was this path even safe forOlive to bike on? My chest squeezed until it was hard to breathe, but I pushed myself to run faster. Images of Olive being hurt flashed through my mind. What if she’d injured herself, and that’s why she hadn’t come into town?
I turned around the bend and the lighthouse came into view, along with the silhouette of three figures. For a moment, I thought Olive was in the group, but as I got closer, my heart sank. It was a group of omegas from town—Ivy, Lucy, and Summer. Lucy was Lars’s sister, so I knew her the best of the three. As I grew nearer, I saw they were dragging a wagon filled with food and other housewarming gifts.
“Good afternoon, ladies,” I said, trying to sound calm. “What are you up to?”
“Oh, hi, Easton,” Lucy said, a bright smile on her face. “We’re bringing Olive her welcome basket.” She bit her lip. “We should have brought it weeks ago when she moved in, but I couldn’t quite get it organized in time.”
I knew from Lars that Lucy had been going through a lot with her recent breakup.
“What are you doing here?” Summer asked, arching an eyebrow.
I opened my mouth and then closed it. What could I say to avoid sounding like a stalker? “I wanted to ask Olive to dinner,” I finally said.
Lucy squealed. “Oh my gosh! Are you interested in her? What about Lars and Finn? Are you planning to court her?”
“He might want to keep that private,” Ivy said gently.
Lucy crossed her arms with a huff that made me grin. She shared my impatience.
“I just want to get to know her better,” I said.Liar liar liarmy alpha chanted, but it wasn’t like I could sayOlive is mine even though she doesn’t know it yet and I’m going to bite her and fuck her and take care of her forever.
“We should probably get moving before it gets dark,” Summer said, eyeing the pink streaks in the sky above the churning ocean.
I hadn’t been back to the lighthouse since Finn’s grandparents passed away and had forgotten how breathtaking it was out here.The lighthouse carried so many happy memories. It was where Lars, Finn, and I became a family—those long days swimming and playing at the beach, helping Fredrik with lighthouse maintenance and Carina with the garden.
I hoped Olive found this place as comforting as I did.
I took the wagon and pulled it the rest of the way to the door. Lucy knocked, practically brimming with excitement as she waited for a response.
None came.
Her smile fell a little. “I caught up with her last week in town, and she said sometimes she’s up in the lighthouse and might not hear the door.” She knocked again, louder this time.
My heart pounded faster. The panic that something catastrophic had happened returned full-force. What if she’d hit her head on a rock? Tripped and broken her ankle? Been taken by a riptide out to sea?
A ferociousmeowsounded behind the door, and then it slowly creaked open, revealing Olive. I immediately knew something was wrong. Olive was always dressed nicely. I’d never seen her in town without an outfit so fucking cute it made me want to squeeze her body and rumple her perfect little clothes. Today, though, she was wearing baggy sweatpants, her fingers twisting in the cuffs of her sweatshirt. Her hair was limp, she had dark circles under her eyes, and her scent was strong and acidic with distress. My chest seized, and the world seemed to grow dark. There was no sunshine when Olive was unhappy.
Lucy seemed to falter for a moment before smiling widely. “Hey, Oli. I hope we’re not disturbing you. We just wanted to bring you your welcome basket.” She gestured wildly at the large basket sitting on top of the wheeled cart. “And this is Ivy and Summer. Ivy teaches at the school.” When Olive didn’t say anything, she continued. “And Summer is a great cook. She added some food to the basket so you know it’s going to be good. Not like when I cook.” Lucy forced a laugh.
Olive’s eyes flickered to my face before she looked down at theground.
“Oh, and this is Easton,” Lucy said, her chipper tone just slightly strained. “He’snotpart of the Welcoming Committee.”
Olive’s shoulders hunched in even more, and she swallowed hard but still said nothing. The omegas shifted uncomfortably, and Lucy’s eyes flitted to mine.
