I smirked. This was the body that had fucked the most gorgeous omega in the world, the one plastered against me as she slept.
I shifted out from underneath her, and King’s eyes popped open with a scowl.
“I have PT,” I whispered.
“Do you want me to come with you?”
His question knocked me off my axis. He would leave a warm bed, where hisomegawas, to be with me? After years of being told I would add nothing to a pack because of my beta designation, I didn’t know how to process this. It was beyond my wildest dreams.
“Stay,” I mouthed. Maybe I would ask him to come to an appointment in the future, but today I wanted Lucy to have all the attention.
Main Street was wakingup by the time I finished my appointment. I peeked into Beans ’n Bliss and saw Ella was working, so I headed inside to get all of us coffees. King, Wilder, and I were early risers, but Lucy was definitely not. Her morning crankiness, so at odds with her otherwise persistently sunny personality, always made me smile. But I knew she’d want to be especially alert this morning for Summer’s grand opening celebration.
“Hi, Leo,” Ella said, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “I heard speed dating had quite the exciting ending.”
I shook my head and scanned the space for Carmen and Marisol. They were nowhere to be found, but I’d bet my entire store they’d been here earlier this morning, spreading the news of our dramatic exit.
“I’d like four strawberry field lattes, please.”
She squealed and jumped up and down. “Four lattes! Four lattes!” Everyone in the coffee shop was staring at us, and I choked back my laughter.
“Maybe Ireallyneed caffeine this morning.”
Ella wagged her finger at me. “Don’t play with me, Leo.”
I grinned and handed her my credit card but she shook her head. “It’s already paid for.”
“By who?”
“King. He has a gift card he refills.”
“That’s probably just for Lucy, though.”
“Nope. He came in here the other day to reload it and said it’s for you and Wilder, too.”
Warmth trickled through my chest at the alpha taking care of me like this, but I couldn’t let it stand. I’d grown up with the Iranian principle of tarof, which was all about hospitality and social etiquette that demanded fighting over the bill.
“Ah, well, I’ll pay for today.” I held out my card again.
Ella shook her head. “King was very insistent.”
I scowled. “King is not here. I am. In fact, I want to pay for a gift card that covers his drinks anytime he comes in.”
Ella giggled and took my card. “It’s a good thing I love drama.”
A few minutes later, I cradled the drink carrier against my chest as I crossed the street. Carrying it up the stairs while maintaining my balance with my cane and my knee, aching after PT, was a challenge, but I managed it. I thought about taking the drinks into Lucy’s nest, but I wasn’t sure if that was against omega rules. Besides, she needed some sort of incentive to actually get up.
I practically floated back to the nest. How was this my life?
I settled back down beside Lucy and kissed her forehead. “Good morning, azizam. It’s time to get up.”
Her nose scrunched and she let out the cutest kitten growl.
“I know, mornings are the worst. But there’s a latte waiting for you in the kitchen.”
Lucy’s eyes flew open, but instead of the smile I expected, her expression transformed to one of fury. “Where have you been?”
“I…what?” I blinked, totally lost. “I didn’t want to wake you before I—”
