Page 2 of Yes Now Yes Forever

“Now I know why my mother didn’t feel like life was worth living anymore,” I managed to rasp out. “The mere thought of losing any of you makes it hard to breathe. Being an Omega who’s loved by her pack is all I’ve wanted, even if I wasn’t willing to admit it to myself. For years, I ran from it all, telling myself I could find contentment if I worked hard enough to forge my own path. I’ve been a damn fool.”

I took a deep breath and sat up to see the men I’d been running from. None of them were perfect, or what I would have imagined for myself, yet they were exactly who I needed.

“All of you have been so wonderful to give me what I need, but I don’t know how to do that for all of you,” I admitted.

“Lyra, you are not an idiot,” Eli stated as he tucked some of my hair behind my ear. “Nor are you the only one who resisted being part of a pack. Until recently, I didn’t feel it was right for me to have a pack and the joy that came with it when I knew my sister had been rejected by the Matchers. To me it felt like I would be rubbing it in her face when she could never have a pack. So I chose to keep my world small and focused on taking care of my family. Then you appeared, and that carefully constructed bubble popped. If I hadn’t met you and experienced the magic of finding my scent matched Omega, I wouldn’t have had the courage to meet with the rest of our pack.”

Fawn balled up the sleeve of his sweatshirt and wiped my tear-stained face, then booped my nose with his finger. “My sweet angel, whether you realize it or not, you’ve already given us what we’ve been missing.”

I frowned in confusion, not following what he was trying to tell me.

A smile so bright it could blind the sun appeared on Fawn’s face, and the next second, he cupped my face and kissed me. Unashamed, Fawn deepened the kiss, asking me to open up to him, and I did, desperate to keep the flow of emotions through our bond going. Fawn was drawing on his bonds with our Alphas, minus Eli, and allowing me to see exactly how each of them felt about me. Adoration. Devotion. Joy. Protective. Attraction and one emotion that came from each of them was unwavering commitment and trust.

“You, my darling angel, have brought the most important piece we were missing in this pack,” Fawn whispered against my lips. “Harmony. Without you being the anchor to our pack connecting us all, we would never truly be whole.”

Stunned by this declaration, I didn’t know how to respond. Instead, I met the gaze of each of my Alphas, who nodded in agreement to what Fawn said. While I wanted to believe with all my heart this was true, I couldn’t keep the small voice of doubt from creeping in. How could someone as broken as me bring any kind of harmony?

After I’d calmed down and pulled myself together enough to convince my pack I would be fine on my own to get dressed for the day, I hopped into the shower. Last night I’d been too tired, but right now, I craved the feeling of scalding hot water flowing over my body to wash away the nightmare that had been the past few days. I couldn’t help but smile at seeing all my favorite body care and shower necessities lined up neatly on the ledge, ready for me to use. When my skin was bright red, and I began to feel a little lightheaded from the heat, I knew I had to leave the safety of my steamy chamber.

Wrapped in a fluffy robe and hair twisted up in a towel, I walked to my new walk-in closet. All my clothes were neatly hung and grouped from fancy to casual, making it easier to pick based on my mood. I knew this had to be Fawn’s doing, none of the others would have considered such an idea for organization. On the back wall of the closet was a built-in wardrobe for everything that needed to be folded and put on shelves. This space had been organized by color, and the folding was so meticulous I’d bet money this was Pascal’s contribution.

Fairly certain we weren’t leaving the house today, I pulled on a pair of buttery soft leggings and a loose-fitting T-shirt. Finishing the look off with my favorite pair of open-toed slippers, I shuffled back into my bedroom, pulling the towel from my head. The scent of smokey vanilla and rich, spicy apple pie caught my attention, letting me know one of my Alphas had come to check on me. I understood their concern and it was sweet, but I didn’t want them to view me as a burden needing someone to look after them all the time. So, I kept drying my hair with the towel, acting like I didn’t know Tanner was sitting on my bed.

“Breakfast is ready if you’re hungry,” Tanner said, breaking the silence.

My stomach decided to answer for me as it grumbled loudly at the suggestion of food. I slapped my hand over my stomach as if that could keep it quiet, which only made Tanner chuckle softly as he stood.

His arms wrapped around me in a gentle hug as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I’m going to take that as a yes, but first, we need to dry your hair.”

“I was planning on letting it air dry,” I shared as I melted into his hold.

Every fiber of my being was exhausted, and I wasn’t sure I could manage the extra effort to blow dry my hair. My plan was to simply throw it up in a ponytail once it was a little drier. These men had just seen me at one of the lowest points in my life and dropped everything to take care of me. Now I was home, and the best thing for me was to get back to normal. Well, my new normal as part of this pack, which was a lot to adjust to on its own, without having to deal with a mental breakdown on top of it.

“You could do that…” Tanner started to say, pulling me back slightly so he could see my face, “… or, starlight, you could let me dry it for you.”

“Really, it’s not a big deal. My hair is pretty straight so it doesn’t need to be dried,” I assured him as I rested a hand on his chest.

Tanner covered my hand with his and smiled. “Starlight, please let me do this for you. There isn’t much I can do to fix what you’re struggling with, but I can offer my support in other ways. Truthfully, it’s a selfish request when you think about it. As one of your Alphas, the need to protect and care for you is all I can focus on. Letting me do this small task will help take the edge off.”

I let out a sigh and gave in to his request. “Okay, but I’m not sure where exactly my blow dryer is at the moment.”

“That’s all right, I do,” Tanner said with a wink.

He threaded our fingers together and led the way back into the bathroom. Tanner urged me to sit on the plush cream stool set before the built-in vanity. I watched in the mirror as he gathered a few things before returning to plug the dryer in. Before Tanner touched my hair with a brush, he misted it with a leave-in conditioner and then started at the ends.

“Something tells me this isn’t the first time you’ve done this,” I commented, meeting his gaze in the mirror.

“I guess you could say I’ve had some training,” Tanner shared. “Every so often, the salon asks Zac to teach a class, and I get the honor of being his practice student. He says if he can teach someone who has no clue what they’re doing, then he can teach anyone.”

A mental image of Zachary trying to teach Tanner on a manikin head appeared, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “How many times did you get a brush stuck in their hair?” I asked.

Tanner waggled the paddle at me in the mirror. “None, little missy. I’ll have you know back in the day, I had rather luscious locks down to my shoulders. Thanks to that, I have firsthand knowledge of what not to do.”

“Please tell me you still have pictures of you with your luscious locks,” I questioned, leaning back against his chest to look up at his expression.

“Because it’s you asking, I’ll let you see them,” Tanner whispered, caressing my cheek and then leaning down to place a gentle kiss on my lips. “First, though, I’m going to dazzle you with my blowout skills.”

Grinning, I pulled him down for another kiss, one which had my Alpha groaning and pressing himself against my back. Satisfied, I released my hold and sat straight, smirking at the hungry look in Tanner’s sultry brown eyes. It took him a minute to get control of himself, but soon the whir of the blow dryer filled the bathroom, and Tanner got to work. He hadn’t been kidding about his skills—my hair looked like shiny, silken honey when he was done.