Page 70 of A Farmer’s Guide To Gamers

“Menace!” I called out. The little brat shook his long, white fur out and eyed me as if daring me to tell him no.

“That’s a fitting name,” Jack huffed out a laugh as he stood up to greet me. My chest warmed as I moved closer and took in the smile on his face. It was serene and sweet, the kind where it felt like I was the center of his universe. No one but them had made me feel like that.

He pressed a kiss to my forehead and wrapped an arm around me for a hug.

Clover and Mocha were not fans of sharing the alpha's attention, both walked over and bumped against his legs for more attention. Marshmallow eyed him and huffed, though I couldn’t tell if he was more irritated about the attention on me or Jack stealing attention from him.

“Menace is a nickname,” I explained as I rolled my eyes at my cow’s antics. “His actual name is Marshmallow but he earned his nickname soon after I got him.”

“Oh, yeah, how did he manage that?” Jack asked, his eyes sparkling as he moved his arm from around me to pet the mini-cows by him.

“I woke up to the chickens going crazy and the ducks sounding the alarm as if a predator had gotten onto the farm.” I laughed, recalling the crazy morning. “Instead, when I managed to run outside I found Marshmallow had managed to escape this pen and gotten into the duck pond.”

Jack chuckled as Marshmallow shook his head as if he was commenting on the story.

“He had no idea why the ducks were freaking out and absolutely refused to leave the pond until I realized that he was scared of sunflowers. The poor baby couldn't run from the pond any faster.”

“Sunflowers?” Jack asked, blinking as if confused.

“Yeah, I’m not sure what that’s from but that was probably the fastest I had ever seen Menace move. Ever.” I looked at him and the tablet in his hand. “But what were you doing with the cows? Adapting to the farm life?”

“Not quite.” His cheeks pinked at my light teasing. “I was studying them, figuring out their movements so I could include that in the game. Sometimes the animals in games are a bit stagnant, so I wanted to try to make them feel a bit more real.”

“Oh wow,” I said as I watched my cows move around us. “I never realized how much goes into a game.”

He chuckled. “It’s a lot of back end work the gamers don’t see, but that’s where I thrive. This is more of a fun portion of that bigger coding work.”

“Well, they like you. I think you’re safe to observe all you want,” I said.

He hummed happily as he glanced around. “I didn’t expect to like it out here as much as I do. It’s peaceful. There’s also a lot to make notes about. The bees, for example?”

I followed his gaze to the few simple hives I had at the edge of the flower fields.

“The bees?”

“Yes,” he said as he watched. “I never knew they circled the hive like that, sticking close and not quite leaving it unprotected.”

“I always thought it was sort of beautiful,” I admitted. “Bees are often misunderstood. But they’re why my flowers grow so nice and they aren’t out to harm anyone.”

“I’ve taken some notes on everything. This stay has done more for our game than any of us could have imagined… but most of all, you’ve changed everything.” He turned those intense dark eyes locked onto me and I swallowed hard, staring back, completely caught in his gaze.

“Me?” They’d changed me too, but coming from Jack I was curious where this was going. He didn’t give me a cheesy pickup line this time.

“Yes, you. I’ve never seen this pack so full of genuine happiness and contentment. Dean isn’t as restless and unsettled, constantly rushing off to his garage. Aiden’s panic attacks have gotten fewer, Kai is not just hiding behind his charm, and I’ve gained confidence in who I am. You’ve changed us, omega.”

It seems crazy that I could have done all that, but they’ve also done that for me. They make me feel seen and safe in a way no one else ever had. This was what being part of a pack meant.

He stepped forward and kissed me. At first it was slow, but then he deepened it. I melted into my alpha, soaking in his attention.

I moaned, leaning into him and right as I thought about telling Jack that we should take this somewhere Jack grunted and pulled back, his face twisted in pain as he went down onto the ground.

Menace mooed at him and pushed against my leg.

“Marshmallow!” I yelled out, breathless. “Jack, are you⁠—?!”

“That’s going to bruise but I’m fine,” he groaned, looking over at the mini cow that had hit him out of the way. “Let me just have a bit to recover my wounded ego and I’ll leave.”

“Are you sure⁠—?”