Page 167

Helloooooooo. Anyone there?

Stop getting railed and pay attention to me.

Fine, no treat for you. Enjoy your boning, bitch.

I wince. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I can understand the appeal.” She says it so nonchalantly, not even looking at the door where my alphas are carting in coolers of drinks and extra food, but I want to strangle her.

Mellie. The girl who told me what to expect for my first heat. Who snuck me toys when Pack Parker couldn’t be bothered to get me off and offered her apartment when I needed a safe spaceto land after leaving. She’s the best friend I could ever imagine, and I want torip her fucking eyes out.

Scent-sympathy is no joke.

“We talked about this, Mel.” Lacey walks in, knocking into her on the way to give me a hug. That sweet black tea scent immediately settles my nerves, especially when she keeps a respectable distance from my men.

“I was just saying?—”

“Exactly what we warned you not to,” Kai responds, coming in with Maverick nearly plastered to her spine. They’re both tense, eyes darting around for danger. Kai because that’s who she is and Maverick because his unbonded omega is in a room full of unbonded alphas.

Nate slips in behind them, carefully keeping his distance as he closes the door. The air feels stilted and uncomfortable, but he either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care, throwing my friends an absent smile as he walks toward me. I wonder if it’s because he doesn’t know how to act with others around. While he lights up with the pack and I, Nate’s a bit of loner. “Looks like that’s everything.”

“Oh, did you buy Petit Fours?” I ask Kai, finally spotting the pastry box in her hand. The little cakes are almost as good as the chocolate croissant, but there’s just something fun about an entire cake being bitesized.

“Obviously,” she says, flashing me a tenuous smile as they creep closer. She kisses my cheek gently, that metallic raspberry scent sweetened with some of Maverick’s woodsmoke and honey and that perfume she pretends not to wear.

Maverick leans in for a side hug and Connor’s lips tighten for just a moment until he coughs. Kai’s rough laughter follows as they push me away.

It’s about that time that I remember the absolute mess between my legs that I’ve been ignoring with a passion, and my curls practically smoke with how hot I get.

Unlike my exes, who never cared enough about me to bother with my friendship with Maverick, these alphas prove they have no problem being territorial. Possessive over their omega. I’m absolutely smothered in pack scent. Dez rubbed his cheek along the top of my hair before he left to help cart shit inside, and now Nate snags an arm around my waist and pulls me back to him. He’s less stealthy, blatantly rubbing his face anywhere he can reach until I’m covered in alpha.

My head tips and I take in that subtle smirk and the faint rumble of his laughter against my back. “You’re such a shit.”

He dips to kiss my cheek sweetly. “Can you blame us? He’s an unknown.”

“He’s obsessed with Kai.”

Connor hums beside us, holding out a hand to Maverick. “Connor Morgan, pack lead and Daphne’s future alpha.”

Jesus, that was a lot. Mav takes it in stride, reaching for Connor. The men have almost touched when I see the glint in my alpha’s eye.

Oh, fuck.

Before I can decide how to handle it, Kai jerks Mav back, growling. She stares at Connor like she’s trying to set him on fire, and I can’t blame her. “No touching.”

Lacey and Mellie both glance between his hand and my very warm, super red face before collapsing into giggles. And I mean literally collapsing. They end up crunched against the wall just to keep their balance. Meanwhile, Mav preens, leaning into Kai’s hold until she purrs.

Dez glares at Connor. “Apologies for my pack lead. We’re still adjusting to our instincts. Scent-sympathy’s a bitch, but you’re all welcome.”

“Can we get anyone drinks?” Nate asks, kissing my head before loping off to fill orders while Dez leads my friends outside.

Connor tries to follow, but I snatch him by the wrist and pull him into the half bath. “I can’t fuck you again while your friends are here, angel. You’ll have to wait until they leave.”

“I’m more likely to bury you than ride your dick,” I snap, squirting an aggressive amount of soap on his palm—the same one he covered in my slick earlier. The one hedefinitely didn’t wash. “Scrub.”

His eyes darken as he watches the soap trail across his skin, dripping to the floor but he doesn’t move.

My temper rises, warring between pleasure at how determined he is to smell like me and frustration that he’s making things difficult. “We’re not leaving this bathroom until you wash your fucking hand, Con.”