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“Exceedingly” I replied.

“Okay, fine, you’ve convinced me—Julie and I will join your omega harem then.”

“Goodbye, Heather,” I laughed.

She patted me on the shoulder and left, and I finally opened my laptop. My heart stopped when I saw the wallpaper. Marlowe had secretly uploaded a picture of the two of us, her smile big and happy, and I had to choke back a sob. How could I be missing her this much already?

“Damn, Prof, is that your girlfriend? She’s a baddie.”

I bit back my growl and turned around to face the students behind me, a group I recognized from my Intro to Biology course. The boy who had spoken was laughing, but his face paled when he saw my expression. “Uh, never mind, sorry.”

I slammed back the rest of my Americano and packed my things again. The cafe was a mistake. I needed to get to Chicago as soon as possible, and I couldn’t concentrate here with these constant distractions, so I headed to the library instead.

My phone chimed and I looked down, my bad mood melting as I saw the selfie of Marlowe and Elias she’d taken outside the airport, the two of them smiling and wearing sunglasses.

Marlowe: Made it to CA! Miss you like crazy.

I swallowed back my anger and typed back.

Me: Miss you too.

9

MARLOWE

The hills were to our left, fog slowly creeping over their tops like a fluffy blanket, ready to tuck the city into bed. The water to our right sparkled in the waning sunlight, and I breathed in deeply, grabbing Elias’s hand in the backseat of the Uber.

California had become just as much of my home as Wisconsin had been, and knowing this might be my last time here for a while was breaking my heart.

Almost as much as being away from my pack did.

I’d told Elias that I could act like he was the only alpha in my life when we were together, and that was perfectly doable when we were alone for a few hours.

But it was becoming more difficult by the second. I scrolled through the playlist Nolan had made for me, smiling to myself at all theTupac he’d included, and then stifled a giggle from a silly GIF reaction Julian had sent in response to an earlier text.

Elias gave me a questioning look, and I didn’t know how to respond. It wasn’t like I could just pretend I was talking to my friends.

“Marlowe,” he said quietly, sensing my inner conflict. “What I’d asked you to do yesterday… that doesn’t apply right now. It’s only for special occasions, got it? You don’t have to hide your feelings for the rest of them this whole time. I wouldn’t want you to.”

I let loose a giant sigh, resting my head on his shoulder. “Thank you. I didn’t want you to think I don’t value this time we have together. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better so much, but I’m missing everyone like crazy right now.”

He kissed me on my forehead. “I know you do. I love that you love them all. This wouldn’t be so perfect if you didn’t.”

We hit a bit of traffic but eventually made it into the city, heading towards my old neighborhood.

Sleeping in the bed I’d shared with Mike, the bed he’d shared with several women under my nose, felt like all shades of wrong, so we’d booked a boutique hotel a few blocks away, near Alamo Square. It was within walking distance to the condo on the north side of the Panhandle, plus some of my favorite restaurants and cafes I wanted to say a proper goodbye to before leaving.

When the driver dropped us off in front of our hotel, Elias smiled, the afternoon light reflecting off the strands of gold in his hair. “San Francisco certainly has Chicago beat on weather.” A group of guys walked by, their heads swiveling towards Elias like arrows on a compass. I couldn’t blame them—he was a god come to life, with his perfectly tanned skin, sun-kissed blonde hair, and body so hard and toned, clothes couldn’t even try hiding it.

He seemed oblivious to the attention he drew, which was kind of adorable, and he whistled a happy tune as he took our suitcases, heading inside so we could check in.

Once we’d freshened up, we headed straight for the condo. We were only staying til Monday, and couldn’t really afford to waste too much time.

My heart ached walking down these streets after all that had happened. I had pictured a future here with Mike, and now I was sneaking into our old place to collect my things with my new… beau? Boyfriend? Lover? I wasn’t sure what human-friendly label to use for my guys yet.

Nolan had suggested I marry him so he could be my public husband, in order to keep up appearances, but it was clear now that the rest of the pack would not stand for that. Elias took my hand, offering comforting squeezes as he sensed my anxiety. “I’m here for you,” he said.

Simple. Effective. And just what I wanted to hear.