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“No,” I said firmly, meeting Theo’s betrayed expression with a smile. “But we can put them on half.”

“Traitor,” Theo muttered, but there was no heat in it.

The oven beeped. I jumped slightly.

“He’s never heard his oven make a noise before,” Ren snarked as he pulled the door open and slid two of the pizzas in.

“That’s right. I’m a four-star restaurant takeout kind of alpha,” I laughed.

I took a half step back again, feeling like I shouldn’t be crowding Mackenzie while she was trying to get the pizza done. The second there was a breath of space between us, she reachedback for me like she couldn’t bear not to be touching me.Liar. You’re the greedy one.

She quickly wiped her fingertips on a dishcloth and raked all her hair to one side, baring her neck for me, again.

I was lost for a moment. She was so soft and warm under my fingers. Her scent rose off of her, the citrus softened by floral notes. It was becoming more woodsy now, too. Theoretically, I knew pack bonds altered scents, but to experience it? To actually smell that she was mine? It went right to my dick. Being this close to her felt divine, like all of her sunshine was warming me, soothing away crappy work bullshit.

She turned in my arms suddenly. A slice of pizza suspended in the air between us. I shook off some confusion. Had I really been standing here, sucking up her scent and aura long enough for pizza to get made?

“No anchovies,” she said, wrinkling her nose in that cute way. I bit the point of the pizza. It was heavenly. She swiped her thumb across my lower lip, catching a dribble of sauce. I stepped to the side to grab a napkin, but she turned again in my arms, putting my hand on her hip like she didn’t want me to let go.

And that’s how dinner went. Ren pulling pizzas out of the oven. Theo and Mackenzie chattering around full mouths, and me, eating pizza one-handed, my omega pressed to me. We never even made it to the new dining room set. It was the best fucking night of my life. Second best, after the night on the yacht, our first as a pack.

“Okay,” Mackenzie said, dusting her hands off on a napkin. “It’s time for your education.”

“My what?” I asked, checking the clock on the stove. It was barely 7 PM.

“Your cultural education,” Theo said, as he gathered plates. “It’s a crime against humanity that you’ve never seen ‘The Pack Next Door.’”

“The what?”

“Only the most popular show of the last five years,” Mackenzie said, taking my hand and leading me toward the living room where our new sectional dominated the space. “Everyone’s talking about the season finale next week, and you haven’t even started.”

“I’ve been busy,” I said, feeling oddly defensive. “Running a company doesn’t leave much time for television.”

“Running a company doesn’t mean ignoring important cultural moments,” Theo said.

I flashed a look at Ren, hoping he’d back me up or get me out of this. “Dude, I watch every week. So does every single person in Port Haven.”

I took my position at the end of the sectional. We all fell into place like we had assigned seats. Me and Ren anchoring the ends, our omegas cushioned safely between us. They, of course, were curled around each other as usual. I shifted to get comfortable and shake off some of the irrational protectiveness that my inner alpha was screaming for. That was the most unsettling thing about forming a pack, being pack lead. All the new emotions and drives that I now had to figure out how to handle.

Ren settled in on the opposite end, smirking at me over Theo’s head. “You’re going to love this show. It’s about this dysfunctional pack of rich assholes.”

“So it’s basically a documentary about our neighbors,” I grumbled.

Theo queued up the first episode while Mackenzie gave me a detailed explanation of the characters and why I should care about them. The show started, and I tried to follow along, but my mind kept drifting. The fourth-quarter projections would be due next week. Glenn had scheduled three back-to-back investor calls. And Daisy…

“Theo, we need popcorn,” Mackenzie announced suddenly, pausing the show fifteen minutes in.

“On it,” he said, untangling from Mackenzie. “Don’t bother pausing. I’ve seen it a hundred times.”

Mackenzie hit play and flopped back on the couch, stretching out and laying her head in my lap. I tensed immediately, my hands frozen in mid-air, unsure where to put them. I wasn’t used to this level of casual intimacy.

“You’re missing the best parts,” she said, looking up at me. “Your brain’s too busy.”

“Sorry,” I stretched one arm along the back of the couch and tentatively let my other hand rest on her head.

Slowly, I let my fingers comb through her hair, picking it up and letting it fan through my fingers. It was impossibly soft. A strand snagged on one of my chipped nails and tugged. I held my breath, half expecting her to sit up and yell at me. But she sighed and snuggled into my thigh. I smoothed it all back and off her shoulders.

“I forget how tacky her nest was in the first season,” Theo said, rounding the couch with a giant bowl of popcorn. My stomach flipped, knowing Mackenzie would sit up, and I’d lose this contact with her. Theo, without missing a beat, settled on the floor, his back to the couch and offered up the bowl. Mackenzie took a big handful, but I passed. My hands were already full.