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Cooper rolls his eyes because he stole his seat, and settles into a chair across from me. Riley begins to plate lasagna, salad, and bread.

“When we’re done, I’ll throw together some lava cakes if you’re still hungry,” he says. “And if not, they make a really great late night snack.”

“I’d love to say that I’m patient, but I’m not,” Cooper says. “I can be for this, though. Your body is healing.”

Smiling happily, I wait until everyone is served, loving that they look expectantly for me to start. Taking a bite, I moan happily as the flavors explode across my palate.

“I’ll take that straight to my spank bank,” Riley murmurs, taking me by surprise.

Putting my hand over my mouth, I glare as I cough slightly.

“I can’t help myself,” he says, shrugging.

“I want to play a game,” Ethan says carefully as we eat.

“A game?” I ask.

“Mmhmm. The ‘what if’ game. I want to get to know what you want, and it’s best played if you pretend to be in a world where your mother and Weeping Willow don't exist,” he says. “It’s just you and us. And you’re the master of your own destiny.”

“I feel as if there’s some kind of trick to this,” I say suspiciously.

“Of course there is, Little Queen. If you hesitate, you have to remove an article of clothing,” he says.

“Really, Ethan?” his father groans.

“Oh, I’m in,” Riley grins. “She has to finish eating first.”

“It’s too good to stop,” I confess.

“There should be leftovers,” he says with a wink.

Who would have thought a wink over food would be so sexy?

Twenty-Two

Vivian

The house feels emptier now that Nina is gone. I know the goal is to permanently have her leave once she’s packed up, but I didn’t realize the weight her presence has.

It doesn’t take long before I’m standing in her room, frowning. She didn’t make her bed or put anything away. It doesn’t matter that I have a housekeeper for this, I begin picking up things and tossing them into the hamper.

“Miss Vivian?” Colleen asks from the doorway. Scents usually can get muddled in an omega’s space, but Nina’s sense of smell is ruined.

I was reassured that it was probably irreversible due to her therapies at Weeping Willow. I don’t think she knows that I know this. I should feel bad, but I don’t. It doesn’t seem to be affecting her ability to keep Packs Mayor, Tremaine, Nisim, or Alston from courting her.

It will, however, always keep her away from her scent matches. Even if they ever find her again.

There’s a lot that my actions have done to mess with Nina’s body, but I don’t give a single fuck. When I went to pick her upwhen she was discharged, Dr. Kind mentioned that some of the injections they gave her kept her heat away, which would make it unpredictable now that she wouldn’t be on them anymore. That’s why it's so important to make sure she takes the heat blockers that she’s currently on every day.

“Colleen, can you take these clothes to be washed please?” I ask her. “I’m going to spruce Nina’s room up while she’s gone.”

What I actually mean is that I’m going to rearrange everything and make her insane. My daughter likes things a certain way the way any omega does, and now her instincts are going to ride her even harder because she doesn’t have doors or curtains.

It’s the perfect time for a bit of motherly love.

The housekeeper rushes forward to take the hamper of clothing while I move on to her bed. Pulling off the sheets, I decide I’m going to remake it myself with a substitute that isn't as soft.

Humming to myself, I dump the bedclothes at the doorway for Colleen to take and then walk down the hall to grab all of the rags that were used to dust with. Snapping the rags in Nina’s room, I fill the air with the dust so it doesn’t disperse.