Page 52

EMME

T he buzz of my phone reminded me that I hadn’t checked it for days. There was never a need with one of my alphas in constant proximity, but Kellan and Finley had left this morning for hockey, and I was already feeling the strain in my chest from their absence.

My wolf whined, but she didn’t retreat as she had the last time; my bond with Kellan was strained, but not debilitating.

Golden: We made it safe and sound. I hope you’re all missing us. We’re totally fine though. No sadness or tears, except from Finley when he got his bear paw caught in the door of our room. But I’M totally fine. *broken heart emoji* *Howling emoji*

My heart hurt even as I chuckled. My poor golden had been all misty-eyed when he’d left me this morning, even after kissing me stupid until I was breathless and throbbing. He’d been late for his ride to the airport, and it was all my fault, but there were no regrets from either of us.

Another ding sounded.

Yogi Bear: He cried for half the movie on the plane.

Yogi Bear: Kellan, I will not tell you again to change my fucking name. I’ll even take Grouchy at this stage.

*Golden has changed Yogi Bear’s name*

Golden: The movie was sad! Everyone cried.

Boo-Boo Bear: It was the Fast and the Furious. You were the only one who cried.

Boo-Boo Bear: Who the fuck is boo boo bear? These names are getting worse!!

The dings kept coming, and I was amazed to find that with the newly adjusted font, I kept up well. Definitely much better than before, even with the previously adjusted style.

Golden: Are you telling me that you know who Yogi Bear is but not Boo-Boo Bear? Blasphemy. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Boo-Boo Bear: I’m telling you that if you don’t change my name, or show ME how to change my name, I will tell them all about the time you drank a bottle of tequila with additives and passed out in the locker-room.

*Golden has changed Boo-Boo Bear’s name*

Finley Grouchy Thornton: I knew we’d see eye to eye on the situation.

Before I could reply in the text thread, though the boys appeared to be doing just fine on their own, Hunter popped into the conversation.

Daddy-o: Is Kellan sending out SOS signals with his eyes? Annoying pup doesn’t want that story to get back to our omega, I bet.

And now I absolutely needed to know what happened.

Golden: Look, we all have stories to tell. Just remember that.

Slade: I don’t.

Golden: Look, MOST of us have stories to tell, and I have a very long memory.

I quickly finished my message and sent it across.

Pretty Mate: Wait, I want to hear these stories. How long is your memory, Golden?

Finley Grouchy Thornton: It took him five minutes to remember our teammates' names this morning. They’ve played together for two years.

Golden: THAT’S DIFFERENT. Jones and Collins look the same! It’s the blond hair.

Finley Grouchy Thornton: *eye roll emoji* They look completely different. And Collin’s hair is brown. You’re just too busy showing off to notice.

Golden: You say showing off, I say scoring goals. Same same.

I had no idea why I was laughing so hard, but some of the heartache that had been crushing me since they left eased with these texts.

Slade: You’re making Emme happy. And that’s the only reason I’m not flying to your hotel and smashing your phones under my damn boot.

Annndd there was my newest reminder that I was under constant, uninterrupted surveillance.

Which still didn’t bother me.

Daddy-o: Can you morons focus for long enough to let us know what time your game is today. We want to catch it on the sports broadcast channel.

Finley Grouchy Thornton: Starts at six tonight. We’ll be the ones in teal.

Hunter was no doubt also considering flying to the game and smacking them both up the side of the head.

Slade: I’ll tap into the venue’s cameras, and we can watch it in real time.

Golden: You guys better not pack huddle without us!! I almost died the last time you did that. Think of the children.

He was getting more ridiculous the longer this went on, and I was living for it.

Daddy-o: How do you really feel about death, Annoying Pup? I sense it’s closing in on you again.

Finley Grouchy Thornton: *Image attached*

I clicked the attachment and found a photo of Kellan glancing timidly over his shoulder, as if ensuring Hunter hadn’t somehow transported into the hotel room. He looked adorable, and my wolf and I were silently howling at how much it sucked to be apart from my alphas.

Finley Grouchy Thornton: It appears you’ve got him suitably worried. Nice work, Hunt. I might get a rest from his incessant whining about Emme tonight.

Golden: Wait! WAIT! Grouchy has been extra grouchy since we left, and I saw him looking at a photo of our mate on his phone. So. There. It’s not just me.

The lurch in my stomach took me by surprise, but damn, that was kind of… hot. Knowing that Finley missed me too, even though he’d been such a different shifter lately, still took me by surprise.

Pretty Mate: I miss you both! But, as an aside, I heard that Slade has a lot of photos of me on his stalker wall. If you don’t mind googly eyes.

He hadn’t mentioned the prank even once, and I was done waiting for him to bring it up.

My heart beat a little faster as I waited for his response.

Slade: Oh, Snow. I will never share my stalker photos with anyone. They’re safe and sound. Just like you are.

Daddy-o: Yeah, that’s not creepy at all, brother. Emme probably feels completely comforted.

Slade: *shrugging emoji*

Pretty Mate: I’m totally calm and fine. I’m not even remotely scared of Scary Shifter. What’s the worst he could do.

I sent it and then immediately regretted challenging him like that. Idiot.

Slade: You forget I can see you via the cameras, Emmeline Anders. You can’t hide anything from me.

Leaning back on my bed, I flipped him off with both hands, and I wasn’t surprised to hear a ding.

Slade: I’m going to enjoy punishing the brat out of you, little mate. I’m going to enjoy it a lot.

And I was dead. Again.

Golden: You fuckers. You’re going to naked pack snuggle without us, and I honestly don’t love hockey enough to deal with this shit. *angry face emoji* This is goddess-be-damned unshifterly of you all, and I demand that you all stay in separate rooms until we return. *begging hands emoji*

Finley Grouchy Thornton: In completely related news, the game today is going to be very interesting as we think about you pack huddling without us. Hope I don’t lose control of my bear and kill a few opponents.

Golden: Is it bad that I kind of want to see that? It’s bad, isn’t it? Hey, no one chimed in and said it’s bad, so it’s probably fine.

Daddy-o: Our plane is fueled and ready. One more fucking word from you Kellan.

Daddy-o: Good luck with your game today.

Pretty Mate: You are both amazing, and I’m so proud of you. Kick their asses today.

Kellan sent back a bunch of kissing emojis, and Finley sent one single pink heart. I might have stared at that heart for far too long before I threw the phone on the side table and headed into the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day.

When I was dressed in jeans, a shirt from Kellan that hung past my ass, and a hoodie from Finley, because he wasn’t here to see me needing a hit of his scent, I ambled down the stairs and headed for the kitchen.

I heard voices before I entered the room, and wasn’t surprised to find Hunter, Warrick, Cora, Slade, and Kassidy eating breakfast and chatting away. I eyeballed the pile of breakfast sandwiches before I greeted anyone, counting to make sure they had left me enough.

At Cora’s snort of laughter, I glanced her way, and she wiggled her brows. “You owe me a hundred bucks,” she said to her mate, and Warrick grinned even as he grumbled and slapped the note into her hand. “Should have known better than to bet on Emme not counting the sandwiches.”

“I’ve made no secret of my priorities at breakfast,” I said with a shrug.

Kassidy jumped to her feet, and I was struck by how gorgeous Hunter’s sister looked in her skinny jeans and tight teal sweater.

That family’s genetics were exceptional, if you discounted the psychopathic tendencies of their father.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Emme. It’s girl’s day.

We don’t want you wallowing without half your pack, so we thought we’d go out shopping. ”

I paused with a sandwich halfway toward my mouth, my gaze automatically finding Hunter, and then Slade, both of whom wore neutral expressions. “You two are letting me have a girls’ day? What? With no security or anything?”

Hunter’s lips twitched, and I had to remind myself that we had company, and it was not in my best interest to climb that damn alpha like a tree.

“We arranged for one of the smaller stores to open just for you three. We’ll wait outside, but you’ll have a free run to shop and hang out with your friends. ”

Now it was my turn to smirk. “Like I’m a child and you’re dropping me off at my friend’s house to play?”

Slade placed his hands on the bench, and I swear he made the massive expanse of marble look small under his hold. “Exactly like that, Snow. Only this is an adult playdate and will include wine.”

“That’s how they got me here,” Kassidy joked, reaching for another sandwich, undeterred by the stink eye I shot her way. She was a badass alpha and could hoover down as much food as the males. Lucky, I liked her.

“Sounds amazing,” I said, excited by this prospect of a real girl’s day. “I’ve never had an adult playdate with girlfriends. I can add it to the new experiences board.”

“Yes!” Cora fist-pumped the air, and I noted that she was also in jeans and a pale blue, knitted sweater, the color lovely against her complexion. “I’ve been desperate for some good old-fashioned girl talk. I need to live vicariously through?—”

Kassidy snorted, and Cora swallowed her laughter. “Okay, through one of you at least. The one with multiple mates. I know all about a single bond already.”

Neither Hunter nor Slade appeared upset that I might share any of our lives with my friends. Which was good, since I had a lot to catch them up on—even if there were only three of us currently participating in the quintet bonding.

“Well, I’m ready to go,” I said, snatching up two more sandwiches and wrapping them in a napkin. “Lead the way.”

By the time Hunter dropped us off at the boutique chain of stores that we apparently had free run of, I’d finished my breakfast and was pumped as hell for this date.

Despite the Christmas season coming to an end, there was still a tree and twinkling lights in the center of the store window, and I found myself grinning stupidly at their pretty decorations.

“You wear the most adorable expression whenever you see decorations,” Hunter said, standing close enough that our bodies touched, and I was warmed from his energy.

I shrugged. “It’s like winter. The snow covers everything until it’s just a pretty expanse of white. It hides all the sins. Christmas feels like that too, like the lights and trees and presents are all so pretty and harmless that they shadow the bullshit out there. I wish it went for longer.”

He leaned over and brushed his lips against the side of my head, until butterflies took off in my stomach. “We’ll leave the decorations up at home for a little longer,” he murmured, kissing me once more, before he led me where my friends waited near the entrance.

“Okay, I’ve set up an account instore,” he said, addressing everyone. “Go crazy and buy whatever you want.”

Kassidy fist-pumped. “I’m a strong independent shifter, you know that, but I will never turn down free clothes.”

Hunter shook his head. “I’ve been trying to get you to accept my money for years, sister. Apparently, all it took was one girl’s day and wine to seal the deal. I’ll keep that in mind.”

She patted his chest and batted her eyelashes. “See that you do. Now scurry away and leave us to our female shenanigans, big bro.”

Hunter looked like he was barely restraining himself from an eyeroll. “I’ll be in the car, and Slade is patrolling with his enforcer squad.”

I touched my pocket, relieved I’d remembered my phone. “I’ll text when we’re finished.”

Hunter’s chest rumbled. He leaned down and this time his kiss landed on my lips, and I forgot my name for a few minutes. “See that you do, baby girl.”

I almost wished he would come in with us, but I needed this time with my friends. Maybe I’d even get some advice about what was happening with my pack.

“Love you,” I whispered, and the stare he gave me in return burned through my soul.

“I love you, little mate. Now go and have fun.”

He slapped his big hand on my ass, the mine flashing as he pulled away, and I tried my best to ignore the tightening of my lower half.

That bastard knew what he was doing, and fuck if I didn’t like it.