Page 43 of Claiming the Pack’s Omega (Riverwell Omegaverse #2)

“Damn,” I say. “That’s crazy.”

“Hey, what else am I supposed to use my lawyer salary for? Of course I’m gonna get a fancy grill with the smoker and pizza oven attachment,” Theo says.

Killian sets down the plate of food he was putting together in front of me and my eyes go wide.

“For me?” I ask as I blink up at him.

“For you," he nods. “Ladies first, of course.”

The moment he steps away from me, the other three guys start loading up their plates.

“This is a lot of food,” I say, glancing down at it.

“You don’t have to finish it, if you don’t want to. I’m sure one of us will finish it for you,” Stone says.

This meal is different than last night. The table feels full and complete with Stone joining us, but there’s also something about the food Theo chose to make that feels like something he’d serve the guys on a normal night.

I mean, there aren’t even any forks at the dinner table tonight.

That feels like the kind of meal they’d all eat together as a pack of bachelor alphas.

This feels like a normal Tuesday evening. My presence at their table feels normal.

I can’t help but smile as I look around the table at everyone. This feels right.

“Try a bite,” Theo says, leaning his elbows eagerly on the table as he watches me.

I reach down and pick up some of the ribs before taking a bite. The tangy sweetness of the barbecue sauce explodes on my tongue as I take a bite of the most tender barbecue ribs I’ve ever had in my entire life. The only barbecue meat I’ve had is the kind that comes from the frozen food aisle.

A sound that’s far too obscene for the dinner table escapes me. It’s caught between a groan and a moan.

The guys all freeze at the sound, but I just roll my eyes as I finish swallowing the bite.

“It was good, okay?” I huff. “Let a girl enjoy her food.”

Theo clears his throat and nods quickly. I don’t miss the way he shifts in his seat like he’s subtly trying to adjust himself.

“Yeah—yeah, of course. I’m glad you liked it," he says, continuing to nod like he’s a bobblehead.

Everything Theo cooked tonight is delicious. Throughout the entire dinner, I see Killian eyeing me. He doesn’t seem angry or irritated with my presence. I don’t know how he’s feeling, to be completely honest. I just know it feels like I’m under a microscope.

It makes me feel nervous for what I have to do.

“Here, let me take your plate,” Milo offers when I’m all done.

“Oh, no, it’s okay, I can help.”

“You can help by keeping Stone company while we take care of putting all this away, how about that?” Theo says from the kitchen sink.

I purse my lips as I fiddle with the napkin in front of me. It’s one of those fancy paper napkins, the ones with the embossed pressed edges.

I guess they do have napkins. Fancy ones too. I guess I forgot to ask Steve the robot where the pack kept these.

“Is everything okay, Wildflower?” Stone asks quietly, eyeing me almost as intently as Killian was during dinner.

Now it’s my turn to nod like a bobblehead. I probably look even more stupid than Theo just did.

“Fine, I think I’ve gotta go to the bathroom real quick, I’ll be right back,” I say, hurriedly standing up from my chair before he can stop me.

I didn’t actually have to go to the bathroom.

I just needed a second to myself before everything possibly falls apart.

But I do spend a ridiculous amount of time scrubbing my hands in the sink.

I tell myself because I’d hate to be wiping away my tears during this upcoming conversation and smelling barbecue sauce, but I know I’m just buying myself time.

I stare at myself in the bathroom mirror and grip the countertop so hard my knuckles go white.

This is it.

I can do this.

I don’t want a pack who won’t accept me. All of me. Even the ugly, broken parts.

They’re good guys. They deserve to know what they’re getting into.

With one final breath, I step back out and make my way back to the dining table.

My steps slow when I see the four of them seated at the now clean dining table, all of their eyes landing on me as I make my way to them.

I lick my lips nervously.

“Why’re you guys all staring at me like that?” I say, letting out a huff of forced laughter that sounds more like a strangled exhale.

“You said you wanted to talk to all of us earlier,” Milo says softly. “We wanted to make sure you got the space to do that.”

I nod slowly as I sink into my seat between Stone and Milo. I’m seated at the head of the table, which, for whatever reason, directs all of their energy towards me. Maybe a Feng Shui expert could tell me why, but I can feel the intensity of their presence.

“I got some big news from the doctor today,” I say, my gaze darting between the four of them.

Killian stiffens, his brows drawing down.

“Is everything alright? Did the suppressants you were taking do something to you?”

I bite my lower lip nervously, tapping my fingers along the edge of the table.

“Yeah, I guess so,” I say. I glance up to see a mix of their horrified and concerned expressions. “It’s—it’s not bad. Well, maybe not bad, I actually don’t completely know, it depends on how you look at it, but I’m not going to die.”

Stone breathes out an audible sigh of relief.

“Thank god,” he says softly.

“You were really that worried?” My voice is soft when I ask the question. Small. Like I didn’t believe they’d actually be worried about something like that. I guess the thought never occurred to me that they’d be that worried. Is that why Killian was so insistent about me seeing the doctor?

“I mean, yeah, we all were,” Stone says. “Things that mess with your hormones are scary as hell, especially if they’re being made from questionable sources, you know?”

“Oh, well, um…” I squeeze my eyes shut as my head falls back. “Fuck, I don’t know how to say this.”

I’ve run through what to say over and over and over again, in my head, but nothing has felt right. I kind of thought something would come to me in the moment, but I’m so terrified that I’m going to fuck things up.

“Are you in any trouble?” Killian asks, his voice low. “We can help you, Princess, you don’t have to go through things alone anymore.”

My throat closes with a storm of emotions when I hear the conviction in his voice. Killian is a man of sheer will and determination. If he sets his mind to something, it’ll happen. And he’s offering to use that power for me.

“The—the suppressants I was taking, they did affect my body. They apparently changed my scent and ability to process scents. One of the—one of the biggest things this affects is my scent matches.”

As I glance at the four of them, they’re all wearing the same wide-eyed expressions.

“Holy shit,” Stone breathes out. “No wonder I was drawn to you since the get go.”

“Oh my god! You’re our scent match! Spitfire, this is amazing news!” Theo jumps out from his chair, making it screech against the hardwood as he makes his way past Milo and towards me.

I flinch backward, both at the sound and away from him.

He freezes. They all do.

Fuck.

Theo’s expression falls. He looks like I just slapped him. “What—what’s wrong? Do you—do you not want us?”

Tears fill my eyes as I see the changes in all their expressions. Stone looks utterly confused, like he’s reeling from the whiplash of winning the lottery and then getting it all taken away.

Killian’s expression shutters, locking away all his emotions, but not before I can see an expression that tells me he’s blaming himself right now. That’s the last thing I want.

I’m the problem, not him.

A whimper leaves my throat and I have to cover my mouth with a hand when I turn to Milo. He looks heartbroken. He’s bracing himself so hard against the chair, his entire body is rigid. God, knowing the bullshit he’s been through in the past, he also probably thinks this is his fault.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!

“N—no,” I say, my voice shaky as I try and squeeze the word past my tight throat and dry mouth. “It’s—it’s not you. I—I want you. The four of you. More than I’ve ever, ever wanted anything.”

“Then why?” Stone asks, softly, his deep blue eyes so incredibly sad.

“You—you barely know anything about me,” I say, laughing bitterly.

“But the little we do know has swept all of us off our feet!” Theo says, his hands clenched into fists. His forearms flex as he seems to fight to stay rooted in place where he’s standing so he can give me space.

I shake my head, the first tear I’ve been fighting desperately to keep at bay falling.

“You don’t understand, I’m—I’m broken . You have to know why before you can choose me.”

“You’re not broken,” Killian practically snarls as he grips the table so hard his knuckles go white. “I’ve never in my fucking life seen an omega—hell, anyone of any designation—as strong as you.”

I shake my head and close my eyes, my hands coming up to hide my face from their gazes. I can’t handle their eyes on me. I fear they won’t like what they see.

“I’m not strong—I’m not—I—” I grit my teeth together so hard my jaw creaks. “I need to tell you what happened, what fucked me up before I let you guys in. Because if I let you in and you find out and don’t like what you see, I—I won’t be able to handle it. Does that make sense?”

I feel a gentle hand on my wrist, tugging it away from my face. Milo’s gunmetal scent wraps itself around me. For some reason, his touch is actually comforting right now, instead of freaking me out.

“It does make sense,” Milo says softly. “You can tell us. And I promise that how we feel about you won’t change, but I understand if you need to get it out for you to believe that.”

My heart swells as I look into Milo’s kind amber eyes.

“O—okay,” I say, taking a deep breath. “I’ll tell you.”