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thirty-nine

SIMON

I t’s been a few weeks since I apologized to Josie and the Pack, and it still feels like the best decision I’ve ever made.

Josie gets a present from me almost daily, and I make a point to talk to all three of the other guys.

Jesse is a gamble when it comes to how much he’ll talk, but he’s always nice about it.

Sometimes he and I just greet each other, then hang out in silence.

Today I have a special treat for Josie. One of my new baristas’ grandparents is Taiwanese, and she suggested adding boba tea to our shop.

It’s a popular location, and we’ve had success overall with coffee, so she said she’d help us with recipes if we wanted to try it out.

The one in my hand is our first batch, and I’m excited for Josie to try it.

So far, the samples have been great, so I’m hoping that she likes it.

When I step into the house, Jesse greets me and sees the tea in my hand. His eyes light up, and he moves closer to where I’m taking my shoes off.

“Honey, did you bring me a treat?” he asks.

I laugh and shake my head at him.

“Not today, this one’s for Josie,” I tell him.

He gets close and peers at the plastic cup in my hand. “It looks weird.”

“Good thing it’s not for you, then,” I tell him primly, raising my nose at him before walking away.

He follows, chuckling, as I walk through the house to find our Omega sitting in one of her favorite places.

Henry’s study. She loves to grab blankets and cozy up on the small sofa in there, with a few books piled near her or her laptop ready to be used.

Today, she’s happily reading something that has a very buff torso on the cover.

“Angel, we can give you some muscles to look at. You don’t need to read a book with them on the cover to experience it,” I tease her.

Josie jumps a little and looks at us with a blush on her cheeks. A whiff of her scent hits the air, and I can smell her arousal in it. It’s not a full perfume, but something she’s reading that has gotten her worked up.

“Hey!” she greets us, her voice a little high with embarrassment.

I grin at her, unrepentant that we’ve interrupted her book time.

My hand holding the boba tea comes forward, and I give it a slight shake.

Her eyes go wide, and she puts the book down.

Josie’s hands reach out in a grabbing motion, eyes locked on the gift.

My heart warms at how easily she accepts my gifts now.

She always loves them, but at first she was a little nervous to take them.

She would tell me that she didn’t want to come off as greedy, but after a few assurances that it would make me happy, too, she started embracing her Omega love of gifts.

I oblige her excitement and step fully into the room to hand her the travel cup.

“This is one of our first attempts at boba tea over at the cafe. We’ve had a few samples with the employees, but this is one of our first fully made ones.

It’s a milk tea. We tried it with a few different tea blends, but this one is full sweetness, flavored with Taro, and has tapioca boba,” I tell her proudly before fully releasing the drink to her.

“What kind of tea is in it? You said you tried a few different ones?” she asks, swirling the wide straw through the tapioca and ice.

I look at her blankly.

“Did you forget?” she smirks.

Hesitantly, I nod my head, grimacing. She giggles before wrapping those gorgeous lips around the straw and taking a first sip.

I don’t see any boba come through the clear tube, but Josie’s eyes light up as she savors the flavor of the tea itself.

She takes a second sip before talking, and I see one of the dark colored balls come up the straw with the tea.

Her mouth moves slowly as she chews, and a smile grows on her face.

“This is delicious! It tastes like a fruity cereal! Jesse, you gotta try this. Did you already try it, Si? You need to try it too,” she says excitedly.

“I have not tried these flavors yet, and I feel ridiculous that I can’t remember the tea blend. Jesse can take the first sip, I’ll wait,” I tell them both.

Jesse takes his sip, and his face is a mixture of disgust and enjoyment.

I hide my smirk, knowing that he doesn’t want to disappoint Josie, but he is also not a fan.

He hands me a drink, his mouth moving like he’s chewing, but I’m not sure he actually took in any boba.

Putting the big straw in my mouth, I take a mouthful of the tea and try to grab a boba as well.

“It’s, um, very sweet,” I comment as I slowly chew the boba.

“Definitely fruity,” Jesse adds.

Josie happily takes another drink while smiling at us. She eyes us up and swallows her boba before talking.

“You hated it, Jesse, didn’t you?” she asks.

Jesse rubs the back of his neck, “Hate is such a strong word…”

“It was definitely sweeter than I like, but I can see why you like it,” I say.

She giggles sweetly, “It’s okay, I love it so bring me one any time you feel like it.”

“You got it, Angel.”

Jesse and I then find seats in the den with her to just sit and exist. Jesse picks up a book at one point, but I alternate between watching Josie and closing my eyes to enjoy the peace.

My body is craving hers more and more as we live together.

Thankfully, Vic helps me take the edge off as much as he can, but I know he needs contact with Josie as well.

Moreso really since they’re bonded. So I try to balance my needs with everyone else.

We’re basically operating like a Pack. That thought shocks me and snaps me out of my peace.

Is this what Pack is? Balancing needs and ensuring everyone gets what they want?

It must be, it has to be, because I refuse to believe that this happiness and peace are accidental.

My eyes snap open, and I sit up straighter.

Jesse notices the movement and raises an eyebrow at me.

“This is what it is, isn’t it?” I ask him quietly.

He smirks and nods once. Seems like he’s come to the same conclusion and is comfortable with it. Honestly, so am I. These last few weeks have been amazing, and the fear I once had seems silly now. When the right people are involved, Pack is great.

“What is it?” Josie asks.

“I was just thinking how happy I’ve been over the last few weeks. Getting to give you presents, interacting with the guys, and even just now as we all just existed together. Then it hit me that this is what it means to be Pack. Just being here for each other.”

She grins, “I never thought of it that way before. You’re right, though, it’s all of that and more. I’m really happy that you’re here, Simon, please know that.”

“I do, I promise,” I respond.

“What about me?” Jesse teases, a small smile on his face.

Josie giggles, “Yes, you too, my silent Alpha.”

“Damn straight,” he replies and settles back in.

There’s a pause in the conversation, but it doesn’t feel awkward. I know what I want to say, I just need to Alpha up and say it. My eyes glance between the two of them as I work up the courage to just say the damn thing.

“Guys… I’m ready. Whenever you want,” I say.

Josie’s face lights up in a wide smile, while Jesse’s face is a mixture of happiness and relief.

I’m not sure if the relief is because I’m finally ready so he can bond, or if it’s just because I’m ready.

Either way, it feels encouraging, and I’ll take it.

Josie snatches up her phone and sends out a text message in our group chat.

Josie

Vic, Henry, are you busy? The correct answer is “no.”

Henry

Lol, I’m never too busy for you, Omega. What’s up?

Josie

Simon wants to change his name. He’s now going to be Bond, Simon Bond.

Henry

… Babe, I love you, but that was terrible.

Jesse

Agreed. I’m sitting here listening to her giggle over it, too.

Vic

Lucky bastard. I’m free. Nest?

Josie

Nest

Henry

Wait, why are we going to the nest?

Vic

Oh, honey…

Henry

Shut up!

I’m chuckling as I read over her shoulder, but when she puts the phone down and meets my eyes, the chemistry bursts between us, and my smile drops fast. I want to feast on her, taste every inch of her skin and lap up all her slick like a damn animal.

My pheromones must be in overdrive because I can see her pupils widening as we stare at each other.

Just as I’m about to lean closer, Jesse hauls Josie up and tosses her over his shoulder.

She squeals in protest, to which he answers with a slap on her ass as he hauls it to her nest. Grinning ferally, I follow them, hot on Jesse’s heels.

He drops her in the Pack suite, right at the doors that lead to her nest. I haven’t been in there yet, and deservedly so.

Last time I abandoned her, so I need to earn her permission.

Josie disappears behind the doors to adjust her nest, and I look to Jesse.

“You good?” I ask.

He nods, “Been good, better now. Glad you got your head in the game.”

“Me too,” I admit.

Vic comes jogging into the suite a moment later and attacks me with his mouth.

I grab his head and lower back before pulling him close to me.

We kiss like we’ve been apart for years, and to some degree, it does feel that way.

Everything is connecting today, and I can’t wait to feel my bonds with Josie and the guys come to life.

We break when we hear Henry enter, breathing heavily like he ran.

“You assholes could have clued me in better.” He grins.

“What kind of Packmates would we be if we didn’t encourage you to learn?” Vic asks.

Henry chuckles and flips him off, which sends Vic into joining the laughter.

The doors to the nest crack open, and all four of us snap to attention.

Josie peeks out, half her body in the nest and half out.

She looks over all of us, nods, and grabs Jesse.

She reappears a moment later, beckoning me closer before grabbing me wordlessly.

Her nest is perfect, filled with soft blankets and fuzzy pillows.

She has a few body pillows thrown in as well, each of them covered in a plush microfiber case.

The fairy lights strung along the ceiling blink in three different colors.

There are two strands of white with a strand of green and a strand of blue woven in.

The walls are a muted blue, with hand-drawn ivy crawling around them haphazardly.

When I turn, Vic and Henry are in the room, looking amused, but not stepping a toe past where Josie points.

She turns and looks from me to Jesse, assessing the situation.

As I watch her, I’m not sure if she’s fully here at the moment.

It looks like her Omega has taken over entirely, and she’s running on pure instinct. It’s hot as hell.

Grabbing at my shirt, she tries to pull it off me without words. I give her a smile.

“You want my clothes off?” I ask her, my voice low and husky.

She nods, a small whine escaping her.

“Whatever my Omega wants, she gets,” I say, pulling my shirt fully off my body.

A glance at Jesse and I can see he’s not waiting for Josie to manhandle his clothes.

When she turns to him, she purrs at the sight of him getting undressed.

Then she grabs both our shirts and weaves them into the support area of the nest. She fusses for a moment before turning toward Vic and Henry with an eyebrow raised.

They abandon their shirts and toss them her way.

Only once her nest is exactly how she wants it does she relax and come back to herself a little bit.

Sitting primly on her heels, she folds her hands in her lap.

“My non-bonded Alphas, please come into my nest and bond the fuck out of me.”