Page 22

Harlan

When I woke up in the morning, something was different.

At first, I couldn’t put my finger on it, but when I left my room, heading down the hallway, the door to the nest was open, and a peek inside had my jaw dropping.

She was here, our omega, and Benji lay next to her, an arm around her shoulders, her head cradled on his shoulder. I couldn’t believe it. He held a finger to his lips, and I nodded, but what I wanted to do was jump up and down and cheer.

Her scent filled my nostrils, meaning, she hadn’t used her suppressors.

I wanted that to be a message that she was ready to mate with us, but I cautioned myself not to jump the gun.

She and Benji were both dressed; the covers were pushed low enough for me to see their shirts.

Also, I was pretty sure if anything more happened, my wolf would know.

And I would be fine with it, but we weren’t there yet.

Still, our mate had shown up sometime during the night and had not only slept in the nest we’d readied but with Benji holding her.

It was a leap of trust I’d only dared dream of.

Tiptoeing down the hallway, I held my thoughts in check.

One step at a time, and the first one I could see was making the best breakfast ever for our mate.

When Roan showed up, I had bacon frying, waffle batter made, a fruit salad half prepared, and coffee perking. “What did I just see?” he asked. “Am I dreaming?”

“Not unless we both are.” I flipped bacon. “It seems our mate came for a sleepover, and Benji happened to be the one awake to greet her.”

“To think I’ve tried to talk him out of working late into the night.” He shook his head and grabbed for an apron. “I guess our job is to spoil her.”

“Working on it.” The light went green on the waffle maker, and I opened it. “I hope she’s hungry when she wakes up.”

“What can I do to help?” Roan tied the apron in back and looked around. “Should I set the table?”

“Good idea. And then you can chop the rest of the fruit for the salad. I’m thinking we need to scramble eggs, too?”

We settled in to work together, and before long, Benji appeared in the kitchen doorway. “Smells great in here.”

“Not as good as it does upstairs. No suppressors.”

“I don’t think it was deliberate, but it sure is intoxicating.” He grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee. Sitting at the counter, he cradled it between his hands. “She liked the nest.”

With waffles cooking, I got out the eggs and broke a dozen into a bowl, added milk, salt, and pepper and beat them to a froth.

The bacon was done, so I laid the strips on a paper towel to drain and made use of the fat for cooking the eggs.

“Someone get out the butter and syrup? I hope Lily wakes up soon because this is all going to taste better while it’s hot and fresh. ”

“She was going to take a shower,” Benji said, “but she should be down soon.”

“I’m here.” Her voice preceded her appearance in the kitchen. “You guys sure eat a big breakfast. Is that a waffle iron?”

I opened the lid and removed four only slightly burned waffles. “It sure is. Do you like them?”

“I never considered that they could be made at home. Only something you get at a diner. Wow.”

“Sit down and we’ll get it all dished up.” Roan pulled out a counter stool. “A little of everything?”

She flicked a glance around the kitchen. “I guess. I usually skip breakfast or maybe eat cereal.”

“You don’t have to eat to please us,” Benji said. “If you’re not hungry.”

“I’m starving. How could I not be when everything smells so amazing.”

It certainly did, if everything referred to our mate.

I took a plate and filled it with a waffle, a scoop of eggs, a little overcooked but hopefully okay, and three strips of bacon with singed edges. Roan filled a small bowl with fruit.

“Coffee?” Benji offered.

“Yes, please.”

We placed the dishes in front of her and stepped back. We’d worked hard, but as I looked at it all, it was so unworthy of her. Our mate deserved perfectly prepared food, and nothing we made could be described in that way.

However, Lily dug in, tasting each item before pronouncing it all delicious and eating every bit we’d put on the plate. Then she sat back and took in the kitchen. “Looks like you all worked hard.”

I followed her gaze to see the total disaster. Eggs burnt to the pan, waffle batter all over the counter, eggshells in the sink, and just about every pot, pan, and utensil used to make breakfast. “Yeah, but we didn’t mind.”

She slid off the stool and approached Benji. “You make me feel so welcome.” Tipping her face up, she rose on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his. “Thank you for last night.”

Roan was next to receive her gratitude and a kiss, then she turned to me. “Breakfast was wonderful.”

“It wasn’t. But we tried.”

“Nobody has ever gone to so much trouble just for me.” She rested her palm on my chest and kissed me, soft lips firmly against mine before she stepped back. “You are all amazing, but maybe I’m needed here.”

“You are.” Benji gave a firm nod. “But on your time.”

“What do you think… I mean, would it be all right if I spent a few days here, just to kind of see how things go?”

“If you’re ready, we’re all in.”

We decided to take Lily to pack up enough clothes and things for a few days, but I hoped we’d soon be going back for all the rest.