Page 28 of Knottily Ever After (Crescent Lake Cozy Omegaverse #1)
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Vaughn
B y the early evening, all of us are home, and Ben had already ordered pizza from this great little spot on the other side of Main Street. Once the food arrives, we all sit in the living room together instead of at the table.
There’s a certain comfort to eating pizza on the couch in front of the TV. Fond memories of fun childhood gatherings usually race through my head. But now, I’m just glad to be with my pack, all together in our apartment. As it was meant to be.
Violet is seated in the middle of the couch, Ben on one side and Quinn on the other, while I sit on the armchair.
“We need a bigger couch.”
I choke a bit on my cheese when Violet’s voice chimes in. She’s giving me a calm and quiet smile.
“Let me buy us a couch that’s big enough for us all to sit together.”
I blink and look at Ben, whose expression is unsure, then turn to Quinn, who’s smiling as he says, “The lady gets what the lady wants. But the lady doesn’t pay.”
Her attitude shifts immediately, an expressive frown tugging at her lips. “The lady does pay, because the lady isn’t being charged rent.” She looks at me then, eyes narrowing. “And I have the money, so that’s not an issue.”
Does hitting the best-seller list pay that much? Come to think of it, she came here with a lot of what looked like designer clothes and shoes. And her car is high-end, too.
I shake my head. “Best I can do is say we split the cost, four ways.” I raise an eyebrow in challenge.
Her lips purse, and she looks around at us all before softening. “Okay, I’ll agree to that.” She’s thoughtful a moment. “We should probably look online to get what we really want.”
I laugh, knowing that she’s going to get exactly what she wants, even if it’s a bright puke-green monstrosity.
But it’s going to be fun shopping together. “We can cast the web browser to the TV later, and all look together.”
She claps her hands, plate on the coffee table, and bounces with unconstrained excitement. “That’s so great!”
We finish our pizza and crispy garlic twists, a staple of the pizzeria here, and I clean up our plates, returning with a fresh beer for everyone before sitting back on the chair.
“So, Vi,” Quinn starts, “we talked a little last night about our dynamic.” His head tilts. “We’d all really like to know what you think about the idea of being a part of a pack. In general.”
Violet looks thoughtful, then she moves from the couch to sit on the edge of the coffee table, her gaze sweeping across us all.
“I’d never thought about pack life before coming here,” she says.
“But the more I’m around all of you, the more I realize that my life in L.A.
wasn’t all it was meant to be. I was in this cookie cutter of a life, forced to live how everyone in the city is mandated to.
” She frowns, then takes Quinn’s hand across from her.
“You asked the right questions that day you drilled me about my suppressants. I just didn’t know it at the time.
” Their eyes lock. “But I know now. You felt the… connection… between us. Didn’t you? ” Now, she looks at each of us.
We, in turn, confirm she’s right.
Her head bobs. “My suppressants are wearing off,” she tells us.
“Which is not normal. I’ve never had a heat or close to one, even when I’m due to take that pill in a couple of days.
” She looks back at Quinn. “I think it means something. Something important for us.” She leans toward him and inhales deeply, her body tensing just a bit.
Then she looks at me. “I’m going to stop taking my suppressants. ”
I freeze. We all do.
“I’m going to keep taking birth control, of course,” she goes on, “but I want to know. I need to know if what’s between us is real.
If scent matching is real. If I was wrong.
” Her head shakes, like she’s sorrowful, her brows tight with thought or maybe confusion.
“I don’t want to rush this,” she says quickly.
“I don’t want to force anything to happen. ”
“Of course not,” Ben says, tone fierce.
“That’s right,” I chime. “This is all up to you, Violet. Your pace, your choices.”
She smiles brightly, kindly. That calmness that’s settled over her shines like the sun and brightens her whole demeanor.
It makes me wonder if Quinn having sex with her really was just what she needed. And if I were a jealous man and not a secure Alpha, I might hate him a little for being the one to give her that peace.
But it’s a good thing that I’m a secure Alpha, and happy that our Omega has been pleasured.
One day, we all will worship her.
Together.