Page 48 of Pack Me Up

Everyone drinks, even Fox, who has the look of someone who’s not used to being included but is trying hard anyway.

The food is ridiculous. There are layers of cheese and pasta, vegetables, and bread so soft it collapses under my fingers. I’m starving, and I eat like it’s the last meal I’ll ever get. The first ten minutes are silent except for the scrape of forks and the twins’ bickering.

Then the conversation starts, slow at first.

Fox asks, “So, Brittney. How many songs will you and Tommy have on your set list?”

“Ten.”

“That’s a lot for an opener, right?” Hunter asks.

I nod eagerly. “Yes, Oli is extremely generous.”

“You deserve it,” Saint says, and I don’t argue with him.

Saint doesn’t react, but I catch the ghost of a smile in the way his eyes light up for a split second.

Fox slides the basket of bread closer, his hand brushing mine again, and I feel the jolt of contact all the way to my toes. He pours me more wine, gentle and precise.

The food keeps coming. Fox gets up twice to bring more salad and, once, another bottle of wine. Every time he moves, he glances at me, as if checking to make sure I’m still here.

The room is so warm and alive that I feel at home. More at home than my parents’ house ever was.

The twins bicker and joke, their bodies angled toward each other, but their eyes on me. Fox tells stories about his time as a fighter with Hunter constantly hyping him up. Saint occasionally cuts in with a dry one-liner, which silences the room and then sets off a round of laughter.

At some point, I realize I haven’t thought about my old life in hours. Not the house I ran from, not the parents, not the pack that tried to break me. This table is the only world that matters.

Dessert is pie. It’s real and homemade, probably Fox’s doing. It tastes like cinnamon and comfort. The twins each eat two slices and argue about who can fit more in their mouths. Hunter tries to sabotage them by telling a joke mid-bite and succeeds in making Colton choke on his food.

I laugh so hardIchoke. Fox pats my back, and for a second, I lean into him, breathing in the scent of apples and the sweet crust of the pie.

Hunter, eyes sparkling, leans over and says, “You fit in so well.”

I grin, wide and unguarded. “Yeah, I guess so.”

When we’ve finished eating, Hunter comes over and grabs me, hauling me up into his arms with a playful possessivenessthat my omega loves. He smells like peppermint, and it gets every nerve in my body humming.

“I believe we have some quality time reserved after dinner, would you like to watch something on the TV?” He asks loudly before leaning in to add, “If we go in the living room, they’ll all join, but I don’t mind sharing your attention as long as you’re sitting inmylap.”

I laugh, then wrap my arms around his neck. “That sounds great.”

Hunter walks away from the table and settles into the middle of the couch with me on his lap.

He curls his arms around my waist and rests his chin on my shoulder. “This is your spot now,” he says, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Colton rolls his eyes as he and Cody follow us. “We all know you’ve staked your claim for the night.”

Cody adds, “No need to worry, little brother.”

Fox slides in beside us, careful not to jostle, but his thigh presses against mine, a quiet, steadying weight. He hands me the remote, which I immediately pass to the twins, because I have no idea what to pick.

Cody clicks through the menu with efficiency, barely glancing at the options. “Action or comedy?” he asks.

Colton throws a pillow at his head. “You always pick action.”

Hunter nuzzles my neck, voice low and conspiratorial. “Pick horror. Twins can’t handle jump scares.”

Cody scoffs. “Lies.”