Page 65 of Pack Plus One (Sweetwater City Reverse Harem Omegaverse #1)

“Before everything,” Caleb finishes, his voice deep and sure.

My pulse quickens as they each push their box toward the center of the table, forming a perfect square. The boxes are identical—small, navy velvet cubes that could only contain one thing.

“Are those—” I begin, my voice catching.

Caleb reaches for my hand, his larger one enveloping mine completely.

“We wanted something meaningful,” Liam explains.

Mason nods. “Open them,” he suggests quietly.

With trembling fingers, I reach for the nearest box—Liam’s, I think—and lift the lid. Inside, nestled against dark velvet, lies a delicate gold chain with a small pendant shaped like a puzzle piece.

I open the next box—Mason’s—to find another chain with another puzzle piece, different in shape but clearly designed to connect with the first. Jude’s and Caleb’s boxes reveal the same: beautiful gold pendants, each one a distinct piece of a larger whole.

“They fit together,” I realize, lifting one to examine it more closely.

“Or they can be worn separately,” Mason explains. “Each one stands alone, but together...”

“Together they form something more complete,” Caleb finishes.

I stare at the four pendants, understanding dawning. “Like us.”

“Exactly like us,” Liam confirms, his smile gentle.

“We…” Jude starts, uncharacteristically serious. “We wanted you to know...”

“That we’re yours,” Caleb states simply. “Whether you choose to wear our mark or not.”

Tears well in my eyes, blurring the candlelight into golden streaks. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Mason assures me, reaching across the table to take my hand. His thumb brushes over my knuckles in a soothing pattern. “This isn’t a demand. It’s a promise.”

I look around at them—these four extraordinary men who have somehow become the center of my world. At Jude’s hopeful expression, Liam’s patient smile, Mason’s steady gaze, and Caleb’s intense focus.

As I’m about to reach for the pendants, they exchange another look. Caleb gives a slight nod, and suddenly all four of them rise from their chairs.

And then, in perfect synchronization that they must have practiced, they drop to one knee beside the table.

The entire restaurant falls silent. My heart seems to stop beating entirely.

“There’s one more thing,” Caleb says.

Mason produces a fifth box from his jacket pocket—larger than the others, covered in the same navy velvet. When he opens it, I actually gasp.

Inside lies the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen—a stunning oval diamond surrounded by smaller stones in a platinum setting that somehow manages to be both elegant and striking. The center stone catches the candlelight, throwing rainbow prisms across the tablecloth.

“Leah,” Liam begins.

“Our perfect, stubborn omega,” Jude continues.

“We’re asking you to be ours,” Mason says, “formally and completely.”

“Will you marry us?” Caleb finishes.

Time stills.

For a moment, something within me, my heart possibly, swells so much my chest hurts.

I don’t realize I’m crying till Liam reaches forward and wipes a tear from my cheek. I’m vaguely aware that other diners are watching, that several servers have paused in their duties, that the chef has emerged from the kitchen to witness this moment.

For a heartbeat, I think about everything that brought me here—the chance encounter with these men I…I love so so much, the heat that threw us together, the rivalry with Eric, the long days of work and nights of slowly lowering my walls.

“Yes,” I say, the word emerging before I’ve decided to speak. More tears come. “Yes!”

The restaurant erupts in applause as Caleb takes the ring from its velvet nest. With gentle reverence, he slides it onto my finger. It fits perfectly—of course it does, they’ve thought of everything.

I stare at the ring sparkling on my hand, momentarily speechless at its beauty and what it represents.

Before I can find my voice again, Caleb is pulling me to my feet and into a kiss that silences the room once more.

When he finally releases me, the others take their turns—Jude’s kiss playful but deep, Liam’s tender and thorough, Mason’s quietly passionate.

Brushing another tear from my cheek, Caleb turns his attention to the pendants.

He carefully lifts the first chain and moves behind me.

His fingers brush the nape of my neck as he fastens the clasp, his breath warm against my skin.

The pendant settles against my collarbone, cool at first but quickly warming to my body temperature.

One by one, the others join him, each adding their pendant to the collection until all four rest against my skin.

“Perfect.” Jude’s voice is almost a whisper. I look up at him and his eyes look a bit glassy. Filled with emotion. This beautiful ridiculous man. I love him so much. I almost choke on another happy sob.

I reach up to touch the pendants, then glance down at the ring now sparkling on my finger. “I…” I manage. What can I say? I look at each of them in turn. “They’re beautiful.”

“ You’re beautiful,” Caleb corrects, his voice rough with something that makes my insides twist.

For a moment, we’re suspended in a bubble of intimacy.

The crowded restaurant disappears. Caleb’s gaze holds mine, conveying depths of emotion that words could never adequately express.

Around us, the others form a protective circle, their presence both supportive and possessive.

Liam’s hand rests lightly on my shoulder, Mason’s fingers intertwined with mine, Jude leans close enough that his citrus scent mingles with the aroma of the wine around us.

I see my future in their faces—mornings in the bakery with flour-covered hands, evenings in the nest with tangled limbs, holidays and celebrations and quiet moments that make up a life together. The magnitude of what we’ve just committed to washes over me, and I wait for the wave of panic.

It doesn’t come.

The moment is interrupted by our server, who appears with a bottle of champagne. “Compliments of the chef,” he announces, expertly popping the cork without spillage.

As the bubbling liquid is poured into flutes, a strange sensation spreads through my body—a warmth that seems to originate from my core and radiate outward.

I shift in my seat, suddenly uncomfortable in a way that has nothing to do with the formality of the restaurant or the fact that these four beautiful men have just asked me to be with them forever.

I sit, closing my eyes for a moment to steady myself. It feels like all the nerves in my core are waking up one by one.

Mason’s eyes narrow slightly as he watches me, his nostrils flaring subtly. “Leah?” he questions, concern evident in his tone.

“I’m okay. It’s all right,” I assure him, though I’m becoming less certain of that with each passing moment. The room feels impossibly warm now, and there’s an ache building low in my abdomen that I recognize with dawning horror.

No. Not here. Not now .

But my biology has never been particularly concerned with convenience, and the symptoms are unmistakable. The flush creeping up my neck. The increasing sensitivity of my skin. The way scents suddenly seem sharper, more intense.

I can’t be going into heat. Again. By surprise.

It’s weeks early, in the middle of the most exclusive restaurant in the city, surrounded by my pack, the men I love, but also by strangers who will definitely notice the moment my scent changes.

“We need to go,” I say abruptly, pushing back from the table. “Now.”

Caleb is instantly alert, his posture shifting from relaxed to protective in the span of a heartbeat. “Leah? What’s wrong?”

I lean closer, lowering my voice to avoid being overheard. “I think I’m... it’s starting.”

He frowns, gaze travelling over my form before his nostrils flare. Understanding dawns on his face, followed immediately by concern. “Your heat? Now?”

I nod miserably. “I’m sorry. It shouldn’t be happening. It’s early—probably all the stress and excitement?—”

“Don’t apologize,” he interrupts, already signaling for the check. “Mason, get the car. Jude, create a distraction if necessary. Liam?—”

“I’ve got her,” Liam says, moving to my side with calm efficiency. His arm wraps around my waist, providing support that I suddenly realize I need as another wave washes through me, making my knees weak.

The next few minutes pass in a blur of controlled chaos.

Mason handles the bill with remarkable speed, possibly setting some sort of record for fastest payment of a fourteen-course meal.

Jude, true to form, creates a minor scene by “accidentally” knocking over a water glass, drawing attention away from our hasty departure.

Caleb leads the way, clearing a path through the main dining room with the sheer force of his alpha presence. I’m vaguely aware of other diners turning to watch our exit, but their faces blur into an indistinct mass as another cramp seizes my abdomen.

“Almost there,” Liam murmurs reassuringly, his arm tightening around me as we reach the entrance.

The night air is a momentary relief against my overheated skin, but the respite is brief. By the time we reach the car, I’m trembling, my entire body now in the grip of pre-heat symptoms that are progressing far faster than usual.

“This is happening really quickly,” I breathe as Mason opens the car door. “Usually I have more warning.”

“Emotional catalysts can accelerate the process,” Liam explains, helping me into the back seat. “Significant life changes, stress... or a sudden proposal.”

“Ha.” I can’t even laugh, leaning my head against the cool window. “So my body decided to celebrate us being engaged by going into spontaneous heat? Very practical.” Oh my God, did I just say engaged? I’m engaged. I really am. The thought seems to send another wave through me.

Jude slides in beside me, his usual joking manner subdued. “Silver lining: at least it happened with us nearby. Imagine if you’d been alone at the bakery tomorrow.”