Page 10 of Pack Scratch Fever

PIPER

Blair and Mari take care of the cat traps that we set at the packhouse.

I don’t go back.

“They say hi, by the way,” Blair says, two days after we made the emergency visit to the packhouse.

After Poe called the cats pests.

I grunt in reply, brushing Alma, a cream and orange female cat that we took in two months ago. She purrs and slow blinks at me from her perch on the cat tower, and I give her a smile in reply.

Pests! How dare he?

“Maddox and Avery are sweet,” Blair says conversationally, clipping an angry Mister Whisker’s nails. She wears thick gloves to avoid any scratches, and despite the feline’s foul temper, Blair remains relatively unscathed. “They seem genuinely interested in learning to trap for us.”

“Hmm.” I continue to brush Alma, my stomach doing flips at the mention of the Alphas.

Ever since the other night, I’ve been on a chaotic nesting spree.

I reached out to my doctor, finally honest about what I had been doing with my suppressants, and she wrote me a prescription for a different brand, one that I can slowly taper off of.

But holy hell. The side effects.

I went on a shopping spree last night, picking up five new special nesting blankets, all made of artificial down and incredibly soft.

I also purchased a new body pillow that is bigger than me so that I can cuddle it in the middle of the night.

I woke up in the morning with my mouth buried in a corner of the pillow, drooling all over the place.

My doctor mentioned that I might have strange dreams, but she didn’t mention how vivid they would be.

Maddox. Avery. Poe.

Sometimes we’re all cuddling, snug in my nest.

Other times, Poe is riding a giant Mister Whiskers like a horse, wearing a ridiculous cowboy hat.

This pack has made me a mess, and we’re not even dating.

We’re not doing anything—we’ve interacted once , and all I can think about is them.

“Have you looked at our website yet?” Blair continues, seemingly oblivious to my freak out.

I frown. “Not since the other day. Why?”

She looks at me and grins. “Check it.”

I stop brushing Alma to open my phone and pull up the rescue’s website.

“ Oh ,” I say.

It looks professional now. Blair and I did our best before, but neither of us wanted to drop a couple hundred dollars to change it.

The new website is sleek and easy to navigate, while still keeping the bright, cheerful theme.

It looks perfect.

“Maddox did that,” Blair says, and my heart beats wildly at the mention of the ginger-scented Alpha. “He said it was to repay us for helping them.”

Warmth spreads throughout my body. “Really?” I murmur. “That’s…amazing.”

I browse the website, in awe at how professional it looks. It will probably increase visits to the adoption pages, and in turn, get more cats adopted.

“Wow,” I breathe, a deep wave of emotion washing over me.

More cats will have homes because of this.

More lives saved.

My eyes blur with tears, and I can’t stop smiling, all over a website .

Those suppressants are truly screwing with my emotions.

“Even if you’re not interested in them,” Blair adds, “Avery and Maddox seem like genuinely good people to have in our corner. They want to help us, and I don’t think we should turn away anyone who wants to do good by the cats.”

I nod. “I agree.”

“Also, Mari was talking about setting you up with them for once, instead of Kyle.”

I make a face.

Avery and Maddox would be a huge upgrade to her annoying nephew.

Hell, even Poe is better than that guy.

“Even after the other night, you’re really not interested in them?” I ask Blair carefully. “Because I could see you liking them.”

I’ve tried not to think about it, because I know I have no claim over that pack.

Especially when Blair would be a good match for them, if she ever was looking to date again.

Blair releases Mister Whiskers, who runs away and lets out a displeased growl. We both watch as he barrels into one of the bottom towers of a cat tree, forming into a loaf and staring at us in displeasure.

“Pipe, they’re all yours,” she says. “Besides, who am I to stand in the way of a scent match?”

I scowl as Alma scampers away from me toward a food bowl. “No one said anything about a scent match.”

But I’m not stupid. I’ve started to accept that yes, they are my perfect scent matches.

Even Poe smells like catnip.

It’s ridiculous.

“Uh huh,” Blair replies. “Sure.”

“Besides, even if they were…” my voice trails off, and I make eye contact with Mister Whiskers so he peeks his head out of his hiding spot to glare at me, “…that doesn’t mean we have to be together.”

“Of course not, Pipe. This isn’t a weird medieval timeline. You do what you want with that information. No one’s forcing you to be with them. But I do think it’s something to reflect on.”

I nod. It’s not every day an Omega finds a true scent match, but one of mine is an insufferable prick, and the other two make me freak out internally.

“What would you do if you were me?” I ask Blair.

Mister Whiskers narrows his eyes and lets out a silent hiss.

Blair chuckles. “Go to therapy and get my meds right.”

“Hey!” I glare at her playful expression. “I’m doing better.”

“You are,” she clarifies. “If I thought I'd found my scent matches? I would at least explore it. I know I owe it to myself.”

Blair is always right. Granted, she has her own hangups, and she’s not perfect, but her perspective is always valuable to me.

I wipe fur off my black leggings and huff. “Damn it,” I murmur. “You’re right.”

“Life’s not so hard when you allow yourself to be happy, babe,” Blair adds. “Believe it or not, when we don’t punish ourselves for our choices all the time, it’s pretty awesome.”

I want to argue with her, but I know I’ll lose.

No matter how much I deny it, I know I’m punishing myself for being the only Omega in my family and not being what my parents wanted me to be.

For not using my tuition money the way I should have.

“We’ll see,” I say finally. “Maybe it’s a good idea.”

Blair snorts. “Maybe,” she repeats. “Maybe, she says. Like I’m not always right.”

I stick my tongue out at her.

I’m scrolling through the website at our front desk with Alvin curled in my lap, content.

Then, the front door opens, and I’m greeted by one of my least favorite people in the world.

Kyle.

Blair is in the back changing litter boxes, and I’m stuck with a bowling ball asleep on my lap.

Kyle gives me a grin and walks to the front counter, slapping his hands on the surface obnoxiously.

“Hey,” he says. “Sup, Pipe.”

“You here to finally adopt a cat?” I snap. “Or just here to pester me and distract me from work?”

His scent wafts over me, and this time it’s even worse, like ketchup and rotting potatoes.

Is it because I’ve finally found my scent match?

“Hey, don’t be like that,” he says. “I just wanted to say what’s up.”

I want to knock his stupid backward baseball cap off his head.

Kyle must be in his mid-thirties but still acts like a frat boy in college.

And maybe I’m not the friendliest, but he’s insufferable .

The only reason I tolerate him is because of his aunt, Mari, but I don’t have any patience for him today.

He’s the last Alpha I want to see.

Alvin peeks his head at him, and Kyle awkwardly reaches over the counter to pat his head while the cat still sits in my lap. It places his face almost eye level at my chest, and it’s the most uncomfortable I’ve felt in a long time.

I scoot my chair back and scowl at Kyle. “Seriously?” I snap.

“I can’t pet the cats now?” Kyle asks, his eyes narrowing. “I’m just saying hi. Don’t you guys want volunteers?”

My temper flares, and Alvin jumps off my lap and hurries away. “You make me uncomfortable, Kyle. I’m done with it. It’s unacceptable the way you talk and act around us.”

I don’t know where my sudden boldness comes from.

He leans back, and his eyes widen. “Wh-what?” he sputters, looking like I slapped him.

“You. Make. Us. Uncomfortable. This whole time, you have,” I add, and his lips form into a thin line. “You don’t care about the cats or the rescue. You come here to bother Blair and me, and that’s it.”

The door chimes behind him, but Kyle doesn’t move out of the way. Instead, he leans over the counter, his nostrils flaring. “So, it’s a crime to talk to you two now? Last I checked, this rescue is open to the public.”

“It should be a crime,” I snarl, my voice raising, not caring if the person behind us is listening. “If someone tells you to leave them alone, you listen. ”

“Piper?” A low, soft voice asks, and I turn my attention away from Kyle. The minute I see who the voice belongs to, my heart skips a beat.

My anger dissipates as I look into the warm kind eyes of Avery, who’s at the counter to the side of Kyle. He’s dressed in a grey college sweatshirt with a black camera hanging from his neck. His blonde hair is styled neatly, slightly slicked back, and he’s breathtakingly handsome.

“Avery,” I breathe. His sweet chamomile scent washes over me, and suddenly, Kyle doesn’t matter anymore.

I watch Kyle turn away from me to glare at Avery. But Avery’s gaze stays on me, and I can’t help but smile at him.

“Is he bothering you?” Avery asks.

Kyle narrows his eyes. “What?”

“Yes,” I answer honestly. “He is.”

I know that Avery will take care of it.

I know Avery will take care of me .

Kyle looks at me, affronted. “I’m not bothering you.”

My jaw drops at his audacity.

“I believe she said you are,” Avery says, his voice a warning. “I also recall her telling you to leave her alone.”

“Look, I don’t even know who you are, but I’ve been coming here for years,” Kyle snaps. “I’m a customer.”

“A rescue doesn’t have customers,” I say. “What are you even talking about?”

Avery takes a step toward him. “I suggest you leave,” he says cooly. “Just like she told you to.”

Avery has a few good inches on Kyle, and it’s hilarious to watch the annoying Alpha have to lift his chin to glare at him.

“Whatever,” he mutters. “This is stupid.”

Then, he turns and leaves, swinging the door open with more force than necessary. Avery watches Kyle until he enters his car and peels out of the parking lot.

Avery clicks his tongue. “Yeah. He shouldn’t be bothering you again anytime soon.”

I can’t help but swoon once his attention is back on me.

Avery stood up for me.

He protected me.

“Thank you,” I say, sighing. “He’s harmless, though.”

“He made you upset and uncomfortable,” he says gently. “I wouldn’t call him harmless, Piper.”

My face flushes.

With that logic, my entire family isn’t harmless, either.

“That was kind of you,” I say. “I appreciate it. He bothers both Blair and me.”

Avery frowns, his full lips thinning. “Next time, I’ll sic Maddox on him,” he says. “Or I’ll have Poe use his legal powers and sue him to death.”

I make a face at the mention of Poe, and Avery notices. “I wanted to apologize on his behalf, by the way,” he murmurs. “He’s not normally like that.”

“What’s he like?” I ask.

He chews his lip in thought and tilts his head. “He’s like…” he shakes his head. “He’s…”

“That’s a ringing endorsement,” I deadpan, and Avery bursts out laughing, showing off adorable dimples.

“Poe’s a good guy, most of the time. He’s just sleep-deprived. He’s my best friend, but lately he’s been a dick, and I’m sorry. You and Blair came to help us, and he treated you poorly.”

I shrug. “He called cats pests,” I grumble, and Avery nods.

“Yeah. I yelled at him for that later. What you do is important, and it’s your passion. He had no right to talk to you like that.”

“I’ll believe it when I hear it from him,” I say bitterly.

He nods. “I have a feeling he’ll try to make it up to you,” he says, and I stare at him. But then, he mimes locking his lips and throwing away the key with a playful smile. “And that’s all I’ll say about that.”

My interest is piqued. “Really?”

“Really.” Then, he picks up the camera that’s resting against his chest. “I also wanted to see if I could help you out with some photos for the website. I know Maddox redid your site, but I think we could do some enticing portraits of the cats you have.”

My mouth falls open. “Wait? Are you serious?”

Blair and I had discussed hiring a photographer to redo all the cat adoption photos, but we couldn’t justify the cost.

Avery grins widely, excitement in his eyes. “Yes. I would love to. Do you have any time today?”

For you? I have all the time in the world!

I grin like an idiot, high off the excitement.

“We close in about an hour,” I say. “Would you be able to stay after and do the photos, then?”

“Of course,” Avery replies, and his scent intensifies, the sweet floral tea swirling around me. “You helped us so much recently; I would love to do this for you.”

I put my hand to my mouth, fighting the urge to cry.

“That would mean the world to me,” I choke out. “Thank you.”

My heart soars at his answering smile.