Page 40 of Pack Scratch Fever

PIPER

It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve been at the rescue.

In reality, it hasn’t even been a week.

It’s barely been a week since Poe broke my heart and put it back together.

It’s been mere days since the pack came together and showed me how much I mean to them.

Now, I’m stronger than I’ve ever been.

I don’t know who that woman was who took two knots in her mouth just hours ago, but I’m not judging her.

It turns out my inner Omega is freaky, and when I feel comfortable, she’s not afraid to come out.

“Poe is actually already here,” Maddox replies when I ask about his packmate. “We got distracted and forgot to tell you.”

Distracted is one way to put it, I guess.

I turn to see Avery blushing, running his hands through his messy blonde hair as we exit Maddox’s car.

“It was a nice distraction,” he says quietly as we walk through the parking lot. “Are you still feeling alright? We weren’t—I wasn’t—too much?”

I stop walking and look him directly in his amber eyes.

“You will never be too much, Avery,” I promise him.

“ I might be,” Maddox adds, smirking. “And maybe Poe.”

Avery’s throat bobs, and a flash of insecurity flickers across his face.

“Avery,” I promise, my voice low. “ Never .”

I have the same worries. They haunt me every day, and there’s no reason why the perfect Alpha with a heart of gold standing in front of me should ever think like that.

His lip twitches, and he reaches out to take my hand. “Okay, then.”

Maddox takes my other hand, and the three of us reach the front of Furs and Purrs.

But I stop when I see the new sign, bright teal blue with a white paw print. The outline of a white cat sits in the corner, and a feline face is etched into the middle of the paw print.

“Oh,” Maddox adds. “I designed you a new sign, and Avery helped with the color scheme. I can always make it more detailed later, but?—”

“It looks perfect,” I tell him.

It’s soft and delicate, something that I would never dream the Alpha dressed in all black would create.

But every member of my pack is full of surprises.

Blair is at the front counter when we enter, and I’m greeted by both her and Alvin. Blair wraps me in a fierce hug while Alvin yowls for attention.

“You better not be here to work,” she warns, releasing me. I bend down to gather the tabby cat into my arms.

“She’s on house arrest until we say otherwise,” Maddox says, knowing it pisses me off. I shoot him a glare, but he simply winks at me.

Alvin nuzzles my face, and I breathe in his calming cat scent while he purrs.

Once I place Alvin on the floor, I look around the building, and grin at the new pictures on the wall.

Portraits of different cats fill the lobby—some of them are of cats the rescue has for adoption, while others are candid photos of felines. I recognize one of Alvin, who wears the top hat Blair purchased for him last year, his mouth open in a meow.

“They’re not my best work,” Avery says, rubbing the back of his neck. “But?—”

I silence him with a soft kiss, smiling against his mouth.

“It looks incredible,” I promise him, pulling away. “And they mean so, so much to me.”

He beams, and my smile grows.

They’ve made what matters to me matter to them, and not just to win me over.

Poe didn’t need to adopt Mister Whiskers, but he did.

Maddox and Avery didn’t need to redo our website or make a new sign, but they did.

And Poe sure as hell didn’t need to buy the whole damn building.

Speaking of Poe…

Rich, delicious herbs fill my senses as I head to the cat playroom, my gaze falling to the back of a head of thick dark brown hair.

Mari talks animatedly to Poe, waving her hands and gesturing excitedly.

When I open the door, they both turn to me. Poe’s eyes warm when he sees me, and my heart beats rapidly.

I missed him. I saw him this morning when he checked on me and made sure I took my meds, but it feels as if it’s been ages since then.

“Your Omega is here!” Mari cries, and I shake my head and chuckle.

“Mari…” I warn her, but the older woman keeps going.

“He’s done so much for us, sweetie! I love him! You'd better keep him!”

“Yeah,” Poe deadpans. “You'd better keep him, Piper.”

“That’s the plan,” I say, and he smiles softly.

“Gary threatened to kill him, too,” Mari whisper-yells, delighted, “if he ever hurts you again.”

My eyes widen at Poe, who simply shrugs.

“I would do the same thing,” he says, then strides over to me. Without hesitation, I bury my face in his chest, inhaling his rich scent while his arms come to my waist.

“You have a lot of people who care about you here,” he says, resting his chin on the top of my head. “I’ve been threatened more than once in the past couple of days.”

He doesn’t sound upset at all, especially if his purr is any indication. I hum contentedly in his hold, the vibrations from his chest sending delicious shivers down my spine.

“You purr much better than a cat,” I chuckle.

“I would fucking hope so.”

We stay like that for a few moments, Mari chatting excitedly to Avery and Maddox while Poe just holds me in the cat playroom. Kittens tumble around us, batting at toys and scratching excitedly on posts.

“What were you doing here?” I ask, stepping out of his hold.

He scratches at his stubble, looking thoughtful. “I didn’t want to overwhelm you with this right now,” he says, “but I have a feeling I can’t hide much from you when it comes to this rescue.”

“You’re right. Tell me right now .”

“There are ways to utilize the empty space of the building,” he says.

“You have all this extra room for the rescue, and Mari was giving me some ideas. You work with a low-cost animal clinic, right? Apparently, their lease is up. Mari thought it might be a good idea to have them move into the same building as you, especially because their rent would be much cheaper,” he emphasizes, smirking. “Free, in fact.”

“Can you make that happen?” I ask in disbelief.

In a perfect world, the clinic would be right next to the expanded rescue, with more space for cats.

“I can make anything happen for you,” Poe responds. “And I will.”

Mari comes up behind me as I stare at Poe in shock. “We also want a bigger playroom, Poe,” she says. “You need to work on that next.”

Poe nods. “Of course, Mari.”

I whirl around on her. “Mari, these guys have done enough?—”

“There is always more to be done when it comes to cats,” Avery says, and I turn to see him holding a white kitten in his arms.

Snow.

The sweet cat nuzzles his face, and Avery closes his kind eyes in bliss, rubbing his own cheek against the cat. Maddox enters the playroom as well, dangling a feather toy on a stick.

“Avery! Don’t scent mark the cats,” Maddox says. “Don’t be a weirdo.”

I laugh, enamored by Avery’s actions and his kind heart.

He may be an Alpha, but he’s gentle, soft, and vulnerable in a way I never expected an Alpha to be.

He surprises me, just like Poe and Maddox do.

“You’re beautiful,” Poe says, interrupting my train of thought.

I bite my lip to keep from smiling.

This is the happiest I’ve been in ages.

I’m still recovering from being sick, but I feel a thousand times better than I did even a month ago.

For once, I’m able to let go of all my worries and just enjoy my life.

But then a trickle of slick spills out of me, and I realize my Heat may be coming sooner than I expected.