Page 41 of Pack Scratch Fever

MADDOX

Her joy is almost as potent as her slick, and I can tell by the quick glance Poe shoots my way that he can sense it, too.

We made her happy.

Our scent match, our Omega, is happy .

Also, her Heat is imminent.

I can’t begin to describe how incredible it was to have her mouth around me—I wanted to last longer, but I couldn’t, not when those beautiful eyes looked up at mine.

I’m so in love with Piper, so utterly devoted, that I would do anything she asked me to.

We’ll open up ten more rescues. Hell, we’ll open a wildlife sanctuary.

I’ll do what she wants, as long as we can keep that look of contentment on her face.

She has to know by now how much she means to me.

She’s my family.

She’s the missing piece in my life.

Mine .

Piper catches me staring at her and tilts her head, confused.

As if I wasn’t whimpering her name as I came down her throat mere hours ago.

As if it didn’t take everything in me not to bite her mating gland and make her mine.

Blair comes up to me as I stare at Piper, greedily inhaling my Omega’s sugary scent. Whatever Poe says makes her laugh, and my stomach flips.

“Hey,” Blair says. “Earth to Maddox.”

I reluctantly turn to her. “Yeah?”

“Instead of ogling her, can you make sure she leaves here at a decent time?” Blair huffs. “I know she says she’s feeling better, but knowing her…”

“Knowing her, she’s pushing herself too hard,” I finish, and Blair nods. “She wouldn’t tell us if she were tired, would she?”

“Not when it comes to the rescue,” Blair says. “Her body is still fighting an infection, even though she feels better. Rest is the most important thing for her, not worrying about whether the litter boxes are cleaned.”

I tsk. “She’s stubborn, but I’ll make sure we get her out of here soon. Do you need us for anything for the rest of the day? As much as I enjoy frolicking with the cats, I would prefer to be with my girl.”

Blair chuckles. “The rescue has all the help we need today. What I need from the three of you is to keep her healthy and happy.”

“That’s the plan, Blair.”

She darts a worried glance at her friend, then motions for me to follow her to the front of the lobby, where Alvin perches. “She’s been through a lot,” she says quietly, after she’s sure Piper isn’t paying attention to us. “I’m sure you know some of it. You saw some of it with her parents.”

I nod.

“But she’s also never been treated right with Alphas,” she adds. “Ever. You three are the first time she’s even experienced a pack.”

That’s insanity. Piper should have Alphas throwing themselves at her feet and begging for just a moment of her time.

It’s a crime against humanity that she hasn’t been treated like the queen she is.

“Well, I guess everyone else is just fucking stupid,” I bite out, and Blair smiles.

“Something like that. Just be gentle with her.”

I cock an eyebrow.

It’s a little too late for that, isn’t it?

“Not like that,” she hisses, as if reading my mind. “Be gentle with her heart , dummy.”

“She already has mine,” I admit. “She’s had mine since the first day Avery and I walked in here.”

“Good. Did you tell her that yet?”

I shake my head. “Not in those words. The last thing I want to do is scare her away.”

Blair motions to my all-black outfit. “You’re already a bit scary in general, and she hasn’t run away yet.”

I grin. “Yeah, that’s true. I did annoy the shit out of her the first few times I saw her, though.”

She shrugs. “Not anymore. This is the happiest I’ve seen her. So, I guess what I’m saying is that if I ever have to drag her drunk out of a bar because of something you or your packmates do again, I’ll kill you.”

“That’s valid.”

“No, I mean it.” Her eyes darken. “I’ll kill you.”

I raise my eyebrows and nod. “Noted.”

“Great!” she says. “Now get my bestie out of here, please. Her face is flushed, and it’s either because she’s going into Heat or she’s not feeling well, and neither of those options is good when you’re surrounded by cats.”

But Piper is already leaving the cat playroom with Avery and Poe when she heads over to us, rubbing Alvin on his chin.

“I’m tired,” she admits in a quiet voice, staring at the feline. “I really need a nap. Mind giving me a ride back?”

She’s more exhausted than she’s letting on, judging by her admission. Even Blair looks surprised at what her best friend says. But I simply wrap an arm around Piper’s waist while a subtle purr of contentment leaves my throat.

“Of course, baby.”

It’s midnight when Piper makes an appearance in the kitchen.

The three of us tried to give her more space, each of us avoiding the urge to peek through the door and watch her sleep in the nesting room.

We’re not stalkers.

Well, at least Avery and Poe aren’t.

Me? I pace back and forth near her door like a psycho, finally giving up to go into the kitchen and be productive.

Maybe she’ll be hungry when she wakes up.

She needs to eat to get her strength back, anyway.

I rummage through the fridge and roll my eyes when I see the homemade cat food slop in a glass container.

Poe went from calling cats pests to adopting the most insufferable one, and now he’s making cat food.

What a weirdo.

I raid the fridge, wondering what I should make for my Omega.

During Piper’s Heat, we kept our kitchen stocked with every ingredient imaginable, and we still have a ton of food leftover.

But I want to do something special for her. Something more than just cooking.

Any Alpha can cook for their Omega.

But we have the ingredients for something I rarely make, something that’s special to me and brings up the best memories of my childhood.

I’m so lost in the process that I don’t even realize Piper has entered the kitchen until I recognize the sweet aroma of her scent.

“What are you doing up?” She yawns, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She’s in grey cotton shorts and an oversized shirt, her hair half pulled back in a messy bun.

She’s breathtaking as always.

“Hey gorgeous,” I purr.

She eyes the oven. “That smells amazing,” she says. “What are you making?”

I shrug. “It’s an apple cake,” I reply.

“An apple cake ? I didn’t know you baked.” She sits on the barstool facing the marble island.

“I don’t. My mother used to make it for the holidays, and it’s my favorite recipe. I figured I’d share it with you.”

Her eyes soften. “Maddox,” she murmurs. “You don’t have to do that.”

I smirk and lean against the counter, crossing my arms. “That’s your favorite phrase, huh? I’m pretty sure you’ve said, ‘You don’t have to do that’ at least a hundred times in these past days.”

“Well, you don’t,” she argues.

My stubborn, independent Omega.

“It’s not about having to do it, baby. It makes me fucking happy to do these things for you.”

She looks amused. “How happy?”

“ Fucking happy, baby.”

She gives me a small secret smile. “Yeah. It makes me fucking happy too, I guess.”

I check the oven, and I feel her eyes on me while I take the cake out.

“I could eat that whole damn thing,” Piper admits. “My appetite is starting to come back, and I’m ravenous.”

“Good. I’ll make you ten more, if you want.”

“You do that, I’ll be as big as Mister Whiskers,” Piper says, and I laugh.

“More of you to love, sweetheart,” I add, turning to face her.

At the word ‘love,’ Piper freezes, and I realize my mistake.

Don’t push her too hard. You’ll scare her away.

But a low meow fills the air, putting a pause on our conversation.

Whiskey stands in the living room, eyeing us warily with his yellow eyes.

“That cat will never cease to amaze me,” she murmurs, giving the cat a few deliberately slow blinks. “Neither will the three of you.”

I chuckle. “Do you want ice cream on your cake? That’s the way my mom used to do it.”

Whiskey jumps onto the top tower of the newly added cat tree in the room, observing us from afar.

“Sure,” Piper says. Her smile is soft, but content. “Whatever way you think is best.”

I can’t believe how nervous I am as I hand her the plate.

I try not to stare as she takes her bite, but when she sighs softly, I let out a relieved breath.

I sit on the stool next to her with my own plate, angling my body so I’m facing her.

“You really loved your mother,” Piper muses thoughtfully.

I nod. “And my father.”

“Tell me about them,” she says, placing her fork down.

I hesitate. “They were…perfect. Always supportive, whether I wanted to do art, sports, or learn more about computers. I couldn’t even be a rebellious teenager, because I had no reason to.

They weren’t strict, but they also gave me structure.

” I shrug. “Sometimes it seems like they weren’t even real, like I dreamt them up. ”

Piper nods, her eyes mournful.

“The first few years after they died, I was a shitty person. You would have hated me,” I chuckle bitterly.

“I was violent, angry, and didn’t have anyone else to fall back on.

I met Avery my senior year of college, and by then, I had gotten my ass into therapy.

A year later we met Poe, and they became my new family. ”

Piper looks like she might cry, and I wink at her.

“I’m okay, babe. I promise.” I wave at my black hoodie. “The all-black clothing and nail polish never stopped, though. I guess I’m in a perpetual state of mourning.”

She looks away and stares at her plate, her eyes glassy.

“Avery and Poe are my family, Piper. And now so are you,” I say softly.

Her lip trembles, and I take her hand that was resting on her thigh. I intertwine our fingers, and she stares at our linked hands.

“Family is what you make it, baby,” I say. “After all the shit we’ve been through, we can be each other’s families.”

She quickly wipes a tear that slides down her cheek. “Don’t look at me while I cry,” she mutters, and I laugh and kiss her hand.

“Then don’t cry into your cake. It’s not that bad, is it?”

She turns to glare at me through watery eyes. “Don’t be an idiot.”

I laugh harder, and lean in to kiss her, giving her ample time to pull away.

She doesn’t, though. Despite what we did earlier on the couch, this feels much more intimate, even though it’s a chaste kiss.

“I like the idea of being a part of your family,” she admits once she pulls away.

I grin. “I’m glad.”

“It’s still a lot to process, though. I may to try to push away from you,” she adds.

“And I’ll stalk you until you realize we’re perfect for each other,” I say easily. “Scent matches and all that. I’m sure Avery and Poe would do the same. They wouldn’t call it stalking, though. Poe would make up some excuse, and Avery would find a way to do it more subtly than I.”

She tilts her head back and laughs, her minty lemon scent making my inner Alpha stir to life.

She’s still sweeter than normal, with the slightest scent of her arousal.

When Piper wasn’t aware, I snooped and went over her hospital discharge paperwork.

Her Heat is due any day.

Hell, it could even happen as early as tomorrow, and I couldn’t be more excited.

“There’s one more thing,” I add as I dig into my slice of cake. “Something important we need to discuss.”

Her brow furrows, and she hesitates. “And that is?”

“You hardly came enough times earlier. Once on the couch, and only one more time in the shower. You deserve double digits, not two measly orgasms.”

Her mouth falls open. “Two was fine, Maddox. Geez.”

“Fuck fine . It will never be fine ,” I snap. “Your next Heat? We’re making up for lost time and orgasms.”

She stares at me in disbelief.

I’m not bring dramatic—I’m being honest.

My parents dying is tragic, sure.

But my Omega not being pleasured the way she deserves?

That’s the real tragedy.

“You’re ridiculous,” Piper breathes. “Absolutely insane.”

I squeeze our intertwined fingers.

“All for you, babe.”

I turn in time to see Whiskey wink at me.