Page 144 of The Packaged Deal

I turn and find a beautiful beta. She smiles nervously but relaxes into the arms of the alpha behind her.

“Hi, I’m Jade,” I say with a smile. She has long blond hair and blue eyes. She looks older than me, but I’m sure I’ve seen her around.

“I’m Echo. This is Xander, Dex, and Chance.”

I nod to each of the other alphas. They are clearly well off. Their clothes must cost a fortune, but they are all handsome, with laugh lines. I notice the way they hold her and smile.

An alpha pack with a beta. I love that idea. She’s going to fit in perfectly.

“Come and sit with us. Your alphas can join us or, if they are as dumb as the others, go play-”

“We’re playing!” Dex shouts. “Sorry, love, but this is for the pride of the pack.”

Echo laughs.

Scarlet returns and throws herself at the blonde woman. “I didn’t think you’d make it!”

“I almost didn’t.” Echo laughs. “Last minute emergency at the shop. But I fixed it just in time.”

“Oh, what do you do?” I enquire.

“I make jewelry. I own Echo’s Charms.”

My eyes widen. We buy our jewelry from there. I think my ring is from their store. Oh, wow. “Wait, you’re the woman who helped me all those years ago with jewelry for that night, I was in the purple gown shouting about being a siren!”

Echo’s eyes sparkle. “How’d it work?”

“He was on his knees before dinner.”

Echo, Scarlet, and I throw our heads back and laugh. It feels so good, too.

Before I can interrogate her further, I hear loud laughter and turn. Hazel races out, gripping me and spinning me between her and the door.

“Hazel!” Demon growls. “We need to talk about this.”

“We really don’t.”

“Your preg-”

“LALALALA, I can’t hear you!”

“You’re welcome to go beat up some of our alphas in the football game, if you’d like to be a little more productive,” I offer in solidarity with the omega pressed against my back.

Demon glowers over my shoulder and, I admit, the alpha is terrifying. But Hazel just laughs and pulls me in front of her.

“I’ve been resorted to shield. How – Andre Levin Porter Mortenson. You put that down right now.”

“Holy shit, that was impressive.” Sunny chortles and slaps my upper arm. “You want a job? Sing out. I’ve got an entire school of kids that need to hear those terrifying dulcet tones.”

I realise almost everyone is watching me. Demon blinks and takes a step around me.

“We’ll be on the field, working off some of the nagging,” he says with deep caution. “But you and I are talking about this today, Omega.”

Hazel beams. “Good plan, lover.”

“Tease,” Angel hisses on his way past. “Don’t make him work too hard for it, love.”

Carson simply slaps her ass and gives her a heated look. Soren climbs up on the rail and sits there.

---