Page 35 of Big Knot Energy (Shadowverse)

Enzo, Ax, and Cyrus didn’t bother voicing their choices for dinner – they would end up getting whatever the omega and beta wanted regardless of whether they preferred the meal or not.

Good alphas. Issa was a lucky woman. I could only hope this would continue and wasn’t them putting their best faces forward to win me over.

I wanted a pack of my own. I’d always wanted a pack of my own. I wanted a big, loving family like my parents had, even if we never chose to have children.

But I wasn’t so desperate as to choose the first group of alphas who came along.

Actually, this was the sixth pack this year alone I’d allowed to court me. The first two hadn’t gotten past the first date. They’d made it obvious the only time I would receive any affection – or attention – was during my cycle. No thanks. I didn’t want a relationship built around convenience. I wanted love.

The other three…there wasn’t anything inherently wrong with them, I just hadn’t felt the same kind of connection with them as I had that first night with Issa then with her alphas today during our unorthodox day date.

All three alphas were easy and open with their affection. I might not look like a stereotypical omega, but I still thrived on attention and touch. I still craved the gentle caresses, the warmth of their hands around mine, and I even loved the way they teased and loved on Issa.

What confused me was the way she had first tried to deny they were her alphas, then the way she was almost tense any time one of the alphas would wrap their arm around her shoulders or hold her hand.

She didn’t act as though she was afraid of them, but it caused thosequestions about their dynamics to continue to rattle around in my head.

The pack house was large, but not pretentiously so. It was a sprawling two story with dormer windows. Was that a livable attic? A third floor? Or could it be the omega wing?

Butterflies erupted in my stomach, and I tried to ignore them. The last thing I needed right now was to get excited over the prospects of being mated to this pack before I had all my questions answered.

“Your home is beautiful,” I said as I climbed from my side of the vehicle and offered a hand to Issa after the vehicle was pulled into the four-car garage.

“Thank you,” Cyrus said.

We walked as a unit toward the door leading inside. I kept my hand wrapped around Issa’s and smiled when Enzo’s eyes dipped to our clasped hands then rose to my face before he winked.

The garage led into what I assumed was a mud room complete with a fancy washer and dryer, then into a massive kitchen. I could absolutely cook up a feast in here.

There were two doors leading from the kitchen, but we went through one that led into a large family room with vaulted ceilings that showcased exposed wooden beams.

It was almost like the house had a cottagey feel; it was warm and cozy and inviting with enough masculine elements that it was obvious alphas lived here without being overly macho or cold.

I couldn’t find any hints of Issa in the house other than her scent that seemed to float along with the warm and spicy scents of Enzo, Cyrus, and Ax, like her signature amplified or complemented theirs until I found myself wanting to faceplant into the nearest surface to pull all the yumminess into my lungs.

“Get comfortable. I’ll order the food,” Cyrus said.

“Do you want a tour while we wait?” Ax said.

And I might have been seeing things, but I swore he and Enzo exchanged a mischievous look.

“I’d love to see the rest of the house.”

My family lived modestly. It had nothing to do with finances; myfathers made plenty of money.

But my mom was the omega, and she loved the whole homesteading lifestyle. And, of course, her alphas couldn’t deny her of a damn thing.

That was how we’d ended up with chickens, horses, and how my parents had ended up with four kids so spaced out in age. Each time they’d thought they were done my mom would decide she wanted another.

“Issa. Why don’t you give Amir a tour while we get the couch set up?” Ax suggested.

Yep, he’d definitely glanced at Enzo from the corner of his eye.

These two were trying to give me some time alone with Issa without embarrassing her.

“Sure. Um, you saw the kitchen and the living room.”

Her cheeks grew pink under my attention, and I so desperately wanted to peel away that first layer to see who she was or could be if she simply let herself go the way she had at the club.

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