It doesn't take long before the other three of my Alphas push around us, caging me in pheromones and scents that have my body going pliant.
"I'm sorry, I thought this was a good idea. I didn't realize it would upset you so much," Cyrus whispers. I don't know if the others can hear him, but the way his lips press against my ear has shivers running down my spine.
"No, it is a good idea." My chest hitches as I inhale deeply and attempt to untangle myself from the Alpha jumble around me. "Just feeling a bit sorry for myself that it took so long for me to get here, is all."
"We can go," Simon adds. He's got a naturally sweet voice that is so at odds with his pierced, tattooed exterior that sometimes it's a shock when I spin around to see that he doesn't look like the boy from my childhood. But his eyes, the way they gleam as he looks at me, have never changed.
"I want to be here." My voice is firm, and I spin and stalk down the closest aisle, letting the Alphas scramble to grab the cart and catch up to me.
I had no intention of redoing my entire nest. I have always loved it.
When I started to touch the fabrics, feel the pillows, and see the different lighting, I became overwhelmed with the desire to start from scratch.
None of the guys said anything about it. They just watched as I filled the cart, offering suggestions and tossing in things they liked when I asked for their input.
Eventually, the cart was jam packed with everything I could ever want and then some, and I was left staring wide-eyed at the clothing section, hands on my hips.
"Omega-specific clothing is silly," I say to Cyrus for the third time. "I have plenty of clothes."
"It's not silly," Icarus pipes up. "Remember that lounge set I got you? That was from an Omega boutique."
"The blue one she wears all the time?" Rafe asks genuinely.
"Yes," I mumble, knowing what is coming next.
"Then it seems like you need more Omega clothing, considering I see you in that more often than not." My broody Alpha grabs me by the hand and begins pulling me through theracks of clothing. I let my hand trail along it like a child, closing my eyes to see if anything jumps out at me.
Omegamart doesn't have the most high-end clothing, but I don't need my clothes to come from a boutique. I may be alone in my feeling, though, because Icarus is on his phone, tapping away with a scowl on his face.
"Don't get any work clothes," Icarus says without looking up. "I've got those covered. And some casual stuff."
I giggle as my fingers catch on a ridiculously soft pink bundle of fabric. I can't even tell what it is on the hanger, I just know I have to have it and yank it off the rack.
"Why am I even shopping here if you're doing it online?" I ask, holding the fabric up in front of me to watch it unfold into a pretty robe. Pale pink and smooth on the outside, it's lined with rose-patterned silk with a matching tie. I throw my arms through it to check for sizing and notice -
"Pockets!" I squeal, shoving my hands in. "It has pockets!"
Icarus chuckles and stores his phone in his pocket. "That's why we're still shopping here. Because none of us want to miss how your face lights up with joy when you find something you love."
Sure enough, when I look at Pack Stargazer, they all have wistful expressions that betray how deeply they feel for me.
Rafe slowly peels the robe off my arms and folds it neatly before placing it in the cart, with a second one in blue following shortly after. We continue like this, me pulling things off the rack that speak to me and the guys buying multiples of whatever I like.
"Try these," Cyrus says gently, pushing an ivory pair of pants into my hands. They're a step between lounge and casual pants, the fabric breezy and thin. They remind me of pants I'd wear to cover a bathing suit on the beach.
"They don't seem very practical," I admit, despite the excellent fabric and how I know they would hug my thighs flatteringly.
"Oh." His shoulders slump as he reaches for the pants. The look of shock on his face when I rip them away from him makes me laugh out loud.
"Impractical doesn't mean I don't want them. You picked them out. I'm getting them."
The shadow that had crossed his expression lifts as he hands me the ugliest shirt I've ever seen. It's bright purple with yellow trim and wraps around the waist to be pinned under the breasts with a massive yellow flower. "This would look nice with them, I think," he says excitedly.
I reach for the blouse, ready to pretend to love it to make the burly Alpha happy, when Simon steps in and saves the day. "That's the ugliest shirt I've ever seen."
"What? No, it's not!" Cyrus glares at his packmate and clutches the hideous blouse to his chest. "She's going to look beautiful in it."
"Jordan would look beautiful in aluminum foil, but that doesn't mean she should wear it to brunch," Rafe drawls, tossing several – wait, that looks like way more than several – pairs of underwear into the cart.