Dustin only chuckled, pulling her into his arms. “She’s a few months along, but she’s not showing yet. She’s just a bit emotional,” he explained with a fond smile. “We will never get sick of you, sweetheart,” he assured her.
“So, who are you guys?” Dustin asked.
Carter stammered out, “I’m Carter, this is Dylan, and this is Asher.” He pointed to each of us in turn. “We just moved in this week.”
Dustin nodded as Emma pulled herself together and turned to look at us again, flashing a bright smile. “Do you already have an omega, or are you courting one?” she asked excitedly. “I would love to meet another friend.” She bounced up and down on her heels, her earlier tears forgotten.
I shook my head. “We’re not officially courting yet, but we’re getting the place ready for our omega.”
“Wait—you’re getting the place ready, but you’re not courting yet? How?” Emma asked, tilting her head in confusion.
“We met our omega in the real world,” I explained.
Asher nodded and continued speaking. “She decided to go to the Haven for a year, because she had a lot of trauma in her past and wanted some time to readjust to the world after all she’s been through. So, we kinda decided to start courting officially after the year was up, and we’ve got about a month and a half before we reach out to her.”
Emma nodded, a smile lighting up her face. “So that means, in a few months, there will be an omega here for me to talk to?” she said, grinning.
Dustin chuckled, shaking his head. “You’d think we lock her away and don’t let her talk to anyone. She’s friends with most of the omegas in this building,” he teased.
Emma waved him off. “I know, and I love my friends, but this is a fresh friend, a new one, fresh meat, new blood!” she said with a giggle. “What do you guys do? If you need help picking out things for your omega, I am more than happy to help!” Emma added.
Dustin nodded. “Yeah, she’s decorated half the apartments here. Honestly, when guys move in before they court, she kind of takes over because they usually don’t know what a new omega wants.” He laughed. “Like every omega wants the same thing Emma does.”
He was laughing, but his eyes were full of nothing but love for the tiny pocket rocket in front of him.
Emma huffed. “Well, considering we’re around nothing but a bunch of moody, grumpy alphas, I would say, out of the possibilities, I know the best what an omega would want,” shesaid, crossing her arms and glaring up at her alpha. “Do you disagree?”
Dustin shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. “I would never dream of it.” He turned back to us. “I work in logistics, and my pack mates are mostly in finance.”
“That’s really cool,” Carter said. “We’re in security and medicine. Honestly, we were in the military for a bit, but we have branched off and started our own business.” He gestured toward Asher. “Asher there used to be a medic in the Army.”
Emma grinned. “That’s amazing! It’s always good when people who know about medicine move into the building. We actually have a doctor on the third floor—he’s such a sweetheart. He’s an older gentleman now, but I’ve texted him so many times when I have questions about pregnancy.”
She smiled brightly, then added, “Anyway, I just wanted to pop over and say hi and give you the cookies. If you like them, let me know, and I’ll send my guys over with more. I’m baking so much because the pregnancy hormones make mewantcookies, but then when I bake them, Idon’twant the cookies…” She trailed off with a pout, staring into the distance.
“Pregnancies are brutal,” she continued, perking up again. “When your omega gets pregnant, you’vegotto be nice to her.”
Dustin chuckled as he wrapped an arm around her from the side.
Carter nodded firmly. “If our omega is ever wanting to get pregnant, we’re going to spoil her and do everything possible for her.”
Emma nodded approvingly. “Good. I like you guys. You seem decent.” She yawned suddenly. “Anyway, enjoy the cookies—I need to go have a nap.”
She turned, grabbing the hand of her alpha and dragging him away. Before disappearing around the corner, she called back over her shoulder, “Bye, I’ll see you soon.”
I walked up to the front door, watching her retreat. “Why did that sound like both a threat and a promise?”
Carter grunted. “I think it was. I think she’s definitely the most terrifying thing in this building.”
I nodded in agreement. “I think I’m going to have to agree with you there.”
“Are you sureno onehas come to see me?” I asked, tilting my head to the side and hugging myself. The keeper shook his head with a grimace. "I'm sorry, Miss Juniper, no one's turned up yet.”
I huffed and stomped back down the hallway. It wastheday. They weresupposedto be here. It had been a year, and I’d sent them the invite.Have they forgotten about me?
As soon as I got back to my place, I opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of chocolate milk, chugging it straight from the carton.
"That's nasty," a sweet voice said from behind me.