He smiles wryly. “You know, it’s funny, every single person sitting here has had a second chance at life. I guess that’s the kind of family we are. Say hello.” Kye turns the phone, sweeping slowly around the limousine interior as the guys greet him.
“Hello Nesters family,” he says hoarsely. I wave shyly and Romdine senior touches his shaking fingers to his lips.
Kye’s chest heaves with a deep breath as he turns the phone back to him. “I’ll fly up after my omega’s heat, in about a week, and we’ll talk.”
His dad’s eyes slide shut, and a single tear tracks down his cheek. “That’s real big of you, son.”
Kye smiles and leans against Luka’s shoulder. “But forget the apartment. I want a house in Darinian. A big house.”
We all smother our chuckles.
“And tell Scott to be around. Haven’t seen him in ages.”
Mr Romdine agrees and they say their goodbyes. Silence descends on the car. Forgiveness and hope are powerful things. We get a taste, and we don’t want to let go of the possibilities. I hope they work things out, because Mr Romdine is the only father any of us have in the picture.
By the time Zane carries me into the house, I’m gasping and squirming, boiling in my long dress. Uno races to the front door and starts kissing my shoulder the moment we’re inside.
“Welcome back! We watched the whole th—” Liam stops in his track and leans against the wall, one hand pressed to his belly. “Damn, Rose! You smell so good it’s hard to think!” He swallows hard before snatching up his keys from the side table. “I’ll head off.”
Colt puts his hand on Liam’s chest. “Stay. It’s too late at night to drive home, and it’s a waste of fuel when you’ll only be back tomorrow. We’ll move your things in after the heat.” He holds Liam’s gaze as the agent flushes red. “You’ve had enough time.”
I laugh silently into Zane’s neck. Only Colt could phrase an invitation into the pack like some kind of discount item at a store, complete with delivery.
Liam’s Adam’s apple bobs and he rests his hand over Colt’s. “I’m wild about you, Colt.”
Colt shrugs. “We’re a wild family.”
Liam’s gaze shifts to me. “Rose?”
“Welcome to the family, Liam,” I murmur, reaching for my back, trying to get at the zip. “But I need to borrow Colt first.”
Everyone chuckles. Luka strokes my arm as he pulls my zip, finally peeling off the constrictive dress. Colt comes to take me from Zane’s arms, and I rest my nose against his clavicle, breathing in our pack master’s citrus scent.
My big alpha lifts me with a grunt, and I wrap my bare legs around him like I did the first time we met, but when he turns down the hall, I tap his shoulder. “The dining table, Colt.”
He switches direction and the pack gathers around as he lays me on Kye’s jacket on the table that’s been the center of our family all year, sharing meals, laughter, and of course plenty of sex. He supports the back of my head as he leans over to breathe me in.
“Rose Nesters, do you accept a pack bond with me?”
My arms tighten around his neck. “I do.”
“Do you understand it’s irreversible? You’ll belong to us forever, sharing a mental link that allows insight into your emotions and vice versa.”
He’s a stickler for rules to the very end, but somehow, it sounds like an ancient, powerful rite instead of a consent clause.
“I’m yours, Colt, from the first day we met until the last I breathe. Give me your bond.”
His teeth dig into my neck, and I stiffen, squeezing Kye’s offered hand. It hurts like nothing I’ve known before, but I grit my teeth, refusing to scream. The scents of my alphas wrap around me, giving me strength.
And then new sensations wash through me. I gasp as the powerful emotions flood into my heart. I feel Colt’s contended love flaring in my chest, as big and powerful as his alpha command and then it’s followed by a wild, chaotic sensation that makes me squirm.
“Easy, love,” Colt says, steadying me in his big hands. “That’s Uno.”
I reach for the feral alpha and pull him down onto the table. The chaotic sensation burning in my chest shifts and smooths, like chocolate melting under heat.
There’s a third sensation which feels like the one I get listening to Kye playing music. It’s light-hearted and bubbly and full of the musician’s love for life. I drop my head back with a moan.
And then the final one wraps itself around my soul. Luka’s bond presence is as heavy and dark as his scent, peppered with all the sweetness of his love to serve others. It sinks into every crevice and I’m positive I’ll never feel anxious again.