Page 116 of Packed in the Fire house

Melody turned back to me with a frown. “Then, why do my parents keep shoving boring, corporate beta buttheads my way?”

“That sounds like a parent issue, not a man issue,” Sunny pointed out. “Why are they trying to set you up with betas?”

“Oh, that.” Melody waved her off. “I have a really sweet scent, so people sometimes confuse me for an omega, but I’m just arun-of-the-mill beta, so I’m looking for a beta to settle down with… unfortunately, all the good ones seem to be taken.”

She sighed, pouting before opening a door. “This is the bunny room. At the moment, we just have this sweet, chubby little blob, and I love him,” she said.

Sunny stood by the gate, looking at the bunny with rapt attention. “Oh, look at him!” she cooed. “Look at the bun, Luka!”

The bunny in question was round, white and tiny, even smaller than Sooty was when I got her. He had little lop ears and red eyes. At the sight of us, he hopped over, curious.

“He seems friendly,” I noted.

“He is! Red-eyed white rabbits have some of the best natures. They’re also some of the hardest to home because people think they look evil. This sweet boy is just a cuddle bug—like your Sooty.”

Sunny reached down, petting his ears as the little fluff ran toward her for attention. “Oh, he’s so sweet,” she cooed. “What’s his name?”

“I’ve been calling him Snowball.” Melody beamed. “I think the reason why is obvious.”

It certainly was. The bunny was pure white and round.

I turned to Melody. “How old is he?” I had known Melody for years. I knew that the moment we turned up, she was plotting, but I couldn’t be mad at her—she was doing it to help animals.

“I think around two years old. He was found on the side of the road, skinny and terrified. He’s been here three months, and he’s getting nice and chubby!”

“He is!” Sunny agreed. “How did you get into rescuing animals?”

Melody cocked her head to the side thoughtfully. “I always preferred animals to humans growing up. Now that I'm an adult, and I can choose the people I'm around, I can tolerate humans alot more. Plus, I saw the way animals were mistreated, and I just couldn't not step in, you know?”

“That’s lovely. How long have you had this place?” Sunny asked.

Melody laughed. “About four years. I never really intended to open an animal shelter, but several of your pack mates kept bringing me stray dogs who needed homes after fires, and I needed space to put them, so… this place was built,” she said, waving her hand, gesturing around the room.

“We knew you would take good care of them.” I shrugged. “Cher, the first time I met Melody, it was for a cat-stuck-in-a-tree call.”

Melody huffed. “You are never going to let me live that down, are you? It was a pregnant cat who was stressed had run up into a tree and got stuck. I wasn't going to leave her there!”

I nodded. “Of course not, but the sight of you stomping around at the base of the tree, insisting that we do our job, was quite amusing.”

Sunny laughed as she watched us, kneeling with Luka and fussing with the bunny. “This place is amazing, and this little guy is the sweetest! Rune, what do you think?”

“If you like him, Cher, we are bringing him home.”

Melody clapped her hands excitedly, well aware that there was no way we were leaving without adopting the bunny now.

Chapter 43

Blaze

“Hey, Ma,” I greeted warmly as I opened the front door.

Marion Holden was a force of nature, one who I loved dearly. When I had told her over the phone that we bought a pack house because we had an omega, she’d simply insisted on coming to visit.

“Blaze, my boy! How are you?” she asked, pulling me in for a bone-crushing hug.

“I’m good. Come in, see the place. Sunny and Rune just adopted another bunny the other day.” I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about my mother's visit, because she didn't quite know the full situation that I’d found myself in.

“From what I've seen already, this place is beautiful. Did your omega pick this out? Speaking of, is she here?” My mother's eyes widened as she looked around the foyer.

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