Page 45 of Stella

“Hey guys!” Stella waved.

It was an industrial sized kitchen, with stainless steel countertops, giant ovens, and three equally large stoves, with a long island in the middle. In front of the kitchen island were three men: the source of the alpha and omega scents.

“Stella!” The man smelling clearly of omega closed the distance and gave her a hug. He had long black hair pulled into a manbun with the underneath shaved, and triangular shaped eyes like Evan. There were two bite marks on the omega’s shoulders. And if that wasn’t obvious enough, the black tattoos surrounding the bite marks would have given it away. The three of them smelled like pack, the sort of calm, settled scent that came from a deep bond.

Even though I knew they were a pack, I still ground my teeth at Stella hugging the omega.

“So, what’s on the menu?” Stella bumped one of the alpha’s shoulders. He was white, with short brown hair covered with a red bandana, and wearing chef whites.

I grit my teeth together. It was fine. She clearly had a business relationship with them. She was allowed to touch other alphas.

Even if I wanted to grab her and rub my scent all over her, just in case they got any ideas about adding a second omega to their pack.

“I don’t know yet.” The alpha chef said, his voice gruff. “I wanted to see what you girls thought.”

“He won’t stop agonizing over it, as usual.” The male omega said with a grin. He looked at me. “Hi, sorry. We’re Pack Kahele. I’m Julian.”

Male omegas weren’t common, but clearly they’d kept with tradition and taken the omega’s last name.

“Guys, this is Simon Bancroft.” Stella gestured at me. “Simon, meet Pack Kahele. This is Logan.”

I waited for the subtle signs of judgment. Bancroft was a powerful name, but most people knew there was only one omega female. Since I still carried my family name, it let everyone know I didn’t have an omega yet. Another black mark my father held against me.

Logan barely looked at me, more focused on unpacking vegetables. I was flattered and offended at the same time.

Another alpha came into the kitchen from the massive pantry, carrying a large serving tray. Stella lifted the foil up, but the alpha—a medium-sized man with light brown skin and curly black hair—bumped her shoulder.

“These aren’t for you.”

Stella stole a deviled egg anyway. “They look delicious.” She shoved the whole egg into her mouth and moaned.

My fingernails bit into my palms, reminding me to unclench my fists. I wanted to push her into the pantry to make her moan myself.

“Simon, the stingy one is Luca.” Stella waved at the alpha with the tray of food. He shot her an amused look and set it on the table. “Those are the best crab deviled eggs I’ve ever had.”

Logan didn’t look up from chopping vegetables. “So, who’s the suit?”

Stella flapped her hand at me. “He’s a new client. What else is on the menu?” She wandered over to the rest of the covered dishes.

I wanted to be offended at her dismissal of me. But that’s what I wanted, right? I wasn’t looking for an omega.

“Butter poached lobster,” Logan said. “Seafood risotto, manapua, and spam musubi.”

“And those little corn cake things,” Julian said.

“It’s called polenta,” Logan shot his omega an amused look.

“So, Hawaiian Asian fusion,” Julian told Stella. “He’s borrowing some of Mom’s recipes, too.”

Stella perked up. “Oooh, how did you talk him into that?”

Julian waggled his eyebrows. “I asked really, really nicely.”

If I kept grinding my teeth, I would break a crown.

It was fine. Just because Stella was flirting with this pack while smelling like Jerrick and Evan didn’t mean anything. She wasn’t bonded.

I was fine. It was fine.

---