Page 4 of Stella

Sunshine blushed to the roots of her hair. “Stella.”

I tried not to tease her too much over her crush on Pack Kahele, but it was like shooting fish in a barrel. We’d known the guys for years, and one of the alphas, Logan, was a professional chef who cooked for our resort. We focused on matchmaking, but with all the pack retreats, couples therapy, classes, and weddings—so many weddings—we needed professional catering.

Sunshine thought she didn’t have a chance, since Pack Kahele had two alphas and an omega already. But Julian, their omega, practically dry humped Sunshine every chance he got, and Logan and Nico only had eyes for my sister when she was around. She needed to get over her “nice betas finish last” complex and go for it.

“Haven’t seen your guy here in a month.” Sunshine glanced up at the new arrival of businessmen. They all wore power suits and had the same close shave haircut.

I wrinkled my nose. Definitely not my type.

“He must not travel regularly.” I shrugged like I wasn’t thinking about Tall, Blond, and Viking already.

It was probably for the best. I hadn’t felt instant attraction in a long time, and I didn’t need the extra complication. Especially if I was going into heat early.

Luna cleared her throat, her cheeks bright red. “The plants are doing well. I’ll have some more herbs ready by the end of the week.”

My baby sister was always ready to change the subject from sex to something else. Anything else. She’d dated a pack for a little while too, and they only succeeded in making her feel too sensitive.

I grit my teeth. Some old school people thought you needed to have a mating bite within a month or two of forming a pack, but I couldn’t imagine being stuck to someone who wasn’t a good fit.

“Good.” Raina marked something off in her planner. “Ember should be here this afternoon. She has some ideas on how to fit more energy work into our sessions.”

Our resident tarot expert, Ember had driven up to Seattle for a conference. We offered to go with her, but she said she would take West with her and use the business expense to pay for a hot tub.

No doubt she would return with new tarot decks for everyone. The last deck she gave me had unicorns on it, and I loved it.

Even if she kept drawing the Two of Cups for me. I knew my love life was screwed up, I didn’t need my tarot deck to attack me with that every chance it got.

Sunshine fiddled with her phone. She didn’t do paper planners but was lost without her digital calendar. She was part of the event planning along with Holly, and her phone chirped reminders constantly. “Did you guys see the news this morning?”

“What?” Raina frowned.

Sunshine held her phone out. Splashy headlines scrolled across the news site: “Darling Omega of the Bancroft Pack jilted.”

My stomach formed a hard knot around the pumpkin bread I’d eaten.

Raina frowned. “They dumped her? Why?”

The Bancrofts were a society pack. Richer than Midas and positioned in politics and Hollywood, they had connections everywhere.

Meredith Bancroft was the only omega born to the current Matriarch and had a spotlight on her since birth. I did not envy her life, even if she was filthy rich and connected.

No doubt her parents had pushed her to find a suitable pack.

And it backfired.

“Those bastards,” I said.

It was bad enough I was dumped. At least I knew my pack was going south. Someone like Meredith would have been told her whole life how good omegas should behave.

The carrot at the end of that stick was, you will end up with a pack that will adore you and take care of your every need.

Funny how when they didn’t come through with that part of the deal, the omega ended up looking like damaged goods, not the pack.

Luna bit her bottom lip. “Normally you’d pay to keep that quiet.”

“The pack must have a reason for dumping her so publicly.” Sunshine’s tanned skin was pale, her natural empathy coming into play.

“It’s because they’re going to bond someone else.” Luna didn’t look up from her garden print-outs.

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