Page 71 of Pack Favero

“Ssh,” Barnes whispers hoarsely, tugging my head to his shoulder as he comforts me through the overwhelming explosion of bonds that grow until they’re embedded in my soul and tether me to my alphas for good. “That’s it, Freckles. You did so good. So fucking good.”

“You’re incredible, sweetheart,” Laz whispers into my ear now that he’s released my wrist, running his hands up and down my arms and over my shoulder as my body gradually relaxes. Then, both moving carefully, they adjust me between them until we’re all lying down in the nest, Laz spooning me from behind while Barnes hooks my leg over his waist as they both remain locked inside me.

The nest grows quiet save for our hard breathing, and my eyelashes flutter closed as the first drags of sleep tickle my consciousness. I hear the shuffling of bodies, and I can only assume Alek and the twins have moved closer to surround me before we sleep. But before I fall asleep surrounded by my men, I lean in to press a kiss to Barnes’s soft lips right before I whisper, “I love you, Barnes.”

I feel him smile against me, and I smile back, a tear slipping free when he whispers back, “You own my heart, Zira. I’ll love you long after we leave this earth.”

And then he dips and nuzzles into my chest, licking his bond mark and making me shiver, Lazarus groaning softly behind me as he presses a kiss to the crown of my head. With a gentle touch, Laz tilts my face towards his and presses his lips against mine in a slow, languid kiss, only pulling backenough todeclare, “Love you forever, darling.”

“I love you,” I breathe, kissing him once more before I settle between my alphas and drift off to sleep, surrounded by their warmth, their scents, and their love.

Epilogue

Barnes

Seven Months Later

Tapping away at the steering wheel while I wait for Zira to finish her visit with Mother Favero, as we all now call her, I check the time and worry my lip, hoping the guys have all managed to get everything set up in time.

For two months now we’ve been planning this surprise for Zira, and I know it would mean the world to her, but it’s been beyond nerve wracking keeping such a big secret from her for as long as I have. It’s no wonder I’ve grown antsy over the past few days, because keeping things from Zira makes me sick to my stomach. I’ve had to repeat that it’s all for a good reason, and that my deceit will be worth it when we finally reveal what we’ve been hiding over the past four weeks. What’s worse is that I have no idea how we’ve managed to keep it a secret, because the surprise has been attached to our house. The house Zira lives in. She knows something is going on, of course, what with the tarp and building sheets, but she hasn’t pried more than a curious question every now and then before shrugging it off. It makes me wonder if she already knows what the surprises could be or simply trusts us enough to know this secret won’t hurt her. Having the added bonus of our bonds probably helps ease that worry, though she shouldn’t worry at all. The guys and I would carve our hearts out and offer them to her on a platter before we ever considered hurting her in any way.

Which is why I end up fishing my cell out of my pocket and dialing Laz, pressing the cellphone to my ear as I wait for him to answer. He does after the third ring and in lieu ofanswering with a greeting, the English bastard drawls, “What the bloody hell do you want now, love? This is your third call within half an hour. I love you, I do, but even Zira doesn’t call this much and I love her infinitely more, I’m afraid.”

“Gee, thanks. You’re so charming,” I snort, rolling my eyes at the man I consider a brother.

“Of course, I am. How do you think I managed to snag an omega like ours?” he jokes, and I snort down the line before rubbing at my stubbled jaw. Laz chuckles, as though he can see me stressing, and says, “Go on, love. Ask me what you want to ask me and be done with your worries.”

I blow out a breath before finally blurting, “Are you guys ready? Zira should be done with Mom shortly, and I can’t shake the feeling that something is going to go wrong.”

“There is nothing to worry about, Barnes,” Laz calmly assures, his patience still unwavering even months later after claiming Zira in the most impatient way possible. “Your anxiety is getting the better of you, but I promise you we are ready and everything will go as smoothly as a hot knife slicing through butter.”

“Okay,” I breathe, nerves bubbling through my veins despite the several reassurances I’ve had off Ford, Mac, and Alek too. “It’s going to be fine. It’ll be great.”

“It’ll be great, love, yes,” Laz chuckles, agreeing with me. “Now, if your mind has been eased, I have a cup of tea to drink before it gets cold. I’ll be damned if I put it in the microwave again like you bloody shits convinced me to do last week. You Americans don’t half know how to butcher a perfectly good cuppa.”

He hangs up on me before I can mock him, but I roll my eyes with a smile as I realize the man distracted me enough that I forgot to be nervous for a second there.

Five minutes later, Zira comes strolling toward the carwith a bright smile and a sway to her hips that damn near hypnotizes me, her sage-green summer dress swishing around her as she hurries toward me with a pep in her wedge-sandaled step.

Climbing out of the car, I round the front to the passenger side and open the door for my omega, leaning in for a long, drugging kiss the moment she’s near enough to drag her body close to mine.

Humming against my mouth, Zira melts into me as she always does, and I tuck my hands beneath her strands of fiery waves before tilting her head for me to kiss her better.

By the time I’m done, my nerves have settled exponentially, and Zira appears dazed with her dopey grin and glassy, mint-colored eyes. I chuckle at the blissed expression on her face before nuzzling her nose and dragging a finger along our bond mark that is visible in her pretty dress.

“Hey, Freckles. Good visit with Mother Favero?” I ask, tucking her hair behind her ear with the hand that isn’t tracing the mark and smiling at the emotions I feel coming from her; happiness, contentment, and an overpouring of love she always seems to manage for her alphas.

“Really good, but not as good as that welcome. Feel free to do that more often,” she quips, winking at me with a blush, and I laugh loudly.

“I always welcome you like that,” I snicker, gesturing for her to climb into the car.

“I know. Keep up the good work,” she teases, and I shut the door on her laughter as I grin widely before climbing behind the wheel once more, my nerves now a thing of the past. As soon as I pull away from the sidewalk, Zira turns in her seat to face me and steals the hand I usually keep on her thigh. “So, how was your day? Get much done?”

I nod, opting to tell her the truth without revealing much.“Finished what we needed to finish, so a good day all around. Ready to get you home now, though. I missed you today.”

I miss her every day, especially if I don’t see her for hours, but after she left this morning to spend time with her mom, I’ve been dying to get my hands back on her. Something that hasn’t lessened since I first made her mine. It’s a struggle we all deal with daily, but my omega takes it in her stride, because she’s perfect. Perfect for us, anyway. The perfect omega that completed our pack so beautifully that I will always be grateful for whatever deity brought her to us.

“I missed you, too, even though it’s only been four hours since you woke me early on Sunday going down on me,” she teases, biting her lip and blushing as soon as the words are out of her mouth.

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