Page 51 of This Pack of Ours

“Oh, hey. By the way, we should probably stay over again tonight.” I shrugged casually. “You know, to make sure you’re okay.”

“Fine,” she said, but I knew what that was code for. I gave her another grin. She pulled out her phone and shot off a text as I told the amazing news to Jhin.

Her phone buzzed when I was collecting her empty plate in front of her, and I saw it was from Kit.

“What’s he saying?” I asked, peeking over her shoulder.

Juniper: They want to stay another night. Said they need to make sure my head’s okay.

Kit: Thought they’d be more into checking out my head tonight ;)

“Nice,” I said and raised my hand to give her a high-five. She snorted and left me hanging, making a little emoji back to Kit.

Juniper: -.-

Kit: Can you tell Ez that one?

Juniper: He saw. He said ‘Nice’ and then tried to give me a high-five. Because he couldn’t give you one?

Exactly. She got me.

Kit: Did you give him one for me?

Juniper: I’m not high-fiving Ez because you made a dirty joke. That would just encourage you both.

“Pack mom,” I sang, and she swatted at me.

Kit: you’re so mean :(

Juniper: shouldn’t you be working?

Kit: byyyee

I gazed off into the distance, now thinking about Kit and Juniper and giving head. Maybe together.

Nice.

KIT

It had been a really busy day. Wehadmanaged to get set up on time for two o’clock—only just—and I was taking a break, staring at the unpacked boxes, hugging my knees.

The pack had been really great. Adrian had switched into frenzied helper mode, diving at the biggest, heaviest boxes like it was a competition. Jhin had caught him about to take his shirt off and stopped him, saying it was going todisrupt the omegas’ workflow. Adrian blushed, and instead rolled up his sleeves, which honestly was still quite distracting.

I sighed.

I’d been real close to making this a complete disaster. Without Jhin, I’d have forgotten an entire room full of supplies. I’d accidentally used Luna’s real name in front of my pack, which she’d been pretty pissed about. Every time someone came to me with a question, it just completely threw off the plan I’d been making in my brain, and I’d stumble through giving directions full of half-finished thoughts and tangents.

But Jhin was by my side, his blackberries and sage ever present and reassuring. He was keeping his own list, not butting in, but calmly making sure things went well. He’d been so nice about it, too, posing all his suggestions as questions, so I didn’t look like a total idiot.

I wish I knew why Juni had stopped letting me go on the visits, because then I could show them something I was actually good at. Though, maybe I’d done something wrong, and that was why she was taking me off that duty as well?

My anxiety had been off the charts all day.

Useless.

Just like your mother.

I’m sure Jhin had noticed. He seemed really smart, just like Juni, his eyes always calculating, like he was taking mental notes.

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