Page 108 of Knot Their Girl
It is totally fucking crazy to me that three months have already passed. Three months. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not that much time at all, but when you factor in how far we’ve all come, it’s like an eternity has passed. We’ve become totally adjusted to our new life as a pack.
And what a life it is. Being accepted, being loved, being wanted. It’s not just about sex. It’s about everything, and none of us would be where we are today if it wasn’t for our omega.
Raeka. Raeka Chase.
When I first told my parents that I planned on taking the Chase name, they didn’t understand. I’m an über, therefore the others should take my name, but once I explained my reasoning, once I told them that I would gladly take their last name, they started to understand.
My brothers and Mercedes are the new Alabaster pack. Gideon, Colter, Raeka and I are pack Chase. That’s just how it is. It fits.
Raeka has taken a job at N.O.A. with Mercedes, although I hesitate to call it a job since she refuses to get paid for it. She helps the omegas with their fashion choices, teaches them to be bold, to not be meek and accept whatever sniveling alpha may come their way. Sometimes you have to be strong to find your own happy ending; it’s a lesson she wants to use to inspire others by.
Gideon takes her there during the week, while I pick her up on the way home. Sometimes Colter goes with them. Mercedes really wants him to teach an art class at N.O.A., but Colter’s not quite ready for that, yet. The beta has been really trying lately, trying to regain his voice.
This weekend the others and I have a little something planned for Raeka. Nothing too huge, but we each have something we want to give to her. We might not be the most romantic sorts around, but we’re trying, for her.
Friday night, I meet with Gideon in his office, while Raeka is busy upstairs with Colter. “Everything ready on your side?” I ask him, approaching his desk.
“Yes,” he says, almost breathless. Gideon, to his credit, has come into his own lately. The alpha might’ve been a little on the awkward, meek side when we first met, but now… let’s just say we’re the very opposite of strangers.
It was weird, just because I wasn’t expecting it. I wasn’t used to it, but today this alpha has a piece of me, just as our omega does.
“I picked it up today. Do you want to see it?” Gideon asks, expectant.
“Of course I do.”
He hurries around his desk and pulls a small rectangular box out of its top left drawer. He returns to me, standing within arm’s reach as he lifts the lid to reveal its contents: a beautiful necklace with four different gemstones.
Chase Jewels’ new line, one that highlights not only the omega, but also anyone else important in her life. This piece is the first; with the story behind it, Gideon has nothing but passion when it comes to the upcoming line that’ll debut in fall, later this year.
A red ruby, the biggest jewel, sits in the center, inlaid on a silver Greek omega symbol. Her birthday is in July, and it took Gideon forever to find a ruby he liked well enough to use. An emerald, an amethyst, and a garnet are situated beneath, symbolizing each of us. An alpha is not on top; the omega is, as it should always be.
“It’s fucking beautiful,” I say as Gideon beams down at it. I like seeing him so pleased with himself; it’s such a switch from how he was when we first met.
“It is, isn’t it?” He sighs as he shuts the box and goes to put it back in his desk. Raeka has no reason to snoop, so he’s not worried about her finding it. Besides, it’ll be hers tomorrow night. When he returns to me, he asks, “Did you…”
“I swung by my parents’ house on my way home today,” I told him, reaching into my pocket and lightly touching the small box within. It’s nothing too huge, but seeing as how I’m the oldest, my mom always saved a little something for me, just in case I ever did settle down.
Funny, she never told me anything about it before she met Raeka. When she saw us together, when she saw me surrounded by my pack, she knew this wasn’t just a game for me. This is real.
Gideon doesn’t ask to see it, but he doesn’t have to. I pull out the box and hold it between us as I lift the hinged lid. A ring that has been passed down through the Alabaster line for generations, old-fashioned in its band and its lone, singular diamond. Raeka is used to the finer things in life, so I hope this ring is up to par.
And I hope it fits.
“Do you think she’ll like it?” I ask him.
He places his hand above mine, holding onto me as he gazes down steadily at the ring. “She’ll love it.” He speaks with such certainty it warms me, or maybe that’s his touch. I honestly can’t imagine this pack without Gideon in it.
He’s the one who brought me back to Raeka. He’s the glue, whether he knows it or not.
I close the ring box and lean my head down. Gideon matches me, and we stand there for a few moments, neither of us saying a word. It’s a comfortable silence, the opposite of heavy or awkward.
Before anything can happen, someone else walks into the office, and it only takes one whiff of the super-charged air to recognize Raeka’s overwhelmingly sweet scent. Thankfully my back is to the door, so she doesn’t see the small box I hold onto.
“Colter and I want to watch a movie tonight. He wants a romcom, but I want horror. What are your votes for?” She doesn’t act as if she’s interrupting anything—because she physically can’t interrupt anything in this house. No matter what happens, no matter what’s going on, she’s always welcome.
Gideon and I pull our foreheads away from each other, and before I turn to face her, I sneakily slide the ring box into my pocket and keep my hand there so it’s not super obvious I just put something there. I say “Romcom” the same time Gideon says “Horror.” We then look at each other.
Raeka laughs. Her blond hair is pulled into a messy ponytail, a few stray wisps of her hair having fallen out. She wears an oversized t-shirt that I’m pretty sure belongs to Gideon, along with shorts that are swallowed up by the length of the shirt. The rings of teeth on her throat have completely healed; perfect little bite marks.
