Page 26 of Patiently Yours
His arms come around me, and the safety of it has me clinging to him harder. His sweet scent surrounds me, making me languid in his arms. His limbs hold me more secure to him, and I sigh, realizing that this is what it feels like to be calm, safe, and unmistakingly adored.
“I’m Kendall by the way,” he says in the crook of my shoulder.
“I know.”
“Oh, you do?”
“Ciro said you were the mix between a surfer bro and a golden retriever.”
He barks a genuine laugh before giving a narrowed look at the pack beta. “Although accurate, I can’t help feeling like that’s a dig.”
Ciro returns his amusement. “I’m nothing if not precise.”
The alpha playfully rolls his eyes before we hear a throat clearing behind us. We turn in tandem and I’m met with a very beautiful face: dark hair, a broody exterior, very strong muscles. Kendall smiles and gives me a kiss on the cheek before turning to his pack mate. “Okay, Uriah. I know you’ve been trying to wait patiently. Come on.”
Uriah saunters over slowly and keeps his head pointed downwards. His dominance flies off him, and I realize that he’s trying not to intimidate me. I remember Ciro saying that peoplewere afraid of him, of the intensity they see in his features. But all I see is a beautiful soul in a very tough exterior.
I gently touch his chin, feeling it under my thumb before raising it so he can meet my eyes. They’re dark brown with a beautiful orange glint around the pupil. The air between us is exchanged as we stare and embrace one another. It might just be wishful thinking, but I’m pretty sure I’m affecting him almost as much as he’s affecting me.
His eyes flutter shut as his nostrils flare, and I realize he’s taking in my scent for the first time. A raspy moan escapes his mouth, making my perfume that much more potent. I gasp as his own scent travels towards me, ever so strong but also calming. It reminds me of burning palo santo on a rainy day, its intensity cleansing me from the inside out.
My stalled fingers on his chin find their way to his cheek, where my thumb swipes across it instinctually. He cradles my own face in return before his lips twitch into a smile.
The first of many, my omega whispers.
It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. The fact that not many people get to see him like this, with an abundance of glee poking through the mask, makes this moment feel precious.
“Omega,” he breathes, and the rasp in his voice sends the word right between my legs. “You arebeautiful.”
At the truth in his words, I feel my omega preen. He leans his forehead against mine. We stay there a moment, leaning together in unspoken camaraderie. I feel what he’s trying to say and a whimper comes up my throat.
He’s been waiting for me.
And I think somewhere deep down, I’ve been waiting for him, too.
“Are you ready to meet our prime?” he whispers, and the way he saysourprime makes electricity shoot through me, like he’smyprime as well.
We pull apart, but the disappointment from being separated is short lived as the final alpha steps up. His brown hair is tousled; it looks wonderful in an idle way, like he’s used to running his fingers through it. His eyes are the most beautiful shade of dark blue, and they’re turned on me with hardened determination.
He steps closer, and his scent grips me. “I smelled you at the fraternity,” I blurt out, remembering it all too clearly.
While it was mixed amongst the others here in their home, it stood out distinctively that day I broke up with Derek. The smell of vintage books alongside chamomile tea. It grounded me when I needed it the most.
“I hope that’s a good thing,” he comments, and I see his eyes have a gleam of mischief in them. The alpha in front of me doesn’t seem like the same prime Ciro had described, and that thrills me unexpectedly.
“The day after…” I hesitate, not wanting to bring up that day, not wanting to have it plague this beautiful moment. “The day after thefight, I went over to end things. I smelled you in the common area, right before.”
“And?” Atlas walks closer still, making me feel like willing prey.
“It calmed me,” I add. “You… helped me do what I needed to.”
A sudden noise sounds from his chest as he stops before me. It takes me a second to recognize the deep purr, my pupils dilating with both glee and shock. He doesn’t look surprised by it, only happy that he can finally do it for me.
He wraps me up in his arms and I melt into him, submitting innately.
“Good,” he rumbles in my ear. “I’m so glad you’re here, Stacia.”
I sigh heavily at hearing him say my name for the first time. It’s a little reminder that I’ll hear it many more times, in many different ways.
