Page 43 of Begrudgingly Yours
I can’t stop the smile from taking over my face. Dax’s elation is contagious in every way. It’s hard to allow any type of worry to creep in when my pack mate—my freakingpack mate!—is the most joyous I’ve ever seen him.
Jett finally seems to return Dax’s eagerness. He grins shyly as he says, “Yeah, fuck. It’s a good thing I suck at math.”
I can’t control the laugh that escapes me. He’sreallybad at math.
“This is the best birthday present ever,” Dax muses, whichcauses me to lift my brows because his parents once got him an Armani suitandan Omega watch for his birthday.
“It’s your birthday? Holy shit.”
“Well, this week it is. Since you’re pack, you’re obligated to come to the party. It’s going to be a costume party on Halloween.”
“Halloween? That’s still a few weeks away,” Jett says with both amusement and confusion.
“I know,” Dax sighs. “It’s a bummer, I was so close to being a Halloween baby.”
“Yeah, so close. Two weeks and some days away from being a Halloween Scorpio, but instead you’re an October Libra.” I tsk. He flicks me on the forehead for teasing him.
Dax turns back to Jett and starts to ask him questions. I sit back and watch them, feeling embarrassingly giddy. But it’s only another second before something occurs to me.
Jett has a scent match.
The thought causes a sliver of panic to raise up my spine. My scent doesn’t change enough for either of them to notice, but the anxiety continues to rise.
I think about Rory, about how my alpha yearns for her and her cranberry scent, and what this means now that I know Jett has a biological match that’smeantfor him, meant for hispack.
I swallow down a growl at the reality that Rory might not be that match.
“Wait,” I grit through my teeth, but they don’t hear me. Dax continues to speak a million miles a minute, excitement overriding everything.
“Favorite color?” Dax asks.
“Green, I guess,” Jett replies.
Dax huffs. “You do seem like a greener.”
“A greener? I really hope that isn’t a real word.”
To another alpha, or another pack, this quick-fire round of questions may seem less important than our omega issue, but not to me. This moment is special, and I don’t want to taint it with worries. We will inevitably have to deal with this as well as figuring out how to intertwine our lives that were once spent apart, but that’s a problem for another day.
My pack mates are happy, elusive to the qualms of tomorrow. I’m going to let that go on even if it’s just a little while longer, because we are apack. I have apack.
And it’s the most glorious feeling in the world.
TWENTY-TWO
It’s still weird to say that I have a pack.
The fact that I’m meeting my pack mates out for dinner so we can get to know each other—because we justlockedeyes and suddenly we’re bonded to each other for the rest of our lives—is fucking insane. I’m still buzzing.
We should have spent the rest of that night learning serious things about each other, but Dax was so excited he incited a jovial riot. He ran around the house, telling anyone who would listen that he and Everett had found their pack mate. Booze had entered the chat and next thing I knew, I was in the midst of a spontaneous frat party as every one of their frat brothers joined in on the celebration.
It’s been a long time since I’ve felt nervous about telling someone I don’t drink. I was worried about bringing it up and ruining the party, but no one cared that I didn’t partake. They just asked me if I was comfortable with them drinking, and when I said yes we all moved on like everything was good. Especially my new pack mates, who welcomed my boundary with open arms.
I guess having frat guys as pack mates isn’t all that bad.
When I get to the restaurant, I’m relieved that it’s not some ridiculously expensive place that I can’t afford. Not to mention, I’m in the mood for some ordinary chain mozzarella sticks, which just happens to already be on the table when I get there. Something inside me twists with unexpected happiness. I immediately grab one after sitting down, not even bothering with quality small talk.
“I knew you were a stick guy,” Dax jokes.
