“Sorry,” I say, stacking another plate for Alex to dry.
“Where are Dakota and Skyla?” Tadeo asks, glancing past us at the kitchen table.
“Sky’s taking a bath,” Alex says as he drops the towel on the counter, clearly looking for any excuse to abandon the dishes altogether.
My eyes cut to the towel, then to him.
Alex huffs, but he snatches it back up and dries the next plate like it personally wronged him.
“Do you need cash to take Skyla shopping?” Tadeo leans his hip against the counter, arms crossing over his chest. “I’ve got some money stashed in my room. It’s not much. It’s a little emergency fund. I know we poured through our savings…” He trails off, not saying out loud that I dropped every penny we had to win Skyla.
“Nah.” I shake my head, rinsing off the last plate. “I’ve got some squirreled away, too.”
Alex nearly drops the glass in his hands. “Wait—what? You guys are hiding secret money? Where?” His voice lifts in disbelief.
Tadeo smirks. “It wouldn't be a secret if we told you.”
Alex gapes between us. “Unbelievable. I thought we shared everything.” He tsks, his words far too exaggerated to be really offended.
I chuckle, stacking the plate onto the drying rack. “Don’t get too excited. I don’t have enough to take Sky to some fancy boutique. But it’s more than enough for the basics and some nesting materials.”
Tadeo’s sharp features soften at that, and for a moment his eyes flicker toward the hall—toward her. “I have a feeling she’d be happy sleeping on the hardwood floor,” he says as he wrenches off his tie.
I get what he’s saying.
There’s something about Sky that screams “damaged”, like she’s always trying to make herself smaller than she is. I can’t help but think her old pack didn’t want to see or think about her unless they were fucking her.
And maybe I’m making assumptions. But no one rejects something that precious unless they’re completely unhinged.
And I’ll make damn sure she never goes through that again.
“Hey.” I shut off the faucet, shaking out my hands.No sense putting this off.“I want to talk to you both.”
And immediately, my packmates stiffen, every bit of their focus snapping to me.
I take a breath, then let the words barrel out of me. “The doc recommended that I mark Skylasoon. She said it’d be dangerous to wait for Sky’s next heat, since there’s no telling when that might come. Given the fact that she’s newly rejected, we have to consider that she’s very susceptible to depression and distress. But a fresh mental bond would stabilize her and give her something solid to hold on to again.”
Tadeo drags his teeth over his bottom lip, tie hanging loose against his chest. His brow furrows deep. “Isn’t marking an omega outside of their heat...horrible?” He grimaces like that’s not quite the right word.
“Yeah,” I say flatly, the truth grinding against my ribs. “And I’m not sure what to do about it.”
“You gotta do it,” Alex says. “Right?” He looks at Tadeo, then back at me.
“I’m planning on it,” I say, voice low but firm. “But I’m not doing it without talking to Sky first.”
That makes Alex’s brows snap upward. “Wait—you’re gonnaaskher before you mark her?”
“I’m notaskingher if I can mark her.” I dry my palms against my jeans, jaw tight. “I want her to be prepared. She’s already been bitten so many times. I feel like it could really traumatize her if I do it without any warning.”
Tadeo shakes his head. “I think that’s a bad idea,” he says simply. “Telling her will give her time to panic about it. No omega wants to be marked outside of their heat.”
I breathe out slowly, nodding once, teeth grindingtogether. He’s right. Damn it, he’s right. It might be better to do it quick and clean, before she has time to get scared.
A soft murmur of Skyla’s laughter drifts down the hall again, and I draw in a slow breath, steadying myself with the sound.
“Another thing,” I say. “I’d like her to be bonded with the whole pack before I mark her,” I finally say. “So I was thinking, tonight, the two of you should join us in the bedroom.”
Tadeo goes absolutely still. His broad shoulders lock up, tie hanging limp in one hand, and for the first time since he walked in, he doesn’t look like he knows what to do with himself. But the burning intensity in his eyes completely gives him away.
