My intense alpha—a CFO, sharp as hell, muscles for days, and completely undone by the idea of holding a pretty girl’s hand.
I bite back a grin, eyes flickering out my window so he doesn’t catch me staring.
Skyla, thankfully, doesn’t seem to notice Tadeo’s nervous movements. She just sits between us, back straight as she stares out the windshield with those big brown eyes.Her soft curls continue to bounce into her face as we roll over the uneven roads.
We turn into a parking lot, then immediately jolt over a sizable pothole. The old SUV rattles like it’s about to shake apart. Knox grumbles something under his breath, but he doesn’t slow down until he finds a decent spot to park.
The massive store in front of us stretches wide and low across the lot. It’s basically a warehouse dressed up with glass doors and a giant yellow sign across the front.Pack & Saveglows down at us in blocky letters.
The windows are plastered over with colorful ads:
“Fresh Fits, Secondhand Steals: Shop New & Used Clothes Today!”
“Feather Your Nest for Less: Discount Bedding, Blankets & More!”
And my personal favorite:
“Stay Cool & Sane: Scent Blockers & Rut Suppressants on Sale Now!”
I feel a little bad that we can’t take Skyla somewhere fancier. Somewhere with velvet couches, soft music, and salespeople who smell like money. But surprisingly, the omega doesn’t look upset in the least. If anything, she looks a little awed, taking it all in like this off-brand discount paradise is the best thing she’s ever seen.
“I’ve never been to a Pack & Save before,” she says as she looks up at the big building. Her eyes are bright, and her smile is wide like this is the highlight of her week. It’s such asilly little thing to light her up, but for some reason it does. “It’s so big!”
Tadeo’s eyes go wide, and he glances at me, disbelief written all over his face. All I can do is shake my head, making it clear that I agree with him.
I mean, how the hell has she never been to a Pack & Save?
They’re about as common as churches out here—even the tiniest towns have one.
Hell, my old hometown hadthree.
“Are you being serious?" Tadeo finally asks. “You’veneverbeen here before?”
Skyla shakes her head, blond curls brushing against her cheeks. “Once I presented as an omega, my parents refused to let me leave the house. They were too scared I’d get snatched, so I ordered everything online. And then my old pack kinda did the same thing. Except, I didn’t really have a choice in what I wore, but I understood why. They had an image to uphold,” she says like that’s a valid excuse for such controlling behavior. “I was okay with it, though. It made me happy to make them happy.” Her voice is soft and cheery as she shrugs like it’s no big deal.
And it completely pisses me off.
Who the fuck refuses to let a twenty-two-year-old woman pick out her own clothes?
But before I can open my mouth, Alex twists in his seat to look back at Skyla, his expression sharp but steady. “That’s some over-the-top alpha bullshit, right there,” he says flatly and Skyla’s eyes go wide. She’s used to him laughing and joking, but the look on his face right now is nothing like that. “A real alpha would let his omega pick her own damn clothes. Not dress her up in whatever the fuck makeshimhappy.”
For a second, Skyla just blinks at him, lashes fluttering like she’s not sure she heard him right. Then her mouth wobbles into the tiniest smile, her hands pressed tight against her chest. “I…I get to pick out my own clothes?” she whispers like she’s a little scared to ask out loud.
“Yes.” Knox glances back, meeting Skyla’s eyes head-on. “Clothes, blankets, pillows, candles—hell, if you want those weird twinkling lights that hang from the ceiling, then you’ll get them.” His voice drops lower, rough with a mix of restrained anger and fierce affection. “If it makes you happy, it’s yours.”
I swear Skyla’s eyes go glassy, her lips parting just a little, like she’s too shocked to speak.
The air in the SUV shifts, heavier somehow, and all of us move carefully, like if we breathe too loud it might break her open.
“Get whatever you want,cariño.” Tadeo leans closer, but he doesn’t touch her, his hand hovering over her knee, as if he wants to anchor her without crowding.
Finally, Skyla blinks several times like she’s fighting back tears. Then she swipes her palms over her thighs, and gives us this tiny, trembling smile. “Okay,” she whispers.
Alex and I share a pained look, both of us angry and confused by what she must have gone through in her old life—her last pack must have been fucking awful if the Pack & Save has her this emotional. But there’s no sense in dwelling on it. All we can do is spoil the shit out of her in our own way.
Knox pops open his door first, then we all shuffle out of the SUV.
The smell of cheap detergent and potpourri hits me the second we step through the sliding doors. Fluorescent lightsbuzz overhead, reflecting off the overly shiny, gray-speckled tile. Rows of clothing racks stretch out, neon-orange discount tags dangling from jeans and cardigans, while the back wall towers with bedding, pillows, and mismatched kitchenware.
