“Are you ready?” Mason asked as he met me at the front door. He was dressed in dark jeans and a charcoal gray sweater. He had dark liner around his eyes and his lips had a glossy sheen. I loved that Mason was unapologetically himself.
His scent was stronger now, too. The green apple tart was crisp, the fresh air and spring rain a mix of fresh and sweet. That undercurrent of electricity was there, but a bit subdued while he was relaxed.
“I’m ready,” I said. For once, I was actually excited to go shopping. It had been a long time. Not to mention, shopping alone was never as fun.
“Wait, where are you guys going?” Kieran asked as he stepped into the foyer. Mason’s eyes immediately narrowed.
“To the mall,” Mason answered dryly. “Without you.”
“Wait, I have a few things I need to grab,” Kieran protested. I swear the alpha was almost pouting at the prospect of being left behind.
“Where are we going?” Wilder was the next to walk in and question us. The grin on his face told me he knew exactly what he was doing. Mason was looking grumpier by the second, and I was barely holding back my laughter.
“Do you mind if we join you?” Wilder asked me, ignoring the delta completely.
“Ugh,” Mason said, throwing up his hands. “You can’t tell him no.”
“Exactly,” Wilder said with a grin that brightened his face. I think this was the most playful I’d ever seen him. It seemed that the beta had grown a bit more comfortable with me now that I’d been around the house for a few weeks.
Of course, Lennon and Conrad walked in at that point, Cade right on their heels.
“Oh, are we all headed out somewhere?” Conrad asked as he grabbed his shoes, sliding them on his socked feet.
Not one of them was subtle. Every single one of these assholes looked happy to crash mine and Mason’s plans. I knew my brother’s reasons, and the rest looked happy to fuck with him.
Mason turned to the side, groaning dramatically as he rested his head against my shoulder, defeated because his teammates were working against him.
“Oh, you thought we were going to give you more alone time after those face masks? You’re insane,” Kieran protested.
“Wait, what’s wrong with face masks?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at the alpha. It wasn’t that serious, but I was ready to defend Mason, now.
“Not a damn thing,” Mason growled out before flipping off Kieran. “Next time, maybe I will include everyone. I’ll also document everything.”
Kieran shot back, “I’m sure we could all use a little skincare in our lives.”
“Maybe you could just use a fucking life,” Mason muttered.
Wilder laughed. “Remember that day at practice last week where you pissed off Coach, who made us run drills until we were about to puke? Payback’s a bitch, brother.”
“They’ve got me, princess,” Mason said with a defeated sigh. Even without leverage, I had a feeling there’d be no convincing them to stay behind.
“I’ve hardly had any time with our new roomie,” Cade said. “Come on, princess. We can take my car. You can ride shotgun.”
Conrad gasped, clutching his chest as if he’d been shot. “Are you kidding me? You’re giving her my seat?”
“You wanted us to take care of your sister. Aren’t we doing that?”
Conrad gave me a look, barely hiding his smile now. “You assholes are lucky that she’s my favorite person.”
My heart warmed at his words. It was so fucking nice to be part of a family like this. It was always just Conrad and me until I left. I thought my pack was everything I needed, then after that honeymoon stage wore off, I was alone.
Cade threw his arm around my shoulders, guiding me outside while throwing a smug look to the others. I hadn’t really gotten a look at all the guys’ vehicles. At least not enough to know which was his. He led me to a sleek black Escalade and opened the door before helping me inside.
My breath caught as he reached over and fastened the seatbelt for me. It put him close enough that I could smell his scent of sweet-tart cherries mixed with cinnamon and fresh-cut cedar. It was such an alpha scent that I found my mouth watering. It was stronger now, a punch straight to the gut.
His nostrils flared for a second, his pale green eyes flicking up to mine. There was recognition there, as if he was truly breathing my scent in for the first time. He’d kept his distance,but I hadn’t. I’d breathed in his scent and knew it was good. But right now? It was heavenly.
“You smell incredible, princess. Is this why my whole pack has been going crazy over you?”
