His black jeans and sneakers are faded, but it’s paired with a nice black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and what look like black leather cuffs around both wrists. His outstretched arms each have a rectangular tattoo, almost like a colorful card down the inside that disappear under the cuffs, and I want to get a closer look.
I take a deep breath, wincing again at the sting in my knees and get hit with the strong scent of vanilla and cinnamon. He smells like a snickerdoodle. And the sudden thought of this big intimidating alpha smelling like my favorite cookies sends me into a fit of giggles. He jerks away from me like he’s been burned.
Joseph and Brice exchange a look before Brice reaches towards me. “Kelly Girl, are you ok? Did you hit your head?” He starts feeling along the back of my neck and up my scalp before I can answer, and a low rumbling growl erupts from the stranger, surprising us both. Brice looks from me to the stranger and back again before pulling his hand away.
“Oh, sorry, Kelly, this is my baby cousin, Teddy. He was here in town visiting, and Candice said he could come to the ceremony. Teddy, this is Kelly, she works over at Gabe’s Garage and goes to the community college outside town.”
The stranger, Teddy, ducks his head and rumbles out a quiet, “Ma’am.”
“Oh, you can just call me Kelly, it feels weird being called ma’am. It’s nice to meet you.” Stretching my hand out I wait for his in return to shake, but he just stares down at it until I pull back, not sure what sort of faux pas I made.
“Sorry,” he rumbles as he stretches his own hand out just as I start pulling back, and we both just kind of hang there in limbo, not quite touching, but not sure how to proceed until another voice breaks the tension.
“Nice to see y’all too…now if somebody could help me up, I’d appreciate it.” I spin around to see who’s behind me, and Joseph’s brother, Sam, is sitting on the ground, holding his nose with blood dripping down his chin and onto his white dress shirt.
Crud.
“Yeah, it seems someone pushed on the door, right as I pulled…and well…I seem to be bleeding here. So, if somebodycan help me up, I need to go treat this shirt before it stains.” I would laugh at the absurdity if I didn’t feel so bad about this. Reaching out to help him, I hear that low rumbling growl again, and pull up short, my head snapping around to see Joseph standing next to me. He was probably coming to help Sam too.
Unfortunately, the rapid movement just makes me dizzy and, well, at least I know gravity’s still working. I start to go down when those big hands wrap around me again, and I’m lifted completely off the ground, and cradled against a hard cookie scented chest. Joseph walks over and pulls Sam off the ground and away from the point of impact, as Brice holds the door open for all of us.
We’re barely inside the building when Stephanie comes down the hall, and I realize I lost my broom.Oh, there it is, leaning against the wall.Stephanie stops short at the sight of me in the arms of the big dark alpha, her mouth opens and closes a few times, and then Brice walks around us and her gaze snaps to him. “Stephanie, oh my god girl, you look so pretty. Did Jacks do your makeup?” Stephanie blushes again, and I don’t think she gets nearly enough compliments.
Then she catches sight of my legs. “Oh, Kelly, your knees. Let’s get you to the bathroom and get cleaned up. I can go get my first aid kit out of the car if we need to, ok?”
I tilt my head up to Teddy. “Thank you for your help, but I can walk.” He rumbles at me again, but gently lowers my feet to the floor, his hands staying on me until he’s sure I’m stable, for real this time. Stephanie takes my hand and we head back towards the main office and the women’s restroom, but when I turn my head and look back, he’s still watching me.
Chapter 3
The sweet little beta follows her friend around the corner. With no idea what the fuck came over me, I turn back to Brice to apologize for growling at him, but he’s just grinning up at me. Brice is what omegas are supposed to look like, tiny, cute, kind of sweet. He calls me his baby cousin, but I was bigger than him by the time I was thirteen. Then again, I was supposed to be an alpha, everybody thought so. Hell of a shock all around, really.
“Kelly’s really pretty, huh?” Brice sidles up to me, still smiling like the cat that ate the canary. I hate talking, hate my voice. It’s too deep and I always sound like I’m growling. Though, to the best of my memory, today’s the first time I’ve actually growled, and I didn’t even mean to. He’s right though, she is pretty, with big brown eyes and long honey brown hair. Her little silver glasses even match her dress, she’s fucking adorable, and so tiny.
With her hair twisted up, and that dress, she looks like she should be floating around somebody’s garden, sprinkling some kind of magic sparkles on flowers and shit. Fuck, she even smells like flowers. Not that heavy cloying sweetness thatomegasnormally have, but light, like some kind of lilac, barely there. The kind of subtle that makes you want to bury your nose in her hair and breathe deep, trying to find more.
Where the fuck did that thought even come from?
What the actual fuck am I thinking about?
“You should go talk to her when she gets back, and totally make sure you get a dance during the reception!” Brice is practically wiggling as we stare off towards the hallway she disappeared down. I turn around to keep my feet from following after her, but also to check on Sam. The guy’s cool, not part of Brice’s pack, but heisJoseph’s brother. We’re about the same size, which is awesome, since I didn’t bring any formal clothes for this trip, I was able to borrow some of his nice stuff, and fuck but it smells good too.
I don’t know Pack Asher, but with how everybody else is dressed, I’m guessing showing up in my normal all black T-shirts and ripped jeans would not be appreciated. Not that I blame them. It’d be fucking rude anyway. I totally would’ve gone out and gotten some nice stuff myself if I had to, but this was just easier. I was exhausted when I got here yesterday. Must be fucking jetlag, I can’t have slept more than a few hours last night, and then all this today. No wonder my mind's going nuts.
But Brice asked me my size and called Sam to bring over a spare dress shirt. Then I had to rush getting ready, because as soon as I smelled this fucking thing, I needed to go take matters into my own hands, or risk making a fool out of myself for the entire reception. Is that a lead pipe in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? Fucking omega hormones.
Still, I take one last long look at that hallway after Kelly before turning and following Brice and his family into the main seating area. He kisses Joseph, a quick peck on the lips, and then pushes him gently towards the back. Joseph's a groomsman for Pack Asher, he works with them at the fire department. I feel out ofplace here, everybody knows each other, and here’s the giant lumbering omega. Male omegas are rare enough, but I definitely got my alpha dad’s genetics.
That’s why I’ve been stuck at that stupid omega center for the last few years. I mean, I can go to college there, but only for omega approved degrees. We had a plan, and this was not fucking it. Me and Steve and Garret, we were supposed to be alphas together, start a pack together.Fuck. Especially Vee.
Rubbing my hand down the back of my head, careful not to fuck up my ponytail, I follow Brice up to the chairs in the front. The rest of his and Joseph’s pack aren’t in the actual ceremony, so it’s us minus Joseph hanging out waiting. Brice helped out with the decorations. Candice didn’t ask him to, but he loves doing floral arrangements and other crafty shit, he even made her a new necklace and earrings for the ceremony. He told me about it on the way over. I’ll admit to being curious why he didn’t tell me about this beforehand. We’ve been planning my visit for months now, why wouldn’t he tell me he already had plans this weekend, and to a bonding ceremony no less. These are supposed to be for close family and friends, not some random omega you’ve never met. I just feel awkward being here.
The rest of the chairs slowly fill up, and I now know why Brice wanted to get here early, every time I hear someone compliment the decorations he wiggles a little bit. I’m happy he’s happy, but this is all kinds of overwhelming. It doesn’t take long before the chairs are mostly full. The woman who led Kelly away—Brice said her name was Stephanie—pops her head out of a room that says ‘Office’, looking around, before ducking back in, and shortly thereafter a group of four guys in tuxes head out. Then a taller woman in a tux—huh, a female alpha. She’s pretty. Joseph comes last, running his hand along Brice’s shoulder when he passes him in the aisle.
I guess we’re about to start.
I look up at what can only be Pack Asher, waiting at the front of the crowd. The pack leader's probably the guy in front, big fellow, built like a bear, not as tall as the one he's standing beside though. Heck, even I’d feel short next to him, but he's still hot. Next are two guys who look like total opposites, one really put together, his long blond hair pulled back like mine in a low ponytail, and the other one with a mohawk, tattoos up his neck, a septum ring, and a couple of eyebrow rings. Dude looks like he should be on a British punk band album cover.
Oh, they’re holding hands, that’s sweet.
