Al’s face falls. “No, wait…What? I didn’t say that. I just meant that I could pass for a male omega easier than a female…Wait, why are we planning on sneaking me in? Fuck! I haven’t agreed to anything!”
Chapter 87
I’m ashamed to admit it, but I sleep with the bear…I cut arm and leg holes in one of my pillowcases so that the purring fluffy parts can stick out, but it doesn’t freak me out. It seemed like the better option than just removing them completely. Plus, itissuper cuddly as long as it’s not staring at me with that evil, self-satisfied grin. It really is the stuff of nightmares. Greg is cuddled up behind me in my nest while I attempt to avoid the outside world today.
It’s Friday morning, and I’m skipping class because I can’t face it. Also, Adam is going to bring Lily by sometime today so he can go run errands. She confided in him that she misses Shaggy—so she can stay here and give him bunny cuddles while I, for lack of a better word, supervise. She’s a grown-ass woman and doesn’t actually need supervision, but Adam is worried about leaving her alone since she can get a bit panicky now. Plus, we’re onlytwo doors down from her room. If she gets overwhelmed, I can take her back.
Spence has video called me every night this week and stayed up way too late since he’s two hours ahead of us, and I don’t normally go to bed until close to midnight. He usually falls asleep on the phone while purring, and then Paul comes in after work, tells me goodnight, and hangs up the phone. Spence has apologized repeatedly for falling asleep, but Paul said he traded shifts with somebody to work mornings every day this week, so he’s just exhausted. Al did pop in once—grumped something about chocolate and then left before my big alpha could respond.
Maybe he’s getting crave-y himself in the post-heat hormones that were flying around. I know all I wanted was some fucking roasted pecans for three days. Though I guess if that was the case, he’d be more in the mood for strawberries. Chocolate does sound good now, but I’m already beating myself senseless trying to lose the five pounds I gained on vacation. I seriously thought the heat would have worked off some of it, but my omega metabolism combined with the PMOS seems to fuck me over every time.
I squeeze one of the furry appendages sticking out of the pillowcase and snuggle back into Greg’s chest as Paul’s purr rumbles to life beside me. It lasts for less than a minute, the limits of technology, but it still relaxes something in my chest.
If I can get my mother to pull her head out of her ass long enough to listen, I want her to sign over permission for me to leave. Just because she doesn’t approve of anything I do doesn’t mean she can keep me here until I agree to “get rid of the beta and mate an acceptable pack.” Even without her demands to ditch Greg, which isn’t fucking happening, I don’t want one of the damned packs she chose; I want mine.
Now she’s refusing to take my calls until I do what she tells me to do, and I’d be completely fine with never talking to her again,except that I’m effectively stuck here. Hell, I haven’t even been able to get in touch with John; he’s not answering or replying to messages, and it’s almost as freeing being written off by him as it is by my family.
I’m sure I could reach out to Tio Miguel if it was an emergency, but I’m seriously enjoying not having to stress about it. The only people who are calling me are ones I want to speak to, and even with them, they have a solid schedule. Speaking of which, Spence usually texts me in the morning when he gets up, but I haven’t heard from him today. Did I put my ringer on silent?
Pulling my phone off the nightstand, to the grumbling displeasure of my beta, I see that it’s almost ten in the morning and no messages. Maybe he slept in this morning, or his phone is dead. I don’t want to be clingy, but in just a week I’ve come to really look forward to knowing he’s thinking about me. Greg pulls me back against him and nuzzles his face against my neck. “What time are they supposed to be here?” I’m so lost in my head I think for a few minutes he’s talking about Spence, Paul, and Al. The idea of them coming all this way to see me fills me with warmth. Then I realize he’s probably talking about Adam and Lily.
“Eleven, I think. Time to get up and scrounge for food, feed the bun, and put on clothes that are acceptable for being around other people.” His head raises up, taking in my sleep clothes before he waggles his brows. My stomach rolls at the thought of food this early. Greg grabbed falafel from the food truck a couple of blocks from campus for dinner last night, and while it tasted really good, it is not my friend this morning.
His voice is playful as he leans down to kiss across my shoulders. “Or, alternatively…you could stay here and be tasty looking while I go find pancakes for us and then bring them back and drizzle you in syrup?”
It takes me less than a minute to veto that idea, not just because of the nausea. “Nope, sorry. No food in the nest rule. I don’t want to spend the entire weekend washing everything. Now…maybe the couch after they leave this afternoon.”
His tongue swipes up my neck before he starts nibbling on my earlobe, eventually growling into my ear, “Fine. Ugh…I wouldn’t have time for a proper meal beforehand, anyway.” Grabbing my hair, he pulls my head back, ravishing my lips for a split second before suddenly letting me go and rolling off the other side of the mattress. “Besides, it’d be better to go to the store and get a can of whipped cream instead. I’m not sure how well maple and strawberries go together. I’ll try anything once, though.” He yanks his pajamas off, making my mouth water at the delectable muscles before me, and I slap him hard on the ass—and enjoy the startled yelp—as I pass by on the way to the living room to check in with Shaggbutt.
“Hello, you fluffy little monster. Did you sleep well?” Shaggy hops around his run, honking at me before kicking some hay towards the gate. “Yes, yes, I’m so evil, you only have dry hay for overnight snacks. Let me get you something fresh.” He settles at the gate, watching as I walk to the mini fridge to pull out some dandelions we got for him yesterday. He honks at me again and paws at the gate, demanding his greens and morning cuddles.
I bend over to release the latch, and a big pair of hands wraps around my waist seconds before Greg is kissing the side of my neck again. “I love you, Sarah, and you’re really sexy in these shorts…just thought you should know.”
His hands slide around to squeeze my ass a few times before he stands back up. The door opens and closes before I have a chance to reply. That man is killing me because I don’t have time to jump him, and I just have to suffer through being horny until this evening, which so isn’t fair. He should know better than to tease or edge an omega, especially this close to my heat ending.
That’s the excuse I’ll use later anyway when I jump him. It’s been a few weeks, so it’s pretty much a lie, but it’s his own fault for making me horny and then walking off. I hope his erection chafes on his zipper, dammit. Checking the clock, I should have just enough time to take matters into my own hands before he gets back. Shaggy hops around happily, interspersing eating his morning treat and having zoomies around the room while I go get some clothes ready for the day…and let off some pressure.
Chapter 88
Adam is waiting by the elevator this morning when I leave our room. He waves at me, his voice a mild inquiry as I stop beside him. “Breakfast?” I nod once in reply, not fully awake enough to make conversation. “Commons?” My response this time is a hum in the key of affirmative, and he nods in reply as we step in together and he pushes the button for the bottom floor. Here we are, two well-spoken, eloquent gentlemen going to retrieve food for our ladies.
In truth, it isn’t that early, but Sarah’s been super restless in her sleep since we got home and keeps kicking me. She finally stopped flailing about four this morning, and I’m running on fumes.
Bring on the coffee and sugar!
We walk side by side across the campus and into the union to the food court. It’s a bit different from the normal cafeteriain that it has several different stations with a variety of flavors. I debate briefly hitting up the burger chain—they usually have a good bacon, egg, and cheese croissant, but it sounds way too heavy this morning—and head straight for the crepes and coffee bar with Adam hot on my heels. We don’t speak to each other while I order three crepes—banana and Nutella, lemon custard, and cheesy egg and sausage—and two coffees.
I’m never sure what Sarah’s in the mood for, but these are her top three and they’re all good, so I’ll eat whatever she doesn’t want. She may not realize that I’ve gotten her decaf though as I fill both to-go cups and add six packets of sugar and a quarter cup of almond milk to hers. She enjoys a bit of coffee with her cream and sugar.
Adam comes over to me after placing his own order. He fills one cup with decaf and the other with hot water before dropping in a peppermint tea bag from the stack in front of us. “Thank you…for keeping an eye on Lily today. I know she can stay by herself, but she sometimes gets panic attacks, and I think spending time with Shaggy might help. I’m glad she agreed to visit your rooms, she needs to get out some. Plus, I’ve been thinking about sneaking in a pet for her as well. Probably not a bunny. Let’s be honest, that one’s a diva, but maybe a mouse or a hamster. Something with cute little fingers that she can feed seeds to. You know, she loves books where the heroine has an adorable animal companion.” His smile looks sad, and I pat him on the shoulder, careful to not maintain any prolonged contact. Adam isn’t as jumpy as his mate, but like a lot of the omegas I’ve met here, he’s wary of physical contact.
I can't even blame him. There are some bastards out there who think that touching a strange omega is their right as an alpha, and after what happened to Lily, well, I hope they die a horrible and painful death. Before I can get too lost in my own head, the guy behind the counter calls my name and passes me threetriangular boxes full of flat pancake goodness. He takes a look at my precariously balanced drinks and boxes and lets out a put-upon sigh before handing me a cardboard drink carrier and a paper bag big enough to fit my boxes in.
Less than a minute later, a much perkier young woman calls for Adam, smiling shyly at him as she hands him a bag with his two crepe boxes and unfolds a drink carrier before setting it on the counter. Hey, I get it; the man is cute, if I was into men and not already incredibly taken. He’s downright fucking cherubic with his soft eyes and blond hair. But unfortunately for her, the cheesecake-scented omega is hopelessly in love with his bonded mate, and no other woman is ever gonna turn his head. He told me when we first met that he never knew he could be attracted to a woman until he met Lily, but she’s his and neither of them could see a future without the other person in it.
I get it, really. I feel the same way about Sarah. Not that I would hold her back if she found a pack that hated me, but with Pack Miller that’s not something I’m worried about—they all seemed happy to have me there as Sarah’s mate. Those guys are like best-case scenario for my little spitfire. Paul, who’s very much a caretaker, and Spence would be a great workout buddy and somebody she could also be soft around. Even Al, the surly little alpha, brought out her playful side when she was teasing him. Not to mention whoever had all the BBC movies hidden away behind the couch will be one of her favorite people. My money’s on Paul, but Spence could surprise me.
“It’s all good, Sarah misses you both. She’s been worried about you.” Adam looks over at me, surprise on his face—though if it’s from my statement or how long it took me to reply is anybody’s guess. “After what happened”—we don’t address the elephant in the room very often, but it’s there nonetheless—“Lily kind of turtled.” I wave my hands to wipe away any confusion. “Which is completely understandable. I can’t even imagine…I mean…shit.”He nods, his lips turning down in a frustrated grimace. “I just mean that we’re happy to have her visit whenever she feels like it or whenever you need some time. And you know Shaggy is pretty much always up for attention.”
