I stand, pick up my ice-cream bowl, and flop onto the sofa next to her.
"So. You called me when you were leaving Clear Note. And if I recall correctly, you were in the car with four really freaking hot alphas and a really freaking hot beta?"
I bite my lip and nod. My omega, who's been moping all day, perks up.
"So?" She's wearing the expression of a puppy with a treat held out in front of it that it can't quite reach.
My sigh doesn't seem to buy me any respite. "I took your advice. We had a consent conversation—"
"And one about protection, I hope?" Her right eyebrow has shot up.
I look away.
She slaps my knee lightly. "Dellie! You fuckingidiot—"
"I did—wedid! It just came… later."
She rolls her eyes and mumbles angrily under her breath.
"Anyway. Um. The pack's Allen, and James and Seb—"
"North Shore," she mutters.
"Yeah, and Zeke and Ralph. Ralph's a beta, and the rest are all alphas. And—oh God, Loz, you should have smelled them. Their scent is just…everything. Ralph's all minty, and Zeke's got this soothing lavender smell, and James is like the freshest basil you can imagine, and Allen's like… I can't even describe it properly, but it's kind of herby and lemony and delicious, and Seb's like the smell you get after rain… Anyway, I was in the back seat of their car and I kinda clammed up—"
There's warmth in her scoff. "Something new and different for ya."
I throw a pillow at her.
"Oi! Don't you fucking dare get ice-cream on those pillows!"
I roll my eyes at her. "Do you want me to tell you about it or not?"
She sighs. "Fiiiiiiiiine. Carry on. Just keep the sticky shit away from the drycleanables."
I pick at a loose thread on another pillow, feeling my cheeks flush.
"Any—anyway, I lost the words. And they... they just… they made me feel safe, I guess? They helped me find… enough words, I guess, so I could say what I wanted? And… they thought that… I dunno. I was worth hearing. And… you know..."
My mouth is gaping like a fish. I stare at the ceiling, grasping for the words. I feel Loz's warm hand on mine. I huff out a slow breath. "I… um. They made sure I got what I wanted."
I glance at Loz's face. It's split by a wide grin. "So? They made you cum?"
I blush, nodding.
Her grin widens further. "Go on, babes. Deets. Spill 'em."
"Uh. Um. In the car."
She frowns and pulls her hands away. "You better have had a fucking seatbelt on."
"I did! They were super… protective, I guess, about all that stuff. Uh. It was…" I waggle my fingers. She nods in understanding.
"And, um, at their place—"
"Oh yes, the fancy Brentwood packhouse."
I snort. "It wasnotfancy. It was an open-plan living area with one bedroom and a bathroom and a cupboard full of pooltoys. I think it might have been a poolhouse that belonged to one of their parental packs, or something."
