“I got lost,” he said slowly before gently lifting her into his lap so that she was straddling him. When he gazed up at her, all his problems seemed to melt away in her presence, like she was reminding him what mattered. He brushed some strands of her pink hair out of her face and smiled. “But I think I’m finding my way now.”
Sonnet pressed her forehead against his and stared right into his eyes. “Hmm. I see.”
“See what?”
“Your future.”
Zayden scoffed, but he felt too afraid to move. “Since when did my mate become a little psychic?”
“Right now,” she hummed, her fingers twirling up his back and neck, as if looking for the strands of hair that was no longerthere. “Do you want to know what I see? I can tell you for a fair price.”
“Then tell me.”
Her face pressed closer, just a hair’s length from a kiss. “I see you being very happy, Zayden Obsidian. I see you relaxed on a back porch somewhere, much happier than the dark, moody house you all bought, strumming your instrument, singing new lyrics you’ve written. It’s early in the morning before everyone is up. You’re sitting there alone, happy, because you’re not really alone. Because as the sun wakes up, so does everyone else, and we’ve all come to say good morning to our lead alpha.”
Zayden closed his eyes and leaned his head back gently, letting the beautiful picture she painted soak into every crevice of his brain. “That’s beautiful.”
“Now, time for payment.” Her lips met his softly, delicately, like the faint touch of cotton candy before it melts. But he wouldn’t let her get away from him that easily.
His arms tightened snuggly around her waist as he deepened the kiss, as if they were sealing the promise of this happy future she foresaw.
He could hear Jude throwing a jealous tantrum not too far away. Sonnet pulled back first with a shy smile, but despite being shy, she had no idea how happy she had made him.
Her growth in this pack was phenomenal. She was adapting quickly to their advances and was now beginning to initiate intimacy on her own. She was still warming up to public affection even in front of the other guys, but like she did right now on the beach, she was doing excellently.
If Sonnet could attach herself to this pack so willingly, then it was time for Zayden to do his duty happily. It was time to be a leader.
That’s the spirit.
Sonnet left Zayden’s lap to join Jude and Felix, pecking Jude’s face to make him stop pouting. Zayden was too busy watching her to notice when Kai came over and sat down next to him. The scent of black forest cake wafted into his nose, and he tensed.
“You look like you’re trying not to scare off a deer,” Kai teased, but that’s exactly how Zayden felt. “It feels like we’ve been here for years, and now we must leave. And for once, I’m regretting going back to our stupid modern house.”
Zayden leaned back on his hands and gave Kai an amusing look. “You’re the one who picked the dark, moody mansion out of all the others. Has our little omega been getting through to you?”
“No.” She started laughing, and Kai smiled. “Maybe. It’s just that she likes color. Bright and shiny and happy things. Our house isn’t like that. What if our house makes her sad like the rest of us?”
Zayden had been thinking the same thing. It was part of why his list of preparations had been going so horribly, because how could he prepare to make his omega happy if their house was so dark, cold, and lonely? What good was doing all these things outside of the home if whenever she was in it, she wasn’t happy?
“Moving houses takes months, time, and money.”
“We have money,” Kai countered. “And the time.”
“Do we?” Zayden turned to him, his expression tight, but his body was exhausted. What he wanted to ask was,"Do you forgive me?" and “Does this mean you’re going to stay?”But those questions felt much heavier than a simple, “How much time?”
Kai tousled his dark purple hair; his eyes focused on Sonnet. He seemed relaxed. More than Zayden had ever seen him, even before the split. Then he began to wonder, was there a timebefore Sonnet that Kai had ever sat down and enjoyed the time he had instead of racing off to do the next ambitious thing?
Zayden remembered learning in school that no pack or alpha could reach perfection and contentment without an omega. They could try, and for a while, maybe they’d feel like they had succeeded, but the moment you make that bond or are lucky enough to find a fated mate, everything changes. Suddenly, it’s like breathing fresh air for the first time after living in the sewers for decades. Something wakes up inside you. Something alive, with a soul, but different from your alpha. It’syou. You’ve been sleeping this entire time, and then you’re awake, and everything you know is different; it’s better, and there’s no going back.
“I think we have all the time we need to make this work.” Kai’s eyes fluttered to his. “Let’s buy a house. For us. For her.”
Zayden’s eyes burned. “Okay.”
“Aw, man, please don’t cry!”
“I’m not crying.”
“You look like you are.”
