She purred, which made it even harder to control himself, but lately, he and his alpha had been struggling to let her out of their sight, their presence, their touch. Since being back home, he had fought oversleeping on at least one side of her each night, making the others rotate. Felix said it was because he could sense she was getting close to her heat cycle, but Zayden knew it was simply because he loved her so much not to spend every second making sure she could feel it.
When he finally stepped back, he couldn’t help but let out a low, approving growl. Sonnet looked like a princess, dressed in the very elegant evening gown he had meticulously shopped for. The dressmaker called the color marigold yellow, made carefully with a fitted bodice, thin shoulder straps, a sheer waist panel, and a glossy satin skirt with a high slit.
She’s an actual princess.
“Zayden!” She giggled, trying to push him away as he attacked her with more kisses. “We’ve got to go! The boys sent me up here to bring you to the car.”
“How about I send the boys to the gala in our honor and you and I can stay home?”
Her eyes sparkled, as if she were considering the offer. “You’ve become very clingy.”
“Is that bad?”
“No. I really like it. But,” she kissed him gently, “I know this gala is very important. Your manager gave a very long lecturelast night. I’d hate to hear how long his scoldings would be if we didn’t go like planned.”
Zayden groaned, resting his forehead on her shoulder. Her faint aroma of strawberries and whipped cream made him sick with need. “You seem so confident about being dragged to a high-stakes party with us.”
“I am a little nervous.”
“About what part?”
“All of it,” she whispered, a tinge of fear in her tone, so he squeezed her gently into him. “I never imagined my mates would be well known. It’s all a little hard for me to picture having pictures taken of us and needing to come out publicly. I’m worried about what people will say.”
“I’m sure everyone will have a lot to say,” Zayden admitted, tucking his hands on her face and looking at her gently. “But I need you to know, none of that matters to us. We’re all very proud to be showing you off tonight. I know it’s not conventional. Iknowit’s been made clear that this publication is meant to shed a positive light on our band. But that’s not why we’re doing this. We’ve all wanted to show you off for a very long time now and make it clear we all belong to you. Damn what everyone else thinks, says, or wants. We just want you.”
Sonnet’s expression softened, and her fingers ran through his short, dark blue hair. He watched her nose scrunch slightly, a habit of hers every time she played with his hair, still adjusting to the short length.
A teasing smile curled her lips. “What do you think the paparazzi will write about your dyed and short hair?”
He smirked. “That you’re a witch that has condemned us.”
“Oh, I like that.”
Zayden chuckled and picked her up easily, carrying her out of his bedroom and down into the kitchen where the others were nitpicking each other’s outfits. They all wore black suits withdifferent colored ties. Jude kept his hair naturally curled; Felix’s was perfectly combed and specifically styled, and Kai kept his purposefully messy. They were all wearing the cufflinks Kai had bought them, but one little box remained unwrapped.
He didn’t want to, but he gave Sonnet over to Kai. This was his moment. His confession.
While Sonnet was getting ready, that’s when Kai had gone from room to room, giving his awkward little speeches and revealing his gifts. He had saved Zayden for last, and when he had finally tried talking to him, Zayden was worried that Kai wanted to leave the pack. It wasn’t until after some back and forth and Kai finally revealed the cufflinks that he understood. This was Kai’s way of saying he wasnevergoing to leave them.
Sonnet looked at Kai suspiciously as he walked her over to the kitchen island where her present rested. He cleared his throat awkwardly, his face pale, and a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.
Have we ever seen Kai like this before?
Never.
“I’m not good at speeches or talking about my feelings, so don’t expect much out of this,” he began.
Jude smirked. “What a way to start.”
“Anyway,” Kai growled. He shifted back and forth on his feet and fiddled with his tie. It wasn’t until Sonnet gently held his hand that he calmed down. “Ever since I was assigned alpha, I’ve been thinking about my mate. What she would look like. How we’d meet. I never, not once, thought it would be like this. And I’m so happy for it.” He took a deep breath, his chest expanding with confidence. “You came into my life when I least wanted it, and most needed it. I fought very hard not to fall in love with you, but I have, and being back home has just made me that much more confident in knowing what I want. I know I’ve been a jerk in the past and haven’t made things easy, but I wantto change that. I want you, Sonnet, and I want you to know every day how loved you are by us.”
He fumbled with the gift box, finally opening it to reveal a beautiful charm bracelet that resembled the cufflinks each of them was wearing.
Her eyes were glazed over as she carefully held up the bracelet, looking from Kai to the rest of them. They each held up their wrists, showing off their similar gifts, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.
“This is the most beautiful, genuine gift I’ve ever received,” she choked. She squeezed Kai’s hand. “I love you,” she said with a wide, bright smile. “I love all of you so much.”
And time stopped.
