Fuck, he’s hot. He reminds me of a lumberjack with broad shoulders, tanned skin, and floppy hair that hangs in a sexy but not-trying-too-hard way.
“The pleasure is all mine.” I bite my lip to stop myself from drooling at the lines that crinkle around the corners of his eyes.
Though bonding with a stranger put me in a bad situation, it sure lessens the blow to know that his packmates aren’t total ogres. In fact, after trawling all the heat buddy apps on campus and rejecting hundreds of alphas within a 100-mile radius, I don’t think I’ve ever seen guys as gorgeous.
“Your eyes…” I can’t help staring at them. I haven’t seen any like them before. One is a walnut brown, and the other is a startling green. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude or stare. I’ve just never seen eyes like yours before.”
“It’s called heterochromia,” Luca explains. “My mom said I got one from the mountains and the other from the sea.” He winks. “But my dad claims they match his favorite hockey team’s colors.”
“Now that we’ve all been introduced, we should discuss ground rules.” Orin’s deep, gravelly growl cuts through our conversation.
“Ground rules?” I cross my arms. “Is this a home or a prison?”
Adler chuckles.
“We need to make sure we’re all on the same page,” Orin retorts firmly, gesturing to the living area. “Come.”
Adler stiffens by my side while I roll my eyes and follow him to where we all gather on the sofas. The room is nice enough—very modern with clean structural lines and sleek, load-bearing columns—but it’s a classic bachelor pad. It’s lacking any pops of color, a sea of drab gray, creating a real snoozefest. However, I do like the towering glass doors across one side that lead to their yard. The area in front of it would make a perfect morning yoga spot.
I look around. “Shouldn’t Drax be here too?”
Adler takes a seat next to me, draping his arm over the back of the sofa behind me. “He isn’t part of this pack.”
I can’t help feeling a twinge of disappointment before dismissing it, hoping Adler didn’t pick up on it. It was a stupid thought. While some packs are happy to have a beta in their ranks—like Delilah’s sunshine barista, Tae—it’s uncommon unless they have a well-established relationship prior to learning their designation. I’m sure it happens, but I’ve never heard of a pack welcoming in a beta without at least one of the members knowing him extremely well.
“Be nice, Addy,” Luca —who’s sitting on my other side—reaches across me to shove him. The scent and warmth radiating from Luca’s body has me feeling like I’m cozied up next to a fire.
Orin sits opposite us, fingers steepled. From his rigid posture, I’m half-expecting him to whip out a contract and ask me to sign it. I get that this situation is stressful. Obviously, I know that better than anyone, but he seems ridiculously uptight. I’m having a hard time understanding how he fits in with Adlerand Luca’s more chilled dynamic, wondering how the three of them met.
“While you and Adler are in the adjustment period, special arrangements will be put in place,” Orin continues. “There are forms to complete.”
“I know all about those already.” I flick my wrist. I helped Kady with all of that when Delilah and Faye bonded.
“This is about more than paperwork. What happened between you might’ve been an accident, but the timing couldn’t have been any worse.” Orin’s expression darkens. “The biggest games of the season are coming up, so Adler can’t miss hockey practice.”
“So I’ll go with him.” I shrug. “No biggie.”
“That’s okay with you?” Adler seems surprised. “Most newly bonded omegas would prefer to take some down time and stay in their nests. Well, so I’ve heard.”
“Nothing about this situation is normal.” I shake my head. “I’m not going to fuck up your future.”
“Our future,” he corrects.
“Right… our future…” That’ll take some getting used to. “But I do have conditions of my own. I still want to play volleyball and take classes.”
“But there is a policy in place that can give you a break from?—”
“I don’t want to put my entire life on hold because of this,” I cut Orin off. “I’ll study online, if I have to.”
“What’s your major?” Luca asks.
“Engineering.”
“Brains and beauty.” I beam at Luca’s compliment “Where did you find her, Addy?”
“Don’t call me that,” Adler sulks.
“Why?” I tickle his chin. “Addy sounds cute.”
