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When they had all finished joyfully greeting one another, he turned back to me. “Nicky, this is my auntie Angelica and her pack.”
Another pack!
Angelica was taller than Hana with a rainbow of box braids and a little gap between her front teeth that somehow made her smile even brighter. Tony went down the line, introducing the rest of the pack: Kendra, a plump blonde omega, Jonas, a beta with neat locs hanging to his shoulders, and Shawn, a pale, willowy alpha that rivalled Angelica for height.
Angelica thrust out her hand for me to shake, with a warm grin. “Good to meet you, Nicky. It's a shame that you have to wait to meet Antonio's parents until they get back from Costa Rica, but we all collectively raised him, so I’d say we count enough.”
“Yeah, absolutely! I’m happy to meet anyone that loves my pack.”
Tony sidled up next to me. “Baby girl, I think that's the first time you’ve called usyourpack to anyone.”
My cheeks burst into flame.
“Are you calling out your girl, kid?” Jonas asked. “Pack declaration is a big deal. I kind of assumed she was already a formal member.”
“She's pack in all ways, except government documents,” said Tony.
“They’re treating you well?” Kendra asked.
“They’re perfect,” I replied, looking softly at Tony. “I couldn’t ask for a better pack.”
Kendra playfully punched Tony in the arm. “Always a continued relief that we raised this one right. In the summer we’ll have you lot over for a barbecue. Maybe hit the highways on the bikes.”
“Yeah, I would love that! Gabe took me on his bike, and it was great.” I turned to Tony again. “Can you take me out, too?”
“Anything you want, baby girl.”
“Good. We appreciate a lady that loves to ride,” said Angelica, with a wink. “There's a standing invitation, but we’ll plan something more specific once the weather warms up.”
Gabe and Billie had finished arranging all the food on the kitchen island and along the bar. Billie hopped their way between us and Angelica's pack, accepting a group hug in the crowd around them.
“How are you holding up, little beta?” Jonas asked, setting their hand on Billie's head. “Over your stint at the hospital?”
“Yep! Right as rain. Come grab some snacks with me.”
We were still waiting on my friends and family, and already we had a crowd of a dozen. Koji followed me around, asking me questions about being a librarian as we munched on countless trays of food the pack had prepared. Roscoe made his rounds through all of the guests, collecting attention until he was all petted out, and flopped down in a sunbeam.
The doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of my guests. My parents came first, followed by Luca, Sidney, Allie, Meg, and Luna. I figured it would be easy to sneak some friends onto the list when we were already hosting so many. They passed me between them for fierce hugs, each reassuring themselves of my safety now that they were here in person.
Allie handed me a cat carrier, and I looked through the netting at my sweet little boy. “Hey Spuddy! Were you good for auntie and uncle? You glad to be back home with mommy?”
“We had some quality sleepovers while you were busy,” said Allie. “But he definitely missed you.”
Once the door was secured, I set down the carrier and set Spud free, stealing some cuddles for myself before I carried him over to Roscoe. They headbutted each other and took off running like two floofy bats out of hell.
Luna stepped up to me. “Damn girl. Your pack is swanky. If you ever need anyone to house-sit, hit me up.”
I laughed. “I’ll let them know you’re available if we need someone.”
“Did someone say house-sitting?” Billie asked, popping up behind me. “Because I think after all that we’ve been through, our pack deserves a little vacation. Throw a dart at the map and go where the wind takes us.”
Ordinarily, I would say that I needed to work, but after finally hearing back from my boss, I was on unpaid suspension until the library was ready again. They couldn’t fire me for taking a heat leave, but I was still on the shit list for doing it with no warning. I was trying not to think about it all too hard.
“Nicola.” Mom poked my arm. “You have to introduce us to everyone. How am I supposed to converse without a proper introduction?”
“Don’t you worry, Mama Marino,” Billie said. “Let me take you around.”
Mom looked at me with wide eyes.
