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Nick looked embarrassed at the praise, and flicked his eyes towards Ava. She gave him a soft smile that intrigued me. Clearly I’d been missing something, caught up in my own drama.
Dave handed Ava his satellite phone. “Take this, and check in with us every day at 8am and 8pm until things calm down. If we don’t hear from you, we’ll head straight for the Palace. So if you forget, be prepared for a bunch of worried people to turn up and we’ll probably come in hot. Outside of that, call us for any reason. There’s a charger in the PMV. I’m sure Maia will call you when she wakes up, after she tears strips off us for letting you go without her.”
Ava hugged the phone to her chest. “Thank you, Dave.”
I gave her a giant hug before we all went our separate ways. “I’m here if you need me, any time of the day or night. And I’ll be on that call with Maia in the morning.”
She nodded into my shoulder. “Honestly, I’ll be fine Lex. I’m a big girl.”
“No, you’re a strong as fuck omega, Ava. Don’t forget it.”
She gave me a squeeze before letting me go and stepping back.
“Okay,” I said, with only a little crack in my voice. I didn’t have a lot of close friends and I didn’t like seeing one walk away. “Let’s get to work.”
It was going to be a long ass night.
forty-six
Wakinguponthefarm this morning, the feel of my pack bonds thrumming in my chest had filled me with contentment and a sense of connection I hadn’t felt since the day I hopped on a bus and left the other parts of my soul behind.
My parents had raised me with a strong sense of family and community. This place and my new pack filled that deep need in me. For years, I’d felt a black emptiness dragging me down. At the time, I hadn’t realized just how much of a toll Sam and Dio’s absence had wrought on me.
Now that I had them, a pack and a home that felt bursting with life and a deep growing energy, I was going to hold on to them with everything I had.
Yesterday had been a write-off, following the clusterfuck from the night before. It had been almost four in the morning by the time we all got back from town.
Lexie had set an early alarm, so she could go check in with Maia and they could make the morning call to Ava together. So, of course, we’d all gone with her and invaded Damon’s cabin. Only we’d had to stay outside because Maia had her temporary nest in the living room and she didn’t want other alphas or omegas near it with our scents. We’d respected that.
Damon and his mates had all been upstairs, working away at some kind of building project they’d started while Lexie was in heat and we were all out of action. We’d heard them hammering. I don’t know how they found the energy, but I assumed it was some kind of gift for Maia. She hadn’t said what it was, but my money was on a permanent nest upstairs.
As predicted, Maia had been royally pissed at being left behind and stressed about Ava at the Palace. The phone call had put her at ease, but she wanted to see her too. So she could make sure Ava was alright with her own eyes and check on the other omegas as well. I figured there would be another helicopter ride coming up if she got her way.
Lexie had still looked so tired when she was done with Maia and the phone call. She’d tried to head to the kitchen to help out, but Dave had thrown her over his shoulder, smacked her on the ass, and carried her back to the treehouse. She hadn’t protested too hard. We spent most of the day sleeping and recharging our energy. We figured everyone had earned a day off.
Then in the late afternoon, we’d picked some more stuff up from Lexie’s cabin, and some from Dave’s, and brought the lot up to the treehouse so we could make it feel more like home. Dave had found me a hammer and some nails, and I’d hung Lexie’s photos up for her around the place.
Today, I’d woken early with the sun, feeling rested, yet with a need to walk the earth and get familiar with the rhythms of this place. Dio had already been gone when I woke, but I knew he liked to run and clear his head in the early morning light.
I left my shoes behind and padded through the dew that had fallen overnight. I avoided the paths and meandered my way through the trees that bordered the fields instead, leaving ghostly footprints behind in the early morning light, as if a dawn spirit had visited the farm.
The farm was truly magical, with its terraced fields tumbling down the hill separated by hand laid stone walls, and the ancient mill and pond at the bottom. Timber cabins were scattered throughout. The river was sparkling in the distance and the green forest waved from beyond.
I could see sheep and cattle milling around the edge of the river and wandering through the trees, closely followed by attentive dogs that looked like Bear. When I closed my eyes, I could hear birds twittering above me and ducks noisily going about their business somewhere nearby, as well as the distant lowing calls of the cattle.
Everyone on the farm had clearly toiled hard to work compassionately with the land and not overwhelm it with agriculture. A few workers were already out, tending the fields, but also the wildflowers that grew amongst them. It filled my spirit. I put my hand out to the ancient tree I had halted under, its branches arching high and wide above me.
Pounding footsteps coming up a nearby path had me on alert. I stilled as Dio emerged from a foggy glade as he powered up the hill, Bear racing at his side. The muscles in his legs tightened and bunched with each powerful stride. His shirt was off, tucked into the back of his shorts, and sweat was dripping down his toned body. I didn’t draw attention to myself. I just took a moment to enjoy the sight of him, having missed him for so long.
He must have felt me in the bond though, because he turned his head my way, throwing me a cheeky wink before he continued on his way. I wondered briefly what it would feel like to reach out and grab him, draw him to me and kiss him while running my hands over that hard body. Just like I had ached to do when we were in our early teens and I’d been itching to explore my awakening sexuality. Dio had shown no sign of being bi-curious though, so I’d never expressed my new feelings to him. Equally happy to chase local girls with him and Sam.
I’d tried to explore this side of me in the early years of my military career, having a brief entanglement with another alpha in training, but I hadn’t felt the same sparking desire I did when I looked at Dio and it had left me feeling empty. Even Sam didn’t make me feel the same way, though I loved him fiercely as a brother. I realized I was attracted to Dio, not his gender.
Being so close to Dio now, even with Lexie between us, was intoxicating. She felt like a natural part of us. My deep need for her didn’t alter my desire for him. When they both bit and claimed me, it felt transcendent. Even if Dio wasn’t drawn to me in the same way, I knew I was important to him. Essential even. It was enough.
I turned and walked back to the treehouse, brushing my hands over random flowers and plants as I went, learning their touch and scents. While I had always had an affinity for nature, my stroll had a dual purpose. When moving stealthily in the dark, it paid to know your surroundings by touch and smell. This place was my home now, which meant I would cherish it, but also protect it.
When I climbed the curving steps of the treehouse and emerged at the top, Lexie was there. She was curled in a big, round hanging love seat, wrapped in a blanket, and drinking a cup of coffee. I suspected she was naked underneath. I would be perfectly happy if blankets were all she ever wore around the treehouse.
