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“Yeah. Ava deserves pretty things.”
“You like her a lot, don’t you?”
Angel nodded. “Yeah. I like some of the other omegas, too. Emma and Rose are nice. But Ava always looks out for me and never gets cranky. I hated my handler. She never cuddled me the way Ava does and always yelled when other people weren’t around. I didn’t care when she left before the soldiers got here. Ava gives the best cuddles. Cary’s and Wolf’s are pretty good, too.”
I felt floored. Angel was usually a mischievous bundle of energy, but she seemed quiet and introspective right now. When I looked back, I realized she’d been remarkably quiet today. Maybe it was because Ava had disappeared for a few days. If that was the case, we were going to have to do something about it. Omegas craved touch, and it seemed as if Ava was one of the few people in Angel’s life who had given it to her willingly and openly. I hated that the Palace had deprived them both of such a simple thing, but I was glad they had found each other in this place.
“I like her too,” I said softly.
“Duh, you’re her mate,” Angel replied. I tried not to laugh as she rolled her eyes at me. I wondered how much she knew about mates, though.Surely the Palace hadn’t started her on the same training as the older omegas yet? She needed to be climbing trees and splashing in puddles for as long as the world would let her.
“Do you want to help me with the lights? You could reach if you hop up on my shoulders.”
“Yeah, I wanna ride on your shoulders,” she said, perking up.
Emma appeared in the doorway, but I waved her off when she offered to take Angel back to the kitchen. Angel had sought me out for a reason. I sensed her frequent disappearing acts weren’t about being mischievous at heart. She was just searching for the connections she instinctively needed and she’d learned to be stealthy about it. She shouldn’t have to be.
I crouched down so she could climb onto my shoulders, then passed her up the next string. I’d found fairy lights that were embedded in silk flowers. So I was in the middle of stringing them across the ceiling using discreet hooks I’d discovered in the ceiling cornice. I’d also rescued some of the greenery we’d pulled out of the conservatory and put into big urns around the room. Emma had helped me find it all earlier. She’d remembered they’d used a bunch of these lights for a debut ball once. Emma said she’d snuck in to see it before the guests had arrived and they had decked the room out with plants and lights to look like a fairy garden. She’d explored when the omegas had first been put in here to sleep, looking for anything useful, and found a store room up the back with the event decorations.
I asked Angel questions about what she liked to do, as she helped me string up the lights, and she happily answered me. It turned out she liked to draw and paint, and I made a mental note to find some art supplies for her. When we were done, she reached up to hold my hand while we surveyed our work, which made me melt.
Omegas had been coming and going throughout the afternoon while doing chores. But they’d all drifted back in here over the last few minutes. They were chattering excitedly and dragging mattresses into better viewing positions. Emma had even rustled up some popcorn.
I tried not to let my nerves get the better of me as I settled down to wait for Ava to arrive. She was late, but I knew she was with Cary, so I wasn’t worried. I just wanted this to go well. I had the guitar I’d found earlier, so I played some songs for Angel to keep her amused. She happily cuddled up next to Wolf. But I kept glancing at the doorway.
Ryder patted me on the arm. “It looks great, Nick. Don’t stress. She’s going to love it.”
Movement had my gaze snapping back to the door again. I wasn’t the only one. The eyes of our pack tracked Ava and Cary as they made their way through the ballroom.
Ava stopped briefly to chat and hand over a bunch of chocolate bars to Emma, who was sitting on a mattress a few over from us. Ava winked at Miles and Owen, who were sitting on either side of Emma. Then she dropped off a few bars with Lexie. I heard her tell Lexie to keep them for Maia. It was a sweet gesture for her pregnant friend. I could feel the alphas behind me getting impatient with her slow progress, though. I didn’t blame them. The few hours since I’d seen her last felt far too long.
When she finally made it to our mattress tucked up the back, she zeroed in on Angel and hugged her before handing her the final chocolate bar. Angel squealed in excitement and dove into it.
I patted the space between my legs when she made her way over to me. She settled in and leaned back against me while Cary sat down next to us. The guys had kindly kept the space around me clear, even though I knew they all wanted to snuggle with Ava right now. She looked up at the screen, only just seeming to realize we hadn’t started the movie yet. No way was I starting it without her.
“Sorry I’m late. I was, just uh—“
“Yeah, we know what you were just doing. We could feel you in the bond,” Ryder groaned, cutting her off, as he discreetly cupped the tent in his pants. He leaned over and whispered to her. “Do you know how hard it was to sit here with a straight face, feeling like we were going to cum in our pants while making polite conversation?”
“Oh,” she squeaked, looking around the room, before shooting a look in Angel’s direction, but Angel was busy enjoying her treat.
I hadn’t thought those kinds of emotions would pass through a pack bond, but I’d been wrong. Knowing that we’d all felt her appeared to turn Ava on, as her scent spiked to a chorus of groans.
“We probably need to figure out a way to shield stuff from the bond. Lexie and her pack have been practising. I’ll talk to her,” she said, quickly. Honestly, I didn’t want a shield between us. I said nothing, though. I didn’t know how to without sounding stalkerish.
I nodded to River, and he leaned over to click start on the laptop connected to the projector I’d found in the lab. The opening music drowned out any further conversation.
I grabbed a soft blanket and pulled it around Ava. It was from our nest and smelled of our pack. She sniffed the blanket and sighed happily. She smiled up at me when I put the snacks I’d made for her on her lap. I’d cut up some fruit and made a mini platter with the last of the cheese for her. I knew she loved cheese. She looked it over before carefully choosing a few pieces. I could sense her feeling guilty, but not enough to knock it back.
“Thank you, Nick, this is my first date, and it’s perfect,” she whispered in my ear during a quieter scene in the movie. She put the plate down and turned around to snuggle right up in my lap. I felt like a god.
“You’re worth it,” I told her, and I meant it.
“It’s a little crowded, though,” Ryder said from behind us, as he shifted restlessly, trying to adjust himself again. “We could have so much more fun if we were alone.”
Ava blew him a kiss over my shoulder before she turned her attention back to the movie. It was a PG movie, because we had a child and teenagers in the room, but she didn’t seem to mind. Neither did anyone else. I stroked her hair absently and landed a few light kisses on her forehead every few minutes. She closed her eyes, as if she enjoyed the sensation, and I felt her go heavy against me.
I didn’t know how I got this lucky. But I wasn’t going to mess this up. This was only the start.
