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Golden Omega

Copyright 2026 by Mazzy J. March

Digital ISBN: 979-8-89320-389-9

Print ISBN: 979-8-89320-390-5

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by Decadent Publishing LLC

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Epilogue

An Excerpt from Tawny Omega

About Mazzy J. March

Connect with Mazzy!

I presented later than the others. When my designation became clear, my pack and my parents disowned me.

There was no room in our pack for an omega.

With only my savings and a tiny bit of knowledge about what being an omega is, I flee to a small town with a comforting name where I think I’ll be safe. Pleasant. The perfect place for a girl to settle in and open a flower shop of her own.

I’ll never trust another shifter again. My new omega friends say the natural thing is for me to get packed up for safety, but what is that but more people who can betray me.

So I swear off alphas and packs until, one afternoon, three men come into my place of work and need a rush order for a wedding. I assume it’s their wedding, and that’s great until their scent hits me.

And I’m a goner.

Golden Omega is the third book in the Disowned Mates series. It is a sweet with knotty heat BBW, Curvy Woman, Reverse Harem shifter romance featuring a rejected omega wanting to be loved for herself, Fate’s intervention, hot alpha males, and a guaranteed HEA. Each book in this series can be read as a standalone. If you like your alphas hawt, your omegas strong, and your romance with heart, one-click Golden Omega today.

Stories by Mazzy J. March

The Lycan Academy

First Howling

Second Growl

Third Snarl

Jaded Love

Shifters of Consequence

Survivor

Legacy

Triumph

Dominion

Torn

Tether

Tremble

Tinsel

Academy of Fire and Ash

Betrayed by Dragons

Coveted by Dragons

Mated to Dragons

Sciathain Academy

Veiled Wings

Sullied Wings

Dawning Wings

Across the Veil

Mated in Silence

Rejected by Fate

Rejected by Blood

Rejected by Birth

Reaper’s Claw Wolf Pack

Abandoned at Birth

Forsaken Life

Endangered Heart

Heir Alight

Ridgewood Rogue Wolves Saga

Mangled

Marred

Wounded

Restored

Absolute

Shifters of the Golden Flame

Dragon Sacrifice

Dragon’s Divulgence

Dragon’s Vindication

Stars Aligned Series

Procyon

Nebula

Zenith

Academy of the Ravens

Darkened Wings

A Conspiracy

An Unkindness

A Murder

Urban Academy

Semester One

Semester Two

Semester Three

Semester Four

Semester Five

Semester Six

Semester Seven

Semester Eight

Semester Eight.Five

Semester Nine

Urban Academy Rejects

Renegade

Sedition

Anarchy

Mail-Order Matings

Delivered to My Mates

Delivered to My Pandas

Delivered to My Alphas

Delivered to My Koalas

Delivered to My Protectors

Delivered to My Polar Bears

Delivered to My Orcs

Delivered to My Tigers

Delivered to My Bigfoots

Delivered to My Wolves

Delivered to My Grizzlies

Delivered to My Gargoyles

Delivered to My Dragons

Delivered to My Demons

Delivered to My Elves

Delivered to My Fury

Delivered to My Alpha Aliens

Delivered to My Shadow Unicorn Alphas

Delivered to My Beasts

Delivered to my Reindeer Alphas

Delivered to My Fluffy Alphas

Delivered to My Best Friend’s Mate

Delivered to My Protective Alphas

Werewolf Academy

Minx

Ava

Disowned Mates

Ginger Omega

Tawny Omega

Golden Omega

Violet Eclipse Shifters

Clawed Heart

Tainted Mate

Ripped Fur

Bearbound Hearts

Falling for the Bear Dad

Resisting the Bear Dad

Taming the Alpha Bear Dad

By Mazzy J. March and Jenna M. Jett

The Conjurer Academy

Enigma

Psionic

Golden Omega

By

Mazzy J. March

Chapter One

Hema

Every morning, I parked in my spot in the alley behind my shop, but I didn’t go in the employee entrance. It worked perfectly well, and I did use it multiple times a day, but I liked to approach the business from the front. To stroll up on my narrow storefront and approach it as a customer would. My window displays changed every night, so I’d be seeing exactly what potential customers would. Often seasonal, always fresh, the blossoms and greenery as well as interesting knickknacks I found at estate sales, farm auctions, and thrift stores. Sometimes those little items were what drew in passersby.

On this particular morning, I arrived to find an elderly woman admiring my bouquet of summer blossoms and a lemonade stand. I’d run across the glasses and pitcher at a yard sale and they’d been a steal. I’d paid five dollars for the whole set and had them priced at twenty-five. Which was also a great deal for someone.

“Good morning,” the lady said when I was unlocking the door. “Is this your store?” She leaned on a cane, a faint shake to her limbs.

“Yes, I’m Hema. We aren’t really open yet, but if you’d like to come in for something, I’d be very glad to have you.”

“Oh, no, dear. I was just admiring that lemonade set. My mother had one just like it, and it got donated somewhere after she died.” She offered a wavering smile. “I wonder if it’s for sale?”

“Yes, it is. Please come in and you can get a better look. See if you’d be interested.”

“I am sure I can’t afford it. If it is like Mother’s, it’s almost a hundred years old.”

“Please? I’m going to put on a pot of coffee, and I’d welcome the company if you’d like a cup.”

“Well, maybe just for a moment.”

I held the door open while she hobbled in then followed her and locked it behind us. “Have a seat and I’ll get us coffee, Miss…”

“You can call me Norma, dear.” She sat at the table where I went over catalogues with customers. “Are you sure I’m not in the way?”

“No. You can keep me company while I do my chores.” I stepped into the back to start the coffeepot then returned. “You said your mother had glasses like those?”

“We only used them for very special occasions. On warm summer afternoons, we’d sit on the porch and drink lemonade and have these little tiny delicate cookies. They were lemon, too. With powdered sugar.”

While I ran through my morning routine, setting up the register, moving flowers out of the big refrigerator in the back, sweeping even though I did it before I went home, the little lady sipped coffee and shared with me what it was like growing up in a nice family. Where people loved each other and made special occasions out of a warm afternoon.

Before I opened for business, I wrapped up the glasses and pitcher and put them in a handled bag. I wanted to give them to her, but she insisted I not lose money, so I sold them to her for the five dollars I paid. And because I hadn’t wanted to charge her anything, I included a bouquet of baby roses in a soft pink hue for her to enjoy.

Visiting with my guest had given me a nice start to the morning. I set the sidewalk display outside and came back in to replace the lemonade set with some pretty china cups and saucers then found a teapot, and voila! A fresh white tablecloth and other items and we had afternoon tea. I hoped my new friend would enjoy her set. Perhaps it even was her mother’s that had gone through various owners. Either way, it was a nice reminder of good times in her past.

My own was not as nice. I’d been tolerated until I presented later than the others in my age group. Unfortunately, an omega was regarded as a burden, and my parents disowned me. With meager savings, I walked to the highway and hitchhiked to the nearest town where I caught a bus. On the timetable, I found a town called Pleasant. A comforting name, and I decided to find out if it was a place I could be safe.

After helping a few early customers, I got to work on the day’s special orders. Birthday and anniversary arrangements, a funeral wreath, and some orders for local businesses who liked to have fresh flowers all the time. After saving every penny I could while working two jobs in my new hometown, I had an opportunity to rent this space and decided to open a flower shop. It was the best thing I could think of. Most times, flowers were for happy occasions. Prom, Mother’s Day, all the holidays. Even for a sad time, like a funeral, I did my best to bring what joy and comfort I could with the arrangements.

I had worked hard to build this business and a fulfilling life. One I’d never have been able to achieve at home. So, in a way, disowning me was a favor. But I was so done with the whole shifter system as it concerned omegas. My new omega friends said I should seek the safety of a pack of my own, but that was not a good reason for joining lives with others.

Single worked for me, and I planned to stay that way. Forever.

Chapter Two

Altan

I tossed and turned all night, so breakfast was something easy. Biscuits and sausage in the oven and scrambled eggs. Easy as far as I was concerned since it was my day to cook. Cooking was something I loved, but lately I didn’t have the heart or the energy for it.

The lack of sleep was becoming a problem.

My wolf was hyperaware, for lack of a better term. He wanted me to run at all hours of the night. We had security cameras around the house and would know if something was up, but he insisted.

Prowling at all times of the night in my head, the feeling was strange. Never had he been so insistent.

I’d woken in a cold sweat again the night before at three on the dot—rather, that morning.

Maybe what I’d been thinking about was ready to be spoken out loud. As I pulled the biscuits out of the oven and stirred the eggs one last time, my pack brothers bustled about the house.

This morning, we needed to talk.

It was time to move on from Pleasant, but though I was the alpha of this pack and made the final decision, I wanted their input.

My wolf could be behaving weird. Animals did that.

“Morning,” Orin called out, eyelids heavy, hair pointing in every direction. On Mondays and Tuesdays, his hidden, small-town speakeasy was closed, so he got decent sleep, but usually only enough to catch up only to repeat the process again. Thank goodness he was able to take naps during the day to keep his energy up.

“Morning. Coffee’s ready.”

Orin strolled over to the coffeepot, picked it up, and then put it down again. He rested his fists on his hips and looked from the coffeepot to the espresso machine he insisted on and then back again.

“Trouble?” I asked, laughing. He’d done this before.

He chuckled. “I’m making the most important decision of the day. Shush.”

That should’ve made me laugh considering Orin took his coffee as seriously as the liquor he sold at his bar but, instead, it made me rethink everything, not that I wasn’t doing that enough on my own.

Coffee had become one of the most important parts of our day. Along with food. What to eat. What to wear. Work. Shifting. Paying the bills.

There was more to life than this, and I had a sinking feeling that we were missing an integral part of it. No, more than a feeling. A knowing. We were a pack and had been since we graduated from college. I went on to law school, but we were a pack before that.

Packs formed because of a bond of brotherhood but, more than that, we formed so that we could prepare for having a center. A pivot. An omega.

And here we were contemplating coffee and breakfast and a lack of sleep instead of spoiling a mate rotten and prioritizing her needs over our silly male needs.

We didn’t talk about what we were missing, but all of us were well aware of the absence.

Orin made the espresso decision and got to work on that while I ate at the table with my tie laying over the back of the chair. Damned thing. I didn’t put it on unless I had to and then I took it off as soon as possible.

When I was pouring over law texts and studying my ass off, I didn’t consider the wardrobe in my career decision. I should’ve. Ties and suits were the absolute worst.

Sovann was up next and chipper as ever. Unlike Orin and me, Sovann had always slept like the dead no matter what was happening in our lives. He worked from home but was in between projects, so he filled his days with taking care of our chickens and our tiny vegetable garden. We wanted to expand it, but who had the time?

“Morning.”

I grunted instead of answering, and Orin said something unintelligible while he sipped his espresso.

“Both of you are grumpy? It’s not even Monday.”

“Do you two think we should move?” I asked, not able to contain myself anymore.

All movement stopped. Orin’s cup was halfway to his mouth. Sovann paused in front of the dish cabinet with the door partially open.

I couldn’t have been the only one with the thought in my head.

Or maybe I was.

Sovann turned around. “What do you mean?” Apparently, the look I gave him answered the question. “Why? Are you thinking about moving us?”

“We moved here to settle in and find our omega. That hasn’t happened.”

There. I said it.

Orin polished off his espresso and pushed away from the counter he’d been leaning on. “What if we move on and she’s here? Or she’s about to move here? This was the place that called to us most. We’ve settled here. We have a paid-off home. I have a business. You a job. We like it here. If Fate intends for us to have an omega, then our worlds will collide.”

I almost scoffed but thought better. Orin believed with his whole heart in Fate and destiny and soul mates and scent-matches made in heaven. “My wolf has been antsy. I don’t know why. I’m fucking tired of being alone. All of us.”

“We are too.” Sovann, followed by Orin, came to sit next to me with a plate of food. “But we can’t give up. And I think Orin is right. What if we move, and she’s on her way here?”

“Okay. Then we wait for her.” No movement felt like giving up, but I trusted my pack’s instincts.

I sometimes walked to work, since our place was outside of town but not too far to enjoy the commute. On this day, there was some sidewalk construction at the end of Main Street, so I changed my route and went a different way. On a side street, I noticed some movement in a shop that had been empty for years.

The window was filled with blooms and a summery backdrop. When had it opened?

Maybe they were right. Pleasant was growing by the year and hopefully it would attract our omega to move in so we could find her.

Chapter Three

Hema

Every day was different in the flower business, although it might not seem like that from a distance. I had the only shop not only in our town, but we served a few others that had no such business. When I opened, I was concerned that there might not be enough business, and I had to turn at least a modest profit quickly if I was going to keep the doors open. Even in my short tenure as a shopkeeper, I had figured that out.

I’d made the decision to open the store almost on a whim. A flyer pinned to the community board at the grocery advertised a grant program for first-time business owners who had a solid plan. It seemed there had been an economic downturn a number of years before, and although things were improving, a number of storefronts and other commercial spaces not on Main Street remained empty. So, they were looking for ambitious people to fill those spaces and the unmet needs of the town. A list of suggested businesses was available on the town website.

One of which was a florist. I loved flowers. Always had, although I’d never had a place of my own to grow them. And that was part of the dream. One day, I would have a nice yard where I could grow every color of blossom for my own pleasure and the beautification of the neighborhood. People would walk by and say, “That Hema sure has a green thumb.” But a flower shop sounded like the next best thing.

And once I got started on it, I wasn’t so sure it was next. Maybe it was even better. Not that I wouldn’t grow a garden when the opportunity came someday, but designing and organizing everything, taking classes online! The grant came with an educational budget. That was one of the best add-ons. I learned bookkeeping and supply and demand, flower arranging and so many more things.

I didn’t really believe I’d get the grant because my past experiences had taught me to have low expectations. And I feared I wouldn’t be good at business or design or the thousand other things that came with my aspirations. But I was determined to put together a shop I could be proud of, and the only way to do that was to take one step at a time.

Pleasant was a town that really lived up to its name.

I had certain things I had to do like keep the business running for five years or the grand would convert to a loan, but why wouldn’t I want to continue? The mural of a wildflower meadow painted on the wall behind the counter alone would hold me here. It looked just like the field I’d visited one year when I was seven and discovered my love of flowers. And I painted it. I’d do anything to make sure I never had to leave it behind.

But while I’d been woolgathering, the clock had been busy, and it was almost time to open. My morning routine had gone on even without my full attention, fortunately. Habit such a strong thing. And as I stepped outside with my sidewalk display, who should come tripping down the sidewalk but Tawny.

Our local bookseller often passed this way, but usually she just waved and continued on. Today, she stopped to admire the nosegays I had in the display. “These are so pretty.”

I stood sunflowers in a tall, deep container, glancing over. “Violets. They are actually from a local farm, and so are these.”

“Those are all sunflowers? Even the red and bronze ones?” She traced a bloom with a fingertip. “I thought they were always yellow and that’s why they are called what they are.”

“Partly, but they do come in a variety of colors. They are all fiery. Also, they turn to face the sun while they are first blooming. Follow it all across the sky.”

“That’s so cool. I think I’ll take one of the little violet bouquets for my desk.” She picked one up and sniffed it. “That’s gorgeous.”

“I’m so glad you like it.”

She reached for her bag, but I waved her away.

“Take it, and if anyone asks where it came from, point them in my direction. Cheap advertising.”

“That is so sweet of you. If you ever want to borrow a book, treat me like a librarian.”

“That, I won’t do. Books are worth a lot more than a few little flowers. Besides, I already come in there and read. So I guess you’re already my librarian.”

Tawny giggled and started away down the street, calling over her shoulder, “Let’s do lunch today or tomorrow?”

“Call and let me know when.” With my friend going, I returned to work, creating a big arrangement for someone’s fiftieth anniversary. They were having a big party and had asked me to recreate the centerpiece from their wedding. But bigger. I had to work from a very old picture, but I hoped I’d managed to capture what they remembered.

Coming around the counter, I leaned forward to set the flowers on the consultation table when I caught a glimpse of a man walking past my window. Tall, broad shouldered, and wearing a suit, which didn’t really happen in this town. I darted forward for a better look just in time to see him disappear around the corner.

For a small town, there sure were a lot of people I hadn’t seen before.

And apparently some of them were hot.

Chapter Four

Orin

Poe and his mate Karissa often came into The Alibi since their mating. The thing about my speakeasy was that the first visit was by invitation only. So, you had to know someone who already came. It preserved the atmosphere and gave me a sense of secrecy, the whole point of a place like mine. But in a small town, secrecy and illusion weren’t exactly good for business, so thank goodness the people of Pleasant invited visitors when they thought it was a good fit.

When Poe came in alone, at around noon, I knew something was up.

“What?” He chuckled. “It’s five o’clock somewhere, right?”

I shrugged one shoulder. Who was I to judge? “Sure. What will it be?”

Poe was dressed in all black, not a surprise. His usual drink was an old-fashioned, but when his mate was with him, they got adventurous.

“Not really in for a drink. Just testing you. I wanted to ask you something, but you have to swear to secrecy.”

I cocked my head. Secrecy was a given around here. “You got it. What’s up?”

“We want to have a small wedding. We registered the pack and Karissa’s ours, but we wanted to give her a wedding with locals. A celebration.”

“That sounds great, man. Is she excited?”

He flexed his neck and took a seat on one of the barstools. “Well, that’s the thing. It’s kind of a surprise. She doesn’t know. So we would need the venue to take care of all the setup and ordering things.”

“Where is it going to be?” I asked, still wondering how I could help. I would, of course. They were my friends and regulars here.

“Well…” He looked around and it all clicked with me.

“Here? You want to have your wedding here? I’m honored.”

“That’s a yes, then?” Poe was of brooding before Karissa showed up, but now we got to see him smile all the time. The aftereffects of finding his fated mate.

I wished to have that smile one day.

“It’s a hell yes. What do you need me to do?”

We went over the plans. The decorations were ordered, and they would take care of setting the place up, but the flowers had to be ordered. Karissa was a smart omega. She would know something was up because they didn’t really give her flowers. She preferred plants and desserts to flowers that would die one day.

But a wedding demanded flowers.

Poe had the plans written on a folded sheet of paper he pulled from his pocket. Some were checked off like the decorations and the rings, and I was happy to see him mark off the venue.

“How about we take care of the flowers as a gift to the pack?”

Poe’s eyes widened. “You would do that for us?”

“Absolutely.” I clapped him on the shoulder.

“There’s a new flower shop around the corner. Off Main Street. The Happy Flower. You’ve seen it?”

I’d seen it on my way to work but didn’t have the time to stop and see what exactly it was. Also, it was late at night when I did. “I passed it the other day, but I haven’t been in. Didn’t think twice about it, actually.”

Poe nodded and folded up his paper after marking off flowers as well. Damn, I bet it was nice to have an omega to dote on and surprise. I grew a bit jealous, not of his omega but at his situation. If only we could find ours, it would change our whole lives. Give us purpose.

“How do you not know what is going on in your own town?”

Altan came in from the back where he was helping me stock up for the week. I had the deliveries come in on my days off. No rest for the wicked. “What are we talking about?”

“Poe is surprising Karissa, well, his pack is surprising Karissa with a wedding, and they are using The Alibi as the venue. I thought we could take care of the flowers as a gift. Poe was suggesting the new flower shop that just opened up.”

“I saw it yesterday. There was someone inside, but I didn’t stop in.”

Poe shook his head. “You two. Maybe you should spend more time shopping in our town.”

“Maybe so. Who owns it?”

Our friend got up from the barstool and opened his mouth but then shut it again. “You know what? I’ll let you two find out when you order the flowers. And it’s coming up soon, so do it fast. This has to be perfect for our mate. She deserves a destination wedding, but our girl likes things simple.”

“That’s mean,” I teased. “What is it, some hot omega who owns it? She’s just waiting for someone to scoop her up?”

Poe slapped the bar. “Go to the flower shop. Just trust me.”

Altan sidled up to me. “What else do we need to do? Order extra booze? Get some champagne?”

“That’s a good idea. We’ll make it the best wedding this place has ever seen.”

Altan laughed. “It’s the only wedding this place has ever seen.”

“Maybe the first. If we make this good, other people might want to have gatherings here. That would be cool. Drum up more business.”

“That’s true. Hey.” He looked at his watch. “How about we head over to the shop now and make the order. Let’s call Sovann. He’s got a better eye for these things than we do. I’d just order a shit ton of red roses and call it a day.”

“I’m on it.”

Chapter Five

Hema

Being a florist was so much more than I’d ever dreamed it would be. When I first moved here, I worked different jobs and met people that way, but now I had a window into their worlds. For example, old Mrs. Olson. When her husband passed away, he’d arranged for her to receive a rose every week. This arrangement was made with the previous florist who had been located on Main Street. When they shut down, five years ago, so did her rose connection.

When I opened the shop, the lady who helped me with the grant paperwork told me about it. The lady was ninety if she was a day, and she’d been married to her husband for over sixty years. That flower was her reminder that even though he wasn’t physically present, he was with her in spirit. What could I do but call her up and tell her that I had her contract transferred to me and she could come any day and pick up her first rose. I also offered to deliver, but she liked popping in. Usually, like today, sometime during the morning. Every time, she told me the same story about her Henry and the rose he gave her for her high school graduation and how he’d wanted to leave her this legacy. I didn’t know what happened to the money for the flowers. It most likely went down with the ship when the previous florist closed, but one rose a week wasn’t going to hurt my bottom line.

In fact, it was a very inexpensive way to give back to someone in the community who needed a little boost. Those five years without the flower must have been hard for her.

This was an example of that intimacy I had with people. They came in with their happiness and sorrow and while I’d expected to take orders for all those things, I hadn’t known that I would be privy to so many of the details of their private lives. Maybe I was just a friendly face. I sure tried to present one.

My van, parked out back, had a sign on the side, but when I had enough money, I would be getting it wrapped with a gorgeous floral display. Also, I’d be hiring someone besides me to drive it. Goals. Achievable ones, I believed. Especially with the orders from the surrounding towns that I had to deliver after closing three nights a week. I climbed up on the stool behind the counter to check the website and see if I needed to change my route for the next trip.

As the door closed behind Mrs. Olson, the bell rang again, and I looked up to see three men crowding the doorway. The narrow storefront seemed reasonably big, usually, or at least adequate. I had a few customers in here all the time, but with these three, it felt as if there was no extra space at all. They were all taller than average, broader shouldered, and they just seemed to fill up every inch.

“Hi,” I said. “Welcome. Can I help you?”

“I hope so. This is a very nice store you have here.” Spoken by the one who might be an inch taller than the others.

“Thank you. I try to keep things neat and clean.”

“Where did you find a muralist here?” he asked. “I’ve never seen one like it.”

“You like it?” Because never having been one before might mean nothing more than it sucked.

“Very much. Can we get a closer look?”

“Sure.” A little trill of happiness encouraged me as they approached the counter. “It’s a meadow back where I come from.”

“You come from a beautiful place,” the second man said. He was dressed all in black and had an air about him that I found intriguing.

“No, not really. That’s actually a vacant lot but in spring it had so many flowers, it almost looked like a meadow.

They all told me their names, and I led them around the shop, showing them the specialty products we had for sale as well as the various items. They were cordial and interested, asking questions about various flowers and other things. Before I knew what I was doing, I’d shown them virtually every flower and plant, proud of my stock and my decor. I had to recognize what I was doing. I never gave tours. The shop was small enough to see it all from anywhere you stood. The tall guy at the front looked a lot like the one who got away the other day. That was a silly way to put it, but he had caught my attention, wearing a suit that day, possibly the only person in town who was.

My wolf was at the surface, enjoying them and wanting to rub against them. No reminder that we were here to live our life as a successful business person made her want them any less.

They were so sweet making all kinds of nice comments about the shop, and I found myself laughing a little and enjoying their company, wanting to keep them a little longer just because. When I came here, men were the least thing on my mind, but I’d have had to be made of plastic not to be aware of how good-looking these men were. And the fact that they were all talking to me, flirting a little maybe, went right to my head.

But I was enjoying myself, showing off a little, until I finally asked, “Why did you come in today? I presume not just to admire the flowers.”

The second man smiled and said, “No, we’re here to set up flowers for a wedding at the speakeasy.” And then I snapped out of the clouds.

A wedding. They were getting married, and I was making a fool of myself around someone else’s men. I felt so foolish.

Chapter Six

Sovann

The flower shop fit right into the ambience of Pleasant as though it had been here when the town was built. It was tucked in between the library and the hardware store, and I thought of how smart that was. Men could pick up a dozen roses to make their expensive purchase of a generator or some weird tool go over smoother with their mate or their omega.

A little bit smoother.

The architecture of the outside matched the town, and even the door had been kept vintage with a brass knob. Whoever ran it had painted it a lovely pale yellow, and it made the bouquets and gift offerings in the window shine.

The door was painted a bright white, and sheer white curtains were pulled back with ribbons.

The ambience made me feel welcome before I even walked inside. The woman behind the counter, the owner, I assumed, was gorgeous, and I stood in the open door long enough, gawking at her, to make Orin shove me inside with a chuckle. I was starstruck. Dumbstruck. Lovestruck. All of the above.

Her blonde hair bounced as she spoke to her customers. She made eye contact and was really listening to what the older woman wanted.

And maybe it was the flowers. Or the selection of scented candles, but something smelled incredible. Sunshine and daisies and a hint of summer. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what that meant, but it gave me the feeling of sitting in a field while the sun beamed down on me.

The owner, Hema, showed us around, but the second the wedding was mentioned, the omega’s entire demeanor changed. Now that I was near her, I knew the scent was all her. The omega’s perfume filled the place and complemented the flowers.

Until the word wedding left Orin’s mouth. Then the scent soured a bit. Almost smelled burned like a marshmallow toasted over the fire too long.

What happened? Did she not like arranging flowers for weddings? I thought events were the pinnacle of excitement for a florist, but maybe that was just an incorrect assumption.

Perhaps events were a pain in the ass for them.

Otherwise, I had no explanation for the omega’s swift change of attitude and scent.

Unless it was me.

“I haven’t seen the speakeasy yet. I honestly didn’t know Pleasant had one. Can one of you describe it, so I know what we’re working with?”

Orin’s turn. It was his business. “It’s dark. Blacks and wines, and it’s supposed to give off a dark, secret vibe.”

“I see. Well, we could go with that theme and keep things edgy. Do you think the omega, the bride, would like that?”

I nodded. “I think so. We were given free rein.”

“Okay. Let’s go with that, then. I have some ideas.”

She came back with a tablet and plugged in some words and before long, had an arrangement for us to look at. A beautiful bouquet with dark-red flowers with hints of forest greenery. I thought about Karissa with her lovely red hair and knew this would be perfect. I sent a quick text to Poe, and he said it was fine. They weren’t going traditional anyway. Her dress was black, one that he had picked out. Not her usual thing, but they wanted dark romance.

Dark romance they were going to get.

“I think that’s perfect,” I said after texting Poe and then showing the guys.

“Great. Should I come up with some more ideas and then give you the price? I need to order asap and get to work.”

“Yes, please,” Altan said. His cheeks were slightly red. I was glad I wasn’t the only one affected by this omega.

In fact, I was more than affected. The more she talked, the more my wolf drooled over her. He actually called out mate. He’d never done that before.

“Give me a few minutes. Feel free to look around the store while you wait.”

I tried not to stare while Hema began keying in the order and our price. It didn’t matter what it was. This wedding was important, not only to our friends but for the speakeasy. And for the community. It was good to get together and celebrate.

She was hard at work, typing away, biting down on her bottom lip. All three of us moved around the place, which was bigger than it seemed from the road. She sold all kinds of things and even had some plants from another pack. Flint was the one who propagated plants from their pack. Their omega’s name was Tawny.

In between arrangements and refrigerators units were other things. Tea sets. Candles. Knickknacks. Homemade items.

What a lovely shop she’d created for herself.

“Okay. Here we go. I didn’t know what name to put on the invoice. I usually use the bride’s name. What is it?”

The three of us shared a look. This all had to be done in secret. If there was even a chance Karissa would see the invoice, we couldn’t risk it. “Um, why don’t you put it under my name,” Orin said and wrote his name and phone number at the top.

He paid for the order and while he did, the omega’s scent soured even more. When she bid us goodbye, her eyes barely raised and her smile was forced. Not that she had to smile at us but it was lovely.

What had we done to make things go so wrong?

“How about lunch?” I suggested. “I think we need to talk.”

We went to the diner and sat down, ordering the special for the day, meat loaf and mashed potatoes, along with honey-mustard roasted carrots.

“Do I have to say it?” Orin pushed his drink to the side after the waitress left with our orders.

“I can’t be the only one.” Altan looked torn.

“She’s our mate,” I blurted. “Our omega.”

Altan blew out a long breath and leaned back in the booth, crossing his arms over his shoulders. “Then why did her scent completely warp the moment we mentioned the wedding?”

“I don’t know.” Orin shook his head. “I’ve gone over the encounter in my head. I can’t think of anything we said or did that was wrong.”

“Maybe we met our omega and she simply doesn’t like us. Maybe she’s mated.” Altan was giving up already, and I hated how defeated he was lately.

“No. There was no alpha scent on her. We’ll figure this out. We have to.”

Chapter Seven

Hema

After they left, I stayed busy. Their order was enough to make for a good day, but I couldn’t be as happy about it as I normally would be because I kept remembering the fact that my long-suppressed libido had been surging forward, accompanied by my wolf who demanded we go find them and tell them that we wanted to know them better. She could be a pushy beast, but she’d never shown the least bit of interest in any of the alphas in our life before.

Not that anyone had been decent to us. Before we presented, we’d been tolerated. Each day we did not present, we were treated as if we’d chosen to be difficult. As if our latency was our choice. At the time, I’d been willing to accept blame, to consider myself as less than the rest, but since arriving here, since taking the steps to get myself where I was, my confidence had grown. As had my determination not to put myself in a position where others had power over me.

And what was an alpha but that? I’d seen enough omegas whose packs ran rampant over them, to not want to be in that position.

And then I met my friends here. Tawny, for one, and Karissa. Both of them had really great alpha packs. I’d been to both their homes and seen the way they operated. Polar opposites of those I’d known before, and maybe that was why my wolf had suddenly decided she wanted to have mates of her own? A pack?

Close to noon, I finished a row of small arrangements for a restaurant in town. Just carnations and baby’s breath, extremely retro, but they liked it and didn’t want anything more. My stomach rumbled and I decided to go out for lunch. Normally, I just ate at the counter and kept the doors open, but I felt like there wasn’t enough air in the shop and needed to clear my head. So, as soon as the guy from the restaurant showed up and took their order, I called Tawny, since she’d suggested a lunch date, but her shop was busy and she couldn’t get away.

Not a fan of eating alone in restaurants, I was going to grab takeout, when I got a call from Jenny, another new friend who was free and wanted to know if she could bring me anything to eat. She knew I rarely went out, but I surprised her by saying that today, I needed to get away from work and clear my mind. She was already at the diner.

Like me, Jenny was single and planned to stay that way. Although she did love watching others hook up, claimed it made her feel like the one omega with her head on straight. My singleness did not change her feeling of singularity. But she was fun and a good listener on any other topic, so I put up the Back in a half hour sign and locked the door behind me. I needed a little time to talk about something besides those three males who were about to get married. Maybe it was all for the best because I didn’t want a pack anyway.

“Hema, over here!” I walked into the little diner and followed the sound of Jenny’s voice to find her at a table by the front window. “I hope this is okay?”

I took a seat facing out. “It’s great. I like to people watch.” And maybe see a few alphas going by? “How are things at the library?” Jenny was a newly minted librarian, but this was her day off.

“I love it so much there. We just got a donation of some very valuable books, and I’m getting to help with logging them in. It’s just a dream, really.” The server arrived then, and we both ordered salads and iced tea, along with a large basket of fries for the table. Having more than my share of curves, I strove for balance in all things. It was fine to be me, but since I didn’t eat all that healthy at home, I tried to get a salad in me when I ate out, if possible.

“Tell me more about the books,” I urged. “Are they fiction?”

Jenny would gladly talk about books all day, and I was super happy to let her. “History. Nonfiction, all over a hundred years old. And so delicate. It’s such an honor to be able to even handle them. The sheer perspective of the authors at their time.”

The server brought our food, and I squirted some ketchup onto the small plate and dipped a fry in it. The salad was nice, all fresh and crisp, but with my mind in a twist over the alphas, I needed junk food.

“Earth to Hema.” Jenny waved a hand in front of my face. “Did you hear what I just said?”

“The books?”

“No, I was asking if you know those alphas?”

“Huh?” I looked around. “What alphas?”

“Behind you. Don’t look.”

“If you don’t want me to, why did you point them out?” And why did I have a feeling I knew who it would be?

“Okay, you might as well. But fair warning, they are eating you up with their eyes.”

I took a glance over my shoulder and confirmed what she’d said. “Ohhh. They came into the shop before.”

“Pretty cute. Interested?”

“I thought you were all against hooking up.”

“For me. And for permanence. But I’m not against a night of fun.” She sipped her tea and grinned at me.

I wasn’t so sure about that night of fun stuff. It sounded dangerous to me. “Do you happen to know them?”

“No. I’ve seen them around, but I don’t know their status. I’ve never seen them with an omega.”

“Well, they were buying wedding flowers, so gonna guess they are taken.”

“What a shame. They had potential.” She giggled. “Hey, I know you’re not quite finished with your lunch, but do you mind if I take off? I need to run a few errands while I have the chance.”

“No, it’s fine. I need to get back soon anyway.” We hugged and agreed to do this more often, and off she went. Leaving me in the sights of three alphas who had no business looking at any omega but their own.

Chapter Eight

Altan

I was one bite into my meat loaf when her scent took over as the bell above the door rang, announcing a new customer.

I’d only met her once but I would know her scent anywhere. She was one daisy in a field of sunflowers, but my wolf could find her in an instant.

All three of us stopped eating. Our eyes met.

“It’s a small town, Altan. There are only about four places to get lunch. We’re bound to run into her.”

“Sovann, do you think I’m complaining? I’m not. I…damn it. I don’t understand. This is not how it’s supposed to work.”

Sovann and Orin were on the other side of the booth, their backs turned to Hema and her friend. They came in and our eyes met, only for a fraction of a second.

“Look, all I’m saying is that if she is who we think she is, then it will work out. It might not be us at all. Maybe she thought of something or had a bad experience with weddings. Maybe she’s even been married before. We don’t know. It’s too early to make any kind of assumptions.”

The thing was, I was already making inferences in my head. Reasons she might not like us. The ways she would reject our pack and leave us to go on alone. Because even though we’d only met Hema a few minutes ago, less than an hour, I didn’t see myself with anyone else but her.

Ever.

I tried not to look at her. I did. My wolf snarled and snapped inside me, demanding that I go over there and take her back to our den. Make her ours and mark her.

Finally have our omega.

But that wasn’t the way things worked. My human side wanted to court her. Give her courting gifts. Ask all the questions that first dates did. Learn her likes and dislikes. Let her hear my purr. Allow her to whimper when she needed me like omegas did.

Fuck, all of this was not going to plan.

Maybe the best things didn’t.

“Do we give her space?” I asked my bond brothers. My eyes were on her. Lunch was forgotten. Almost forgotten. My wolf would never let me forget a meal entirely.

“No. We have to find out what happened. We can’t correct what we said to upset her if we don’t know what it is. Right?” Sovann leaned back, mimicking my stance. “Why is everyone giving up so fast?”

Her laughter interrupted my thoughts in the best way possible. She was with a friend and they’d ordered.

What did she order? How did she like her steak? Was she a salad-with-dressing-on-the-side girl, or did she like their famous avocado-bacon burger with three kinds of cheese?

Goddess, I had to get hold of myself. This desperation was uncalled for this early in the relationship to be so needy. And yet here I was, yearning for her like my next breath. My pack brothers felt the same. I didn’t have to ask them to know.

Once an alpha found their mate, especially a shifter alpha, there was no question of his priority.

I calmed myself slowly as did Sovann and Orin. We resumed eating and, while there were a thousand other noises in the town and in this crowded diner, all I could hear was her. Noises of affirmation. The sound of her laughter.

We ordered pie because we wanted to extend our time here as long as possible and when it was delivered, her friend received a call. There was giggling, followed by said friend scooting out of the booth and waving goodbye to Hema.

This was it. Our time to find out what we’d done and to pledge to never repeat a mistake. We were half human after all.

“I’m going to ask her to join us. She’s sitting all alone.”

Orin’s eyes widened. “We just talked about giving her space and time.”

“That was before. I can’t… I have to try.”

Before any more rebuttals, I was on my feet and walking toward her. She looked up at me with those huge baby-blue eyes and I paused as the world around her faded away.

“I saw your friend leave.” My voice sounded gravelly. Nerves. Goddess, I was like a boy, nervous to talk to a girl for the first time. “Did you want to join us?”

Chapter Nine

Hema

Did I want to join them?

More than anything, but also less.

The alpha I’d seen walking past the shop that day, Altan, was the one who invited me, but he was asking me to come and sit with all of them. While they placed their orders, they’d been charming, but in fact no more than that. And hot guys, in my limited experience, had a rough time turning off the charm.

They were getting married, and even if they wanted a little omega on the side, they wouldn’t be announcing it in a public place. So, I did the only thing a businesswoman could do. Did I want to join them? More than anything, but not for reasons that were entirely honorable.

“I’ve got a few minutes before I need to return to the shop.” Standing, I picked up my iced tea and followed him to the booth at the back. The guy in black, I thought his name was Orin, slid out and let me get in, which put me at the back middle, unable to leave unless one of them let me out or, if desperation struck, I could crawl under the table. Wouldn’t that be professional.

As we all got settled, the server came and refilled everyone’s iced tea and winked at me. My cheeks burned. I wanted to tell her it was just business, but that seemed like more information than a person should share with the person filling their beverage at a diner. She could think what she wanted.

“Would you like some pie?” Sovann asked. He seemed the most laid-back of the three, and his arm casually lay over the back of the booth behind my shoulder. “It’s very good.”

“No, thank you. I don’t have time. But it looks very good.” That’s good. Polite and friendly. But sitting there surrounded by the three of them, scents of delicious desserts filling my nose, holding myself aloof was not happening. Or at least, I was holding on by my fingertips.

“I didn’t know we had a new flower shop in town,” Altan said conversationally. “Then I took a different walking route to work and there you were.”

“Yes, there I was.” And telling him I’d rushed to the window to get a better look at his ass, or all of him, would not contribute to my respect for whatever female they were marrying. They must love her a lot to be willing to step past the traditional mating and marking and do something so clearly just to celebrate her. None of the alphas I’d known would have done that for sure. Great! I’d found the only three alphas, well, besides Tawny’s and Karissa’s packs, who knew how to treat an omega, and someone else had already won them.

Mates, my wolf asserted. Ours.

No, they are some other bride’s.

Wow…a bride. I supposed if an omega got lucky enough to be hooked up with her true mates, her fated pack, the traditional mating and marking might be enough. But a whole wedding with cake and flowers and friends to congratulate her? Wow. And that was why I could positively confirm these were not my mates. If they were, they would not be head over heels about someone else.

The server came back again to refill us, and I held my hand over my glass. I wasn’t staying long enough to drink any more tea.

“How long have you been in town?” asked Orin, his dark eyes intense and focused on me. Was that a pickup line? So confusing.

“Awhile. I worked at a few different places before opening the shop.”

“I’m amazed I didn’t see you at any of them.” Sovann smiled, easy and relaxed in his demeanor.

I swayed a little toward him, like a bee to a flower, before straightening again. With Altan so commanding and Orin’s cool, Sovann might seem like the one to be least concerned about, but as we spoke about ordinary things, he chipped away at my walls, and I found myself relaxing. Not quite forgetting that these males were taken but maybe not remembering quite every second. Turned out, he did a lot of the everyday-life stuff for their pack, which was why he commented that he should have run into me at some point.

“Have you noticed that the produce prices have been higher than they should be at this time of year?” he asked. A question most omegas would have said yes to right away. But not this one.

“No. I mostly buy frozen dinners.”

“Oh, that’s not good. They’re full of salt and chemicals.”

“Hopefully not too many chemicals.” I winced. “With my shop hours and making deliveries in the evenings, I don’t have a whole lot of time to cook.”

“That’s a shame.” He let his arm drop from the booth back to my shoulder long enough to give me a pat before lifting it again. Before it was inappropriate. Before I could protest. “Nutrition is so important. We grow a lot of our own vegetables, but not all.”

“Oh, you have a garden.” Why did I sound so amazed? Most people around here did. There were a lot more houses than apartments in this town. “Do you grow any flowers?”

“A few, but mostly just things like marigolds to deter pests.”

“Does that really help?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” He pulled out his phone and, leaving that one arm behind me, showed me pictures of his vegetable garden. It was surrounded by open space, and I took the phone, scrolling through photos of tomatoes and zucchini and watermelons and all sorts of things.

“You have more room to expand.”

“I sure do. Hey, why don’t you come over one night for dinner and you can have a decent meal and give me ideas about flowers.”

I froze. This was so inappropriate. “Goddess. This is why I don’t date shifters. Let me out of here. Oh, never mind!” I ducked under the table and crawled out. Pausing at the counter, I paid Jenny’s and my bill and stormed out into the street. They were getting married, were already mated, and were trying to get me over to their house? What would their mate think of that? Ugh!

Chapter Ten

Orin

“What in the hell just happened?” I asked mostly myself as we sat there, still in the booth, pie half eaten.

We’d just been chewed up and spit out by our omega. She wasn’t ours yet, and after our encounter minutes before, I wasn’t sure she would ever be.

Every woman was different. They took time to get to know and learn what made them tick and what pissed them off, but if we never got a chance to even court her, then none of that learning could take place.

“I’ve never been so confused in my whole life.” Sovann was the most shell-shocked of us all. Other than speaking those words, he hadn’t moved an inch from his spot. She’d crawled under the table to get away from us, saying something about never dating shifters.

A new anger bubbled in my chest. Who hurt our omega so badly that she had sworn off an entire species of people? Had she dated a shifter who broke her heart?

My wolf didn’t like that idea one bit.

Altan opened and closed his mouth several times but managed to pay the bill and watch as the table got cleared before saying anything. “We can’t let this stand.”

“Don’t you think we should give her some space?” Sovann added. We’d all been snapped out of our post-omega-rant stupor and were ready to do something about it.

Letting our omega stew in anger wasn’t really our thing.

“I’m not letting this stand. We have to get to the bottom of this.” Before we could argue, Altan was on his feet, the two of us following him like baby ducks. It only took a few minutes to get to the flower shop and, thank goodness, she had no customers.

Altan paused at the door and took a long, deep breath. The last thing we wanted to do was piss her off even more.

“You three again?” She threw her head back, teeth bared. Great way to start things off with our mate.

“We would like to clear some things up, Hema,” Altan said. “Please. Give us five minutes of your time and then, if you want us to never come back, we won’t.”

Her eyes shifted right and left. She shrugged one shoulder. “Five minutes.”

“Is our order canceled?” Sovann asked, stepping forward. “Let’s clear that up first.”

Hema rolled her eyes. It had to be something about the wedding and the flowers. “No. I’m not unprofessional. Well, I kind of was at the diner, but I would never cancel the order for your wedding. I’m looking forward to making the bouquets and the other arrangements for the…your wedding. The colors are really amazing.”

Fuck me. If she was our omega, which she was, then that also meant she was aware, or had to have an inclination, that we were her pack, her alphas. And we’d come in, ordering flowers for a wedding and… “It’s not our wedding. It’s our friends’. Their pack. We ordered the flowers because the wedding is a surprise for their omega and, if they ordered themselves, she would find out. We are doing them a favor and giving them the flowers as a wedding gift.” The sentences came out in a slurry of words, all strung together, nary a breath between them. She had to know we weren’t getting married.

Her face went pale. I could see as the facts weighed down on her. Her scent changed instantly from burned and tangy back to honey and lemons and sunshine. “You were picking out flowers for another pack’s wedding?”

Her shoulders relaxed, and her perfume filled the air. There. At least she knew the truth.

“We didn’t want you to get the wrong idea,” I added. “We’re helping with the arrangements.”

“Oh. I have to admit, it was confusing. You were buying flowers for your wedding and then asking me to come over for dinner without mentioning the omega you were marrying, or you aren’t marrying because there isn’t one?”

I shook my head. “You thought we were a bunch of cheating, lying animals.”

My alarm went off, the one that told me to get my ass back to work. I silenced it and sent a quick text to my bartender to handle things until I got there. This was more important than any order. Hell, it was more important than my whole bar.

This was my life. That was just work.

“I really did. I’ve had some not so good experiences with shifters. Even though I am one. I-I shouldn’t have assumed.”

“Not your fault at all. We should’ve explained more, but we really are trying to keep all of this a secret.”

She nodded. “You are good friends. And thank you for not canceling the order after the way I acted. It’s my biggest yet.”

“You’re welcome.” Altan stepped forward and her scent spiked, but underneath was a slice of fear.

Was she scared of us or all shifter men in general? I was dying to find out.

“Will you go out with us? Or come to dinner? As a pack or individually, if that’s better for you.”

Her cheeks filled with a rosy blush. How beautiful. “No.”

The air in the store charged. I was more confused than ever. “No?”

“I don’t date shifters. I’m sorry. It’s not you. It’s me. Truly.”

Altan nodded and I followed his lead as he turned to leave. “See you around, Hema. Thank you for your time. I hope this place flourishes. You deserve it. We really do wish you the best.”

Chapter Eleven

Hema

Jenny had decided there was not nearly enough fun in my life. When we met, she’d been anti males entirely, and loudly so, claiming for omegas they were nothing but trouble. But, from our lunch together, I’d learned she had made a change and now seemed more about using them for a good time. She was very sketchy about her background before moving to Pleasant, and I didn’t press her for details. I had my own pain, and while I was comfortable sharing it with her, I held back, for fear it might remind her of her own trauma. She was a good person, kind, funny, and loved books, but she had healing to do, and her bouncing back and forth in her feelings about men wasn’t going to make that happen. Were they evildoers to be avoided or playthings without emotions to worry about?

She was gorgeous, and males were always giving her the eyes, so having the trio watch me in the restaurant was quite the unusual experience when with my friend. If only she could figure out where to put alphas in her mind and her life.

I wasn’t sure either attitude was healthy, but mine weren’t much better, so I shouldn’t judge. One thing I did know was that sitting home thinking about those three alphas wasn’t helping my state of mind.

Now that we’d cleared up the matter of them getting married, they saw no barrier to dating me, but only because they knew nothing about me besides the fact that I owned a flower shop. My past, the way omegas were treated, might seem normal to them, but it was not acceptable to me in any way.

And “dating” with shifters could go from casual to marked and mated on the turn of a dime. Jenny was the first shifter I’d ever met who thought they could just date for fun. My experience in seeing the others around me growing up was that they either met their fateds if they were very lucky or, more commonly, omegas were handed off to packs that leadership wanted to hook them up with. In our area, there had been too many omegas for handy and profitable alliances. That was why I was rejected. Disowned.

How could I be part of a system where people behaved that way? These males were intense, and my wolf was all on board, but I couldn’t do it.

I was staring into my freezer, deciding what delightful microwavable dinner to enjoy when the phone rang. A glance at the screen made me giggle. “Jenny. Did you hear me thinking about you?”

“Maybe. I hope it was good thoughts. Were you hoping I’d call and ask you to come with me to the speakeasy?”

“No. I was just thinking of our conversation earlier and your newest thoughts about males. I really think my policy of not dating shifters is the best.”

She snorted. “You don’t date anyone. Not just shifters. All you do is work. So, want to come with me to the speakeasy?”

“Funny how that place keeps coming up. I never even knew it existed until today. Those three alphas at lunch? The flower order for the wedding? They are helping another pack set up their wedding at the speakeasy. It seems that my oglers are not taken, after all.”

“Perfect. You can date them.”

“What don’t you understand about I don’t date shifters?” Heat poured up my neck as I prepared to defend my policy again. “Geez, Jenny. I respect your choices.”

“All right. All right. So, I’ll pick you up in a half hour?”

When did I agree to go? But it was better than sitting around here dwelling, and the speakeasy sounded kind of fun. “Fine. I’ll meet you at the curb.”

“I’m your Uber tonight.” She disconnected, and I went to see if I had any outfit that might be speakeasy appropriate. I didn’t. Not really. No cute short dresses or anything like that. But I did have black jeans that molded to my curves and a top that dipped to show just enough cleavage that I wasn’t worried about falling out and creating a disturbance. Some women struggled to be skinny, but I wasn’t one of them. After trying to diet in my early teens, I learned that not only wasn’t it particularly effective, it made me grumpy.

Jenny pulled up right on time and gave me a high five when I climbed into her little sedan. “Wow. You did a lot in a half hour.”

“This? I just changed, gave my hair a quick brush, and put on a little makeup. Do you like my boots?” I held a foot up.

“Cute!” She steered onto the street. I could have walked to the speakeasy probably. I didn’t know where it was or the actual name to look it up, but my apartment was pretty centrally located. The only reason I drove to work was, I didn’t want to leave my van in the alley all night, and I often used it for those deliveries right after closing. “You’re going to love this place. It’s in a basement and you have to know someone to get in. And get the secret knock.”

“Are you serious? How does the owner keep the place open if they don’t let in all potential customers.” I tried to imagine running my own business that way and laughed. “Nope. Sounds like a bad plan.”

“It really isn’t. It’s always crowded. I think people like feeling they have access to a private club.”

“Is it a legit business? Like with a liquor license?”

“Oh sure.” She parked in a small public lot and got out. “It’s not like the speakeasies of old. But boy does it feel like one.”

I followed her to a short set of steps leading under an ordinary-looking brick building. “It really is underground.”

“Yes. Now watch. In case you come on your own, you’ll need to know this.” Jenny knocked several times in a pattern I couldn’t quite make out and the door swung open. Wild. “Hi. This is my friend Hema. She’ll probably be a regular now, so add her to the list.”

No, I was not going to be a regular. This was only the third bar I’d ever been in. Not my thing. But as my eyes adjusted to the low lighting, my jaw dropped. “So cute.” In a dark and maybe a little naughty way. “The dark romance theme for the wedding is going to be perfect here.”

Jenny headed for the bar and ordered us each a flight of whiskeys. “They’ll bring them to our table. Come on.” She skirted the edge of a smallish dance floor where couples clung to one another and swayed to the music pouring out of overhead speakers. “What do you think?”

Taking a seat, I looked around again. “It’s very nice. I almost wish I was invited to that wedding. Maybe I should offer to deliver the flowers.” The alphas had said they’d pick them up. Which was another reason I didn’t know where the speakeasy, which I now knew was called The Alibi, was located.

“Good idea.”

The server brought our drinks, and Jenny ordered another pair of flights before we even started to drink them. But I was here to have fun, so I sipped the tiny glasses and we talked about the taste, the aroma, and all the hot alphas on the dance floor.

Then, just as I relaxed, Jenny said, “Oh…look.”

I did. Just in time to see Orin and Sovann emerge from a curtained doorway in the back wall. “Are you kidding me? They must be following me.”

“And here they come.”

“Hi.” Sovann gave me that easy smile that melted all my bones. “If we’d known you were coming tonight, we’d have reserved a better table for you.”

“If you knew…how would you have done that?”

Orin slid into one of the two empty chairs at our table. “Because this is our place. Mostly mine, but packs share everything. Didn’t we tell you that we own The Alibi when we discussed the flowers?”

“No. You were all secret-secret and chose to keep most of the details from me in the interest of the bride not finding out.”

“Right.” Sovann flushed a little. “Sorry. We really should have mentioned the venue I suppose.”

“You didn’t have to, since you were picking up. I was just saying I’d be happy to deliver so I can see the flowers in this space.”

“Absolutely.” Orin nodded. “Just add the charge to the total.”

“No. I don’t even charge delivery on bigger orders.”

“On this one, you do.” Sovann was still standing and he reached for my hand. “Dance?”

“No. I don’t date shifters. I said that, right?”

“It’s not a date.” Jenny slapped my arm. “I’m your date tonight, and here come the whiskeys. I’ll guard them while you dance. Don’t be such a stick up the butt.”

“How could I resist when you’re so complimentary, friend.” But I let Sovann take my hand and off we went to dance. Orin danced the next one with me and when I looked back at the table an hour or so later, Jenny was gone and the glasses were all empty.

“She’s dancing.” Orin pointed across the floor. “Same guy since about five minutes after we came out here. They drank all your whiskey.”

“That’s okay. I don’t drink much.” And I was having fun. No law against that, right?

Chapter Twelve

Sovann

I couldn’t have torn my gaze away from her if I’d wanted to. Which I did not.

Earlier, our day had been all but made and ruined all at once. We’d met our fated. Our omega. Our scent-match and soul mate.

And then she turned us down flat for a date.

Downtrodden and on the verge of giving up, I found some hope when we came out and saw that she’d arrived at The Alibi with the friend from the diner.

Now, she danced with Orin in the center of the darkened bar. A slow jazz tune resounded low, just loud enough to be able to dance to and carry on a conversation at the same time.

She laughed at something eh said and then they sat down at the table where she and her friend were once having drinks. Her friend was still dancing.

A few minutes later, her friend and the man she’d been dancing with left together.

That was the second time the friend abandoned her. Not judging, but also judging.

I promised myself that I would give her one song to rest and then it was my turn. The thought of my woman in my arms was almost too much to bear. The bar counter was cleaner than it ever had been, thanks to my taking out my extra energy on its sheen.

While they talked, I served drinks and, eventually, Altan went to sit with them as well. Even under the dim red lights of the bar, I could see the heat in her cheeks as she laughed at something they said.

Her scent was more potent than ever. As midnight passed and we entered the wee small hours, the customers filtered out, followed by the staff, until there was no one there but the four of us and Orin’s bartender. But soon, he winked at us and left for the night, not even muttering a goodbye.

“I think it’s time for me to go,” Hema said, and my stomach clenched.

No, no, no. I hadn’t had my dance yet.

“Let’s make a deal,” I said, standing up and offering my hand. “One more dance and then we’ll walk you home.”

She served me a stink eye. “Sovann.”

Goddess, I loved how she said my name. Her lips were pouty, and her voice dropped an octave. All breathy and sexy.

Only three drinks in. Noted. One or two more, and I would call her over the edge from tipsy to drunk. Or maybe not. Shifters usually had more tolerance, but she didn’t drink as if she did it often. But I would assume she was not to be trifled with, just in case.

I put my palms out. “Absolute gentlemen, I swear. Walk you to your door and make sure you get home safe. No strings.”

She scoffed. “There’s always strings with alphas and shifters.”

“Not with us. I’d love for there to be strings one day but tonight. I just want to dance and then see you home safely.”

“One dance.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Orin got up and put on a sweet and sultry instrumental. We moved to the center of the dance floor and, despite her cool words and standoffish nature, she melted into my embrace.

“If you were a flower, which one would you be?” I asked, wanting to hear her talk. Feel her breath fanning over my skin. If I was blessed enough, listen to her laugh.

I moved my hand a bit lower on her back. She didn’t flinch.

She laughed. One objective complete. “Damn, that’s one I’ve never been asked. I actually have no idea.”

“Something dangerous and beautiful at the same time,” I offered and pulled her a bit tighter. She whimpered slightly but allowed it. Our bodies were flush as we swayed to the music, our mouths nearly touching. Above the music, the thump of her heartbeat picked up.

Good. At least I wasn’t the only one affected by her touch.

“You think I’m dangerous?”

“You could be. To us. To me. But most definitely beautiful.”

Altan and Orin went about cleaning the place up, giving us a bit of privacy. “Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself.”

“Tell me what brought you to Pleasant,” I prompted. I wanted to know everything but had to pace myself. Pummeling her with nosy questions might spook her again.

She sighed. “Not yet, okay? I have things tucked next to my heart, and I’m not ready to reveal them. Things that hurt. It’s painful talking about them.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, leaning forward, allowing my lips to graze the rim of her ear. “Keep your secrets safe if it makes you feel better. I didn’t mean to…”

“There’s no way you could’ve known. It’s okay.” Her jaw worked next to mine. Her sweet voice in my ear. If I could stay this way forever, I would. Holding her close, her body moving with mine.

“What’s your favorite dessert? I make one hell of a dark-chocolate brownie.”

Her body shook with laughter. “Now, that’s a conversation I can get behind.”

We shifted positions until we were in a hugging position. I rubbed circles on her back, and she played with the hair at the back of my neck. Goose bumps broke out along my skin.

“You like that, don’t you, Sovann? Me touching your hair?”

“I do. It’s been a long time since I’ve been close to someone like this. And you didn’t answer the question.”

She moved her head slightly and pressed her nose to my neck. Inhaling deeply. Taking in the scent of her alpha.

“Behave.” I let out a bit of alpha power, lightly swatting her behind.

“I can’t help it. You smell so good. All of you do. Like chocolate and cherries and something else I can’t name. Dark chocolate and cherries are my favorite. Any dessert with those things is a guaranteed like from me.”

“That gives me ideas.”

She pulled back to look at me. “Yeah, I’m getting ideas too.” She let out a big sigh. “I think it’s time for me to call it a night. Too many ideas.”

Her perfume kicked up, punching me in the gut. I could guess what those ideas were.

“Let’s walk her home, boys,” I called out. “The omega is ready to go home.”

Her blue eyes searched mine. “You keep surprising me.”

“In a good way?”

She nodded, her eyes drooping by the second. “I think so.”

We walked her the short distance to her apartment. and Orin followed her up the stairs. After she went in, he knocked, reminding her to lock the door. He then stayed and listened, making sure she did.

The last thing in the fucking world I wanted to do was leave her alone, unprotected, but what choice did we have?

None. At least, not yet.

Chapter Thirteen

Hema

Lucky I don’t date shifters because if this was a date, I’d have invited them in and probably let them fuck me.

OMG listen to me. A few drinks and I was ready to pull a Jenny and use three alphas for my own pleasure. Speaking of which…if I wasn’t going to fuck the alphas, I might as well have a bubble bath and maybe imagine what it would have been like if they were here. I poured a glass of white wine and lit a candle while the tub filled with mountains of white foam. When I rented the place, I’d been so excited because it had a nice deep tub, but at first, I was working two or three jobs at a time and since the shop, it was even more hours. All I had energy for were quick showers.

It was probably three in the morning, and I had to be up early, but I didn’t care. This girl needed some luxury, and maybe some relief. Climbing in, I sank into the warm softness of the bubbles and heated water. Foam tickled my chin. “I really should do this more often.” If I’d been drunk at all, I wasn’t now, but I was so relaxed. And the bath was easing the ache in my feet. My new boots were comfortable enough, in general, but I’d danced for hours, and they weren’t broken in enough for that. I leaned my head against a rolled-up towel and let my eyes close, remembering the dancing, their arms around me or hands perched at my waist. Somehow, there hadn’t been one really fast song the whole time. Mostly sultry, sensual tunes that invited touch.

I trailed a finger down my chest, imagining it was one of them doing it. Altan, maybe. He would be the one to start out anything. A real leader. His lips would be firm on mine, his touch strong and commanding. Once he’d begun, the others would come in, wouldn’t they? I might understand that packs took a single omega, but I’d never made love as that omega. Or as anyone at all.

I’d been rejected before anything like that ever happened. A few casual dates early on in my independence had only confirmed my disinterest in dating shifters. I pictured all three of them naked, in the water with me…the tub magically grew in my mind to accommodate us all. It was big, but not that big in real life. Good sized for one curvy omega, and that was about it.

As I imagined their lips and hands on me, their words telling me they thought I was beautiful—my fantasy!—I circled my nipples with both hands, pinching and stroking. They would be bending to suckle them about now, and just the thought of that had my breathing harsh and heart rate climbing.

Is it good, omega? Altan would ask. Use your own hand to show us how you like to be touched.

I can’t. Not in front of all three of you.

Please. This from Orin. We need to know how to give you the most pleasure possible.

Every single day. Sovann sounded a little less laid-back now. Until you beg us to stop.

I’ll never ask that.

Then, show us. Altan guided my hand under the water to the vee of my legs. Orin, lift her hips so we can see.

Yes, alpha. Warm hands cupped my butt cheeks and lifted me onto Orin’s lap. Now we can see everything.

Almost. Sovann scissored two fingers to part my outer lips. Now, omega. Touch yourself. She’s perfuming.

Of course I was. Who wouldn’t be? I’d have to be dead not to react to them. Eyes still tightly closed, I pictured them all watching as I trailed fingers through something that was more my own juices than the water, daring to insert a tip into my tightness where they would soon be placing their male parts. My imagination had plenty to work with, having shifted around males my whole life, but I’d never been the least interested in any of the others or taken a really good look. Also, they would be big. I knew without having to be told. Bringing my fingers back, I traced circles around my clit, pushing the hood back and touching that most sensitive spot.

My fantasy version of the alphas bent in close to watch, and my scent rose to eclipse the lavender and lemongrass bubble bath. Their warm breath on my skin raised goose bumps and I shivered in reaction. Every cell of my body went on alert as the orgasm built deep inside. I held back, not wanting the fantasy to end, wanting to know what it felt like to come under the watchful gaze of my alphas.

But I couldn’t stop it, spiraling through me, tightening everything and then letting it loose all at once. I splashed, sank deeper into the water and trembled, seeing them all disappear as I came back to myself.

But a moment later, that self heard what I’d been thinking.

My alphas.

How could that be?

It might have been easier to dismiss if I hadn’t dreamed of them all night and awakened pretty sure I’d orgasmed in my sleep. Several times. Was that possible?

Chapter Fourteen

Altan

Being a lawyer in Pleasant meant that most of my cases were small civil suits and minor criminal cases. Our law enforcement consisted of Holt and his deputies. He was a fair and decent sheriff, and in my time as a lawyer, I’d met some doozies.

I woke already feeling like I was going to lose the day. We’d stayed up until after closing with Hema and walked her home. Not that I regretted a single minute of that time with her, but I still had work and things to do, and those things were hard to do when you felt like death warmed over.

I showered and dressed in a navy suit and tie with a gray shirt. Going through the motions, I prepared coffee and ate the breakfast Orin made even though he was falling asleep at the table.

“Couldn’t sleep?” I asked, thumping him on the back of the head.

“Dreaming about her. I’ve got it bad, man.”

“We all do. We just have to be patient. Go back to bed. You’ll need your energy.”

He got up and made his way to the hallway. Our bedrooms were on the first floor, the entire upstairs comprising the omega suite. Its door stayed closed and, thanks to Sovann, the rooms were clean and ready, stocked with everything an omega might need to nest. We built it with a faceless future omega in mind. Blind faith.

Our real omega was so much better than my fantasies.

“I’m headed out,” I shouted and heard something from Sovann in the office. He worked strange hours, sometimes, if he was in the middle of an edit. He didn’t work a ton, earning a good amount doing freelance editing. I always called him lucky his hours were so flexible, but with our other domestic tasks, he also worked his ass off.

He would be Hema’s comforter. I would be her safety. Orin would be her rock. We would be whatever she needed.

But first, we had to earn her trust.

Though we’d seen her only hours before, I craved another encounter. On my way to the flower store and eventually court, I stopped by the café and picked up two coffees and a pair of cinnamon-crunch muffins.

When I got to the flower shop, there was a line. Her place was busy and I was so proud of our omega.

She’d come here and built a business on her own, and it was blooming, pun intended. I waited my turn, which took almost a half hour. Good thing I was still early for court and it was only a hop and a skip away.

“Good morning, Altan.” She glanced down at the coffee in my hand.

I let her squirm for a moment. “Coffee and a muffin?” I put them on the counter.

“Thank you.” Her cheeks filled with rosy heat. “I didn’t have a chance to stop this morning. I was going to, but there was a line at my door already. I was running a little later than usual.”

“That’s fantastic, Hema. You’re doing so well.”

Oh, boy. Her perfume pulsed with sweetness. She liked the praise. Good to know. And since I’d been at the end of the line for her early rush, we were all alone.

“Thanks. Did you need something? I don’t have an update on the wedding flowers yet.”

“I actually wanted to order a delivery for my legal assistant. Tomorrow is her birthday, and I wanted to get something nice but professional. Ideas?”

She got to work, flitting around, pointing out several sprays until one caught my eye. A polka-dot vase with some white and yellow roses. Marney, my assistant, was an older woman, talented and precise. “This will work. Don’t you think?”

I valued her opinion.

“Yes. I love this. Very professional but cute. Good choice.”

We wrote up the card, and she promised to deliver it the next day to the office. She did the deliveries herself but chatted about hiring someone if the orders kept drumming up. I hoped they did. Seeing her in this shop, doing what she loved, made her absolutely glow.

A happy, flourishing, omega.

If she chose us, it would be because she wanted us. It was then that I realized she didn’t need us. Not our income or our financial security. Not for her sense of self.

That would make her loving us even more special.

“I guess I’d better get to court. So many small-town criminals to defend.”

She giggled. “I mean, I’ve heard some gossip. Are you telling me Pleasant isn’t always pleasant?”

“I’m telling you that sometimes people pass through and vandalize or speed. Once in a while, there’s a neighborly dispute or a land struggle. Not exactly felonies.”

Another laugh. This one reached right in me and tugged. The last thing I wanted to do was leave.

But life called. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Yeah. Maybe so.”

Chapter Fifteen

Hema

When Altan showed up at the shop, it was all I could do not to shoo the other customers out of line and send them on their way. Or lock up and send him on his. I helped one person after another, grateful for their business and thinking, Don’t leave. Wait! I’m going as fast as I can. He was wearing another nice suit, and I thought he’d mentioned something the night before about only wearing them when he was going to court, so his time was very likely limited. But I didn’t tell anyone that they needed to get out of the way for the important lawyer.

Finally, he reached the front of the line, with nobody behind him. I’d done a whole morning’s worth of sales in an hour? Half hour? I’d never looked at a clock, but it seemed to take forever. And then, when the butcher who’d been ordering a congratulations arrangement for his brother’s new baby stepped aside, I saw what the alpha held.

He teasingly held the muffin and coffee out of reach just long enough, I started to think maybe they were for his office before he set them down on the counter. How incredibly sweet. I’d had a lot of time to imagine what it would be like with these males, in way too graphic ways both awake and asleep, and my cheeks burned at the memory of what I did in the bath and those dreams!

He must be here to ask. Right? Wrong. He launched into a request for flowers for his legal assistant, and being a consummate professional, I offered suggestions and finally put together something that he liked. Not that he was difficult, but it was hard to think with my libido and my wolf doing flips inside me.

Everything in me screamed that I should say yes. The moment he asked me on a date, I would agree. I would take Jenny’s way and just get this out of my system. Sex. All omegas needed sex, and the heat blockers weren’t guaranteed to make a libido disappear. Just that I wouldn’t go into heat. In fact, I knew omegas who took them so they could have all the sex with their mates when they weren’t ready to start a family. I wasn’t on those or scent suppressors because I’d never been close enough to any males that interested me that they could have been a thing. Until now. As we walked around the shop and spoke, his nostrils flared more than once.

He was too polite to comment.

Luckily because I’d have died of embarrassment.

I felt so much pressure setting up the arrangement for his assistant. If I’d learned one thing, it was that flower arranging came to me easily. It was in my blood. Sure, I’d taken classes, but the instructor had said there was only so much she could teach us. We could learn about colors and shapes and what worked better in different seasons, but once we got past that, we could either be a grunt setting up grocery store arrangements according to a diagram provided by corporate or an artist whose work would be in high demand.

I wasn’t sure quite how gifted I was, but people seemed to like my stuff, and I loved doing it. The wedding arrangements with my head not quite straight had been pretty smooth, but now that I knew these males were available and wanted to date me?

And now that I’d had an appalling night of fantasies about them?

I stood staring at the shelf of vases in the appropriate size for a good ten minutes before selecting the pretty one with the yellow and black dots on white background. And the roses. Altan’s delight at my choice helped some, but I was really going to have a hard time if they kept coming in here and buying flowers for other females, assistants or not.

What did this Marney look like? Was she prettier than me? Had he decided that I wasn’t going to say yes and so he’d moved on? Lots of males got together with a secretary or assistant, didn’t they?

And here I was making up flowers for her?

Suddenly I hated her. He had said it was a professional gift, but how did she feel about it? I rang up the order and promised to deliver it the next day. Then I’d see who this femme fatale was who wanted flowers from one of my alphas.

No! Not my alphas. I only wanted him to ask me again so I could be very clear that I wasn’t going to date them. Especially after all the dancing and whatever I might have said while a little tipsy.

Oh Goddess. What had I said?

I tried to remember, but it was all a little blurry.

Altan said he’d see me later and walked out the door. I’d answered something flip because of course I had. And he was leaving. To go see his assistant who was probably twenty-two and had long smooth hair, something I never managed to achieve, down to her ass. Probably wore tight skirts and high heels, while I stood here in a wraparound apron that changed my curves into something far less attractive.

I couldn’t let him leave like this. My wolf was having fits.

Running to the door, I called after him, “Are you free for lunch?”

Chapter Sixteen

Altan

She asked me out. Yelled it from the store into the street where I was walking.

Our omega asked me out for lunch.

And then I had to go to work and try to focus on cases that were mostly instances of wrong place wrong time and “get your damned foot off the accelerator so hard.”

Court took for-damn-ever.

Finally, around eleven, I tore off my tie and made my way to the sandwich spot. There weren’t very many places to eat in Pleasant, but I was glad she hadn’t chosen the diner. I would be worthless the rest of the day after a burger or something equally as hearty from there.

When I arrived, Hema was already there and had secured a table for us. A table for two.

What a lucky bastard I was.

I sat across from her and found she’d ordered us two peach iced teas, a specialty of this place. “Thank you for ordering this. How has your day been?”

She bit down on her bottom lip. “Interesting. Some people came in for flowers, but mostly I made a fool out of myself and now everyone knows we’re on a date.”

I snorted. “Are you realizing that Pleasant gossip is passed on like a bad rash?”

“I’m getting the gist. I’m nervous,” she blurted right before the waitress came over. Our omega shook her head. “Forget I said that.”

“Nonsense. Let’s order, and then I’m asking all about it.” We got sandwiches, and I took a note of her order. An Italian sandwich on basil-and-tomato focaccia with extra cheese and fries on the side. Lots of ketchup.

“Have I done something to make you nervous?”

She shrugged. “Not you specifically. Alphas in general.”

“Want to share with me why?”

She twisted her mouth up in the cutest pout. “My pack before. There were alphas and regular shifters there. But when my designation became clear…they said there was no place for an omega at that time.”

Her jaw ground back and forth. “Whatever it was, you didn’t deserve it. Whatever they did to hurt you makes me want to pummel them but it was about them, not you.”

“I didn’t even tell you what they did.”

“It may be a conversation for another time. Maybe in a more private space.” Several patrons, people I knew and some I didn’t, were listening in. We were the latest couple or pack dating, and they all wanted the scoop, but I had to protect her from the gossip as best I could.

Some was normal and preventing it would be impossible, but this telling of her past could wait. “Oh. Thanks. I’m not used to all the ears.”

“Mostly they are eager to know you better and they would be happy if… Well, if we were together, but some things should stay private, don’t you think?”

She nodded. “Well, tell me about you and Sovann and Orin. How did you meet? How long have you been a pack?”

“We met right after college but before I went to law school. We were at a graduation social. We met and hit it off, and our wolves formed the bond. It clicked. We belonged together. As a pack. I love them. They are my family.”

She nodded and dug into her sandwich wholeheartedly. Lettuce was sacrificed to the plate. She had oil on the corner of her mouth. Adorable omega. She didn’t take delicate bites meant for a rabbit. The woman was committed.

I could watch her eat all day.

Maybe that was creepy.

“I didn’t realize this was a mess.”

I chuckled. “That’s okay. Means it’s good.”

“And you’re a lawyer, but what about Sovann? I know Orin runs The Alibi.”

“Yes. Sovann works from home, editing books. Works his own hours and the other times, he handles so many things around the house. He really keeps our pack running.”

She ate some more and then nailed me with a stare. “And you’re the alpha of the pack.”

My wolf wanted me to shift and show her his form. The big, bad wolf needed her to know that her alphas could protect her. Animal. He wanted to preen in front of her. Show off.

“I am but it’s only because my alpha is a bit stronger than theirs. I can’t name one time I’ve ever had to use my bark on them or override anything. We work as a team.”

“Oh. That’s really different from the pack I came from.”

I wished we had more privacy so she could tell me. She would one day. I had a feeling it would reveal all the reasons she didn’t date shifters.

Except she’d broken her rule for me.

“We run our pack like a family.”

We didn’t talk much for the rest of the meal but as we walked toward the flower shop, I took her hand in mine and she let me. Hand-holding was intimate. It wasn’t naked, but the bond sparked between us nevertheless.

She had all of me. One date.

“Before we go back to work, I wanted to ask you something.”

She turned, key in her hand. “Ask away.”

“We would like to take you on a date. All of us.”

Those blue eyes widened to the size of saucers. “Even after I kept turning you down?”

“Yes, Hema. A date. With all three of us. Dinner? You name the day.”

“Tonight.” She slammed her lips shut. I would bet her wolf had just spoken for her.

“Tonight it is. We’ll pick you up at six. Is that okay?”

“Seven,” she corrected. “The shop closes at six. I need time to get dressed.”

“Give me your phone number, please.”

I texted her so she’d have mine, and, when I was out of her view, I called my pack. We officially had a date with our omega.

Chapter Seventeen

Sovann

Instead of taking her out to dinner where there would be more prying ears, we decided to take dinner to her.

She volleyed our idea with some excuses but, in the end, we won.

Now, I had the chance to show off for our mate.

I picked up groceries from the market and brought along some things from my kitchen, not knowing how hers was equipped.

We decided on New York strip steaks and garlic mashed potatoes with a salad. Easy, simple, but impressive in its own way.

I was surprised Hema folded to our idea. Then again, I was also shocked she asked Altan out first. Our omega put up walls but they were slowly crumbling.

“Ready?” I asked as we gathered in front of her apartment door.

“Ready.” Orin knocked and we stepped back to wait.

She opened the door, and I gasped. It struck me then. There were many sides of our omega. The professional one from the florist. Dressed in nice pants or a dress. Hair up. Earrings. Sometimes makeup.

And then there was our omega at home.

Bare-faced. No jewelry. Jeans that fit her ass and hips like a second skin. A lacy white top that left one shoulder exposed.

Goddess, that shoulder gave me ideas. If we took our time with her, she would one day bear our marks on that shoulder.

And I would happily bear hers.

“Hi,” she said, and stepped back, waving us in.

“Hi, yourself.” I placed a kiss on her cheek before thinking better of it. Orin hugged her and so did Altan.

“This place seems small, all of a sudden.”

We chuckled at her as she blushed and shut the door. The place wasn’t tiny and was perfect for a single omega.

“Kitchen this way?” I asked.

“Oh. Yes. You really didn’t have to do this.”

“He did. He’s been planning all afternoon. Went to the store three times. Couldn’t make up his mind.”

“Shut it, Orin. You changed your shirt three times.”

Orin was astounded by my revelation. Not really, but he made a face like it. “Altan wouldn’t shut up about getting the first date.”

“Hey,” Altan said, rolling his eyes. “Enough. It’s too early in the relationship to show her all our crazy. Give it a minute before you start the bickering.” He turned to Hema who was laughing and swiping at her eyes. Maybe we were funny? “I apologize for my brothers. They are very excited, and they get chatty.”

She smiled. Not the one for the customers at the flower shop but a big one. “Chatty is good. I really want to get to know you all better.”

I’d made the mashed potatoes and salad in advance and only had to cook the steaks, which didn’t take long. While I prepared them, I took a look around her place. It was all Hema. A bright yellow couch. Throw pillows and several soft blankets in yellows and greens folded over the back. Her scent was everywhere. It filled the air but unlike the first time we saw her, the scent soothed my wolf. We were in her presence and no longer being thrown out the door.

She wanted us here, and that changed the whole scenario.

We were far from being accepted as her pack, but progress was progress.

We finished dinner quickly. All of us were hungry but more than anything, I wanted to get to the part where we talked.

Altan got to speak to her at lunch but mentioned some things about her background.

Maybe she would tell us tonight.

Orin washed up the dishes and cleaned the kitchen with Hema protesting the whole time. “Should we leave, or would you like us to stay?” I asked. This was her space. Her nest. Everything was up to her. Even if we were at our home, it would all be up to her.

“Stay. Please. We could put on a movie and pretend to watch but really talk.”

We chuckled. “I like that idea very much, omega. I really do.”

We froze. Yes, she was an omega. Yes, we were alphas, but calling her that meant we were getting serious. Or more serious.

Hema didn’t miss a beat. “Me too.” She rubbed her arms and took a breath. “I know I turned you down the first few times, saying I didn’t date shifters. I thought maybe I’d finish explaining why. I want the three of you to understand me. I might be weird sometimes, and I want you to understand why.”

Orin sat down and patted the couch, signaling for her to sit. She sat near him, in between me and Orin. “Apparently, there’s never been an omega from our pack. Ever. Not once.”

A bad place to start.

“So once my designation became clear, about a year ago, I was kicked out of my pack. They didn’t want a needy omega to mess with alphas and their scents, and they said I would break up matings and be nothing but trouble. So they made me leave. Gave me a little money and put me out on my ass. I knew very little about being an omega and our biology. I had to learn on my own. Thank goodness for the internet.”

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and tugged her close. Fuck the rules of first dates and being careful. Our omega needed touch and reassurance. She leaned into my hold and rubbed her cheek on my chest. I was right. Our girl was touch-starved. “That was so wrong of them. I hope you know that.”

“I do now but…that’s the reason for swearing off alphas and shifters. I left that place promising myself I would never rely on a pack again. I would avoid alphas and shifters and packs. I did break down and go out on a couple of dates, but that just confirmed my opinions. Until I scented you three. Goddess, that sounds desperate.”

Orin took her hand, threading their fingers together. “Trust us, Hema. It’s not only you. We scented you and went nuts. But that’s just biology. It brings us together but it’s how we care for each other that makes us a pack.”

She nodded. “I didn’t think alphas were like you three. But I talked to Karissa and Tawny and they are so happy. Their packs treat them so well. I want that. But I still have my walls and I get skittish.”

“Go on. Get skittish. Question us. Think and second-guess. We’ll be here, no matter what. We’ll be here waiting for you, no matter how long it takes. One day, we hope you might trust us but there’s no time limit. No one here is in a hurry. You take your time and when you decide, whatever you decide, we’ll respect that.”

“Even if I decide not to be your omega?”

My heart cracked inside me. Did she think our love would end because she didn’t love us? No. My love for her wouldn’t ever end or have an expiration date. “No matter what, we will always be here for you.”

I wiped away her tears and for a long while, we just sat there, pausing to take everything in.

“Can we watch a movie now? I need a distraction. I…you three have given me so much to think about.”

“Absolutely. Let’s choose a comedy. We could all use a good laugh.”

Chapter Eighteen

Hema

We built a fort.

Sort of.

It had no top, so maybe a raft?

When it became clear I didn’t have enough comfortable furniture for the four of us to sit on, it was decided that we’d set up on the floor. So everyone would be equally uncomfortable. But, looking at the three of them looking at the hardwood, I sighed. “Before we settle in, I want a promise. Everyone hold up your right hand.”

They didn’t even question, just did it.

“I want you to swear there will be no funny business tonight. No groping or stroking or caressing or kissing or…” Ohhh. This was going sideways quickly. “You know what I mean.”

“We promise,” they chorused solemnly.

“Even if I beg you,” I blurted out.

“Are you going to?” Altan asked. “Because that would be good to know before we promise anything else.”

“I’m not planning on it, but you all smell incredible and look fantastic and definitely have the ability to sweep a girl off her feet. Look at what you managed to do? Getting me to let you come here and now cuddle on the floor with blankets and pillows?”

“We’re going to do that?” Orin arched one brow. “I’m intrigued.”

“Not unless you swear what…what I told you to swear.”

“I speak for all of us when I give our solemn vow that for tonight, we will not do any of the things you listed.” Altan’s words were echoed by the other’s nods.

I went into the bedroom and came out with armloads of comforters and pillows. They took them from me and I returned for more. It was a weakness of mine, these soft fluffy things. Some girls collected jewelry or porcelain or kitchen appliances. Expensive makeup. I liked comfort.

“Impressive amount of soft things,” Orin said.

“Thank you.” I chose not to explain. It might sound silly to alphas. “Where is Sovann?”

“Right here.” He leaned out of the kitchen and waved. “Just making popcorn.”

“I have popcorn? I thought I used the last bag months ago.”

“Microwave popcorn?” He shuddered. “Do you know what they put in that stuff?”

“No?”

“Nobody does. Most of the ingredients on the bags are unpronounceable.” He disappeared again.

“Sovann is a popcorn snob.” Orin chuckled. “We keep some of the microwave version in the house for when he’s not home.”

“I heard that,” he called from the kitchen. “I found it before, and I’ll find it again. You are not going to be poisoned on my watch.”

“You’re going to scare the omega,” Altan said. “Settle down, the two of you, before she realizes what we’re like.”

Kind? Caring?

The sound of popping came from the kitchen and I peeked inside to see a pot on the stove. Sovann was twisting a handle on it as the sound increased in volume and speed. “It smells so good.”

“I’m also melting butter in that little saucepan. After you try mine, you’ll never want the other kind again.”

That didn’t seem to be true for his friends, but maybe they were just lazy in the cooking department because when he dumped the fluffy white kernels into my biggest bowl, salted it, and poured way too much melted butter over it all.

He held out the bowl and I took a handful. I popped it into my mouth and my eyes rolled back in my head. “Goddess. Is this what popcorn is supposed to taste like?”

“See? My brothers are heathens. Will you ever go back to microwave?”

“I’ll have to because I don’t have a popper like that. You brought it with you?”

“And I’ll leave it here and also all the leftovers and the nearly full jar of corn. I’ll even come back and give you lessons.”

We moved into the living room where the others had created a giant fluffy pile which looked way too tall until I realized why. “Is my mattress under here?”

Orin nodded. “Your floor is very hard, and I knew a woman who liked comfort as much as you, would hate it. We’ll carry it back in after.”

After what?

The movie. Right. They’d promised there would be nothing else. Tonight.

But nobody had said anything about hugging, and after we finished the popcorn and some sodas they’d also brought with them, the healthy kind with probiotics, we curled up in a puppy pile and watched three comedies in a row before I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I was in the middle of all of them, warm bodies tucked against mine. Fully clothed, but somehow that wasn’t containing anyone’s scent. The sun was just peeking over the windowsill, and I was more comfortable than ever in my whole life. Nobody had broken any promises, but somehow that seemed like more of a letdown than a win.

I wanted to lie here forever.

And then…I panicked. They were wonderful, but I had good reasons for not wanting shifters in my life. As we’d cuddled, the only reason I didn’t beg them for more was the promise I’d extracted while not full of delicious popcorn and with their sweet scents invading every pore of my body.

I had to get out. Pinned by arms and legs much larger and heavier than mine, it wasn’t easy, but once I got free, I tiptoed into the bathroom, brushed my teeth and hair, grabbed my purse from the table by the front door, and ran for it. No shower, no note. It didn’t matter that it was my apartment. If necessary, they could have all the contents.

I couldn’t breathe.

So, I went to work.

Chapter Nineteen

Orin

An ache in my neck woke me up, and I stretched it, trying to relieve the discomfort. I moved my arms and legs, as I did every morning, trying to work out the kinks when I realized I wasn’t in my bed. With my eyes still closed, I felt my lips rise in a smile.

We were in Hema’s apartment. The ceiling above me was white, older, still had the flocking, and the ceiling fan had seen better days.

I didn’t know if it would ever happen, but I wished she would come to our home and live with us.

Speaking of our omega…

“She’s gone,” Sovann said, and I heard his rapid heartbeat. Through the bond, I felt his panic.

I sat up straight, processing the information. Her scent was here, but waning. She’d been gone for a while. “Let’s calm down.” I reached over to check my phone. “It’s after seven. The shop is open today. She probably needed to go to work.”

Sovann stood up and put his hands on his hips. “Yes. Yeah, that’s what happened. She had to go to work. Owning her own business. She can’t just stay here and sleep because we are. That has to be it.”

He spoke to himself more than me.

I got up and straightened myself as much as possible. My clothes were rumpled. There were blankets and pillows everywhere.

Altan was the last one up. “Let’s clean everything up before we go. We don’t want our mate thinking we are a mess. She’s got such a shit opinion of alphas. I want to prove her wrong. I want to prove to her that we’re nothing like the assholes who kicked her out for being an omega.”

“Can you believe,” Sovann started, “someone so precious and desired as an omega gets kicked out for being who she is. Hema’s a fucking treasure and they thought she was a burden. I’m glad they kicked her out. I hate that she’s hurt and has pain, but it brought her to us.”

“I hate that her pain brought her to us, but right now, I think we should go see her.” I paused as we were all folding things up and getting her apartment back in order. “I want to go see her this morning. Bring her coffee. Breakfast. Prove to her that we aren’t going anywhere.”

We cleaned up her apartment, put the mattress back on the bed, and made it up again. Sovann went the extra mile, vacuumed and did some light dusting.

On the way to the coffee shop and then to her flower shop, we discussed the night before. Feeding our omega with food we, or Sovann, prepared had been a great idea which we all gave him credit for.

It was part of courting. Showing her that we could provide for her even though she was fully capable of doing that herself.

With coffee and a hearty breakfast in hand, we went to the flower shop and, surprisingly, she asked us to wait in the back for her to get a lull in customers. She did so with a smile on her face.

“Did she get some new flowers?” I asked, walking around her back room. It was organized and clean. Tools hanging on a pegboard. Floors freshly swept. Handwritten to-do lists. I wished we could take some of that off her shoulders, but I knew less than jack shit about flowers and arranging them.

“Maybe. There’s a new smell in here. No. Not new but stronger.”

I didn’t think twice about it. The line was long and a ping on her open laptop told me how many emails were coming in. Her business was booming and I would bet those pings indicated even more business on the online segment of her business. She deserved all of it. The success. The income.

Our omega was a hard worker. Smart. Innovative. Kind and caring to customers. Focused.

It made me love her even more.

Love?

Yeah, it was time to admit it. I loved Hema. What was not to love?

“Hey,” she said, strolling into the back. She looked tired but moved as though she had all the energy in the world. “I’m sorry I left early.”

Sovann handed her the coffee and a loaded croissant sandwich. “That’s fine. You have a business to run.”

She looked down, and her shoulders sagged. “Actually, I left before the sun. I needed some space. Time to get my head on straight.”

The alarm bells rang out in my head. “Wanna talk about it?” Altan asked.

“This is moving so fast. One minute, I’ve sworn off all alphas and feeling pretty damned smug about my decision. And then I met you three, and it all crumbled through my fingers. Last night…”

“If we did anything to mess it up,” I started, readying my apology in my head.

She let out a small laugh. “You did everything right and I’ve realized I grew up with a shitty sampling of alphas. But Tawny and Karissa have such amazing packs and you three…you are what I didn’t know I wanted. I needed some time to work through it, untangle all the knots in my head.”

“Do you need more time?” Altan offered, and I wanted to smack him in the back of the head. Yes, he was right to offer but I wanted no more distance from our mate.

“No. I don’t. Karissa and Tawny said something about courting? I think it’s like dating. And then there’s something else.”

My mind put all the pieces together in one split second.

“Tell us, omega.” Altan walked over and took her hand. She leaned over, rubbing her cheek on his shoulder, and before she spoke, I knew. That new, stronger scent wasn’t new flowers. It was her.

“You’re in heat,” I said. “Or you’re about to be.”

She nodded. “I am. It started last night. I felt overheated and there was some cramping in my belly. I called Karissa this morning. She confirmed it. She said that once you meet your scent-matches, your pack, it comes on pretty quick.”

We let the knowledge sit. No one spoke for a while.

“I would very much like you three to take care of me through it. You’re my pack, aren’t you?”

Tears streamed down her face. This sweet omega. So strong and smart and capable needed us to confirm what we had known since the second we laid eyes on her. Smelled her. Heard her voice.

“Baby, look at me.” Altan said, and I was glad. Our alpha would be the best at making things clear. Not that I couldn’t, but his alpha power would drive the point home. Hema lifted eyes shining with unshed tears. This relenting must’ve been tough for her. She’d relied on herself and steeled herself for so damned long. Trusting in others after that had to be hard to do. “You are our omega. Our scent-match. Our fated mate, and I think I speak for all of us when I say we love you already and would be honored to see you through your heat.”

Her body relaxed. Her overpowering perfume filled the air, penetrated every molecule.

“Before this really happens, we need consent, baby,” Altan continued.

“I thought I just did?”

Altan squeezed her hand and not being able to be away from her another second, I walked over and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “Before you go into the heat haze, we want full consent. We need to hear the words so that we don’t do anything you don’t want.”

“Be more specific, please.”

My turn. “You want us to help you through your heat with sex? You need to decide on knotting. Marking. I’d rather die than to do anything to hurt you during the most vulnerable part of your life.”

Every cheek in the place went red. But we had to talk about this.

She cleared her throat. “I want all of that.”

“No, baby.” Altan took her chin in his hand, forcing eye contact. “Get specific. It’s just us. There’s nothing about this that is embarrassing or weird. Trust me. We will give you anything you want.”

“I want the three of you to get me through my heat with sex. I want each of you to fuck me.”

“All three of us? One at a time?”

“All of it,” she squeaked.

“Good girl. What else? Tell us everything.” Altan’s voice dipped low. It made her shiver.

“I want all of your knots and if you don’t mark me and make me yours, I’ll be a very upset omega.”

Altan kissed her temple. “Well, we can’t have that.”

“Oh…” She pressed her hand to her belly. “I…the first wave is coming. It’s coming on hard. I…the closed sign. I need…my nest. In my apartment. Now, please, alphas.”

Chapter Twenty

Hema

I don’t know how I got home. Did they drive me in a car? Did I walk under my own power? Did they carry me like a sack of potatoes?

It didn’t matter because from the moment I asked them to get me home, everything blurred until I opened my eyes and found myself on my bed, naked and splayed out. Slick and perfuming and a ball of need.

“Who undressed me?” I demanded through the heat fog.

“You did,” Altan said, lying propped up on his forearm next to me. “And I’m afraid those jeans took some damage in the process.”

“Damn, those are the ones that…”

“Yes, they did.” Orin sat cross-legged on my other side. Naked. They were all naked.

“Do I remember demanding that you all strip too?”

“Yeah.” Sovann came in with a gallon of water and some plastic cups. “Nothing breakable. I’ve never been through an omega’s heat before.”

“You’d better not have,” I gritted out in a voice I didn’t even recognize. “You are mine.”

They all grinned at each other in a way that irritated me, and I let them know it. “Also, it’s really hot in here.”

“It’s about sixty-eight,” Altan said, biting it off when I glared at him. “Orin, see if you can turn the AC down.”

I grabbed for him, trying to force him on top of me. “I ache. I need. Fix it.”

“We will, omega. Be patient and—”

I shrieked and climbed on top of him. “Fuck me now. Mate me, mark me, knot me, all of you.”

Unfortunately or fortunately, I’d selected the alpha of the alphas, and he lifted me and laid me down again. “Omega, listen here. Are you listening?”

I gnashed my teeth, but when he didn’t say anything else or release me, I nodded. “Yes.”

“We are going to fix it. We are going to take care of you and make it all better, okay?”

I nodded again. “My blood hurts.”

“Yes. we know.”

“But you have no experience,” I wailed. “Maybe I need someone who has more expertise.”

The alpha fixed me with a glare. “You need your mates. Not a service.”

Were there such things? Maybe that was what I’d referred to unknowingly.

“You need the males who love you.”

Even through the atonal shrieking sounds in my ears, I heard that. It didn’t make the heat less, but it did make me more inclined to hope they could do what I needed. “If you love me, you’ll fuck me right this minute.”

“All right.” Altan kissed me and kissed me again. “Whatever you need. We are your servants, your healers, and your lovers. Your mates, in other words.”

“Oh, shut up. I’m sure I’ll want to hear all of that later but right now, I am afraid I might die.”

And then he was on top of me, lifting my knees with massive forearms and finding my slick hole. Holding my gaze with no more words. He eased inside me then gave a quick thrust. It stung. I didn’t care, just wrapped myself around him, lost in the experience. After his first few slow drives, he sped up. Orin and Sovann were behind me, holding me upright when my limbs lost the power to grip, and all too soon, Altan spilled inside me and swelled, knotting, binding, connecting. He dipped his head and sank his fangs into my shoulder. I screamed, orgasming over and over. When his knot shrank after a minute or an hour, I had no idea which, he passed me to Orin who laid me on my belly on the edge of the mattress and drove into me from that angle. His mark landed higher on my shoulder, while he panted and I continued to come.

Sovann took me standing up, my back against the wall. Then Altan began again.

My bathtime fantasies about how this would go were laughable compared to the imaginations these alphas had. As long as one or more of them was inside me, the pain was bearable. Every time they were not, I was screaming in agony. And then, gradually, it got easier. We could take little breaks. Sovann brought more water.

He’d heard dehydration was a danger in heat.

Finally, I blacked out and didn’t wake up for, they told me, a full twenty-four hours.

I struggled to sit up. “The shop. All the flowers.”

“I called Holt and left your keys where they could find them. They were glad to help out. Everything should be fine. Although I can’t swear to how fabulous any arrangements might be.”

“Okay.” I lay back and took a deep breath. “It’s good to have friends.” Sometimes there were things that were more important than business. I just never wanted the lady who helped me with the grant to hear me say that. “I’ll just take a little nap.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Sovann

I snuck out of bed first, prying myself from Hema’s hold. Sitting on the edge of the bed while everyone else slept, I replayed last night in my head. This heat had been short but powerful. The next one would probably be longer as most omega’s heats were, but this one emptied me in the best way possible. I was exhausted and spent, but there was no place on this whole damned earth I would rather be.

After a fast shower, I pulled on some clothes and went out for coffee and picked up a few groceries to make breakfast. We all had ways to contribute our love to Hema but this was mine. Making sure her belly was full with yummy foods that she liked. Making sure that when she was home with us that her life was relaxed and comfortable.

She deserved to be doted on and surprised and showered with affection.

I happened to be very good at those things.

When I got back, I heard stirring from the bedroom and, as I unpacked the bags, she called my name.

“Hey, I’m right here. Making coffee and breakfast.”

She gifted me the most beautiful smile. “I thought you’d gone.”

“I did, sweetheart, but never far. Want French toast?”

“Yeah. I’m starving.”

She got up from the bed and walked over slowly. I would bet she was sore in all the right places. Her neck and shoulders held our marks and mine held hers. Her lips were plush from use, and there were some light bruises on her hips. Who made those I didn’t know, but she followed my line of sight, saw them, and then shrugged. “How about you shower or bathe and then I’ll have everything ready. You need some pain meds this morning?”

Her arms wrapped around my neck, and she pulled me in for a kiss that almost met the intensity of my feelings. “You’re so good to me.”

“I’m just getting started.”

Her scent, the same as before but now mingled with our own scents, wafted between us. I swatted at her behind. “None of that. Well, maybe later, some of that. But my wolf is fighting me over your needs first. Food and meds and shower.”

Altan and Orin woke up, both of them stretching. “We’ll get her cleaned up. Sovann makes the most delicious French toast. Come on.” Orin took her from me and threw her over his shoulder and into the bathroom.

“You good, man?” Altan asked, pulling on a pair of shorts.

“I’m fucking fantastic. You?”

“Same,” he chuckled. “Better than I ever imagined.”

I set to making breakfast and when they all came out clean and starving, I had piles of French toast and ham slices and strawberries ready. Goddess bless grocery delivery people because we were going to need more and I wasn’t going out again. Hema sat on my lap and must’ve thanked me a thousand times while we took turns feeding her bites.

The air changed in a snap. “I have things I need to say,” she said, leaning back into my embrace and patting her stomach.

“Say it, baby.” Altan sat back, nursing his second cup of coffee.

“I got scared this morning. I won’t give up working or my shop. I’m not an omega who is going to stay at home and cook and clean, if that’s what you’re expecting. Huh. I probably should’ve said all this before we…” She reached up with her fingers and lightly touched her marks.

“Have we given you any indication that we expect that from you?” I asked. I felt like I was the one to respond since the things she didn’t want to do, I loved to do. I considered myself blessed to have a job that gave me the flexibility to have time for the things I loved, which was taking care of my pack which now included her.

“No. I…it popped into my head and now I can’t shake it.”

Orin reached for her and she moved from my lap to hers. I expected jealousy but there was none. “Do you know what we love about you?”

She shook her head.

“We love that you are independent and hardworking and smart and great at what you do. We would never ask you to change who you are because who you are is why we fell in love in the first place.”

She snorted. “That and biology.”

Orin conceded with a laugh. “That too. Besides, Sovann is very good at taking care of us all. In fact, sometimes I don’t think we thank him enough for the way he takes care of our pack house and the omega suite. He doesn’t know that we see him keeping it clean and ready for the day that we found you. Sometimes he works into the night so that his days and meals can be with us, building our pack bond. But we do. Hema, we want you to be exactly who you are. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

His words touched me. I didn’t think they saw all that I did. Didn’t change the fact that I was happy to do it but appreciation meant a lot.

“The omega suite?” she asked.

“Yeah. It’s the whole second floor. We built our home with our future omega in mind. It’s for you but we’re not pressuring you to move in. We want you to, of course, but everything is your decision, baby.”

“A nest of my own?” Tears welled in her eyes. There was a time she was shunned for being an omega and now, it was revered. What a one-eighty for our girl.

“A whole floor of your own. A big nest. Your own bathroom. A sitting area with bookshelves. The closets are packed with nesting blankets and pillows. Whenever I saw things online I thought an omega might like, I picked them up.” I shrugged one shoulder. I sounded like a foolhardy man, admitting all that. “Although you have quite a few of those things yourself.”

“I never knew it could be like this.” Not the first time she’d said that. “I didn’t think of those things as nesting stuff. Just a collection of comfort. But then, I never thought I’d have a real nest.”

“Expect it now,” I answered. “You’re our whole world, Hema.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Hema

More than just delivering the flowers for Karissa’s wedding, I did it with the best assistants in the world. But first, we had to get dressed in our finest for this special occasion.

I stood in the downstairs hallway in their home. I hadn’t officially moved in yet, but it was only a matter of time. Giving up my apartment was difficult after all I went through to make that my home, my first home really. I couldn’t call the old lands anything like that when my whole existence there depended on my designation. And I failed that test. In their eyes.

Not in my mates’.

“Fit check!” I yelled, holding up my phone. We’d gone shopping together a few days before mostly because Orin and Sovann didn’t have suits at all, and I didn’t have anything appropriate for a dark-romance wedding.

I’d been in on the secret as to whose wedding this was since shortly after my heat, and as a result had made a few changes in the flowers to suit her taste. Still dark romance, still gorgeous but tweaked slightly for my friend. And maybe added to at no extra cost as well.

Thrilled for her, I’d had to avoid her for a whole week because as it turned out, I probably would have spilled the beans. Florists often keep secrets, and up until now, I’d done fine with that. But her pack was doing so much sneaking around, she was getting nosy. Fortunately, the excuse my pack wouldn’t let me out of bed seemed to work. And it wasn’t much of a lie. We all worked, ate, did chores around the house, and went to bed together. Sometimes the chores didn’t get done, but Sovann made sure we always ate.

Since we knew Karissa’s dress was black, we’d gone for maroon. My dress was trimmed with cream lace, and the guys wore white shirts. Black shoes for all of us. The trio appeared at the top of the stairs as I’d requested and strolled down together. So incredible. And mine! All mine. I set the timer on the camera on its tripod and ran up to join them. “Ready?”

They chuckled, but they were good sports and so together, we strolled down the stairs looking as suave as we could manage. Our first wedding together. I hoped it wouldn’t be the last.

Orin and his staff had pulled out all the stops. The decorations were mostly my flowers, large urns filled with lilies lining the aisle the bride would be walking down. There was a buffet along one wall and a tall cake with 3D printed figurines of the bride and her pack on top. The seating had all been rearranged, and the guests filled the room before Altan answered his phone and yelled, “Lights!” And “Shhh!”

“I don’t know why I we all had to get so dressed up just to come for a drink,” Karissa was protesting as her mates escorted her in. “You guys have been acting so weird. Why is it dark in here?”

The special lighting clicked on, all candlelight effects and lanterns.

It may have been the only time a bridal party and all the guests jumped up and yelled, “Surprise!” at a wedding. But even if it wasn’t, it was certainly one of the most effective. Orin stood at the front of the room waiting as Karissa walked toward him, clearly still unsure of what was going on.

“It’s not my birthday. What is…is that a wedding cake?”

She flipped instantly from demanding to weeping. “What did you do? Is this a wedding? Poe, Vaughn…Holt? What did you?” She threw herself at her mates, sobbing. “You really did hear me. I only mentioned it once, and I never expected to really have a wedding. Look at this place.”

“And look at you.” I stepped forward and turned her to face me. “There will be pictures, and I don’t think you want to look like a raccoon.”

“Help me.”

Tawny and I escorted her to the restroom and did necessary repairs to her face and hair, straightened her dress, and showered her with kisses. Our omega sister’s relationship was being celebrated by her pack. It was something out of a fairy tale.

“We are the luckiest omegas in the whole world, aren’t we?” she sniffled. “I mean, I know it’s my wedding, but…”

“Understood.” Tawny, gorgeous in bronze satin, gave her a hug. “We are the luckiest. Our mates are always finding ways to show their appreciation. Now, ready to marry your mates?”

“So ready.”

We walked down the aisle with her this time, escorting our friend to her mates’ side before heading for our own packs. “Did I ever tell you I was jealous of Altan’s assistant?”

“Marney? She’s twice his age, gay, and has her own all-female pack.”

“Well, I know that now. But he came in and bought her flowers for her birthday, and I had no idea of any of those things.”

“Plus, she’s such a professional even if she was straight and liked him, she’d never say so.”

“I know. But at the time, it made me take a step in the right direction.”

“Then you probably owe her more flowers.”

I sure did. We rejoined our packs and watched our friends exchange the vows they’d written then we all partied the night away. Altan told me while we were dancing that if I wanted a wedding, they’d be glad to do it. Maybe someday. For now, I was content to bask in our friends’ happiness.

Epilogue

Altan

“I can’t believe it’s taken us this long to do this,” I said, stripping off my shirt.

“But we’re doing it now. That’s the important part.” Hema came out and started to unbutton her pants and kicked off her shoes.

“About time.” Sovann shucked his clothes faster than the rest of us and in seconds, had changed to his wolf. His was the biggest even though I was the alpha. His wolf was pure silver, a rarity among shifters. He padded over to Hema and playfully nipped at her ankle.

“Okay. Okay. I’m coming.” She laughed and shifted next, and everyone stilled. Her wolf was pure platinum, just like her golden hair. Her eyes were a lighter blue now and specks of gold made her look like something from a fantasy movie.

Our golden omega.

It took her two weeks of thinking and planning before she moved into our home but then, spent that entire weekend in her nest. She took things from our rooms to make it complete. Pillows. Hoodies. Blankets. Our scents brought her comfort, and that was what an omega’s nest was about.

Her comfort.

Her safety.

A place where being an omega was the most important part.

“Come here, baby.” I crouched down and called to her wolf. She walked over and turned around, showing me all sides of her. “Look at you, gorgeous. Preening for your alpha. I’ve never seen a more beautiful wolf.”

Orin kneeled beside me and she did the same, showing her mates how lovely she was. Her nose held high. Proud of herself.

She nudged my leg and then Orin’s.

“Okay. I’m on it.” We both shifted and she ran ahead of us. More showing off. Her wolf was fast and gave us a good chase through the woods behind our property. She leapt over the small creek that ran in the woods and then turned and growled.

She wanted to play.

Goddess, how did we ever live without her.

As we ran, the bond between us grew thicker. It was one thing to mate and mark each other as humans, but there was a supernatural element to our wolves bonding as animals. It sealed everything up. Left no cracks of disbelief or doubt.

I wanted to test something.

Omega, can you hear me? I pushed the question through our bond, hoping our pack was one of the special ones who could communicate telepathically. Sovann, Orin, and I had never been able to, but there was a chance that now that we were complete, we could.

Altan? How…We can speak like this?

I stopped in my tracks, my paws skidding in the dirt. It was true. It had to be. Our omega was the most special woman in the world. Of course, her bond with us would trigger other rare abilities.

Only some packs can do it. It’s the sign of a strong bond. Orin spoke next and I yipped out my happiness.

Holy shit. This is crazy. And there was Sovann.

We ran for the rest of the afternoon until the sun began to sink. Sovann had dinner in a slow cooker and it waited for us since we didn’t know how long we would be.

We lay together right off the back porch and rested together.

I turned my head and looked at our omega, practically glowing under the last bit of sunlight. She was worth every lonely night. Every hopeless day.

An Excerpt from Tawny Omega

My wolf rejected my pack. We never mated. I never went into heat, even though I was promised to them. Instead, my wolf forced a shift, growled at them, and ran away just before the ceremony was scheduled to happen.

I’ve been on the run ever since.

No one has tried to contact me. Not my pack or my family. Not even my friends.

But my dowry remains in my bank account, since the ceremony never took place. It’s not enough for a lifetime of wealth, but it should get me started. When I drive into the town of Pleasant for a bite to eat, an empty storefront catches my eye. It’s the perfect place for a bookstore.

And a perfect place for an omega to live out her life alone.

Tawny Omega is the second book in the Disowned Mates series. It is a sweet with knotty heat BBW, Curvy Woman, Reverse Harem shifter romance featuring a rejected omega wanting to be loved for herself, Fate’s intervention, hot alpha males, and a guaranteed HEA. Each book in this series can be read as a standalone. If you like your alphas hawt, your omegas strong, and your romance with heart, one-click your copy today.

Chapter One

Tawny

“Take off your robe.”

I jerked my head to face the female attendant who spoke. “I can’t. I’m not wearing anything under it.” Not my idea, either. I’d been prepared for the ceremony by several of the older females who explained nothing, just walked me through the required steps.

“That’s how it works,” the other attendant who’d come with me this far put in. “Everyone does it.”

“I’ve already put up with all the humiliating shit I intend to,” I spat. Cleansing, hair removal from armpits to ankles, perfuming places no perfume belonged, and even an examination to prove I was virginal enough to suit the pack I’d been promised to. Not sold, quite, since my pack had already deposited the dowry in the bank account they’d opened for me—ready for me to “gift” to my new mates after the ceremony. “I didn’t want any of this.”

“None of us do,” hissed the first female. “That’s not how it works.”

“At what point was anyone supposed to inform me of how things ‘work,’” I demanded, arms crossed, fingers gripping the sleeves of the shimmery, see-through garment they’d dressed me in while piling my hair on my head and applying layers of thick makeup to my face.

The other female shook her head. “If any of us knew in advance what this was all about, do you think we’d have gone through it?” She patted my hair, although it had enough spray on it to keep it in its towering beehive style for the next century. How many shampoos would it take to clean it out?

“Yet, you’ll do the same to others?” Shameful. “What is it like where you come from anyway? Do females have any rights?”

“We have our ways of getting around things,” the first one said. Since I’d be going to their lands, I should probably ask their names. But I didn’t care. “You’ll learn soon enough. Now. Let. Go.” She tugged on the robe, but I held on tighter until the delicate fabric shredded away.

“Oh no,” the other female said. “You have to wear this later. Now I don’t know what we’ll do.” She paled, breath speeding up.

“You’re going to be punished for this?”

They both insisted they would not, but I’d learned to recognize a lie a long time ago. I stopped fighting, recognizing the pointlessness. All my efforts accomplished was more pain for these two whose gaunt visages, despite a relatively young age, reflected their lives. A reflection of how I’d appear in five or ten years?

“Okay, now you look very nice,” one of them said. I didn’t even look to see which. They sounded very alike. “And they are waiting for you out there. Stand proud. Don’t slump and let them see what you really feel like.”

“Why not?” Hypocrisy was not my favorite mode. “I’m supposed to be happy about leaving my family and everything I’ve ever known to join this pack? I haven’t even met the males. Do you know them?”

Silence.

I turned to where they’d both moved behind me while trying to get me to enter the ceremony. “What is it? Do you or don’t you know them?”

“We do,” mumbled female number one.

“And? Are they nice? Handsome? Kind to children and animals? And women?”

“Just go,” she said. “It’s not going to help you to know more. It will just make what’s about to happen harder.”

“And that would be?” My heart rate increased, closing throat making it harder to get the words out. “What aren’t you telling me?” Besides everything. “Wait. Are you also their mates?”

“No,” whispered female number two. “That’s not how it—”

“Works, yeah, I get it. So, what are you? Sisters? Friends? Lovers? Concubines?”

“The last one.”

Before I could react to what she said, her friend and fellow concubine gave me a push through the hanging draperies and into the area where the ceremony would take place. I’d been in the gathering area before. Plenty of times. For all sort of events, but never a mating ceremony. Only those who were already mated were allowed to experience whatever went on in here. Girls were kept in the dark until their “special day.” I was starting to see why.

No females were present except me.

Males lined the walls, standing or seated in cushioned chairs. They all faced the center where a low, backless couch stood, draped in fabric similar to what had just shredded from my body. I could smell their arousal. All of them, even though I’d have said I wouldn’t recognize it before now. And they were all sniffing as well, expressions of expectation being replaced by disappointment, discontent, anger?

“She’s not in heat.” The growl circled the room, along with other, similar remarks. By the time the males by the doorway spoke, it got much more frightening. An elderly beta snarled, “It’s all right. She should learn to bear pain.”

What the unholy…

I froze, standing just inside the doorway, the drapes moving in a breeze from somewhere, the soft cloth caressing my bare buttocks, my calves.

They all stared at me, as if I should know what to do. I didn’t, and I was sure even if I did, I did not want to do whatever it was. Then an alpha pointed to the couch. “Take your position. Your alphas are waiting.”

Gaze flicking around the room, I wondered which of the seated or standing males were mine. Or to which I belonged, as it would be more proper to say. Even with my lack of knowledge, I understood alphas ruled omegas.

“The couch!” he barked. “They cannot enter until you are ready.”

“Uh…okay.” Taking tentative steps forward, I managed to cross the floor to the center of the room. I’d been naked around others before, when shifting, for pack runs. But it had never felt so…purposeful. Finally arriving, I perched on the edge, hoping it would be enough.

“Lie down and spread your legs!” the alpha growled. “You are wasting all our time.”

“What? No!” Fear crawled up my spine. Why would they want that? I’d already been certified worthy/virginal. “I can’t do that. I won’t!”

“If you don’t, female, we will assist you.”

Three males stood, bulging muscles showing they’d have no trouble doing what he threatened.

Go now. My wolf, who rarely participated in anything when not in her fur bristled under my skin. They mean us harm. And insult.

We can’t. Where would we go?

Anywhere.

Frozen in terror, the males approaching, I closed my eyes and waited for the worst to happen. Not even able to define what that might be. Rape…by the pack taking me? By all the males present? Or just being laid out like a display to be looked at. Just?

Trembling so hard, my teeth chattered, I didn’t realize what was happening until my wolf took over. Shifting had never been unpleasant before, but this time, it was violent and fast, and I could feel every bit of it. Fur sprouting all over me, my face extending, fangs snapping into place. Bones twisting, muscles stretching. My scream became a howl and then we leapt over the couch and tore across the room toward the far side. Three males in shirts open to the waist and baggy cotton pants with a curiously fastened opening, entered, their eyes widening as we barreled into them and sent them tumbling to the floor.

You’d better run fast, I warned. If they catch us, they may kill us after they do…what they planned.

Chapter Two

Rork

Plumeria remained one of my biggest sellers at the farmstand. I kept some of the fully grown ones near so that people could see the blooms. They were one of the easiest and most beautiful plants in my opinion. They overwintered in the garage because it got too cold in winter to leave them out year-round.

Growing plants and all kinds of gardening was my thing, and I used those talents to make money. Not what Craven earned at his security job, and certainly not the income Flint pulled in with his genius investing, but I did my part.

Plus, I kept things running at home. If I charged what that job was worth, no one could afford me.

Pinks and blues scattered across the early morning sky, reminding me of cotton candy my parents used to buy me at the fall fair. The scents of vanilla and sugar tickled my memory.

Each of us in the pack kept our own hours. Craven worked nights and came in from work just as I was setting up breakfast, which was his dinner. Flint worked all kinds of hours, but we tried to come together for a meal when we could and to have our monthly budget meetings. Those were super fun.

I hung the baskets of plant babies along the hang-over roof of my farmstand. Our land abutted the highway; our home tucked back out of sight of passers-by. I ran the stand at the end of the driveway on an honor system when I wasn’t available, which had never failed us. People often overpaid, in fact.

After testing the cash box to make sure it was locked, I returned to the house where I had several quiches in the oven to freeze for later. With winter around the corner, we liked to be prepared for anything. We’d been snowed in one year and couldn’t leave for a week. A few coolers on the back porch kept everything from the freezers nice and solid.

In my dreams, I was prepared for our omega. Having things ready for her heat and taking care of her in every way.

Seemed silly since we’d never met her. I still hoped.

“Hey, Rork!” someone called from a distance.

I turned to see a car stopping in front. “Laura, it’s good to see you. How are you today?”

Laura had a farmstand of her own. She specialized in sourdough goodies of all kinds. I taught her how to care for plants, and she shared some of her starter with me. We kept each other’s secrets of success in business.

Laura had her bad days and good ones, same as anyone else. Her husband died a few years back, and it took her a while to remember who she was without being a wife. He wasn’t the kindest man, so she had a lot of behaviors to shed and self-belief to recover. I was proud of her and made sure to tell her.

“I’m fantastic. Made croissant sourdough loaves. They sold out in one hour. All twenty.”

My mouth watered at the thought of what a croissant loaf entailed. “Damn! That’s great, Laura. Raking that money in.”

She didn’t need it. As mean as her husband had been, he’d left her oodles of life insurance and no debt. He’d been good about saving for retirement then passed unexpectedly. But her skills gave her so much more than money.

Reaching over, she pulled out a loaf, wrapped in parchment and tied with a string. “I saved one for you!”

“You are the best. How about a trade? Pick a plant.”

She got out and was scanned my offerings then turned her attention to me. “You should sell some of your fresh vegetables as well. Those would make a killing. They are much better than the market carries. I end up buying frozen most of the time.”

I had thought about selling my vegetables at the farmstand but ended up canning or dehydrating them for storage. We had enough stored for years.

“Do you really think so? I picked a ton of cherries and peaches yesterday. They are all on my counter, waiting for me to do something with them.”

“Would you consider a trade of peaches for the loaf of bread? My porch is already overrun with plants, thanks to you.”

“Yes! Give me two minutes.”

Laura didn’t come to my house. I went to hers the few times we cooked together. She said she respected the pack’s boundaries, but we hadn’t really put up any. Perhaps something left over from her husband’s rules. I didn’t ask.

I gave Laura a basketful of peaches and cherries, and she promised me a cherry clafouti since one loaf wasn’t a fair exchange. Her words, not mine.

When I got back to the house, I found Craven coming out of his bedroom and Flint lurking, nursing a huge vat of coffee.

“Everything okay?” Craven asked, ruffling his hair.

“Yeah. Laura suggested selling some of my fruits and vegetables from the garden at the stand. I’m thinking about it. Why are you still up?”

Craven sighed. “I tossed and turned entirely too much. Decided to get up and let the wolf run. He’s on edge.”

“And you?” I pointed my question at Flint. Usually, he was still asleep or in his office by now.

“It was a third-cup-of-coffee kind of day.”

“Fair enough.”

My wolf had been more antsy lately as well, but I let him out daily to curb his nerves. The real reason all of us were stagnant and our wolves needed to run more, lay unspoken.

We were an incomplete pack without an omega. A center. She would ground us and our animals, and our lives would revolve around her.

We were planets with no star to orbit.

Fate would find a way. I had to believe that.

About Mazzy J. March

Mazzy J. March is a fan of all things paranormal—shifters, vampires, witches…dragons and all the many creatures that inhabit the world beyond the ordinary. She has been plotting her Academy and RH stories for a long time and is thrilled to finally have them releasing and ever grateful to the readers who are offering such support and helping her dreams come true.

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