The Kitchen

Everly

“ M ari seemed to really like the croissants you made yesterday,” I tell Andre as I place the omega’s medicine on her breakfast tray. The tiny plastic cup stands out next to the white flatware. It’s not very fancy, but it will do. “You were right about adding the chocolate.”

Andre smiles at me, pointing to a glass cake stand on the other end of the kitchen island. “We have a few more.” He stirs a pan of fluffy scrambled eggs. “Omegas always love chocolate.”

I eye the flakey pastries and my stomach rumbles. “Maybe I’ll take one too.”

Andre’s eyes crinkle as his smile grows. The beta has only been with us for a few months now, but he’s my favorite chef so far. Initially, I wanted someone younger that I could chat with during the day while the boys were at work, but Izan wanted someone with more experience, and he was right. Andre is professional, organized, and, even though he’s a good forty years older than me, he’s surprisingly easy to talk to.

“Good morning, beautiful,” Izan walks up behind me, placing a chaste kiss right beneath my ear. I close my eyes, pretending my overlapping mating bites tingle the way they would for an omega. Some betas get a similar sensation, but unfortunately my body refuses to connect with my mates that way. Dassy says it doesn't matter, our connection is deeper than that, but it’s hard not to be disappointed about it some days.

“Fruit?” Andre asks Izan as he plates the alpha’s steak and eggs.

“No, thank you.” Izan never wants fruit, but the beta always asks.

“I’ll take it for Mari.” I reach for the small cup as Izan moves around me. Surprise followed by swift disappointment hits me. Izan is wearing a blue dress shirt and black slacks. He only wears button up shirts when he has to work. Something he promised he wouldn’t be doing after we brought home Mari. “Are you working today?” I set the fruit on Mari’s tray.

Izan’s dark green eyes cut into slits, and agitation slams into me. “Don’t start with me, Everly.” He takes in my tight expression. “I have to work.”

“You promised?—”

“I promised that I’d work less for the first month,” he cuts me off, giving me a stern look. “And I kept that promise yesterday. Or do you not remember the twins and me at dinner?”

I immediately frown, not happy in the least. “Mari needs you to be home,” I say firmly. I don’t want to push the alpha’s buttons, but this needs to be said. “She needs to build a bond with you and she can’t do that if you’re never here.” I drop my gaze, staring at the white marble floors. “She feels so distant since we brought her home. Not the bubbly omega from our phone calls.”

“I get that you’re worried.” Izan places his big hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. “But I am home. I’m?—”

“You’re not home,” I interrupt the alpha, instantly regretting it. Izan’s eyes flash and his hold on my shoulder tightens. I slowly bow my head in submission as I speak in a softer tone. “You’re in a locked part of the house, away from us,” I whisper, hoping it makes me sound more respectful. “That’s not being home .”

“We talked about this, beta.” Izan angles his head down so he can look right into my eyes. “The world doesn’t stop because we claimed an omega.”

The frustration in my belly grows, and it takes everything in me not to huff loudly. “Mari needs your constant love and attention, or she’s going to fall into a deep distress.” I cross my arms, hating how dismissive he’s being about our omega’s delicate state. “That could mean depression, infertility, or even death.”

“Okay,” Izan says in a cold, flat tone. “You need to calm down. There’s no need to plan Mari’s funeral because I’m taking a few meetings.”

My face falls as all the air is sucked out of me. Izan’s eyes go wide and I can tell he regrets what he said, but it’s too late for him to take it back. “Everly,” he says my name so softly. Almost as if I might shatter into a million pieces.

Sensing the tense conversation, Andre moves the pan off of the stove and exits the room.

“I can’t…” My throat tightens with the threat of tears, and I sniffle. “I can’t lose Mari.” My chin quivers and Izan’s hand slides down my back, caressing me. “I can’t go through that again.”

“My sweet beta,” Izan says, his voice soft and apologetic. “I didn’t mean to say that.” He looks deep into my eyes as tears gather in the corners. “Mari isn’t Brea. She’s not going to die.”

The mention of Brea’s name pushes me over the edge and a single tear slips down my cheek. We don’t talk about her anymore. Not since we started talking to Mari. To be fair, Brea was in our lives for such a short amount of time, but it was still so horrible watching her wither away. I’ll never forget how hollow her eyes were and how sunken her cheeks were.

I’ll spend the rest of my life regretting not saving her.

“Mari came from a good institution,” Izan continues when I don’t say anything. “A team of the best doctors in the country looked over her for two years. She’s healthy and willful. She might have some scary memories locked up inside her, but she’s strong enough to handle them.”

I shake my head, hating that he’s not taking Mari’s condition more seriously. “You don’t know that.” I wipe my face, pushing my glasses up to rub my eyes. “You don’t know that Mari isn’t suffering right now. It feels like she’s shutting down.” I drop my gaze and a few more tears fall. Then I press my hand over my mating bites, wishing like crazy I could feel my mates inside me. “You don’t know what’s going to happen with her.”

“I do know,” Izan says with a shocking amount of confidence. “And Mari is going to be just fine.” He straightens his back, standing at full height. The alpha is only a few inches taller than me, but his thick muscles and powerful stance make him seem so much bigger. “Trust me, Everly.” He pops a few buttons on his shirt, displaying his broad chest. Angry red marks cut across his tan skin. Most of them are shallow scratches, but a few look like they might have bled. It takes a few seconds for me to realize exactly what they are.

Scratch marks from an omega.

How did I not notice them last night?

“Oh my.” Hope blooms in my chest, and I reach out, touching one thick, puffy line. She marked him well. “Mari did this?” I ask as if in awe.

“Yes.” Izan holds his head up high, obviously very proud of our girl. And I am too.

“Sexually aggressive omegas are more likely to create strong bonds with their packs,” I say, filled with renewed excitement. “She might even grow more confrontational with other members of the pack, needing the same kind of connection.” Izan smiles as I throw the few medical facts I know at him. “This is really good,” I say, thrilled at this new development.

Izan had shared with me how Mari disconnected from him the first night she was here. It gutted me to hear that, but this…this gives me hope.

“Mari is going to be okay.” Izan kisses the top of my head. “She might be a little more quiet or subdued right now, but she’s only been here for a few days.” He moves around the kitchen island, grabbing a knife and fork, then one of the three plates Andre prepared. He stands at the end of the island, cutting into his steak. “She needs time to acclimate.”

The kitchen door swings open and Hutch steps inside. I quickly turn to the fridge, pretending to look for something inside. I don’t want him to see the tears on my face. It’ll only worry him. Trying not to be too obvious, I lift my glasses so I can rub my eyes and cheeks.

“What’s going on?” Hutch asks in a tense voice, and I freeze. “I smell tears.”

Shit .

“I’ve got a task for you and Dassy this afternoon. Everly can stay with Mari while you’re gone,” Izan says, ignoring Hutch’s question. “We also need to figure out what to do about Mari’s sleepwalking.”

I close the fridge, ready to rejoin the conversation.

“She should have never been able to leave her room without us knowing,” Izan says. He sounds so angry, but I know him too well. He’s more upset than anything else. “She could have hurt herself. Or…” Izan lets out a long sigh.

“I’ll watch over her room at night,” Hutch says, but then he pauses, his gaze flickering between Izan and me. “Are we sure she was sleepwalking?” he asks, and I draw my brows together.

“What else could it be?” I ask with a short laugh. I love Hutch but he’s always so suspicious. Maybe it’s the nature of his job, but omegas aren’t deceptive like alphas. They’re too good.

“I don’t know,” Hutch says, looking from Izan to Dassy. “Maybe she was looking for a way out and she got lost.”

“You think she was trying to run away?” I snort at his ridiculous statement.

“I was just posing a question.” Hutch flashes me a half-hearted smile, but I can see it in his eyes— he thinks she was trying to run away . But why would she leave us?

“My only concern is keeping her in her room in the middle of the night,” Izan says as Hutch walks past him, grabbing his breakfast off the counter. “Talk to Dassy about what he recommends to keep track of her at night.”

“I think he's still in her room,” Hutch says, sitting on one of the stools at the kitchen island. There’s a perfectly good breakfast nook in the corner of the room, but no one ever eats there. It’s really more for show. A place to display flowers.

“Dassy is still in Mari’s room?” Izan’s voice is tense, clearly not happy. I understand his suspicions. Dassy has always struggled to think with anything other than his dick. He’s a wild alpha with zero inhibitions. It’s something I love about him. But it’s also been known to get him into quite a lot of trouble.

“I assumed you gave him permission to fuck her,” Hutch says without a trace of jealousy or anger. Any other second in command would be livid right now, but not Hutch. He and Dassy act as if every experience is a shared one.

“I did not give him permission,” Izan says, followed by a long sigh. After a second, he shakes his head, looking down at his plate. Thinking. “But maybe I should,” he adds in a deep murmur.

Hutch’s expression brightens at that, obviously happy with the idea. “I take it that things went well last night?”

Izan smirks, giving Hutch a knowing look. “You saw the marks on my chest,” he says, pulling his still-unbuttoned shirt to one side. This time, I see a circular mark on the edge of his shoulder. It’s a bite mark. Good for her!

“I know I saw them!” Dassy proclaims loudly as he steps into the room. He’s all bright energy today, walking with an especially sexy strut. I can’t help but wonder if he did rut Mari. Izan will have his head if he did.

“Come here,” Izan calls the much taller alpha over. Our pack alpha isn’t the tallest of his kind, but he always carries himself like he’s got the biggest dick in the room. “All the way.” Izan curls his finger, making Dassy bend down. Izan leans, inhaling deeply. Dassy’s eyes float closed as our pack alpha scents his neck and chest.

“You didn’t fuck her?” Izan says with surprise in his voice. Hutch and I share a similar look. Dassy isn’t exactly known for his self-control.

“Was I allowed to?” Dassy asks loudly, like a child tricked out of a cookie. I can’t help but smile.

“What do you think?” Izan looks at me. “I don’t want to rush things, but do you think it will help Mari to connect with the rest of the pack?”

I shrug, not sure what to say. “I don’t know. My background is in counseling preteens. Alpha preteens. While I know a few basics about omegas, I’m not an expert in their behavior or sexual needs.” I cross my arms, feeling so defeated. “She’s so different from our phone calls.” I look at all three of my mates. “I hate that she’s struggling to settle in.”

“Come here, beta.” Hutch spins around on his barstool, holding out an arm, beckoning me near.

I obey, moving between his muscular legs and resting my head against his firm chest. His white T-shirt smells just like him—the sharp, bright scent of lime, mixed with a hint of lavender. It’s so relaxing.

“Mari couldn’t ask for a more wonderful beta.” Hutch’s hand slips down my back, cupping my ass. “She just needs time.”

“That’s right,” Dassy says, taking the stool next to his brother. “And even if you did study omegas all day every day, broken ones don’t follow the same pattern or rules. Each one is different.”

Shock overcomes me as I recognize what he’s just said. “Dassy.” I lean away from Hutch, turning to look at his brother. “Did you read the information packet Havenfield gave us?”

“Fuck, yeah, I did.” He pops a piece of fruit into his mouth. “I refuse to let anything awful happen to that omega or to you.” He leans toward me, looking deep into my eyes. “Don’t be sad, little beta. Everything will be okay.”

Hutch hums in agreement, pressing a gentle kiss to my temple.

I can’t help but feel reassured. Between Izan’s confidence, Mari’s scratch marks, and the twins' affection, I feel hopeful. Maybe Mari will be okay

Izan’s phone chimes loudly, destroying my tender moment. The pack alpha checks the screen, then scowls. “Call me if anything happens,” he says to Hutch.

“Text if you decide we can fuck Mari!” Dassy yells after Izan, staring at our pack alpha’s ass as he walks off.

Thankfully, Izan doesn’t respond at all to the crass statement.

“Alright,” Dassy turns to me and Hutch. “Let’s fuck in the pantry before Mari wakes up.”