Chapter 62

Chapter Sixty-Two

LUCAS

" F reya, I love you..." Casey begins and I just know this is going to be a thing.

My omega's eyes narrow on our pack beta while she sucks on her straw.

"Careful, man," I whisper, nudging his shoulder with mine, but Beckett does the same to me saying, "No, I wanna see this."

Casey scowls at both of us, but I'm just trying to keep my pack brother out of trouble. Freya's brother on the other hand? He loves seeing his twin go full feisty mode on us.

"Don't you think you've had enough caffeine today, baby?" Casey tries to go for sweet and caring but you'd think after living with the girl for five months, he would fucking know not to say shit about her coffee intake.

God, Freya doesn't even say anything. Just stares her beta down. He gulps. Beckett laughs and flips a burger patty.

Then his mom is there, groaning loudly and throwing her hands in the air. "Honestly, Casey! Have I not taught you anything?"

The full-grown man pouts. "But mom, all that caffeine can't be good for her!"

The blonde-haired omega points up at her son all the while Freya smirks into her evening coffee. "You better get used to it, because as soon as she accepts that job at the coffee shop in town, she will probably be having more than you know."

Ah yes. The coffee shop we can't help but spoil her with every day. Since my sweetheart found the flavor list, she's been determined to try every combination to see what she likes best. And being her alphas, Elliott, Ronan and I can't help but encourage her experimentation. Casey too, even though he grumbles about how unhealthy it is. Honestly, I think we're all a little surprised it isn't Ronan who's been freaking out about Freya's caffeine intake.

We're there so often, cheering our girl on as she comes up with new delicious concoctions that we've caught the eye of the manager. That woman is about to get on her hands and knees to beg Freya to work there.

Even some of the regular customers get excited when my girl walks in and they all order what she does that day if it sounds appealing to them.

"Do I need to add you to my tutoring rounds, young man?" Casey's mom threatens.

Casey blanches. "No. No, ma'am."

Freya's still grinning like a madwoman. Mrs. Gray took on tutoring our omega when she, their teenage daughter, and Casey's dad moved a town over. She quickly became someone Freya could trust, and a large part of our family.

Speaking of Casey's sister, the sixteen-year-old ambles over to Freya. Sarah tugs on Freya's pink scrunchie of the day and murmurs, "Are you going to tell him, or should I?"

"Tell me what?" Casey jumps on their hushed conversation immediately.

Freya lifts a brow, and Sarah rolls her eyes at her big brother. "It's decaf."

"Decaf?" he repeats stupidly.

I'm holding in my laughter alongside Beckett.

Mr. Gray, Ronan, Elliott, Remy, and Nick all explode in laughter around the fire across the yard. It's only going to get rowdier here when Remy's parents show up, too.

Casey blushes a fierce shade of fucking red, realizing alpha hearing gave him no privacy. And, of course, Kate's there to embarrass him further.

"That was hard to watch," the brunette omega says with a shake of her head, coffee in hand as well.

Freya clears her throat next. "Casey, I love you..."

Beckett and I snort. The alpha and I have become good friends, even if he thinks his sister could do better than the kid who bullied her for three years. The moment I agreed with his assessment, we became friends. Two jackasses with omegas way out of our league.

"But I get decaf after two in the afternoon," Freya says with a sly smile.

The beta frowns. "Since when?"

Freya opens her mouth, but Ronan's there with a hand to cover her next comment. "Don't be a brat, Star," he warns, low in her ear.

To Casey he says, "She read about the effects caffeine can have on an omega at the doctor's appointment on Thursday. It was a general health guide sitting on a table. You and Elliott were busy terrorizing the staff trying to hurry the results along faster."

Of course I knew this. I'm the one that showed her, but I do enjoy watching the beta go head to head with our omega. I always thought she would be a brat with me, but Casey gets the brunt of it.

He's also a little shit, kind of like Butters, so he deserves his omega's sweet teasing. Christ, I love the person she's growing into.

The results of the possibility of gaining hearing back in her right ear weren't promising. But my strong omega just swiped her tears away and told us she was okay. It was the truth. We could all feel her acceptance through the bond.

Our girl has been through many painful, unfair things, and this will just be another battle wound she has to live with. And live she will.

Casey lunges for her with a playful snarl, making Freya squeal and shove her coffee at Elliott as he struts toward us. Coffee in hand, the big dark alpha snatches Freya around the waist and tosses her over his shoulder.

Her laughter rings out through Kate's backyard when Casey frantically tries to shield her bare ass from our family's horrified gazes.

"Bunch of children," Ronan grumbles.

"Ooo, speaking of." Casey's mom latches onto the topic with a big ass smile.

I hold in my groan, knowing how much she loves us and wants grandbabies. I'm learning this is what a family is supposed to be like.

Chaotic, full of laughter, maybe a touch broken and a bit odd. And most of all, filled with love.

Love and freedom to be who we are, inside and out. Instincts and all.

And we are. Each of us.

Loved and free.