Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

Chloe

W hen Holden and I separate, I look around the kitchen, only now noticing the disaster. Dominic hadn't been wrong when he said Holden would have a dozen things started.

I pat the front of my unicorn onesie before walking over to grab an apron from the wall hooks. "How can I help you?"

"Oh, no, you don't need to…" Holden stares at the mixers and ingredients strewn about. "Well… You said you can't cook."

I push up my sleeves. "That is correct, but I can roll a mean ball of cookie dough."

"Alright, you're on snickerdoodle duty then." He sets up a station for me, complete with a bowl of sugar and cinnamon to coat the dough balls.

As I work, my hands covered in the sticky mixture, he asks, "So, do you have any plans for the new trilogy? The final book wrapped everything up."

I pause, considering the question. "Well, I thought about giving Princess Anastasia amnesia."

Holden freezes, mid-stir of adding pecans to the brownie batter, to stare at me in horror. "Don't you dare."

I suppress a smile. "Or maybe… it was all just a dream?"

He waves his spatula at me in threat. "Pull that stunt, and I swear I will unsubscribe from your books this second."

Giggling, I go back to rolling the dough. "Actually, I've had a lot of people ask about a book showing the babies. When I completed the series, I left that stuff out because I didn't think I could portray a good family dynamic for them. I didn't want to ruin what my readers envisioned for their future."

Holden's warm gaze lingers on me. "Do you think you can write that family dynamic now?"

My heart aches at the question, but I find the courage to answer honestly. "I think I can. They'll still need to go on adventures, of course, and some drama about half-dragon, half-fairy children being received by the fairy kingdom. But I can use the trilogy to show how adversity brings the fairy princess and her dragon king even closer."

Holden gives me a soft smile. "It sounds like a wonderful continuation of the series. I look forward to reading it when it comes out."

His head bows as he focuses on pouring the brownie batter into a square pan. Despite the chaos of multiple things going at once, he seems to have everything prepped and ready to go.

Tone casual, I say, "You could be one of my Alpha Readers, if you want."

His head snaps back up. "Seriously? You'd trust me with something so important?"

"Of course." I try to sound more confident than I feel. "If I can trust you with my heart, then I can trust you with the complete trash pile that's my first drafts."

My chest tightens, and I look away from his hopeful expression. "Even if it turns out I can't stay on Misty Pines, I'd like to remain friends."

The word friend sounds so wrong in my mouth when we have the potential to be so much more to each other. But the thought of never speaking to Holden again hurts even more.

At his silence, I duck my head, unable to meet his eyes. "Never mind. How selfish can I get? It would be awkward for any Omega in the future to join your pack with me still hanging around."

"I'd be honored to be your Alpha Reader." He hurries over to hug me from behind, and his voice breaks when he adds, "And your friend, no matter what else happens."

Sniffling, I turn my head to rub my cheek against his shoulder, breathing in his vanilla sweetness.

"You know, Chloe could stay and only be with you and Blake," Dominic says from the kitchen doorway.

Not having heard him enter, I shriek and throw the cookie dough ball I hold at him.

He catches it easily and takes a bite. "Thanks. This is my favorite."

Holden releases me to look between us. "What do you mean Chloe could just be with me and Blake?"

Dominic joins us and shrugs as he leans against the counter. "It's common for the bigger packs to have more than one Omega. Why not us?"

The idea twists my stomach with unease. I don't want another Omega in the pack, but I can't bring myself to admit why it bothers me so much.

"Chloe?" Concern etches across Holden's face.

I smile to hide my discomfort. "That's correct. My mother joined the Sinclairs to be my father's exclusive mate."

Holden turns to Dominic in surprise. "But we always talked about keeping our pack small, and only allowing in members with a true bond, like my family has."

Breath held, I wait for Dominic to declare we have a true bond, but he remains silent, and I can't bring myself to admit it.

Could I stay here, though, picking and choosing who to let into my heart? And if I keep Dominic at arm's length, will he eventually court a different Omega? Am I okay with that? I don't want him, so why do I hate the idea of someone else having him?

Holden touches my arm. "It's not something you have to decide now."

Relief sweeps through me. "You're right. Nathaniel still might vote me off the island."

Holden turns to Dominic. "Any word from them?"

Dominic checks his phone and shakes his head. "Nothing yet, but they'll have only just reached Pinecrest if they hit good traffic. I'm sure they'll send an update soon."

"What room did you put Grady in?" Holden asks.

"The suite next to Chloe's." He glances at me. "I hope that's okay."

"Depends on how good your soundproofing is." I force myself to keep things light. "He snores."

His gray eyes twinkle, making my stomach swoop with…something. "You'll have to let us know when you fill out the questionnaire about our accommodations."

"Hey, the tree falling on the cabin means I can rate the cabins and the suites at the Homestead." I scoop out another ball of cookie dough to roll in cinnamon and sugar. "And Grady will write a review, too."

Holden winces. "Could you leave out the part about the tree falling?"

I cock an eyebrow at him. "Too much adventure for a luxury resort?"

He holds up his fingers and pinches them together. "Just a little."

Dominic tips a bowl on the counter toward him to peek inside. "Peanut butter cookies?" At Holden's nod, he rolls up his sleeves and steals one of my sheet pans. "Grady said he might take a walk after he's done with his immediate work."

"Grady in the wild?" I shake my head. "We might have to send out a search party, since Sprinkles isn't here to track him down."

"If he gets lost, too, that means we need to mark our paths better." Holden turns to Dominic, a smile toying at his lips. "Chloe got turned around her second day here, and Blake found her wandering in the woods."

"You mean Sprinkles found me," I correct with a laugh. "I mistook him for a bear, and he mistook me for a toy."

"Well, if Grady wanders off the path, he can follow the sound of the dinner bell," Dominic says. "It will lead him back to us."

"Dinner?" Dismayed, Holden stares blankly at all the cookies. "Oh, no. Dinner . I didn't pull out the chicken! It will never defrost in time!"

Laughing, Dominic wraps an arm around his shoulders and leads him over to the packed refrigerator. "It's okay, you got this. Use that magical brain of yours to see what's available and plan something else. Something involving a crock-pot, since you have the ovens full of desserts."

While Holden frets in front of the fridge, my heartache returns. No, I could never join this pack halfheartedly. Ignoring Dominic won't make him go away.

Which means either coming to terms with our past or giving up Holden and Blake.