Page 18 of Puck Your Neighbor

I guess it wouldn't be terrible. As long as they stay upstairs and I stay safe in my nest.

Going back to my door, I make sure all the locks are in place, just in case they flip on me and try to get into my apartment. And also to keep me in and not seek them out if my heat comes on earlier than when it's supposed to be here. I have enough suppressants in me to put down an elephant, but I've never had my inner omega so much at the front of my mind. I'm not sure if having them in my system will help me or not in this case.

I wish I had some omega friends to ask how to deal with this, but I don't. I don't have any friends and now that I'm thinking about it, I find that kind of sad. My only other option is to go to an Omega hospital, but they would talk me into being taken care of by the alpha doctors there, and that sounds worse than giving in to compatible alphas if it comes to that.

Taking it all to my nest, I grab my nest tray that will allow me to eat in my nest without making a mess, especially with the sauces. Then I turn on my galaxy lights to a calming ocean blue setting and turn on some soft classical music. Everything to keep me calm while I reach out to them.

Anya:

This is Anya. Thank you for the food, letters, and flowers. I love chicken wings but will try the veggie ones as well. I'm an artist for a living, and I love doing it. So I guess that's my passion. What is your favorite meal?

It feels like a lame question, but I guess we have to start somewhere. Next, I want to text Leo. He touched me the most with his letter.

Anya:

So, I'm finally sending you a message. Thank you for the sweet gifts and your letter. It was kind of you to say those things. As to answering your question, I'm not sure. I guess it's been a while since I went out to see a movie in theaters, but I just haven't wanted to spend the time or money on it since 2020. What about you?

And finally, Jenson. Based on his penmanship, it feels like he might be deeper than he lets on. I'm curious to know why his is so elegant, while the other two penmanships look like a guy's handwriting.

Anya:

Hey, thanks for the gifts and letters. You have really nice handwriting. To answer your question, I used to smoke daily. But it was getting in the way of getting my art commissions done on time. So now I only smoke before bed or if I'm taking a day off from work. It's sweet of you to want to learn ASL for me, but you don't have to. I've gotten used to writing everything out. It's just something I have to do. So is the Porsche your favorite car?

I need to come up with some better questions, but I am curious about the car he drives. My hands shake a little with nervousness as I set my phone aside and wait for them to reply. I open my food, going for a chicken wing first, dipping it in some blue cheese before I take a bite. The crispiness of the skin makes my toes curl, and if I could, I would moan. If I tried, it wouldn't come out as anything appealing.

My phone chimes, and I jump. Finishing the wing, I wipe my fingers clean on a napkin and look at the text.

Maverick:

I'm so glad we picked something that you enjoy. I'm glad it wasn't something you hate. I really enjoy a good roasted chicken with vegetables that have gotten roasted and cooked in the juices. Nothing better than a crispy skin and moist chicken. My aunt used to make two chickens for us to each get. Some of the best memories from my teen years. Could I see some of your art? In another life, I may have become an artist as well. But I haven't sketched anything since I was 15.

Heat enters my cheeks at the thought of sharing my art with him, which is silly because I have an online presence for it. I even do videos a few times a month of time-lapses of me getting a painting done. So strangers see it all the time. But it feels intimate knowing he'll have to respond to it, and a part of me cares what he'll think.

I send him a couple I have on my phone that have since gone off to clients, but it will give him a good sense of what my style is like.

My eyes roll as I take a bite of some of the salty fries. They haven't even gotten soggy yet from being in the hot takeout box. I needed this comfort food and my nest. Perhaps even a bit of hope.

More chimes fill the air, and I can't help but smile. Spending the night talking to them feels really nice.

It won't be like last time.

The thought makes me swallow hard. I want my inner omega to be right, but I'm still going to take this at baby steps for as long as I can. I'm terrified it will be like last time, or worse.

Chapter 10

Apermanent grin has etched itself onto my face as I stare at the text on my screen.

Anya:

I hope your game against the Vipers goes well! Sorry I can't be there, but maybe next time.

She's been talking to all three of us for a few days now. None of our interactions have moved to in-person, but knowing what I do about her past, I get why we're taking it slow. It's hard to not want to go downstairs and ask if I could sleep on her floor so my inner alpha can shut up about wanting to be there to protect her. But it's worth it to build trust with her first and help her see we're not like the alphaholes who got their hands on her before.

I want to send my last text before I have to put my phone in the locker. Even if I happen to sit on the bench for part of the night, they don't like when we're on them during televised games, so no phones until we're back in here.

Before I can reply, both Maverick and Leo chime in on our group chat. After the first night, we decided to do a group chat with her so that she can get to know all of us without having to jump between each of our conversations. After all, we'll be sharing her as a pack, and we might as well get used to that dynamic.

I should say, we hope we'll be sharing her as a pack. Maverick has made it clear that we follow her lead with this, and it doesn't matter what we want. If she doesn't want to bond or share one of her heats with us to see how it goes, then there's nothing we can do about it but respect her wishes.

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