Page 52 of Ruffled Feathers

So I gave them an encouraging look. “I mean it.”

Sonny still seemed hesitant. “Are you sure?”

I nodded, and Otillie-James let out a joyous peal of laughter. “Then yes, I would love to move in with you, Lance Alcott.” She gripped either side of my face and leaned forward to kiss me, but stopped just shy of my lips. “You know I want you to be part of my Pack, right? That you’re mine, if you want to be? That you’re part of this Pack we’re building?”

Bobbing my head as much as I could in her tight hold, I gave her a soft smile. “Yes.”

Then she kissed me, and there was nothing soft or delicate about it. She claimed me as hers, and I claimed her right back.

A frantic splashing had me dragging my lips from hers. Spartacus the rooster was trying to swim out to Gert and the baby ducklings, but chickensstillcouldn’t swim.

Pulling back, Otillie-James groaned. “For Christ’s sake, Spartacus, you’re a damn chicken!”

“Rock, paper, scissors for who has to go out and save the drowning rooster?” Sonny asked me, and I nodded.

That was how I finished the most perfect afternoon, swimming into the middle of a dirty pond to fish out a former fighting cock, who was in love with a goose.

Twenty-Seven

Truett

Buck Baler was a big guy. He stood at least four inches taller than me, and about three more than Sonny. It didn’t sound like much, until he was standing nose-to-nose with you while you told him that you’d always loved his daughter and wanted to make her your Omega.

“What age did you say you fell in ‘love’ with my daughter?”

You didn’t have to be a lawyer to know that one was a trap. However, it probably also helped if you weren’t an honest fool, because Sonny actually answered. “Since the first moment I saw her.”

Buck ground his teeth. “You fell in love immediately with your sixteen-year-old stepsister?”

Abort, Sonny. Abort.

“He doesn’t mean it like that. It wasn’t like we were lusting after her. But we could tell immediately that she was something special. Obviously, she was far too young to think of like that.” I widened my eyes at Sonny and hoped he got the subtext ofshut the fuck upin there.

Otillie-James rolled her eyes at her dad. “Stop, Dad. I was sixteen, not six. I was dating Alex Whitcomb six months after we moved here, and lost my virginity to him in the back of hismom’s Tesla. Let’s not pretend teenagers don’t have sex, and that the guys weren’t teenagers too. You’re blowing it out of proportion. Besides, it doesn’t matter now.”

Frowning at his daughter, Buck grunted and turned to pace away. Citrine was sitting on her favorite armchair, perched on the edge, raising a single eyebrow at us. That expression always made me feel two inches tall, ever since I was ten, when she’d busted Sonny and me having a food fight in the formal living room.

Sonny obviously saw her as the more sympathetic party, but I wasn’t so sure. “Mom, you know it wasn’t anything nefarious.”

She smiled at us all. “Of course I do, sweetheart. I’m an Omega; the ridiculous teenage pining basically stunk up the house for years. I thought I might have to step in eventually. But when you never made any move to court her, I thought perhaps you’d moved on. That you’d decided she wasn’t good enough for you when she didn’t designate and instead became Unshown.”

I frowned at Citrine. She wasn’t one to care about people’s designations. What was she getting at?

I didn’t have to wait long to find out.

“And I decided if you didn’t think she was worthy of your Pack as Unshown, then you didn’t deserve her anyway. Otillie-James deserves someone who can appreciate just how special she is, as a human being, heart and soul.” She reached over and held OJ’s hand tightly. “If this is what you want, you have my support. But just know that being an Omega is only a small part of what makes you special. You make sure they treat you how you deserve to be treated, Sugar.”

Buck huffed, his arms still crossed over his chest, but he didn’t contradict his wife. I mean, I didn’t blame him. His wife was scary as hell. People tended to think Alphas were the ones in control of their Packs, but if they had an Omega? We were basically just there to make them happy.

Okay. This is good. Now for phase two.“I’m glad that we have your support, guys, because now we’ve consolidated our Pack, we actually have more exciting news.”

“She’s pregnant?” Citrine gasped.

Sonny went pale. “No! I mean, I don’t think so.” He looked at OJ, who glared back at him, like he was a dumbass.

“Uh, no. We’re too young for babies just yet. Sorry?” she added, clearly unsure if Citrine was happy or sad about the idea.

Buck harrumphed. “Good.”

---