Page 60 of Ruffled Feathers

“Congratulations, sweetheart,” he said softly, dipping forward to take my lips. “Soon, it’ll be me taking a bite from you, making you mine.” He ran a finger across my lower lip. “I’ve dreamed of putting my claim on that pretty, heart-shaped ass since the moment I watched it walk into my office. But one of us has to hold out, so these Alphas make honest Omegas of us,” hewhispered to me conspiratorially. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Truett dragged us all down into the nest, and I wrapped myself up in the bodies of my Packmates. As my eyes fluttered closed, exhausted from the strain of the bonds and the insane number of orgasms, there was nothing outside this moment of happiness.

No good. No bad. Just my Pack.

Thirty-Two

Lance

Imet Tillie’s eyes across the yard, and our new bond pulsed with warm feelings. Desire. Affection. Amusement, which was fitting, since I was currently trying to take photos of the kittens, now that they were old enough to go off to forever homes.

Trying to get a bunch of kittens to sit still long enough to have their photo taken was an impossible task. It should be one of the entrance exams into the police force or something—can you herd cats into cute positions without them attacking each other, or you, or the camera, or a random bug, or even your giant, scary dog?

If the answer is yes, then congrats, here’s a badge.

We had to name them all for their photos, because studies showed that named kittens had a better chance of getting adopted than unnamed ones. However, naming six kittens was difficult.

Unfortunately for them, we’d been eating Italian food when we’d decided on their monikers, so I was currently attempting to photograph Linguine. Carbonara was trying to climb from the basket they were waiting in, but he wasn’t the brightest, so I had at least a few more seconds before he absconded. I snappeda bunch of pictures of Linguine, looking up just in time to see Pancetta take off across the lawn.

“Akio, fetch,” I instructed the dog. “Gentle.”

I didn’t even need to tell him to be gentle, because he loved these damn kittens. He picked Pancetta up gently, though he seemed to grab the whole kitten in his mouth. Some of the more boisterous kittens were already getting a little slobbery. He dropped Pancetta back at my feet, the kitten’s fur now looking a little crazy with all the dog drool.

Scooping up the outraged kitten, I raised an eyebrow at him. “You brought that on yourself, you little escape artist.” I brushed down his fur and stuck him in another, more decorative basket that was being used to photograph them. As I snapped pictures, I knew that Otillie-James was now behind me by the strength of her bond and the way her scent washed over me. Pointing the camera up at her, I took a quick picture of her smiling down at me, her face shadowed by the sun that was like a halo behind her.

She grabbed Carbonara, who’d finally made it out of the basket, and snuggled him close to her chest. “Are you guys being naughty for Lance?”

I took another quick picture.God, she’s beautiful.I was so fucking lucky.

She sat down beside me, the kitten still in her arms. “You’re doing a great job,” she praised me softly, which was a lie, but I appreciated it all the same. Most of the pictures were just a blur of fur, because they were incredibly quick for creatures with two-inch legs.

She gently put Carbonara back in the basket and snuggled into my side. I put my arms around her shoulders, holding her close. I didn’t need to ask her if she was happy; I could feel it down the bond.

I hadn’t bonded with the Alphas yet. There’d be plenty of time for that, and we’d decided it might be less overwhelming if I did one bond at a time. I didn’t argue, because having someone else in your head, in your chest, was wild. It wasn’t like we could talk through ESP, or anything like that. It was just that I could tell how she felt at all times, unless she actively tried to block it. When Truett had knotted her after claiming her, I’d thought I might pass out from the pleasure that came down the bond.

But it also meant I could feel her simmering worry about that fucker Anthony Smalls, and all those animals that had been at the warehouse. That whole situation was stressing her out, and Ihatedthat. It was an oozing wound on our happiness.

Which was why I planned to do something risky and stupid. Because if I knew one thing about Otillie-James in the short time we’d been together, it was that she wouldn’t be able to ignore the suffering of those animals for long, and that was when she usually came up with crazy schemes, like rescuing fighting cocks in backwater garages.

Better I carry out the crazy schemes instead.

Strat had talked to some detectives he knew, but he’d said that the warehouse’s title wasn’t under the rescue foundation’s name, or even any personal name we could trace back to Anthony Smalls or his Pack. It was an umbrella company, under a second umbrella company, which told me everything I needed to know about their setup. It was sophisticated, and I wondered what else they were running through there.

I’d reached out to some friends, so we could go and have a slightly closer look. I had pictures of Anthony Smalls there already. If it came down to it, maybe they could find a way to prosecute the Smalls Pack, without all those animals dying while we waited for due process.

Otillie was eyeing me. “What are you up to?”

Wiping my thoughts clear, I looked at her. Man, that was going to take some getting used to.Distraction time.“I think I should meet your parents. I bonded with you, and I still haven’t met your dad.”

Of all the distractions, why did I have to open my big mouth and mention that one? I mean, it was true, but I was nervous as fuck. What if they thought I wasn’t worthy of their daughter? I wasn’t, but it was too late for that now. Would they think I was trying to ingratiate myself into their Pack for the money?

Otillie’s fingers wrapped around mine. “Stop it. They’ll love you. I’ll invite them around for dinner this week. We’ll do it here, on our own turf.” She climbed over my lap, her lips brushing mine. “They’ll love you, because I love you, Lance Alcott.”

I was helpless to resist kissing her back. I kissed her and kissed her until Akio whined, and we drew apart in time to see all the kittens making a break for it across the lawn. Laughing, she climbed off me and chased them down, her sundress fluttering around her thighs.

I hadn’t ever thought I was capable of feeling this way; my heart had long ago turned hard and rotten in my chest. But she was out here, proving me wrong yet again.

“I love you too, Otille-James Baler,” I called after her, and she looked over her shoulder and smiled at me.

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