Page 40 of All Packed Up

“Okay,” she announced to the room. “He said to call him if we need anything.”

Only a hint of nerves bounced around in her stomach, but nerves nonetheless. She was still hanging out with alphas. Practically the first ones she’d been this close to in months.

But in her opinion, she played it off well, rounding the couch and taking a seat like she’d been there a million times. Knuckles protested, and she let him escape to safety. On the cushion next to her.

Wendy had a better view of what Tate was up to, sitting on the cushy rug as he ground up the buds and started rolling a joint.

She couldn’t help the grin of excitement as she watched him roll so effortlessly.

“So you smoke?” Tate asked, glancing up. Their gazes met, and she was startled by how fucking blue his eyes were.

“I used to,” she offered.

His smile curled down. “That’s lame. Get comfy,” he said. “Want a blanket?”

Before she even finished nodding, Arlo had disappeared and was back in a flash, a soft green blanket held out like an offering.

“Thanks,” she said, taking the green fuzzy blanket and throwing it around her. In her leggings, she wouldn’t be able to feel the chill of leather on the backs of her thighs, but an extra layer of fluff between herself and the dreaded material wouldn’t hurt.

Wendy hated leather.

Once she was situated, Knuckles decided he was tired of her company and hopped off the couch. The feline landed and waddled over to Tate, bumping his elbow with his big head.

Traitor.

Tate gasped in excitement and stopped what he was doing to give the feline the attention he begged for. “You’re so fuckin’ cute,” Tate said to her cat.

Arlo disappeared again, the silent alpha, and returned with a bottle of water.

Wendy took it, their fingers brushing against the cold plastic. “Still sealed,” Arlo clarified. “But, like, if you want me to get you one from the vending machine, I can.”

The nervous alpha was halfway to the door before she spoke. “If you drugged me, Nic would bury you somewhere no one would find you,” she threatened. Upon her search for the bat, she’d discovered a box filled with boxing gloves and tape and other memorabilia.

From the evidence, she’d learned Nic was a fucking badass. A beta who could take care of himself in and outside of the ring. What ring that had been? She had no idea, but he owned a boxing gym, so it made sense that he had experience himself.

Wendy refused to admit that the thought of Nic towering over an opponent in the ring made her weak in the knees. Could he tie me up using athletic tape?

“Yeah, we know,” Tate said with a chuckle. “Dude’s been around.”

Tate—all blond hair, blue eyes, and open smile—held out the rolled joint to her.

Wendy accepted it and lifted it to her nose, smelling the earthy musk with a sigh.

She lifted her gaze and found both alphas staring at her. Arlo from a seat as far away from her as possible, practically hiding behind Tate, who held out a lighter. “It’s been a while,” she admitted.

As she lifted the joint to her lips, she flicked the lighter to life and held the flame to the tip. With an inhale, the end glowed to life in a bright orange, and the smoke filled her lungs.

She exhaled slowly, the cloud of smoke filling the room, the sunlight slicing through it from the windows.

The alphas were still staring at her. “Have you never seen an omega before?” she asked.

They blinked as if awakening from a trance. “No—I mean, yes, we’ve met an omega before, believe it or not,” Tate said. He chuckled and ran a hand through his blond hair. “Sorry. We haven’t had an omega in this space before, is all, and we also don’t want to piss Nic off.”

“So you’re both gonna spend the whole day terrified?”

Arlo relaxed back into his seat and crossed one leg over the other. In his faded tee and jeans, he looked right at home. “I’m not scared of Nic, but I respect him. We don’t want to mess with what’s his.”

Wendy blew a strand of hair out of her face and took another hit from the joint. Smoke spilled between her lips as she spoke. “Nic doesn’t own me, believe it or not. He’s just helping me out. He’s… nice.”