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My phone buzzed. I tapped to answer. “Alpha.”

“Are you sure, River? We don’t want to overstep. We can get a hotel.”

“I won’t hear of it. Let me do this for you. I’ll handle the flights, car rental… All you have to do is pack, yeah?” Certain Jason would agree, my fingers tapdanced across the keys, merrily searching for the first available flight. “Can you be at the airport in two hours?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” I pushed Enter. “Done. I’ll send the reservations to your phones. Go pack. I’ll see you when I see you. River, out.” I ended the call, my heart racing. Holy shit. This was it. The moment of truth was coming. My team was coming. My pack.

***

In under an hour, I had flights booked, a car—a luxury SUV big enough for the four of them—and a driver to pick them up, and a slew of groceries ordered to be delivered. There was enough meat and potatoes to feed a small army, ha ha. I added all their favorite snacks and drinks—and mine—for hungry tummies. If everything went according to plan, we wouldn’t be leaving my place for days.

As anticipation bubbled under my skin, I got up and started going through the apartment, one room at a time, cleaning and organizing. Sheets were changed, pillows were fluffed, and extra blankets were added to the couches for cuddling. Shelves were given another dusting, and all the floors were vacuumed. The bathrooms all had plenty of towels, soap, shampoo, and tissues. The two downstairs bedrooms had extra bottles of lube, wipes, and washcloths stashed in the nightstand drawers because who knew if we’d always end up in mine.

That led me to my master bedroom. Standing at the top of the stairs of my open loft room, I surveyed my domain and hoped they loved it as much as I did. My four-poster platform California King took pride of place, centered against the back wall. Nightstands flanked both sides, and a cedar chest/bench sat at the foot of the bed. I wondered how long it would take them to discover the special collection I kept hidden there. Secretly, I hoped it wouldn’t take long at all. My favorite toys, however, were tucked inside the nightstands already, along with lube and condoms. Remembering those, I hastened to trash them, because this was my pack and fuck that there would be anything between us.

I grabbed a fresh set of linens and remade the bed, getting as far as the sheets and pillowcases before a yawn overtook me. Seeing I still had hours before the groceries would arrive, I stripped down and crawled under the top sheet. Of course, after I laid down, I was wide awake, so I let my imagination—and my hands—wander to what might happen first. My mind filled with fantasies of what they might do to me as I stroked myself to completion. Sated, I pulled the covers over me, and replete with warmth, I finally drifted off to sleep.

Because of that…

The alarm I’d set to notify me an hour before their arrival ended up waking me instead. I rubbed my eyes, feeling like I hadn’t slept at all. Grabbing my phone, I found that the airline app had confirmed their touchdown, so I sent a quick update to the driver collecting them at the airport. The groceries arrived, so I set about putting those away, and then, feeling sticky and groggy, I popped into the shower, but fatigue lingered when I emerged, and I wasn’t sure why. Feeling overheated, I tossed on a pair of thin sleep pants and a light hoodie, dawdling in the bedroom. My bed with its rumpled sheets looked so inviting that I sat down, cuddled a pillow, and the next thing I knew, I was woken by the phone ringing.

“Fuck,” I muttered, scrubbing my face and running my hands through my hair. I tapped Accept and Speaker. “Hello?”

“Your guests are here, sir.”

Double fuck! “I’m coming!” I hollered, grabbed my keys, and raced for the elevator. God damn. How could I have overslept? Catching my reflection in the mirrored back wall of the elevator, I cursed again. My hair was a mess, and intent on my mission of taming the errant strands, I didn’t hear the doors slide open.

“River?”

I snapped my head around, bit my lower lip, and then nodded sheepishly. Jason looked amazing with his dark stubble and broad shoulders. It was all kinds of adorable when half his mouth quirked up into a smile. Then he raked me from head to toe, and I wanted to squirm as every inch of me was scrutinized. Fuck, I hoped he liked what he saw.

Jason took a couple of steps until he stood right in front of me, looking down. “You’re shorter than I’d thought you’d be.”

I rolled my eyes, then motioned for them all to join me in the elevator. I peered at them—and they at me—as they entered, carrying their bags. Julius and Augustus were first. From their dossiers, I knew they were both 6-1, five inches over my 5-8, but with their boots on and me in nothing, not even socks, they were wiry twin towers. They grinned down at me with matching brown eyes and high and tights, with about an inch spiked on top. Auggie had a small scar above his right eyebrow, so I knew who was who.

Vance came in next, and he was a veritable skyscraper at 6-6. Not only was he the tallest of the team, but he was also the widest, with broad, muscular shoulders leading down to powerful arms, six-pack abs, thick thighs, and tight glutes you could bounce a quarter off of. I wondered if he’d let me try...

Jason cleared his throat as he strolled in, turned, and stood directly behind me. He was so close, I could feel the heat radiating from his body and ‌his warm breath on my neck. His presence illogically took up a lot of room, making me feel small, but I liked it. There was no need to look at him because I knew the Alpha from head to toe. All six feet four inches, all toned arms and legs. Golden-brown eyes, regulation haircut, attached earlobes, size 13 boots, with a preference for black compression boxer briefs and sleeping in the nude. Stalker much? Yes. Yes, I was.

The doors slid shut, and the air filled with the musky scents of my alphas, forcing me to press my lips together to keep myself from moaning. I turned the key to my floor and held it there as my entire body, my ass especially, clenched.

Jason drew ‌a deep breath in through his nose. “Omega,” he whispered on the exhale.

“Omega,” Vance rumbled.

Jason shuffled closer, dipping his head to sniff behind my ear and taking a deeper breath. “You never said you were an Omega.” His nose brushed my skin, and I shuddered, slick leaking.

“Our Omega?” Vance growled, twisting toward me. My cock hardened at the display of bulging muscles, the spike of alpha pheromones, and the intense stares of the four members of Team Evermore.

I shrugged a shoulder, tipping my chin down but lifting my eyes coyly as I sucked my lower lip between my teeth.

“Fuck,” Jules and Auggie whispered simultaneously.

Covering my mouth, I chuckled. “That’s the plan.”

***