The Light in Us

54. Rowan

54

Rowan

“ Y ou didn’t come to bed last night.”

Fox keeps his voice low as he leans against the counter. Pressing my lips together, I consider my words carefully before I flip another pancake out and onto the stack.

“Fallon was struggling,” I say finally. Gently. “I didn’t want to overwhelm her. So I stayed in the nest for the night.”

Putting the pan down, I cross to the pantry and stick my head in. “Can you remember where we put the raspberry sauce?”

“ Rowan .” Fox barks my name. He doesn’t grab me. No, my alpha manhandles me into the damn pantry and pulls the door shut behind us.

“Fox—,”

“Listen to me.” I shiver at the bark that infuses his tone. Shit, he’s angry.

But it’s not fear that races through me as Fox presses himself against me. His hands grab my cheeks. “You are not a fucking substitute, Rowan Quill.”

I roll my eyes. “I know that. You idiot. We’re going to have to—,”

But he’s really angry. Fox snarls and slams his mouth against mine, his hand wrapping around the nape of my neck and dragging me into him.

My moan filters out when he rips his mouth away, his mouth dropping to trace the edges of my tattooed bite mark.

“You’re mine.” He purrs it against my skin as I tip my neck back to give him more access. “We may have some things to work out, but that will never change. Do you understand me? You, Fallon, Teddy - you are not interchangeable to me, Ro. You’re all different people, and I have more than enough fucking love for all three of you.”

I start chewing on my lip, and the grumpy male pinning me in place tugs it free with a growl. “Stop that. Or I’ll replace it with my own damn teeth, and I have to go to work. Tell me you understand, Rowan, or I’ll call in sick and spend the day making sure you never question it again.”

I swallow as my cock stiffens, forcing it down.

He has to go. He’s covering for Teddy today. All of us missed yesterday, and the work still stacks up, even with the brilliant team at Ink & Quill around us.

And Teddy and I are planning to spend some more time coaxing Fallon into feeling comfortable here, without the pressure of the alpha’s presence or the scent-match overwhelming her.

And what a fucking presence it is. I could drown in it as Fox towers over me. “I understand. I just didn’t want to push her too quickly, Fox. That’s all. We need to be gentle with her, okay? And that includes easing her into the dynamics of this pack.”

And I still think it was the right decision. Alphas might be possessive assholes, but omegas can be territorial. And a newly-mated omega that’s coming to us from a terrible situation… what kind of asshole does he think I am?

Honestly.

“I’m not about to emotionally shove her into something before she’s ready,” I breathe. I poke him in the chest. “My decision had nothing to do with you, or how I feel about you. It was based on how I feel about her . Okay?”

Fox frowns. “Oh. I thought…,”

“It’s not all about you, you know.” I drawl the words, but a smile pulls at my mouth as I lean up to kiss him. “This was fun though. Feel free to shove me in a pantry anytime.”

He’s blushing now, a little embarrassed. “My emotions—,”

“I know,” I say patiently. “You’re all over the place. So is everyone else. But it’ll settle, Fox.”

Although probably not until Fallon has her first heat with us, whenever that is. That’s when pack relationships tend to be set in stone, bonding marks given and accepted.

You can’t hide anything during a heat. If there’s anything – or any one – an omega doesn’t want in their nest, they’ll sure as hell let you know it.

Fox goes to push the door open, and I lean back against the wall, waiting.

He slams into it, bouncing back. “What the hell?”

“It locks from the outside,” I murmur, trying to stave off my laughter. “I did try to tell you.”

He bangs on the door in irritation. “I feel like a teenager. Who designed this, anyway? What if one of us gets trapped in here and dies of starvation? And why haven’t we tried this for Wilder?”

“It’s a pantry , Fox. And you’d never lock Wilder in here. Did you often get locked in pantries as a teenager?”

The smile he flashes me over his shoulder is nothing short of wolfish . “Next time, I’ll show you what I learned in them.”

I’m laughing when the door swings open. It catches in my throat, and I start to cough.

Fallon’s smile tugs at the corner of her mouth, growing into a grin. “Were you… locked in the pantry?”

Fox hauls me out with him. “Very possibly. Don’t go in there and shut the door. It’s too late for us, but not for you.”

And Fallon giggles.

Fucking wind chimes and orange blossoms.

From the table, Teddy is watching us with fascination. “God, Fallon, you really are his scent-match. Because that joke was terrible. ”

“Brat,” Fox snarls. But it’s good-natured as he presses a kiss against Teddy’s lips. “Do not get into any trouble today.”

Teddy pouts. “Not even a little bit? Teeny-tiny?”

I watch Fallon’s mouth fall open as Fox cups Teddy’s neck from behind, tugging his head so Teddy is looking up at him. “If you want me to bend all three of you over the edge of my bed, tie your wrists behind your back and spank you at the same time, then do whatever you want.”

“Well,” Teddy breathes. His eyes are lit up with excitement. “What an incentive. Get out. We need to brainstorm immediately.”

I glance at Fallon again to see how she’s taking their banter. Her cheeks are flushed, hands gripping the table.

And even I can pick up on the scent that flares up in a fresh, sweet burst, mellowing into a spiciness that almost tickles my tongue.

I don’t think she’s against the idea.

Fox’s eyes heat, and Fallon fidgets in place as he strides around the table. He tips up her chin, pressing a soft, testing kiss against her lips. “Rowan will get you a phone and add our numbers in. If you need me for anything – no matter how small – I want you to call me. Promise me.”

It’s not a bark. He doesn’t need it, his dominance more than enough to have Fallon tilting her neck just enough. “I will.”

He doesn’t hesitate. She gasps as his lips press against the spot she’s unintentionally offering him. And I catch his low murmur as Fox straightens, his thumb brushing her skin. “That’s where I want my bite. Have a good day, mate.”

None of us say anything as he strides out. The front door bangs in the distance.

Teddy blinks first. “We should totally make a list.”

Fallon sinks her head into her hands. But she’s grinning. “Where did the others go?”

I try to focus on something else. Anything other than the picture Fox created for us before he left. Heading back to the stack of cold pancakes, I frown before deciding to reheat them. “They’re working on a top-secret project.”

Fallon looks curious, but she doesn’t ask. I hold up the plate before slipping it into the oven. “What’s your pancake choice? I like raspberry syrup.”

When her eyes widen, I glance down. “Did I spill something?”

“No,” she says, smiling. “I like raspberry syrup too.”

“Fallon.” Teddy jumps up, heading for the coffee. “What did we talk about yesterday? Consider me your personal omega coach. Is it really your favorite?”

“It is!” Fallon protests. And then she pauses. “With… marshmallows?”

I grin. “I can do that.”

After breakfast, I head to my own office and grab her a phone. She stares down at it. “I haven’t used one of these in a while. This… model.”

“I’ll show you.” I nudge her over to the couch, talking her through set-up and security. As I’m adding our numbers in, she looks around. “Your home is lovely, Rowan.”

I pause. And so does she. Fallon laughs quietly, shaking her head. “My… home now, I guess?”

Relaxing, I keep going. “We can change things up. None of us are particularly fussy about décor. Maybe Teddy, but he hired someone in because he never has time for anything.”

This is the most time I’ve seen him take off in years, aside from our agreed pack holidays.

She starts to nibble on her lip. “I… what do I do? Here? Is there a list anywhere?”

I jerk my attention from the screen, frowning. “What kind of list?”

She shrugs. Her hand drops to pick at the artsy hole in her dark jeans. At least she’s dressed in something different today, the mountains of clothes Teddy ordered finding their way into her closet to pick from. The gray band tee she chose is knotted at the waist, a pair of thick fluffy socks on her feet and her dark hair pulled back into a sleek French plait. “Cleaning, maybe? Or I can cook.”

“Fallon.” Setting the phone aside, I take her hands in mine. “You don’t have to earn a place in this house. That’s not how we work. Besides, you have a job at Ink & Quill. We’re just taking some time to adjust, that’s all.”

“So, they won’t mind if I work?”

God, I hate the uncertainty in her voice. But I can fix that, right now.

“Teddy is the CEO ,” I remind her. “He’s our boss, Fallon. At work, he calls the shots. And he’s damn fucking good at it too. Fox is in charge here, but I promise you that nobody in this pack will ever stop you from doing what you want to do. You don’t even have to work at Ink & Quill, if you’d rather work somewhere else.”

She nods slowly. “Okay.”

“And it’s not about earning your way. We all pay a token something into the Quill pack account each month, but the profits from Ink & Quill are more than enough to cover everything we could possibly need.” I study her face. “Okay?”

I want to tell her what Fox and Teddy are planning, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise either. “Here’s your phone. You’re all set.”

I make sure her tracking is linked to the family app and switch it on before I hand it over as Teddy bounces in.

“I have a list,” he announces, waving it around. “Three rounds of spanking, coming up.”

“He’s joking,” I say quickly.

Teddy’s face falls. “So I can’t put purple hair dye in his shampoo? He’ll rock the matching hair and eyes look.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, hard. Fallon looks as though she’s not entirely sure if he’s serious.

“Cut nipple holes in every single shirt he owns?”

Fallon chokes.

Teddy sighs. “Final one. We all pretend we got drunk and pierced our—,”

“ No !” Fallon and I shout together. She starts laughing.

Teddy sighs heavily. “Damn. Looks like we’ll have to play board games after all.”

He winks at Fallon, and she frowns. “Board games?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve never played Cluedo.” He clutches his chest. “Your board game education begins now.”