He chuckled. "Well, Nikolaus felt he was obligated to tell me before we had any final agreements in place for them to stay. And, girl, you're not getting any younger, so I told him it was alright with me."
"So you just offered me up on a platter?!" I gasped, mortified at the thought. Alphas were so strange sometimes, but this… this took the cake.
"Well, sort of. I also told him that if a single one of them treated you badly, I'd force them to trek Mount Ember in their skivvies, cover them in honey, and leave them for the bears."
I snorted at that. "We don't even get bears here." Animals could sense supernaturals’ magic, and since the town population was predominantly supes, Emberwood was full of it. So, long story short, the wild animals kept their distance, which was even nicer for our guests who liked to hike.
"They don't need to know that," he laughed. "I'm off to bed. You get you some." He tossed a wink my way so I couldn't mistake what he meant.
"West!" I gasped at his audacity, my laughter echoing in the quiet lobby. "We don't talk about my sex life. That's strictly off limits."
"Do we talk about mine?" he teased. His voice was full of innocence as he clutched his nonexistent pearls excitedly. "Because I went out a few nights ago with that siren that owns the pub, and let me tell you, she has this trick with her—" He was beginning to lift his leg and duck his head when I cut him off.
"No!" I growled, throwing my jacket at him to get him to stop. He dodged it with more grace than a man of his age should have and left, cackling like a hyena the whole way.
With a shudder of disgust, I went behind the desk to turn on the computers. We had at least ten checkouts coming our way today, and I wanted to be ready. There was always an early bird in the group.
"There she is," Molly called out as she walked into the lobby. If it weren't for the coffee in her hand, I'd run away and hide.Totally not ready for this.From the expression on her face, she knew about the mates too.At least they aren’t teaming up on me… yet.
"How did you find out?" I accused. She grinned and handed over the coffee.
"Oh, honey, I know everybody's business here. This is worse than a home for old ladies, gossiping all day long," she said, giving my cheek a pat.
"You aren't wrong about that," I sassed, focusing on my opening tasks instead of indulging her.
"So…" she finally prompted, undeterred by my avoidance. "I haven't seen all four yet, but you won the lottery! And you're out here moping about it? Don't think we didn't notice you locking yourself away for the evening." Who was this mysteriouswe? Molly and West? Or had my mates tried to find me once they set their stuff down in their room. Part of me was a little embarrassed at the thought; did I want them to know that I’d taken off like a coward? But another part of me was secretly hoping they had been so drawn to me that they hadn’t been able to last all night without looking for me.
Molly had a big heart, but she didn't know my past, so there wasn't much I could tell her. "It was just a shock. And there's four of them."
"When has that ever stopped us supernaturals?" she asked. "Hell, we need alphas, betas, and omegas in the mix for any family unit to truly work. And don’t think I didn’t notice them searching for you. Playing hard to get never hurts."
"What if I'm not what they're expecting?" It was a moment of vulnerability, the words slipping out before I could stop them. Zehra had always been my voice of reason, but she was silent now. I knew my curves and hearty stature was necessary for what I was, andIwasn't ashamed... but would they be? For the first time in my life, I felt vulnerable and truly worried about what someone else might think about me.Freaking omega genes.
"They'd be idiots to think that," she said vehemently. "Is this about that mouth breather that West chased out of here? Girl, don't listen to humans like that. They’re forever spouting off their mouths just to feel important. And for most women, words like that strike a nerve."
"Listen, it's not about what I think. I know my worth, and I know I'm adorable, but that doesn't mean that everyone's type is a curvy girl." I shrugged. "It's not about confidence. It's about preference."
"Give them a chance to decide for themselves. Fate chose them foryou,so you have to trust in that. Forgive them any small oversteps as you all get to know each other, the same way that you’ll hope they’ll forgive any of yours. Fated means they’re right for you, but that doesn’t mean none of you will never fuck up," she said firmly, giving me the mother hen side eye before leaving me to my thoughts.
The lobby was quiet for another hour before Angela came out of her room. I glanced up, offering a warm smile as she headed down to catch the tail end of breakfast.
“Morning. How are you handling things today?” I gently asked when she finally reached my desk.
She sighed heavily. “Kind of like I lost two hundred pounds of toxicity.” She laughed then, the sound carefree. Her eyes darted around for a second as if someone would stop her or call her out on it, but she calmed once I started laughing.
“You did lose that, and now you get to enjoy your freedom. So, tell me a bit about yourself. What kind of work did you do?”
“He wouldn’t let me work,” she started with a frown. Resting her elbows on the counter, she put her chin in her hands and thought it over. “I have my CNA certificate. I worked with a pediatric unit before I met him, and I’m also a fantastic baker. That’s about the end of my skills.”
“Let me look around a bit and see what’s open. It may just be a few days before some get back to me. In the meantime, we can get together and write up a resume. I can print it from here,” I offered. “For now, you better get in there and grab some food before it’s gone.” Her eyes lit up at that.
“Need anything while I’m in there?”
“Nah, thanks though. Molly will send me a tray,” I promised with a smile. Truthfully, my stomach was still riddled with nerves, so if she didn’t have time, I was okay with that as well.
The guys didn't show their faces, almost as if they were afraid I'd run away again if they approached too soon. By the time three hit, Zachary had clocked in to take over, and they were still missing. This waiting game was hell on my nerves. Not that they knew they were keeping me waiting, anyway. Needing to get out of the hotel for a bit, I ran up to my room for a warmer jacket and snow boots, ditching my work clothes for my favorite chunky sweater.
When I stepped into the crisp air, I took a deep breath. Emberwood had always calmed me, balanced me. And now that I’d found my mates here, I was starting to think that might be why. It had taken some time, but I wasmeantto be here. Letting my worries fall away, I started down the driveway toward the town itself. I'd never bothered to get a car since the company ones worked fine if I had to make a long drive, and everything in town was within walking distance. Being a dragon also meant my lung capacity and muscle strength could handle the exercise. In fact, I enjoyed it. Especially after being cooped up all night and morning.