The Omega's Revenge

Cheeseboards

(Isla)

“Do you think the cheeseboard looks okay?” I ask Abigail who is setting out glasses for the wine she has chilling in her new wine fridge, an early wedding gift from Jackson to them, but we all knew it was for all of us.

“You do realize, my loves, that this is a chill night, like every other of our game nights. I don’t think I have ever seen a cheeseboard here before.” Jim comes up and kisses my temple and then wraps his arms around Abigail's waist.

“But we have a new person, and it's her first game night, she has to love it, and feel comfortable.” I retort, going back to strategically cutting another block of cheese.

“I saw on a show where they made these roses out of some of the meats.”

“Oh my gosh! Find that on your phone.” I rush to Abigail's side.

“I’m going to leave you both to this, I need to check on a few patients but I promise I’ll be back within the hour.” Jim says, “Please, stop stressing over this.”

“Yes, yes, love.” Abigail says shooing him away while she shows me the video of the roses, “Okay, we need some wine glasses to make the roses, maybe we can try with a champagne flute too?” I nod. Jim rolls his eyes and walks out.

A few minutes later a knock comes at the door and Jackson walks in, “I heard you ladies were, uh, spiraling.” Abigal gives me a look.

Jim

I giggle, “I don’t think spiraling is the right word, we’re just perfecting our charcuterie board.” I bring him to the island to show him.

“This looks incredible.” Jackson says in appreciation, “My mother would love this, we might have to incorporate something like this into our next event.

“Yes! Gianna, I need to call her and see what's missing.” I take out my phone and Gianna’s face is on it within seconds, I explain what I’m trying to do and show her.

“Oh my dear, it looks incredible! Just where there is a bit of extra space I would throw some basil, tomatoes, or even some olives so that it looks intentional.” I look at Abigail and she nods and goes to the fridge.

“Thank you, we will do that. I’ll send some photos when it's done.” I smile at her

“Make sure you do, tell everyone hi from me.”

“Of course, miss you.”

Jackson gets a glass of water and loosens his tie, “I’ll sit here until you guys tell me what you need help with.”

Cameron comes in a few moments later balancing ten large pizzas and a few 2 liters of soda.

“Where should I put these?” He grins and Jackson comes up and helps him lay them out on the kitchen island.

“This looks like quite the spread, Luna. What’s the occasion?”

“Brandi is coming tonight, and I just felt that we should make her feel super welcome.

“By filling her up with ten pounds of cheese.” Jackson comes and puts an arm around me and Cameron smiles at us.

“It's a nice gesture, I’m sure she will love it, and so will I.” He smiles at the cheeseboard and rubs his hands together.

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen. The main event.” Lucas bursts through the door, a bottle of whiskey in hand, Brandi behind him, smiling but looking a bit shy.

“Hi guys! Welcome welcome.” Abigail rushes over to them, I look down realizing I didn't have time to change still wearing leggings and a plain long-sleeved shirt.

“Hi.” I come up and smile at them and Jackson walks up next to me.

“Hi everyone, thanks for having me,” Brandi says.

“Nonsense, you are welcome here anytime.” Jim says welcoming them in, “Food is on the island, the wine and other drinks are on the counter where they normally are and the fire is roaring behind you.” He motions to the open sitting room, “Grab a seat once you get your food, I have a new puzzle for tonight.” Jim looks at Lucas who does a fist pump.

“You’re going to love this, he has the best puzzles.” He says to her.

“And we have wine and gossip if that isn't your thing. Well, not so much gossip but conversation.” Abigail fake whispers to her and she nods appreciatively.

The boys load up their plates while we get some wine for Brandi.

“I got your plate, so just bring your pretty self over when you're ready.” Lucas comes and winks at Brandi.

“I hate when guys think they know what food I want,” Brandi says to us, rolling her eyes and smiling into her wine glass.

“Don’t worry, there is a lot of different kinds of pizza and we made a cheese board for you.”

“I saw that I might have to pass tonight though, there’s already a load of cheese on the pizza.” Abigail looks a bit upset by that so I try to deflect.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Cameron will inhale the entire thing.” I give her a smile and go to get some pizza snuggling next to Jackson.

After dinner Jim brings out a new puzzle, he hands it to Lucas who excitedly takes it, “Oh my gosh! This is so cool.” Jim beams and sits next to Lucas on the floor.

“Jackson was mentioning that you were all obsessed with this growing up, rightfully so, so I thought it would be great for all of you.” Cameron comes over with an overflowing plate of cheese.

“This is incredible!” He sets down his plate and takes the box, “We’re going to need to divide this into at least ten separate parts, the pieces are small and really similar.”

Lucas took the box from Cameron and dumped all the pieces on the large coffee table, Cameron sighs and sits next to him.

“What is it?” Brandi asks, looking at the box.

“What do you mean what is it?” Lucas looks at her, Cameron peeks over his shoulder eyes wide.

“If you’ll excuse me, love, I want to get in on this.” Jackson sets me down and goes to sit next to Jim on the floor on the opposite side. I look at the puzzle box and it looked like a metal ball, I didn’t understand what it was either.

“I have no guesses for that one.”

“Me either.” Abigail laughs shaking her head.

“Okay, you two are exempt.” Lucas says, “But you must have grown up with movies right?” Lucas turns to Brandi.

“Uh-yeah.” She snorts, “Of course, what kind of question is that?”

“Okay well, then you should knot that, It’s the f.ucking death star.” Brandi stares at him blankly, so do Abigail and I.

“Star Wars.” Jackson looks back and mouths.

“It’s mother-fing star wars!” Luca exclaims. Cameron goes about propping up the cover that showed the massive rock-looking thing and then dividing pieces out between them.

“We have a strategy usually.” He starts.

“Cam has a strategy, the rest of us don’t.” Lucas clarifies.

We watch them as Lucas puts pieces together and Cameron starts setting them in piles by color. Jackson and Jim take to finding the edge pieces, everyone working in harmony.

“I think this one we will leave to the boys.” Abigail looks at me and I take a seat next to her on the couch.

Brandi is still sitting by Lucas on the floor and she seems overwhelmed. Trying to help but not sure how.

“Brandi?” Abigail asks, “How about you join us for some wine in the kitchen?” Brandi smiles thankfully and gets up, giving Lucas a kiss on the cheek, he pulls her in for a wet one, smacking his lips off hers.

“Ew.” She struggles to get away but she can’t help smiling.

“Don’t knock the puzzle pieces,” Cameron says and Abigial gives me a look.

Do you think he’s feeling left out? He’s the only one without a mate now.

I don’t know. I’m hoping that once Brandi gets more comfortable then he won’t feel like hes missing out.

It must be hard watching your best friend get their mate. Both of his best friends get their mates before him.

I nod

You’re right. I’m glad that we all still do things in groups even with our mates. I’m sure it will work out, just give her some time.

You’re right, she is lovely and will fit in perfectly.

Abigail squeezes my hand as Brandi walks up to us.

“Thank you.” She mouths to both of us following us to the kitchen a few steps away.

“How are you holding up?” Abigail pours us all another glass of wine as we stand around the island.

“Good, I think.” She takes a sip and sighs, “I’m a bit stressed honestly. I’m feeling so many things at once.”

“I understand that feeling completely. Finding your mate is huge, joining a new pack is huge, and taking over a ranked role is huge. Putting all those things in one, it can be overwhelming.” Even though I felt settled here, I tried to remember how uneasy and out of place I felt those first few weeks here.

“You get it, Luna. I forgot you were from Silver Moon. I shouldn’t be complaining, I know you had it harder-.”

“I’m going to stop you right there.” I put my hand on hers with a smile, “I didn’t mean to compare, I just meant to say that I understand where you are coming from and what you’re feeling. It is really hard but these people, they made it all worth it. Lucas said this is a much bigger pack than you’re used to, but everyone accepts you, and we will help you figure the rest out.” She smiles back at me.

“You’re right. I know that everything will work out. Lucas is incredible and I am beyond blessed to be mated to a ranked member. I just hope I live up to everyone's expectations.”

“How about you come to my office tomorrow afternoon, I can run you through some of the things that you will be doing, in the future, just so that you feel more comfortable. We can start slow. From what Jackson and Lucas have seen you’re incredibly talented at your job and a really hard worker. Beta duties will be a breeze.” She gives me a wide smile.

“Thank you, Luna.”

“Isla. Please. I know we’re all going to be so close.”

(Isla)

I had some lemonade, coffee, and tea sandwiches sent up to my office. I’m not sure why I was so nervous, I know Jackson would think I’m overdoing it. I wanted to make her feel welcomed, at ease, but a small lingering part of me made me curious if she liked me, and I really wanted her to like me.

Everyone likes you

That sounds so vain when you say it

It’s true

It’s just, you know.

I do know, growing up like you did it’s common to have this feeling, this need for acceptance

Acceptance - I repeat - You’re right

I always am, baby cheeks

Ew

A soft knock comes at the door, tearing me away from my conversation with my wolf, Adrastea.

“Come in.” I smile and straighten out my dress, standing in front of the desk.

“Hi, Luna- er Isla.” She smiles timidly.

“Come have a seat, I ordered us some coffee and sandwiches over there if you’re hungry.”

“Wow, that is quite the spread.” she goes over and takes a small plate and I internally smile,“I could get used to this.” She takes the seat across from me and crosses her legs.

“Good, you’re going to have to.” I go and get a cup of coffee for myself and let her eat.

“So,” I start when her plate is clear, “I just wanted to go over a few things with you, see what you’re comfortable taking over. Again, no pressure at all. We have things more than handled at the moment.”

“I’m ready for anything. Bring it on.” I go over all the beta female duties, ones that are split by me and Lucas at the moment. At many packs, the Beta handles warrior training and schedules but Cameron has that well under control so Lucas focuses on a lot of the day-to-day pack work, being the touchpoint between other packs, and keeping an eye on things at the main office in the city.

“Housing is one of the biggest things that you would be in charge of. We have more members moving between campuses’ and there are some of the older houses that need complete renovations. Besides that, you will deal with day-to-day upgrades, smaller renovation requests, and when those want to move if they find their mate or want a bigger place to start a family.”

“Do people move around often?”

“Don’t worry, it usually happens maybe once or twice for every one. The previous Alpha and Luna created townhouses and made sure that many of the renovations were already taken care of, so there really isn’t too much work. It’s finding homes for the new members here, and checking in with the acting Beta of The Northern Campus if anyone wants to relocate there.” She looks a bit overwhelmed.

“I’ll walk you through everything. There are forms and procedures for all of it.” She nods and stands up walking around my office.

“Did you design this?” She looks over her shoulder at me.

“Jackson’s mother, Gianna did. I love her style, there are just a few small things that I changed here and there but the core of it is all her.” She nods and goes to the white bookshelf that covers one of the walls.

“Wow,” She runs her fingers along the books and binders, “Do you read all of these, or are these just for show?” I walk up next to her and observe all the books and binders.

“The binders yes, they contain a lot of the forms, lists for events, and records that I check frequently. The books are more for if I have to remind myself on something about pack laws or regulations, I'm still new at this too.” I remind her, grabbing a thick leather-bound book, “You’ll need this.”

She takes it from me and looks it over, “It’s the pack history, rules, regulations, ancestry. Basically, everything you’ll need to know eventually in your role. It’s pretty interesting actually.” She looks a bit apprehensive.

“To be fair, I had a great teacher. Jackson’s father went over all of this with me, I’m sure that he would be more than happy to run you through it next time he’s back.”

“I would love that, do they come to visit often?”

“Not as much as we would like. They’re busy running the Northen Campus which is a huge help, but I miss them around every day” I smile.

“I hope I have that kind of bond with Lucas’ parents.”

“You will, they are lovely. I’ve only met them a few times but I know they will be overjoyed to know that Lucas has found his mate.”

She goes back to walking around the room and I nervously get some tea sandwiches and another cup of coffee.

“Sorry, just getting design ideas. I’m going to re-do my office space, it’s so plain now and Lucas said I could do what I wanted.”

“Let me know if you need any help. I have to admit that I’m not the best with designing, I usually take my cues from Gianna and Abigial helps a ton, but I can get you in contact with the right people.”

“I’ll take you up on that.” She sits back across from me, “So tell me about you.”

(Lucas)

I hated that Brandi had to leave Sunday night, knowing I would see her tomorrow morning was the one thing getting me through. Five more days until she officially moved here and I wouldn’t have to spend a night away from her again.

I loved waking up with her in my arms, her sweet scent enveloping everything around me. Isla started to show her to ropes of the Beta responsibilities and she came back after the meeting with Isla with a few binders full of interior design ideas, no doubt put together by Gianna. She loved those binders, growing up I rarely saw her without a stack of them.

She spent the rest of the night going through them, pulling out samples, hanging some up on my wall and her office’s. I was fine with some changes, anything to make my girl happy, but I still wanted it to feel like me so I had to nix the rose wallpaper and the lavender paint. She pouted a bit but I made it up to her, all night long.

I walk into the dining room after seeing her off, everyone else is already sitting down chatting.

“So, what is the verdict on my old ball and chain?” I smile taking a seat next to Jackson.

“She seems so lovely.” Abigail is the first to chime in.

“I know she’s nervous, but she’s going to do so well with her pack duties,” Isla adds and Jackson nods.

“Not great at puzzles, but she is a very sweet girl,” Jim says getting a laugh from everyone.

“Cam?” I look at him, wanting his approval more than anyone.

“She’s great.” He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes, I know better than to press him, especially in front of people, “If she makes you happy then that’s all that matters.” He nods to me before looking at me curiously.

“A weekend with your mate and you’re not marked?”

“I don’t want to rush her into anything, she’s not even part of the pack yet.” I protest, “Besides, Isla and Jackson took ages.” Jackson elbows me in the ribs.

“That was a slightly different scenario.” Isla laughs, thanking the omega who placed a salad in front of her.

“Don’t pressure him, everyone has a different timeline.” I was surprised that Jackson came to my side, normally he would be one to berate me any chance he got but he respected the mate bond more than anything and knew that not everyone was on the same schedule.

“When does she want to become part of the pack?” Jackson turns to me, “No pressure, man. We can do something small or host a ceremony, she will be a ranked member after all.” I noticed Isla stiffen for a second. I give her a look.

“Ugh, sorry. You weren’t supposed to notice that.” She smiles, “I was promised no more ceremonies for a while.” We all laugh, we did have back-to-back events since Isla became Luna.

“Something small then, I’m sure she will be fine with that.”

“No, no it's completely up to her. This is going to be her only pack ceremony so we should make it special.” I smile at her, praying to the Goddess that Brandi will be okay with something low-key, for all of our sakes.

“What did you guys do for the rest of the weekend?” Isla asks between bites.

“Besides mating with my mate.” I flash them a cheeky grin, “I mostly showed her around. We did the complete tour of the packhouse and then I took her to town this morning to show her around the weekend market. I introduced her to some people, they were stoked to meet her. I think she’s going to settle in here well.”

“Is there anything else she needs?” Jackson asks.

“She’s working on re-designing our room and her office, but I think I’ve got that taken care of. She wants to hire someone so it's not like we have to do any of the work.” Jackson nods.

“Is she finding the pack to her liking?” Cam asks not looking up from his massive plate of eggs.

“She loves it.” I say a bit too enthusiastically, happy that Cam is taking more of an interest in my mate, “She wanted to see everything and was super interested in the history of the packgrounds and packhouse, something that Isla mentioned she needed to know.” I look towards Isla.

“I told her no pressure, but I think it's a good idea to get started learning about her new pack.” She gives me a smile.

“She’s moving in officially this Friday and I promised to take her on the tour of the gardens if it doesn’t snow again.”

“We can throw her a nice dinner Friday night unless she wanted to do something more casual?” Abigail asks.

“I’ll ask her, thanks.” I was happy everyone was so welcoming of her, they seemed just as excited to have her here full-time as I was.

___________

Three more days - I texted Brandi from my desk

She was in meetings all day and helping to train her replacement, even though she was just in training herself.

My phone buzzes immediately and I see her response

:)

The designers and a small crew were in and out of my floor for the past few days. She had already chosen most of the stuff she wanted and I wanted to surprise her by having our space ready for her when she got there so it would feel like home immediately.

She came up for lunch and I made sure to have someone else bring it up for us this time.

“Sushi, yum.” She smiles at me.

“Is there any way you could stop by for dinner tonight?” She shakes her head.

“As much as I would love to my pack isn’t just around the corner from yours, I’m so close to being packed and I want to have everything ready for Friday.”

“You know anything you need we can have ordered for you. Just bring yourself, I’ll take care of your wardrobe, furniture, anything.”

She laughs a little, “That is sweet, and I will take you up on that. But I do have some things of sentimental value that can’t be bought.” I sit back in my chair, I couldn’t argue with that. I was just so desperate for getting my life started with her, these days were dragging on.

“Have you given any more thought about your ceremony?”

She chews slowly, “I want it to be special.”

“We can have it as big as you want, invite your parents and your friends from your old pack.” She looks at me, I can't make out her expression.

“Let me finish. I want it to be special, but I think that we can do that with just the ranked members, maybe your parents if they want to come.” She goes back to her food. I was kinda surprised, pleasantly surprised. From what I’ve seen she seemed like someone who would want some fanfare to go along with her ceremony.

“Isla will be happy to hear that.”

“Whys that?”

“We had a few back-to-back ceremonies as soon as she officially became Luna. Lots of events and smaller parties too. I think she’s happy to take a break from that for a bit.”

“A Luna that doesn’t love events.” She muses, “That’s unusual.”

“She does enjoy them, she honestly shines naturally at them, everyone is drawn to her.” Brandi glared, “Come on you know it's not like that, she’s like a best friend, a sister to me. She’s thrown some great events too, I can’t wait for you to be at our next one by my side.” I tried to distract her, it seemed to work.

“I will have to go shopping for some event dresses.” She looks at her food. I take out my wallet and slide a black card across the table.

“Your wish is my command, Cinderella.” Her eyes go wide and she comes to throw her arms around me kissing my cheek. I pull her close and breathe in her strong scent of home. She sighs.

“I have to get going, I have a meeting to sit in twenty minutes and my apprentice is shadowing me.” She pulls herself off my lap and collects her things.

“See you later?” I ask.

“I’ll try to get away but my schedule is a bit packed.”

I text Isla to let her know about the smaller ceremony and give her the go-ahead to get things ready. Three more days and Brandi wouldn’t have to leave my side, and I wouldn’t have to go to the d.amn office every day to see her. I honestly didn’t have too much work to do as most of it was delegated to others years before. It was nice to maintain appearances though, since we were pretty MIA since Isla arrived, and I got some pack stuff done. There were some budgets that I needed to review and a few other things that we were still catching up on from merging our packs.

I didn’t see Brandi for the rest of the day but I got to walk her to her car after we both finished.

“I’ll miss you,” I whisper in her ear, enjoying the goosebumps that form where my breath touches her neck.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” She teases before pulling me into a quick kiss.

“Call me tonight,” I say closing the door behind her and watching her drive off before I head to my car.

My phone buzzes and I get excited thinking it's Brandi but Jackson’s name pops up instead.

“Jackson,” I say a bit disappointed.

“Where are you?”

“Driving home from work.”

“Come home immediately.”

“That was the plan, is everything alri-.”

“We’ve been attacked.”