Their Omega's Heat

Fourteen: Rooftop

I stared out across the rooftop terrace, flourishing patches of grass for lounging, a long pool to the far side with umbrella-topped seating and small cabanas spaced around it.

To the right was a poolside L-shaped bar, filled to the brim with glistening bottles of alcohol, a buffet table and food warming stations in a row against the stone half wall that surrounded the whole roof.

To the left, there was a sheltered cooking area with a large stone pizza oven and a counter that stretched with seats set out across the front and table and chair dining scattered across the paved area.

Wolves mingled in groups across the space, talking cheerfully and laughing amongst themselves, some sitting down and eating on either side of the terrace. A middle-aged couple manned the pizza oven, smiling and talking to those sitting around the counter. A young woman laughed and joked easily as she mixed drinks behind the bar with deft precision and a small group of women served the people who walked the tables.

However, everyone fell quiet when Jace and Jax stepped out with me, glancing at us with almost awe.

I saw Thane and Doctor Mabel sitting at a table by the pizza place with another man and woman who smiled at me warmly, Jax looking across the terrace with glazed eyes for a moment before the lively talking and laughter started again as if they'd been waiting for permission.

Or told off by Jax for staring. Zena snickered in my head, I suppressed a giggle, feeling Jax's hand on my back move to my waist, noting the tension in his shoulders that relaxed when his eyes did.

"Alphas," Thane greeted, bowing his head formally and his posture of a soldier in front of his commanding officers.

Jace chuckled at him, handing Thane the laptop. "You can ease up," he said with a smile, Thane visibly relaxing at his words as he took the laptop. Jace added proudly. "We're here on a date,"

I looked up at him, scowling slightly. "You really are easily distracted, aren't you?" I asked, playfully annoyed.

He grinned down at me, wrapping his arm around my waist and kissed my forehead. "Around you?" He countered, "Constantly."

I blushed, my scowl faltering. Jace saw that as the battle won, kissing my lips quickly and ducked off to the counter, calling out the name Manny, to which the middle-aged man making a pizza turned, smiling brightly at Jace, and they hugged over the counter before speaking happily.

A small smile crept on my face, seeing Jace so comfortable around his Pack and his Pack comfortable with him.

Zena chuckled in my head. Distracted. She sang at me, making me snap my focus back to Thane and Jaxon.

"Right, the contract," I said, pointing to the laptop.

Thane stopped me, gesturing to the table he'd come from. "Come grab a seat, Luna. If you don't, Luci will probably claw my eyes out," he threw a smile at the woman beside Mabel and the unknown man; she was scowling, seeming to have heard him.

Jax held me close as Thane led us to the table, Jax pulling out a chair for me and about to introduce the people I didn't know when the woman stood up suddenly.

"Uh-uh!" She grunted disapprovingly, pointing at me and I froze mid-seat, unsure what I'd done wrong.

Jax growled. "Luce-"

She growled back. "Nah-ah," she grunted again, coming around the table to stand between us and looking at me. She scowled angrily at Jaxon for a second before looking at me, her face twisting into a brilliant smile and her arms suddenly flung open wide.

I flinched for a second before realising she wanted a hug.

Oh...Okay. "Um...hi," I squeaked as I leaned in to hug her, suddenly being pulled into her slender but muscular frame and squeezed tightly.

"It's so nice to meet you! I bullied Jax about you all day to see you, but he kept saying you were busy!" She suddenly pulled me back to arm's length, holding my shoulders and taking in my whole body with her large blue eyes.

Her long raven hair was pulled into a high ponytail like mine, but she wore similar to a military uniform, only in all black and without the coat. She smiled again, looking back at Jax who was glaring at her, but saying nothing - as if he knew he could do nothing to stop this woman, Luci. "She's very pretty," she said to Jax looking at me again. "Are you sure my meathead brothers are your mates? You seem way too good for them,"

"Lucinda," Jax snarled, making Luci laugh wickedly, ignoring him then and guiding me into my seat, slipping into the one Jax was going to sit in. Jax sighed in annoyance and defeat, moving to the other side of me and fell into the seat, seeming suddenly exhausted.

Instinctively, I reached out, grabbing his hand. A small smile curled his lips as he gave my fingers a gentle squeeze in appreciation.

Jace returned, smiling and handed him one of the three beers he held, giving one to me and looking across the table, frowning slightly when he saw Luci grinning at him from the seat next to me she'd stolen.

"Move butthead," he growled at her playfully, filled with sibling rivalry and love. "Stop telling our mate she's too good for us," he said then, making me chuckle, wondering if he'd overheard it or if Luci had threatened to say it before. He placed his drink on the table in front of me, plucking mine easily out of my hand whilst I was trying to take a sip.

"Hey!" I protested, watching him with a shocked expression as he leaned down, scooping me easily into his arms like he was a giant swing and then plopped into my seat, sitting me on his lap.

He sighed, leaning around me to grab the beers and pressed mine back into my hand. "Sorry about that," he said, unapologetically, "kid sister takes up half a room with her fat head."

Luci slapped him around the back of the head, Jace chuckling when she hit, taking a swig of his beer unphased. "Man, mosquitos are biting tonight," he muttered.

Luci growled at him, turning away from him and looked at me, rolling her eyes. "Excuse my dimwitted older brothers who don't know how to introduce people," she narrowed her eyes at both of them pointedly. Jax ignored her, his hand finding mine again and drinking his beer. Jace gave her the finger and smiled.

Luci pressed on, holding out her hand. "Hi, I'm Lucinda Grey, Second Beta of the Blackwater Pack." She said proudly, a smile on her face as I put my drink down, not wanting to let go of Jax's hand, and shook her firm gripped hand.

"I'm Melody Chance...uh..." I trailed off, shrugging and chuckling nervously. I wasn't really sure what my title here was.

Jace rubbed my back lovingly. "Luna and Vet of the Blackwater Pack," he finished for me, giving me a confident smile when I looked back at him.

I smiled back, glancing at Jaxon to see his smirk. I turned back to Luci, seeing her smiling still and found myself laughing.

"You're really chipper," I noted, hoping she took it as a compliment.

So are you, Zena quipped. I ignored her, but let my smile widen.

She nodded, gesturing to Thane, who sat across the table, nursing his own beer, but his eyes never strayed far from the raven-haired beauty beside me. "When your mate is the Beta of one of the strongest Packs and you're the Alphas sister," she shrugged, grabbing her fruity drink off the table and smiled, cheers-ing it against mine. "Helps to be super medicated," she tilted her head back - my eyes catching the silver crescent scar on her throat and Zena almost whined with jealousy - and downed her entire glass, my eyes widening slightly as she whooped, shaking her head and looked at the still-introduced man at the table who sat quietly beside Thane, a pleasant smile on his face. He was incredibly burly, with a shaven head and if it weren't for his smile, I'd have probably found him terrifying.

"Dammit, King, how many shots were in that?" Luci hissed, though there was still a playful edge to her tone.

King's smile widened as he crossed his arms, leaning back to press his shoulder against the small Mabel who sat on the other side of him, her nose buried in a hardback book and her glasses pushed high on her small nose.

"Mindy made it," was all he said in explanation.

Luci seemed to understand, her gaze snapping to the woman at the bar across the rooftop. "Oo, that little minx," Luci sneered with playful anger, getting to her feet and disappearing through the crowd of groups who stood around talking and drinking.

There was a serenity here that calmed me and soothed Zena as if I'd already found a home amongst the sea of strangers that was now...

Our Pack. Zena said blissfully.

I smiled, relaxing into Jace and squeezed Jaxon's hand, feeling like I could -

Distracted. Zena sung again in a giggle.