My excitement was back up to the level before my hair disaster. I had been going for cutesy, but maybe that just wasn’t meant to be. Sweet had never really been my thing. Kind, sure. Blunt, definitely.

I sat back down in the chair and agreed. The feeling of my head being almost shaved, along with the loud buzzing sound was unsettling at first. It was louder than I anticipated since he was shaving right next to my ear, but it didn’t hurt.

By the end, my hair was so short you couldn’t grip it anymore. It made my face look sharper, harsher in a sexy way. It made my head look like I had a halo of color, and it further hid my scar since it wasn’t obvious that I was missing a chunk of hair.

“Oh, this is so dangerous,” Koda said. She was standing in front of me, tilting my chin to the side so she could take in my new haircut. “Now I’m wondering if I could pull off this look.”

“Jump in the shower, rinse off those baby hairs, and I’ll get you some new pajamas to change into. Then you can come out and present your new look to your mates.” Zeke’s declaration left no room for argument as he turned my face and pressed his lips against mine. “I also call first dibs in the nest tonight.”

Just like that, he left, leaving Koda to stare at me, wide-eyed having heard that last bit. “I am totally considering this haircut now.”

I laughed, smiling wide as I ran a hand over my head, feeling my new short hair.

Koda left so I could rinse off, and I took the time to enjoy it. The small amount of hair products I needed was actually blowing my mind. Even the little dollop seemed like too much. My cheeks were aching with how hard I was smiling.

Just as I turned the water off, Zeke peeked in and dropped off a little set of pajamas. I raised a single eyebrow at the very thin fabric he set on the chair.

“Koda and her alphas had to leave. Something about work and school tomorrow. She said she’d check in later.”

Then he was leaving again, and I was drying off. I ran the towel over my head and then pronounced my hair as dry.

I was right in my initial view of the pajamas that they were lacy and thin. The straps were skinnier than the width of my pinky and the little tie on the shorts was purely decorative. All black, it fit tight around my breasts and ass, only slightly flaring in the midriff.

My cheeks were tinged a little red from the heat of the shower, and I wondered if I looked sexy or ridiculous. Obviously, I thought the previous.

Gripping my internal confidence with every metaphorical limb I could, I lifted my chin and made my way out of the bathroom. Could I feel the cool air on my head? Yes. Was my neck suddenly cold? Also, yes. Did all the hair on my body seem to pebble from a mix of cold and anticipation? Again, yes.

But I followed the sounds of my mates’ voices into the living room. Han and Zeke were sitting on one couch together, half laying on it, so Han was leaning against the couch’s arm with Zeke between his legs. They saw me first, both sitting up with looks of pure arousal on their face.

Sebastian was sitting in the center couch, and he turned around so fast that I couldn’t help smiling at him. “Oh, Princess.”

My attention was pulled from Seb getting up from the couch as Jackson rounded the corner from the kitchen, taking one look at me and tossing his snack back onto the island. He picked me up, holding me against him with one arm around my back and the other running a palm over my head.

I had to squeeze my legs tight around him in order to hold myself up. Seb, Han, and Zeke were following after us as Jackson carried me up the stairs toward my nest.

“Fuck, your hair looks so good, rebel,” Jackson said, his scent blooming around us, becoming stronger and juicier.

“I called dibs on first fuck,” Zeke called out, chasing after us.

Jackson stopped at the top of the third floor, turning to glare at my other mate. When he turned his attention to me, raising a single eyebrow in a silent demand for an answer, I had to work to keep from smiling.

“He did,” I admitted.

Jackson growled, claiming my mouth right then and there, grinding his erection between my legs and heightening my arousal.

I was yanked from my mate, a whimper working its way up my throat until I was turned to my other alpha. Out of all my mates Zeke wasn’t the most classically handsome, but there was a sort of beauty that radiated from him. Even more so, there was a kindness, a gentleness, an understanding.

There was so much to learn about my alphas. These dates they were going to take me on, it would do more than comfort me about my place in this pack, it would help me fall even more in love with them—I knew it.

Zeke carried me into my nest, the others following. All the deliciously aroused scents of my mates, the comfort of my nest, I was sure that this moment was the beginning of my happily ever after. The second time.