managed to survive this far. I'd also never felt more at home than I did with my pack, and I knew that my understanding of that term barely scratched the surface. Everyone longed to have a support system like this. I had it, so why wouldn't I take the next step so I could keep it? Because I was a little scared? Well, I was done with that.
So, as I walked home, I pulled out my phone and called Pax, deciding that I could try this chasing thing a bit. He answered quickly.
"Elena?"
"Hey," I said. "So, what are you doing tomorrow?"
"Uh..." He sounded like he was braced for this to go badly. "Nothing that I know of. Why?"
"I've decided that I'm tired of waiting for you to come over, so I'm inviting myself into your life."
He chuckled. "Oh, I see." Thankfully, he didn't sound upset at all. "So, does this mean I need to plan out some fancy date for you?"
"Nope. Pax, there's no reason I can't be a wolf anymore." I paused on the sidewalk before the office, looking at their house just ahead of me. "Gabby should have a date with Roman tomorrow, and she'll be spending the night with Olivia. I have no more excuses. I don't have to be worried about being a wolf. I'm a single woman now, and I really want to enjoy it."
"So you called me?" he asked. "Not Lane?"
"Not Lane or Ian," I told him. "Not even Seth, who's been going out of his way to seduce me, so you know. Nope, I considered saying I had a problem with my laundry, but I'm not good at this, so I decided to just lay it out there. Tomorrow night, do you have time for me?"
"Just me?" he asked, sounding a little playful. "Because I have a bottle of the wine you like, a hot tub that you haven't used in a little too long, and a personal fantasy that I want to act out."
"Oh?" I asked.
"Mhm," he said. "I just need to know one thing. Is this a one on one date, or is two really easier than five?"
That phrase was enough to tell me exactly what he was thinking. I remembered the night where he and Trent had cornered me in the hot tub and laid the first seeds in my mind about this crazy relationship we were all having. It had all started with that phrase. I'd overheard them say it, and I'd been brave enough to ask. It had ended with me on Pax's lap, kissing Trent, and wishing we didn't have to stop.
"Two is good," I decided. "Or three, four, five - but also one. I'll let you decide, but I wanted to make sure that you can't say I'm not trying."
"Elena..." He paused for a little too long. "I'm not avoiding you. I promise you that. It's just that... You see... Trent and I..."
"Work best together," I finished for him. "So tell Trent that the three of us have a date. You see, Pax, I'm ok with that. I'm a single woman, and I'm ready to take the next step in my life. A threesome? I think that needs to be on the bucket list, right up there with becoming a werewolf, so no condoms."
"Tell Ian," he said. "Because he will kill us if you don't."
"Deal." I ended the call with him and started walking again, sending a text to the Pack Alpha.
Elena: No more condoms. I'm ready. I want to do this, so no more condoms. Oh, and I have a date with Trent and Pax tomorrow.
Ian: Are you sure about this? You can't take it back once you're exposed.
Elena: Positive.
Ian: Good. I'm smiling now and can't stop. Do you mind if I tell Lane?
Elena: Tell all of them. This is definitely happening.
CHAPTER 36
On Friday, Gabby came home from school and tore the house apart. By the time I got off work, she was in a state of panic. This was her first real date with a boy. They were going to dinner and then a movie, but she couldn't decide what to wear. She didn't want to be overdressed or under, and I was pretty sure she'd tried on everything she owned.
Ten minutes later, I'd convinced her to go with a cute skirt, a casual shirt, and to definitely take her coat because warmth was more important than cute sometimes. I was also trying very hard not to laugh, because I remembered that panic. She