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A PACK FOR AUTUMN

Growing up, Emilia wanted to be an author, therapist and ice cream stand owner. After eight years of being a trauma therapist, she checked off the second career on her list when she became a full-time author. Now all that’s left is the ice cream stand!

Emilia loves that writing romance allows her to explore worlds with guaranteed happily ever afters, cozy characters who love each other and found families who overcome challenges together. She believes that everyone deserves to see themselves in romance, and she includes meaningful disability and mental illness representation in her stories.

When she’s not writing, Emilia is probably embroidering, making pottery, napping with her dog, or reading romance books. An adventurer at heart, growing up in a multicultural Swedish-Iranian home instilled in her a love of travel and experiencing new cultures.

Other books by Emilia include the Forbidden duet and Cherished, as well as her Empire of Royals Mafia series under her pen name, Emilia Rossi.

ALSO IN THE COZYVERSE SERIES

A Pack for Winter by Eliana Lee

A PACK FOR AUTUMN

EMILIA EMERSON

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ISBN : 978–1–405–98781–3

Penguin Random House is committed to a sustainable future for our business, our readers and our planet. This book is made from Forest Stewardship Council® certified paper.

For anyone who’s been told you’re too prickly, too much, or that you feel too deeply— Starlight Grove welcomes you home with open arms, just as you are.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Welcome to Starlight Grove! If you picked up this book because of the super cute cover, I want you to know that this is a cozy, small town romance that’s also very spicy. This book is for adults!

While this is a sweet, low-angst read, there is some content that some readers may find upsetting, including the loss of parents and grandparents and the grief that follows. Additionally, one character discloses a history of child abuse/neglect. Our main female character has a hormonal disorder that is omegaverse specific but has similarities to PMDD and PCOS and impacts her physical and mental health. There are also a few scenes that depict some challenges of living in a plus-sized body and challenges of living with dyslexia. This book ends in a happily ever after!

A Pack for Autumn is part of the Cozyverse shared universe with Emilia Emerson and Eliana Lee. Our books can be read as standalones, but all take place in the charming town of Starlight Grove with crossover characters.

Please visit my website for more detailed content, notes, and exclusive bonus content: www.emiliaemerson.com .

INTRO TO OMEGAVERSE

A Pack for Autumn is a Why Choose Omegaverse. Why Choose means that our female main character doesn’t have to choose between her love interests for her happily ever after.

Omegaverse originated in fanfiction as MM (male/male) romance. It has evolved since then but remains a wonderfully queer-positive genre, which is reflected in the worldbuilding. While every author has their own take on omegaverse, in general, it is an alternative world where society is composed of three designations: alphas, omegas, and betas. People are born into a designation, which influences their biology, personality, and instincts, but they do not shift into animals. Everyone has a scent that can change depending on emotions and stir up physiological reactions in others.

Cozyverse is our sweet, low-angst interpretation of the genre.

ALPHAS

Alphas are natural leaders, mostly male, and the most dominant designation.

Male alphas have knots at the base of their penis that swells during sex, allowing them to stay locked inside their partner. Female

alphas have locks in their vaginas that serve a similar purpose with male partners.

When exposed to enough omega pheromones, particularly during an omega’s heat, alphas can fall into rut, which is when they are overwhelmed by their instincts to sate and care for their omega.

Alphas can “bark,” which means injecting their voice with a tone that omegas find difficult to resist. In this omegaverse, barks are used in trusting relationships where the omega consents to being put in a submissive state.

OMEGAS

Omegas are the rarest designation, and most are female. Typically, they are physically small and have a high need for physical touch. Omegas are often the center of pack life, the glue that holds the pack together.

Starting in early adulthood, omegas go into heat every three months. Heats last approximately one week, and during this time, omegas are ruled by their instincts. They have a strong urge to nest, gathering soft and cozy items into a bed for comfort.

Omegas must be knotted by alphas to avoid pain and physical harm during heat. If omegas want to prevent their heats, they can take a daily suppressant pill.

BETAS

Betas are the most common designation and what we would consider “normal” humans. They don’t have strong scents and are least governed by pheromones, but they are not immune. Betas can be a part of packs, and alphas and omegas can bite them to form a bond.

PACKS

Polyamory is freely accepted, and many people form packs, or chosen families. Romantic and sexual connections between pack members can vary.

SCENT MATCHES

Scent matches are people who are uniquely compatible with each other and have strong reactions to each other’s scents.

BONDS

Bonds are initiated by a bite and form a permanent emotional link between two people. Alphas and omegas exchange bites, whereas betas simply receive them to create the bond.

EASTON

I am not a stalker.

I am definitely not a stalker.

I chanted the phrase to myself as I wound through the aisles of Mariposa Market, stealing covert glances at the dark-haired beauty on the other end of the aisle.

I’d looked it up—the definition of stalking. This definitely did not qualify. Stalking required a pattern of repeated unwanted attention or harassment.

I wasn’t harassing her, and how would I even know it was unwanted? Okay, she might have turned me down when I asked her out on a date—twice—but I wasn’t stalking her. It just so happened that the adorable lighthouse keeper and I were often at the market at the same time. Like today, I’d had an urgent need for baking soda. Urgent.

I’d seen a video about how baking soda could deodorize your fridge. How was I supposed to last another minute without it after hearing that?

I jolted when I realized she wasn’t in the aisle anymore. She was heading to the checkout.

Olive.

The first time I heard someone in town speak her name, it felt like the clouds had parted and sunlight was streaming down on me. A great achievement since it had been pouring down rain, but that was the power of Olive. She was sunshine on a rainy day, and I needed to be by her side forever.

I just had to figure out how to win her over first.

I slipped in behind her in line, a bright orange box of baking soda clutched tight in my fist.

The cashier, an idiot teenager named Jack, smiled at her. I coughed to cover the rumble of a growl in my chest. Olive deserved all the smiles in the world. I just wanted to be the one to give them to her.

To give her everything.

“Your name is Olive, right?” Jack asked.

“Umm, yeah,” she responded.

There was a slight frown on her luscious pink lips. A little crease between her big, brown eyes.

Jack chuckled as he scanned her first item. “So, does that mean your parents are olive farmers?” He paused his scanning as if waiting for uproarious laughter.

She fi xed him with what could only be called a withering stare, and my heart pounded with excitement. Olive was shy and quiet, but sometimes she let out her snarky side, and it always delighted me.

“I don’t know, Jack. Were your parents super into changing tires?”

“Umm . . . what?”

“Or growing magic beans?” she deadpanned.

Jack blinked, looking totally lost, before busying himself with scanning the rest of her items. I, on the other hand, coughed again, this time to cover my laughter. My girl was so fucking funny.

She turned toward me. Our eyes met, and the world slowed. Her beauty was the kind that made it hard to breathe. The way her bangs

A Pack for Autumn 3

fell across her forehead was so cute I could hardly stand it. She was wearing a forest green sweater that draped gently over the luscious curves I wanted to bury myself in.

Just then, the market door opened and Hank—Starlight Grove’s quintessential cranky old man and bookstore owner—walked in, sporting a deep frown as he leaned heavily on his cane. The noise distracted Olive, and she looked away. My jaw clenched against the urge to beg her to look at me again.

Hank’s interruption did bring one good thing—a gust of wind that blew into the market through the open door, catching Olive’s hair and ushering her scent in my direction. My irritation vanished as I inhaled deeply. She smelled like a pumpkin spice latte, all warm and comforting and sweet with an edge of bitter coffee. My cock stiffened immediately, and I shifted my stance. This was why I tried to resist breathing around Olive. I didn’t want to scare her off by sporting a hard-on every time I was around her but fuck, it was pretty much impossible. She wore a sort of deodorant to mute her scent, but the faint whiffs I got were enough to feature in my dreams. I wanted to roll around on her adorable chunky sweaters, wanted to drown myself in her. Maybe the wind would blow little particles of her scent onto my shirt, and I could curl up in bed with it later.

My scent, however, was out in full force, declaring to all in the vicinity that I was completely obsessed with this omega. Olive stared straight ahead, but I thought I caught a tinge of pink on her cheeks. It gave me a tiny spark of hope that she wasn’t as unaffected by me as she acted.

All too quick, Jack was reading out her total. She paid for her items, grabbed her two cloth bags, and headed to the door.

I wanted to run after her. I could offer to carry her bags, so she didn’t have to balance them on her bike handlebars as she rode back to the lighthouse. Or I could carry her if she wasn’t feeling up to biking today.

But my feet stayed rooted to the floor. She already felt like mine, but I was terrified of messing this up. After she’d practically run away from me the second time I invited her to dinner, I realized I needed to rethink my strategy.

I’d been told repeatedly that I came on too strong, and that, according to the last woman I’d gone on a few dates with, my attention was suﬀocating. And my Olive was skittish. She only came into town when she’d run out of her stash of ramen and TV dinners. She never initiated conversation. I’d never even seen her smile. I had to play this right. I couldn’t scare her off. I wouldn’t survive it.

I watched her through the large market windows as she got on her slightly rusted bike and set off down the road.

“Umm, are you going to buy that?” Jack gestured at the crushed box in my fist. A dusting of baking soda spilled onto the floor. Shit. I looked around furtively to see if Marisol or Carmen were around. They would kill me for getting their floors dirty. I let out a little sigh of relief when I didn’t spot either of the sisters. This was another reason I had to be careful with Olive. I’d never gotten used to my alpha body—the way I towered over pretty much everyone, especially omegas like her, and how I constantly bumped into things and broke them with my clumsy limbs.

I never wanted to break her.

I mumbled an apology as I handed Jack some money. By the time I left the store, Olive had already disappeared down the winding road that led to the bay. I hated that she didn’t live closer to town. What if something happened to her out there, all alone?

My legs were heavy as I headed back to the house I shared with my packmates.

Finn was making lunch when I entered the kitchen. His eyes flicked to me and the still-leaking box in my hand. “Are you going to tell me why you sprinted out of the house like it was on fire?”

I’d been hovering by the window all morning, knowing Olive

usually went to the market on Thursdays. My heart had almost exploded when I saw her coming down the street. But saying that would make me sound like a stalker, and I definitely wasn’t.

“We needed baking soda,” I grunted. I opened the fridge and set the sad little box on the shelf.

Finn looked like he wanted to press me, but he just turned back to his sandwich. I wanted to tell him about the woman I dreamed of making our omega, but Finn was still lost in his grief after the death of his grandparents, and Lars was still obsessed with an omega he’d scented years ago.

I took a deep breath. First, I would convince Olive to give us a chance. Then, I would convince the guys.

OLIVE

I cringed at the squealing bike brakes as I approached my house. I’d found this bike in a small shed on the property when I moved in a month ago, but it wasn’t in the best shape. I needed to figure out how to fi x it so the chain stopped popping off and the brakes stopped sounding like a siren. Still, I wouldn’t complain. It made transporting groceries back home much easier.

I parked by the front door, pausing for a moment to breathe in the salty sea air and listen to the crashing waves. A meow alerted me to the presence of Sir Cat, the fluff y orange, white, and brown stray who had been sitting by my front door the day I moved in. He’d walked right inside, making himself at home as I’d hauled in my sparse possessions consisting of a suitcase and a couple of boxes.

“Hello, Sir,” I said, bending down to scratch his head. He didn’t have a collar, so I had no idea what his real name was. I’d tried out several, but he had fi xed me with a deeply disapproving expression, so I just stuck with “Sir Cat.” He was regal enough to warrant the name, anyway.

When I interviewed for the lighthouse keeper position, I’d been told the house came furnished. I’d arrived with a rental car packed with my limited possessions and opened the door to an almost

A Pack for Autumn 7

empty house. There were some dishes in the cabinets. A small wooden table in the kitchen. Some books on lighthouse-keeping on the built-in bookcases. I’d purchased an air mattress to sleep on and a few other small things at a thrift store, but that was it. I was so close to paying off my credit card debt and needed to save every dollar. My new job came with free housing, but the salary wasn’t much.

I’d been relieved to have Sir Cat with me that first night. A small storm had blown through, howling and rattling the windows. He’d kept me company in the lighthouse watch room, purring the night away on my lap as I acquainted myself with the lighthouse manual and storm protocols.

We’d quickly fallen into a quiet routine. He rarely left my side, trailing me through the cottage and lighthouse like a fluff y shadow. I’d found a basket for twenty-five cents at the thrift store and put one of my own blankets in there for him. He certainly couldn’t keep sleeping on the floor.

“That alpha was at the market again today,” I said, my voice almost a whisper as if we would be overheard.

Easton.

The golden-skinned, curly-haired alpha with thick forearms, a broad chest, and stubble on his jaw. We kept running into each other, but he hadn’t asked me out again after I’d absolutely panicked the first two times he’d tried. He’d obviously come to his senses and given up, which was for the best. I’d moved to Starlight Grove to be alone. I couldn’t think of many jobs more solitary than lighthouse keeper.

So then . . . why did it feel like my heart was breaking at the thought of Easton giving up on me?

I moved inside, holding the door open for Sir Cat, and unloaded my groceries. One day, I’d learn how to cook. Pasta with jarred sauce was about as advanced as I got, and that’s what I was planning for dinner. Although, the only thing I was craving right now was croissants

fi lled with Nutella and thick slabs of chocolate cake. I sniffed my sweater, unsure if I could actually catch a hint of the alpha’s rich, chocolate hazelnut scent or if it was just wishful thinking. My inner omega let out a forlorn whine, but I drowned her out with the kitchen radio, turning the knob until the static faded and music fi lled the room. My heart ached as I recognized the song. It was by one of me and my mom’s favorite artists—a semi-local singer we’d seen play at a bar before he blew up. Mom and I had played this album on repeat on the boat until my dad banned it.

Until the next day, at least. He could never refuse us anything.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I drained the pasta. What would it be like to have a love like they’d had?

“What kind of music do you like?” I asked Sir Cat. He cocked his head. “Something sophisticated, right?”

Meow.

I grinned. “Do you want some pasta?” I held a noodle out for him and he took it neatly from my hand.

After I dished up my dinner, I headed to the door that connected my cottage to the inside of the lighthouse. I trudged up the winding metal stairs to the very top, emerging onto the balcony. I loved sitting up here, even as the wind turned cold with the start of fall. It made me feel more alive.

I sat down, and Sir Cat immediately settled on my lap. I shoveled down my pasta before the wind could turn it stone-cold and then set my bowl aside so I could focus on scratching Sir Cat and enjoying his soft purr.

“Have you always lived by the ocean?” I asked. “I know you don’t like the water, and here I am, unable to live without it.” He nudged my hand, urging me to continue petting him.

I peered out into the darkness, the flashing beacon from the lantern illuminating the waves. “I should be out there.”

I had grown up on my parents’ lobster boat, spent most of my

days there before I could even walk. By the time I was ten, I was helping my dad check traps and learning about weather patterns and navigation. My dad was a fifth-generation lobsterman, and I thought I’d be the sixth generation. But nothing had turned out how it was supposed to.

Sir Cat and I stayed outside until my fingers grew too frozen to continue petting him. I crept back down the stairs, set my empty bowl in the sink, and crawled into my nest, wondering if I would always feel this empty.

OLIVE

I peeked out the curtains in my bedroom. It was still dark outside, but the slight shift in the color of the sky promised that sunrise wasn’t far away.

I took my morning pill before pulling on a sweatshirt, grabbing a towel, and slipping on my shoes. Sir Cat met me at the door.

“Good morning. Hope you slept well.”

He just butted his head against my leg.

While Sir Cat clearly felt this was his house to enter and exit whenever he pleased, he never tried to enter my nest. In fact, he avoided my bedroom completely, content to curl up in his makeshift basket bed. Probably a good thing since I was sleeping on an air mattress. Wouldn’t want him to puncture it with his claws.

“Let’s go, then,” I said, opening the door.

He led the way down to the small beach by the lighthouse. The sand was rocky, and it was freezing out, but I didn’t care. Watching the sky slowly turn pink and purple every morning made me feel connected to something. The universe, I supposed, or just something bigger than me.

I placed my towel on a large flat boulder higher up the beach and started stripping.

“You know, cold plunges are really good for you. Very rejuvenating, gets your blood pumping.”

Sir Cat looked at me like I was an idiot, like he did every morning. Once I was undressed, he curled up on my towel to wait for me.

“One of these days, I’ll get you in the water,” I called over my shoulder. I swore he rolled his eyes.

I raised my hands out to my sides, embracing the morning as I ran into the ocean. The freezing waves stole my breath as I plunged in, but they also stole all my anxieties.

My anxieties about my lie on my job application.

My grief.

My dark days.

My uncontrollable body.

Everything that piled on so heavily disappeared in the water.

I floated on my back, buoyed by the gentle waves as the sky brightened above me.

I’d come here to start fresh, to create some sort of life for myself away from the town that held all the memories of my life before, of the Olive who had parents and a community and a laid-out plan for her future. I had no idea what this new life would look like, except for small and isolated, but this morning, in the waves, it felt like I’d made the right decision with this move.

I turned to head back to the shore and let out an excited noise when I saw Sir Cat. He’d left his spot on the towel and moved closer to the water. Keeping complete eye contact with me, he reached out a single paw to touch an incoming wave. He withdrew it with a shake and a disgusted look before scampering off.

“I’m proud of you for trying something new!” I shouted after him with a grin.

Yeah, maybe this would be okay.

OLIVE

A bell rang as I opened the door to The Grove Bookstore and slipped inside. My heart pounded as I closed the door behind me, desperately hoping I hadn’t been followed.

This was absurd. I was acting as if an ax murderer were chasing me when it was only the overly friendly townspeople. Four people had stopped me on the short walk from the pharmacy where I’d picked up my monthly prescription to the entrance of the bookstore. I’d been too overwhelmed to remember most of their names, but they had stopped me to say hello, give me unsolicited advice about what flowers I should plant in my window boxes, and press a small container containing Arepa Dulce—a type of Dominican cake— into my hand. That last one was from a woman named Marisol, who owned the market. I’d slipped it into my tote bag. I wasn’t about to turn down dessert.

Everyone seemed excited to have someone new in town, but I was waiting for them to get bored of me when they realized I was the least interesting person to ever walk the planet.

Most people would love this kind of small-town charm, but I hated that I couldn’t move around anonymously. Social situations didn’t come easily to me, unlike my dad who had been one of the

most outgoing men I’d ever known. He’d been right at home when we’d visited Starlight Grove six years ago for a rare off-season vacation. Sometimes, I wondered if he would have been happier living in a town like this instead of spending most of his days on the boat. But he had grown up on the water, expected to take over the family lobster business, and then he’d fallen in love with a painfully shy beta who was at home on the sea, away from the bustle of coastal towns.

When I’d seen the lighthouse keeper position posted online, I’d felt a little tug of something inside me. My mom would have said it was the call of the universe, but I wasn’t so sure. I’d spent the years since my parents passed feeling lost, and there was something alluring to the idea of returning to a place I’d been happy with them . . . like maybe I would find some of the happiness we’d had.

I wandered through the cramped bookstore aisles, careful to avoid tipping over the precarious stacks of books and wondering if I should have looked for a more remote lighthouse position. One where supplies needed to be specially shipped in and I wouldn’t be bombarded by overly friendly townspeople.

Then, I would be totally alone.

A tall man appeared in front of me, and I shrieked. My breaths were ragged, and I clutched my chest before realizing it was Hank, the elderly bookstore owner I’d seen around town.

“Oh, hello,” I said weakly.

He lifted his chin at me, a faint scent of old books wafting in my direction. “You’re the new girl.”

His voice was gruff. Grumpy.

I nodded.

“Name’s Hank. I own this store.”

“Yes,” I said.

I groaned internally. This was why I hated talking to strangers. Everything inside me froze up, preventing me from forming a complete sentence.

When I said nothing further, he asked, “Are you here to buy or just take up space?”

My throat tightened and all I could do was blink. Why was I like this? Why couldn’t I just say yes, I want a book?

“I don’t have time for this,” he muttered. “My hip says a storm is coming.”

I glanced down at his cane. His hip was right. The forecast was calling for bad weather.

I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself enough to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. My cheeks grew even redder until I couldn’t handle it anymore. I spun on my heel and booked it for the front door. It was fine. It didn’t matter that my e-reader had broken and all I had at my cottage was a stack of nautical books left by the former lighthouse keeper. It didn’t matter that my favorite author had just released a new book. All that mattered right now was getting home.

The wind whipped my hair as I emerged back onto the street, another sign that the storm was fast approaching. My hands shook as I fumbled with my bike chain that had popped off again. My eyes burned with tears and that, more than anything, told me an episode was starting. Darkness plucked at the edges of my soul, ominous and exhausting. Maybe if I just ignored it, it would go away.

“Olive!” A bright voice called my name just as I got the chain back on its track. My heart pounded as I looked over my shoulder. A smiling blonde woman who looked to be close to my age was sprinting toward me, her pale green dress rippling in the wind. “I can’t believe I ran into you! I’ve been dying to meet you!”

I pushed up from my crouched position.

“I’m Lucy,” she said, panting heavily as she came to a stop in front of me. A wave of her bright spring floral scent washed over me, telling me she was an omega.

“Hi,” I mumbled.

“Whew, I need to do more cardio. I hate that I haven’t introduced myself before now. I’m the head of the Starlight Grove Welcoming Committee! I stopped by your house a couple of weeks ago, but you must not have been home.”

Or I’d heard the knocking on my door, panicked, and hid in my nest.

I was so pathetic.

“Oh, yeah. Sometimes I’m up in the lighthouse and can’t hear,” I said.

Lucy’s smile never faltered. “Of course! I think it’s so cool we have an omega lighthouse keeper. We all loved Fredrik and Carina and were devastated when they passed, but I’m so happy such an amazing person has taken their place.”

My brow furrowed. She didn’t even know me. Why would she say I was amazing?

“Do you have a minute?” she continued. “I’d love to buy you a coffee and welcome you to Starlight Grove.”

“Well . . .”

I trailed off, and Lucy seemed to take my non-answer as a yes. She looped her arm with mine and set off for the coffee shop across the street. She effortlessly carried the conversation, telling me about the history of the town and all the gossip about the shop owners, not seeming to mind or even notice how stilted my answers were.

“What would you like? My treat,” Lucy asked once we were at the front of the line.

What I really wanted was a pumpkin spice latte, but I hated when people made comments about my scent, so I typically just got plain coffee. Although, I was wearing a new industrial-strength deodorant. The name had made me roll my eyes—No-NonScent Deodorant— but it seemed to be doing its job. It had better, since it cost double the generic drugstore one I usually bought.

“Just a regular coffee,” I mumbled.

“Are you sure? The pumpkin spice lattes here are incredible. I dream about them. I’ve tried everything to get them out of season, but they refuse.” She fi xed the cute beta barista with a glare, but the girl just grinned back. “Just try it,” Lucy said. “If you hate it, you can have your coffee.” Her tone made it clear that plain coffee was a travesty.

Thanks, Lucy, that’s really kind of you. You’re right, coﬀee tastes like dirt and I hate it. But “Um, sure,” was all I could say in response.

We found an empty table in the corner and sat down with our lattes. I took a sip, and in that moment, my life changed. I swear to god, I perfumed a bit.

“I told you,” Lucy said, triumphant. “Best thing you’ve ever tasted, right? I’ve tried to re-create the recipe at home, but nothing ever gets close.”

“It’s really good,” I said, hiding my smile behind another sip.

“You have to meet my friends Ivy and Summer. They’re omegas, too. We all grew up here and sort of knew one another but weren’t in the same grades. But we all made our way back here as adults and are besties now. And, as an omega, you’re officially a part of our group now. We just need a great group name.”

I blinked. Lucy wanted me to be part of her friend group? When all I’d given her was blank stares and a dozen choked-out words?

“Oh, and my brother, Lars, lives on Main Street,” Lucy said, looking out the window as if he would materialize out of thin air. “He’s thirty-one and single.” She turned back to me with a twinkle in her eye. “If you’re into alphas.”

An image of Easton’s face floated in front of me until I blinked it away. I made a noncommittal noise.

“I get it,” Lucy said with a sigh. “Most of the time, they’re more trouble than they’re worth. But Lars is a good guy. Even though he always stole the last piece of cake growing up.”

Just then, the coffee shop door flew open and Marisol walked in.

“It’s getting chilly out there,” she said, unwinding her neon green scarf. “My knee’s been acting up all day.”

“Oh, that means a storm must be coming,” Lucy said, giving me a conspiratorial look.

Marisol waved at Lucy and made a beeline for us. “Lucy, doll, I was hoping I would run into you. Have you seen Felix? I barely see him around these days and I’m getting worried.”

Lucy frowned. “Now that you mention it, I haven’t. But we have a town meeting coming up.”

“That’s right,” Marisol said. “I’ll have to give him a good talking-to after the meeting. He can’t just vanish like this and think we won’t worry about him.”

I had no idea who Felix was, but right now I was more focused on getting home than asking questions. I wanted to enjoy this time with Lucy. The idea of having friends was tantalizing. But even sitting here, in this cute cafe, surrounded by cheerful people, I could feel it coming on—the edge of darkness looming over my mood, trying to sink its tendrils inside me.

I took a big gulp of my latte. “I should probably get going if it’s going to rain.”

Lucy’s face fell, and her disappointment looked so genuine. “Of course. I’m sure you want to get back before the rain starts. Let’s set up a better time to hang out! And the welcome committee still needs to bring your basket.”

I smiled and nodded as I said good-bye to Lucy and Marisol, my expression plastic. By the time I got to my bike, the rain had started, pelting my face and chilling my skin on the ride back to the lighthouse.

My depression rolled in with the storm clouds, and I quickly headed inside, pulled all the curtains, and dragged my favorite blankets into my nest. I would head up to the lighthouse watch room in a bit to monitor the storm. Just as soon as I worked up the energy.

A pit of loneliness swallowed me up like a gaping hole in my chest as I prepared to spend the next few days in darkness. My mom used to sit with me during my dark days, braiding my hair and telling me stories of mermaids. But she was gone, and I could never ask anyone else to be with me when I was like this. Could never bring them down into this despair with me. The fantasy of forming a pack with someone like Easton, or even going on a date with him, was just that: a fantasy.

I scrubbed a tear from my cheek and closed my eyes, pulling the blankets tighter around me.

LARS

“All I’m saying is something is going on with him,” Finn said as I pushed open the door to Beans ’n Bliss. “He’s been to the market twice this week. Since when does he go grocery shopping? Or care about deodorizing the fridge? Like, what the fuck is that?”

I just grunted as we stepped out of the drizzling rain. I was pretty sure the root of Easton’s distraction for the past few weeks was a crush. He was acting like a love-sick puppy, and it fi lled me with dread. Was he trying to pursue someone without Finn and me? Was he . . . considering leaving our pack for a woman? I shoved the thought aside. It was impossible to think he would ever consider it. We were a family.

But that part of me who worried I wasn’t doing a good enough job leading our pack poked and prodded at my chest.

I didn’t say any of this out loud, though. Better to wait and confirm my suspicion.

The weather had driven everyone inside. We waited in the slowmoving line, Finn grumbling about Easton the whole time.

When we finally got to the counter, it hit me.

Pumpkin spice.

Rich, mouthwatering sweetness with a sharp edge of coffee. The same scent I’d smelled six years ago, that had haunted me ever since.

I stumbled and gripped the counter. My alpha roared and I whipped my head around, trying to find the omega who the scent belonged to. The coffee shop was bustling—young people with laptops getting work done, older couples sharing an afternoon coffee together, a small playgroup of moms with their babies laughing in the corner. My heart pounded. She wasn’t here. Again. I couldn’t handle losing her a second time. Wouldn’t.

Finn smacked my arm, and I jolted. “What’s going on? I’ve been talking to you. It’s our turn to order.”

I faced him and gripped both his shoulders, hard. “Pumpkin spice.”

Finn raised his eyebrows as he glanced down at where I was holding him. “Umm, didn’t know that was your drink, but sure.” When I didn’t release him, he added, “You good, bro?”

“I smell her,” I said urgently. “Pumpkin spice. The omega from all those years ago.”

Finn looked around skeptically before turning back to me. “You do know this entire coffee shop smells like pumpkin spice?”

Hope soared in my chest. “You scent her, too?”

He shoved my arms off him. “It’s the signature drink.” He gestured at the decorative sign on the wall with a dancing pumpkin on it.

“No, you don’t understand.” My eyes were wild as I scanned the cafe again. I whipped my head to the door. She must have left. I would follow her scent until I tracked her down and convinced her that she was mine, ours.

Finn’s shout followed me out the door. I took off down the street, my shirt quickly growing wet as the rain came down harder. I spun around, my heart pounding. The incoming storm masked all the

scents in town, leaving nothing but damp earth. The street was empty. I wanted to knock on every door in town until I found her, but even through my panicked haze, I understood that would be inappropriate.

I trudged back to the coffee shop, not caring that I was soaked. Had it all been a figment of my imagination? My alpha snarled. No. The scent had been faint, but it had been there. There was no way my mind could make up something so perfect.

Finn was standing under the coffee shop’s striped awning, a pinched expression on his face. “Here’s your omega,” he said dryly, handing me a pumpkin spice latte.

I fought the urge to throw it in his face. “You’re not taking this seriously,” I growled. I wanted to roar at the sky. How dare the universe be so cruel to dangle my omega in front of me again?

“Taking what seriously, Lars? You’ve been obsessed with some omega you scented once years ago. You never even saw her. And now you’re chasing a ghost around town? What am I supposed to do with that?”

I bit my tongue, unwilling to say anything hurtful to my brother. Finn and Easton were my world. I loved my family, but these two were the brothers I had chosen. We had built a life together, a business, and had dreamed of bringing an omega into our pack. But things had felt shaky with us for a while. Finn had been struggling these past six months since his grandparents died, and Easton was a distracted mess. I’d felt unsettled in my role as head of the pack, but all that vanished now. Scenting the omega I lost years ago fi lled me with certainty as we headed home. The universe had sent her back to me, to us.

And this time, I wouldn’t let her get away.

EASTON

It was Thursday, and there was no sign of Olive. I’d been sitting by the living room window for hours, waiting to see the cute omega coming down the road on her bike. The one time I’d had to go to the bathroom, I’d sprinted there and back to make sure I didn’t miss her.

But the sun was setting, and she still wasn’t here.

I knew how much she bought at the store. It wasn’t much—just what she could bring home on her bike. She didn’t have enough food to skip her grocery shopping. Memories of staring down an empty pantry as a child flooded me, and my alpha roared for me to go get her. Feed her. Love her.

I waited another few anxious minutes, and then I’d had it. I couldn’t go a full week without my Olive sighting. A realization struck me—this was the perfect excuse to ask her to dinner. Showing up at her house would show her how committed I was, and taking her to dinner would show her omega I could provide for her.

My chest fi lled with excitement. This was it, my chance to win Olive over. I could feel it.

I pulled on a jacket and bounded out of the door. I jogged down

the path to the lighthouse, even though my body wasn’t quite built for running, and I tripped a few times. Was this path even safe for Olive to bike on? My chest squeezed until it was hard to breathe, but I pushed myself to run faster. Images of Olive being hurt flashed through my mind. What if she’d injured herself, and that’s why she hadn’t come into town?

I turned around the bend and the lighthouse came into view, along with the silhouette of three figures. For a moment, I thought Olive was in the group, but as I got closer, my heart sank. It was a group of omegas from town—Ivy, Lucy, and Summer. Lucy was Lars’s sister, so I knew her the best of the three. As I grew nearer, I saw they were dragging a wagon fi lled with food and other housewarming gifts.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” I said, trying to sound calm. “What are you up to?”

“Oh, hi, Easton,” Lucy said, a bright smile on her face. “We’re bringing Olive her welcome basket.” She bit her lip. “We should have brought it weeks ago when she moved in, but I couldn’t quite get it organized in time.”

I knew from Lars that Lucy had been going through a lot with her recent breakup.

“What are you doing here?” Summer asked, arching an eyebrow. I opened my mouth and then closed it. What could I say to avoid sounding like a stalker? “I wanted to ask Olive to dinner,” I finally said.

Lucy squealed. “Oh my gosh! Are you interested in her? What about Lars and Finn? Are you planning to court her?”

“He might want to keep that private,” Ivy said gently.

Lucy crossed her arms with a huff that made me grin. She shared my impatience.

“I just want to get to know her better,” I said. Liar liar liar my

alpha chanted, but it wasn’t like I could say Olive is mine even though she doesn’t know it yet and I’m going to bite her and fuck her and take care of her forever.

“We should probably get moving before it gets dark,” Summer said, eyeing the pink streaks in the sky above the churning ocean.

I hadn’t been back to the lighthouse since Finn’s grandparents passed away and had forgotten how breathtaking it was out here. The lighthouse carried so many happy memories. It was where Lars, Finn, and I became a family—those long days swimming and playing at the beach, helping Fredrik with lighthouse maintenance and Carina with the garden.

I hoped Olive found this place as comforting as I did.

I took the wagon and pulled it the rest of the way to the door. Lucy knocked, practically brimming with excitement as she waited for a response.

None came.

Her smile fell a little. “I caught up with her last week in town, and she said sometimes she’s up in the lighthouse and might not hear the door.” She knocked again, louder this time.

My heart pounded faster. The panic that something catastrophic had happened returned full force. What if she’d hit her head on a rock? Tripped and broken her ankle? Been taken by a riptide out to sea?

A ferocious meow sounded behind the door, and then it slowly creaked open, revealing Olive. I immediately knew something was wrong. Olive was always dressed nicely. I’d never seen her in town without an outfit so fucking cute it made me want to squeeze her body and rumple her perfect little clothes. Today, though, she was wearing baggy sweatpants, her fingers twisting in the cuffs of her sweatshirt. Her hair was limp, she had dark circles under her eyes, and her scent was strong and acidic with distress. My chest seized,

A Pack for Autumn

and the world seemed to grow dark. There was no sunshine when Olive was unhappy.

Lucy seemed to falter for a moment before smiling widely. “Hey, Oli. I hope we’re not disturbing you. We just wanted to bring you your welcome basket.” She gestured wildly at the large basket sitting on top of the wheeled cart. “And this is Ivy and Summer. Ivy teaches at the school.” When Olive didn’t say anything, she continued. “And Summer is a great cook. She added some food to the basket, so you know it’s going to be good. Not like when I cook.” Lucy forced a laugh.

Olive’s eyes flickered to my face before she looked down at the ground.

“Oh, and this is Easton,” Lucy said, her chipper tone just slightly strained. “He’s not part of the Welcoming Committee.”

Olive’s shoulders hunched in even more, and she swallowed hard but still said nothing. The omegas shifted uncomfortably, and Lucy’s eyes flitted to mine.

I cleared my throat. “You okay, Olive?” I asked. Tell me what’s wrong, baby. I’ll ﬁx it for you.

Olive took a deep breath. “I’m fine,” she said, tone harsh and eyes on the ground. “I just don’t need any intrusions.”

And with that, she stepped inside and shut the door on us.

A long beat of silence followed as the four of us tried to make sense of what had just happened.

“I’m not going to say ‘I told you so,’ ” Summer said. “Wait, no. Actually, I am. I told you so. Not everyone wants a whole welcome committee at their door.”

“Was it something I said?” Lucy asked quietly.

Ivy rubbed Lucy’s shoulder. “I don’t think so. But maybe this was too overwhelming. We can just leave the basket and maybe try another time without a whole group of us.” She looked at me, but

my eyes were still fi xed on the closed door. I was fighting my instincts hard—my alpha was screaming at me to go after Olive.

The omegas left the basket on the doorstep. When I didn’t move to leave with them, Lucy spoke up. “Are you coming, Easton?”

I rubbed my neck. “Umm, I think I’m going to stay. Check out the ocean.”

Summer arched her eyebrows, and Ivy hid what looked like a smile behind her hand.

“Check out the ocean?” Lucy spoke the words slowly as if they would make more sense that way.

“You know, the waves.” I cleared my throat. “Sand.” I gestured at the shore.

“Come on, Lucy,” Summer said, fi xing me with a look that was a little too perceptive for my liking. “How about we get some pumpkin spice lattes?”

Lucy perked up at that and followed her friends down the path, turning to look back at me multiple times until they made it around the bend.

I took a deep breath and turned back to the door. I knocked again, hoping Olive would answer if there were fewer people. But there was still no response.

Helplessness washed over me like the choppy ocean waves. How could I fi x whatever was going on with her if she kept the door shut? My heart pounded, and I had to practice the breathing exercises I’d learned in therapy.

Breaking down her door was probably too much, so I forced my feet to head down to the water. I sat down on the large flat rock I’d spent hours on as a kid. I’d even slept on it for a couple of nights when things got too bad at my house. Carina had found me one morning, horrified, and told me I would be sleeping inside with them. No arguments.

I missed her and Fredrik. I wished I could talk to Finn about

them, but he shut down anytime I brought them up. I twisted my fingers in my sweater. I just wanted all the people in my life to be happy, would do anything to make it happen.

Stars dotted the sky as the sun sank below the horizon. I sighed and got up, making my way up the path to the lighthouse. My heart leaped when I walked around the front of the house and saw the welcome basket was gone. A smile spread across my face. Olive was inside and had food for dinner.

Maybe gifts were the key to winning her over. Omegas loved presents, at least according to the online articles I’d read. I broke out into a sprint back to town. What could I get her? Definitely more food, and not just the staples she usually got. She deserved all the treats. And what about cozy things? I could get her blankets or even a new jacket for winter. One that smelled like me.

Main Street came into focus, and I tripped as I ran to Lucy’s shop, Spring in Your Stitch. She tailored and sewed clothes and was the perfect person to help me find Olive a jacket. I growled when I saw her shop was closed. I whirled around, scanning the street. Almost everything was closed. Damn these small-town hours.

I trudged to the market. At least I could get her food. Omegas liked sweet things, right? I should buy one of everything until I figured out what her favorites were.

The market door opened and Carmen stepped out, her hands full of papers. I quickened my pace so I could hold the door open for her.

“Thanks, honey,” she said. “I just remembered I told Stanley I’d get him this paperwork by 5:00 p.m.”

“It’s almost seven,” I said with a wry grin, which Carmen returned.

“It’s good for him. Helps him loosen up. I don’t know how Harry deals with that man—” Carmen was cut off as Felix darted in front of her, causing her to trip. I threw my arm out to prevent her from falling, but all the papers flew from her hands.