by Kole, Lana
Lyric coughed lightly, hiding a smile at Lola’s grimace of sympathy.
Lola stood and held out her hand, tucking a tablet under her arm. “Let’s go sit on the couch and finish the interview. You look amazing.”
A blush colored her cheeks at the compliment, and she turned to see herself in the mirror. “Wow,” was all she could say. It was minimal, the shimmer on her cheeks, the neutral tones highlighting the blue-green of her eyes, the gloss on her lips. But each addition accented her features and made her look… magical.
“Everything we used today, we’ll mention in the article…” Lola glanced around before leaning close. “But I can slide you a few samples today, just remind me later.”
Lyric laughed. “I’d love that, thank you.”
The set crew danced around them as they made their way through the set and settled on the couch. It was already placed on the backdrop for the shoot, and Lyric sent her alphas and Nohen a grin as she took a seat beside Lola.
“Okay, so now that we’re in a romantic setting…” Lola motioned to the set around them.
Flowers were draped across the couch and all over the floors, matching the ones placed carefully in her hair.
“Now that we’re here…” Lyric prompted hesitantly.
“Before tour, you were living on your own, without a pack. When it came to selecting band members, did you also know you’d be choosing your pack?”
Lyric flushed. “No, I didn’t. To be honest, a pack was the last thing I was looking for when I started this tour. But… I’m glad I found my pack.”
“Can you deny that you came out of the tour a different person than when you went in?”
Lifting a hand, Lyric intended to run it through her curls out of nervous habit, but she stopped herself, remembering the flowers. “No, I can’t deny that. Six weeks may not seem that long, but a lot can happen in that time. It changed my perspective a bit.”
“So… a metamorphosis, right?” Lola hedged, winking.
Lyric glanced at the flowers again. “Yeah…”
Oh. How cool. The photoshoot was designed with her story in mind.
It was oddly touching, and Lyric gazed at the set with more appreciation.
“Tell me about your band.”
“Well, they’re not just my band, they’re my pack,” she said. “Nohen is our lead guitarist, Emerson is on bass. Then you’ve got Adra on keys, and Desi on drums.”
Lyric’s gaze touched all of them across the room as she spoke, and she couldn’t help but smile. Nohen had his hands on his hips, speaking to Emerson with an arched brow. The alpha’s arms were crossed, though a smile was twitching his lips.
“Nohen and Emerson bicker a lot. It’s the cutest thing ever—oh—” Lyric cut herself off, holding a hand in front of her lips. She didn’t mean to say that out loud.
But Lola was grinning. “Is that a product of bringing six strangers to live together in such a small space?”
Lyric waved her hand back and forth. It was more foreplay for them at this point. “Yes and no. It was cramped, but we made it work. They just like to push each other’s buttons.”
Adra was standing to the side, talking casually with Henry, both looking delicious. And Desi… was playing cutesy with Amber in the corner. Lyric shook her head at the couple—too cute to handle. You’d think after proposing and with plans to move in together, they’d get enough of each other, but it seemed just the opposite.
Lyric trailed her gaze over the others. She could relate.
“How is it adjusting back into your own space after tour? How do you guys make time for rehearsal?”
Lyric cocked her head to the side. “We don’t. Like any pack, we all live together. It’s still new, but it’s so much more spacious than the bus.”
They were certainly having fun breaking in all the new furniture. Lyric’s lips twitched. Just that morning, her and Henry had taken the kitchen counter for a spin. It was his fault really, waking her up at the crack of dawn just to get to this interview on time.
You could say Javi’s breakfast wrap wasn’t the only thing she’d had for breakfast.
Her brownstone was history, and now that Lyric had a taste of bouncing from bed to bed, she’d never been happier.
There was nothing better than piling up with all her alphas and Nohen in the giant moon room, though Lyric still enjoyed the solace of her own room when she needed it. And there was always Desi’s room, though her and Amber seemed to be as preoccupied with each other as Lyric was with her guys.
And whenever her mood changed, and she crawled between the sheets of Henry’s or Javi’s beds, they always welcomed her with kisses and warmth.
Not that Emerson or Adra didn’t get their fair share of cuddles either. Or Nohen, for that matter. For the first couple of days, he’d been her designated couch buddy, since they were the only two who could spoon together and not fall off. Javi had demanded Henry find a wider couch immediately.
“I just got a notification that the photographer is here, so I’ll wrap this up. Real quick, will we be able to see all your bond marks in the picture? I see these two,” she noted, tapping each of her collarbones.
“There’s this one,” Lyric said, lifting her hand.
“Isn’t there four?” Lola asked, swiping on her screen and glancing back up.
“Yes…” Lyric answered, scratching at her cheek. “But you can’t see it in this outfit.” Javi had fun with that one, and the memory made her cheeks heat.
Lola’s lips twitched as she nodded once, tapping something on her screen. “Got it. Been there. So… what is Lyric up to now?”
“I’m around. Recording, writing, creating.” She never stopped.
“Where do you get most of your inspiration?”
Lyric grinned. The last time she’d been writing, she’d been using Henry’s back as a table as Nohen played with her hair. “I have my muses,” she admitted, gazing at her pack.
“Since you yourself have been through this… metamorphosis… can we expect the same for your music?”
Lyric shrugged. “No one wants to listen to the same song over and over again. I strive to make each one as individual as the next. Though I will say I’m in a happier place than I was two years ago, when I wrote the first album. So I guess my answer is… you’ll see.”
Lola chuckled. “Fair enough. What’s next for Lyric?”
“Well, we’re working on a self-titled album. No release date yet, but it’s in the works.” Henry and Andi both had threatened her within an inch of her life if she spilled the beans.
“Who’s we?” Lola inquired.
Lyric’s lips curled up into a smirk. “Lyric and the Heartbeats, of course.”
“Ready to get out of here?” Henry asked once they were done changing. Lyric kept one of the flowers as a souvenir, and Nohen had snagged the bag of makeup samples for her.
“Take me home,” she answered.
Henry smirked and grabbed her hand, pulling her ahead of the others.
“Wait a—dammit, Henry,” she growled. Sparks danced over her skin, spilling outward from the bite mark on her hand to cascade over her body. She glanced back for help, but three answering smirks met her gaze.
Grumbling, she faced forward again as sunlight from the exit poured down on her. And as she exited the studio in the afternoon light, Javi was waiting for them by the car, finished with his errands. His gaze dropped to Henry’s grasp on her hand, then bounced to Lyric who was squirming in place.
“Buddy system,” Henry murmured, squeezing his hand around hers once again.
* * *
THE END
Afterword
Dear Readers,
First, thank you so much for making it through this monster of a book. There were a few days where I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it to the end. This is the largest book I have ever written, and I am so, so proud to add Lyric and her pack to my catalogue.
I have a special connection to each character, but I thin
k I relate to Lyric the most, and I hope you were able to find a favorite to love, as well. It would mean the world to me if you’d take the time to let me know in a review, or to poke me on Facebook, in the Koled Cave, or on Instagram, or Twitter. You can find me at @lanakoleauthor on all of them.
If social media isn’t your thing, but you wanna see what else I have coming up in the future, sign up for The Kitty Letter, where I send updates on only the most important information pertaining releases or works in progress.
Once again, thank you so much for picking up this book, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoy sharing it with you.
Until next time,
Lana
Acknowledgments
Special Thanks:
To Kathryn, for sharing her universe and trusting me to do it justice. These boys have been yours from the start, and I hope you love them.
To Chloe for reading, giving me advice, and cheering me on while I wrote all the smut.
To Desiree for being just as excited about these characters as I was (if not more) and waiting patiently while I fed her the messiest of chapters, and urging me to keep going.
To the support from my author friends, my smut-writing friends on twitter, and others who have been in my corner since I started this monster months ago.
And finally, thanks to Shelby for being content and patient while I finished this book.
Also By Lana Kole
Crystal Clear Series
Illusion of Escape
Illusion of Death
Illusion of Darkness
Complete Collection(w/bonus content)
* * *
Unlocked Series
Chaos Unlocked
Betrayal Exposed
Misery Undone
Truth Revealed
Hope Lost
Death Defied
* * *
Standalone
Feline Good
* * *
LANA KOLE WRITING AS LOGAN GREY
CONTEMPORARY M/M ROMANCE
Heartbelt Records
The Deeper You Go
The Longer You’ll Stay
Love in Progress
About the Author
Lana resides in Tennessee, convinced her southern twang is part of her charm. With two cats and a dog, her hands are full, and not just with treats like her pets would like to believe. As a full time author, she dedicates all of her time bringing to life different characters and developing new worlds for her readers to lose themselves in. And more often than not, she loses herself in them, which is her favorite place to be: with a cat in her lap, a snack in hand, and voices in her head.
