Reverie blinks at us.
Then, a small smile tugs at her lips despite everything.
"Murder is bad, gentlemen," she says with mock seriousness.
Theo cracks his neck. The sound is loud in the booth.
Deliberate.
"With reason."
She groans but she's smiling.
Actually smiling despite the heavy conversation.
That's what gets me. Her resilience. Her ability to joke and smile even when discussing trauma that would break most people. She's stronger than she realizes.
Jeremy the waiter picks that moment to return with the check.
Perfect timing to break the tension that's been building in our booth.
"Here you go, folks," he says cheerfully, completely oblivious to the heavy conversation we've just had. Setting down the black leather folder on the table between us. "Whenever you're ready. No rush."
I reach for my wallet. So does Grayson. So does Theo.
We all throw our cards into the folder at the exact same time with the kind of synchronized movement that comes from being packmates who know each other too well.
It's automatic. Instinctive. Competitive in that way pack Alphas get about providing. None of us are letting the others pay without a fight. None of us are letting her pay under any circumstances. This is our Omega—temporary or not, fake or not—and we take care of what's ours. That's non-negotiable.
Meanwhile, Reverie is scrambling for her purse, digging through it with increasing panic.
"I must have left my wallet at home," she mutters. Then she looks up at us, her expression stricken. "I'm so sorry, I can Venmo you or?—"
All three of us are frowning at her.
Probably identical expressions of confusion and offense.
"Why the hell would you pay?" I ask.
She blinks at me like I just spoke in a foreign language.
"Because... I always pay?"
Always pays.
Say what now?
She always pays?
For dates?
For meals?
For three Alphas who should absolutely be paying for her? Hell wasn’t there four?
I'm gawking at her now. So is Grayson. Even Theo looks shocked, and Theo never looks shocked.
"You always paid," Grayson repeats slowly, like he's trying to process information that doesn't make sense. "For your pack? For everything?"
