“Bram, is it possible that you approached Max when you had your own liquid courage and he truly doesn’t remember this encounter?”
“No,” Bram says, and I pinch my nose.
The doctor doesn’t get discouraged and decides to turn her direction to Sloane who is looking both shocked and frustrated.
“Sloane, can you tell me what traits you like in Bram, Ethan, and Max?”
“Ethan is kind, protective, and I can tell him anything, and I know he won’t judge me. Bram is gentle with me, always there when I need him, and he takes the best care of me. Max is easy to talk to, fun, and watching how much he’s grown over the few months I’ve known him has given me such joy. He’d also give the shirt off his back to anyone who needed it,” Sloane says, and I squeeze her hand.
“I need for each of you to see yourself how Sloane sees you and how she sees the other members of the pack. If you care for your Omega, then you’ll understand her intentions with every one of you. If it’s okay, I’d like to set up individual sessions with both Bram and Max and you two together.”
Both of the Alphas grumble but agree.
“I know you all have busy schedules, but I’d like for you to spend more time as a pack, not broken up in trios,” she says.
“Thank you, Dr. Mahdoni,” both Sloane and I say before getting up and leaving the building.
Sloane’s phone chimes as we walk out, and I look over her shoulder. Of course she has alerts on her phone about when any of us are mentioned in the news. This time, it’s a picture of her smiling as she’s getting smoothies with Piper and Charlotte.
The headline reads, “Unbonded Team Wrecker.”
She exits out of the article and puts the phone in her purse, acting like it doesn’t bother her. I’ll need to have a talk with Max and Bram. She can’t keep seeking out this shit; it’s only going to drive her crazy.
Bram drove all of us to the appointment, and he holds Sloane’s hand to make sure she doesn’t slip on any ice. The parking lot is covered in dirty snow as she glances over at me.
“I don’t feel so good. Sit in the back with me?” Sloane asks, and I agree, even if it puts Max and Bram together in the front seat. He opens the back seat, and we both climb in before Max and Bram get in the vehicle.
Sloane doesn’t look so great next to me, but when I touch her head, she doesn’t have a fever.
“You’ve got to stop getting alerts for that trash,” I whisper to her.
She rubs her forehead and nods. “I know,” she replies, resting her head on my shoulder.
The rest of the drive is quiet, almost uncomfortably so, until Max cuts through the tension with a metaphorical sharp knife.
“I didn’t reject you,” Max says, and I sigh.
“What, I’m just making it up?”
“I’m not saying you can’t feel that way. But how the fuck can I reject you when I didn’t even know you were propositioning me? This could have all been solved years ago if you didn’t try to approach me when I was drunk.”
“That would have been difficult, considering you were constantly drunk that season,” Bram says.
Well, this could either go great or terrible.
“I don’t feel so good,” Sloane says again.
“Aw shit, are you going to be carsick?” Bram says, the malice slipping from his tone as he looks at us in the rearview mirror.
She covers her mouth and nods.
“Fuck. As soon as I get over the bridge,” Bram says, glancing back in the mirror.
“Look—” Max shouts, but it’s too late.
The screeching of metal on metal against Bram’s SUV is disturbing as another car hits us on Bram’s driver’s side.
My shoulder twinges instantly, and I’m trying to collect myself as the shriek of metal and another car hitting us from behind makes me realize what’s happening.
