“By what? Spreading her legs for all of you on her first day?” The words taste sour in my mouth, unfair even as I say them. “That doesn’t make her pack queen. It makes her?—”
“Don’t,” Drake warns, his eyes flashing dangerously. “Don’t you dare fucking finish that sentence.”
My jaw clenches so hard I hear my teeth creak. They’re all against me on this. All captivated by her scent and her smile. Fuck, I can’t blame them, and I can’t make them hate her.
Every second I spend around her is a disaster waiting to happen.
“If you can’t keep it professional,” I say finally, my voice low. “She’s gone. I will fire her tomorrow.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Elias challenges.
“Try me.” I meet his gaze steadily. “Nora needs stability, not three alphas fighting over who gets to fuck her nanny next. So either you all back off, or she’s out.”
Francine
The hallway is quiet as I slip out of my room, my footsteps muffled by the thick carpet. I follow the echo of raised voices, my heart pounding harder with each step. They’re in the library. I can hear their voices growing clearer as I approach the imposing double doors. I press my ear against the polished wood, holding my breath to better hear what’s being said.
I had taken a quick shower and changed into a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
“She fills that void,” Elias adds, and something warm unfurls in my chest at his words. “She’s pack queen.”
“By what? Spreading her legs for all of you on her first day?” Kieran’s response is cruel, cutting. “That doesn’t make her pack queen. It makes her?—”
“Don’t,” Drake interrupts. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence.”
Tears prick at the corners of my eyes.Is that what Kieran thinks of me? That I’m some kind of slut for responding to his brothers?Shame burns through me, hot and suffocating.
I literally want to die.
“If you can’t keep it professional,” Kieran says, his voice dropping to an icy calm that’s somehow more frightening than his shouting, “she’s gone. I will fire her tomorrow.”
My stomach drops.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Elias challenges, and I feel a surge of gratitude toward him.
“Try me.” Kieran’s voice is steel. “Nora needs stability, not three alphas fighting over who gets to fuck her nanny next. So either you all back off, or she’s out.”
I press a hand to my mouth, stifling a gasp.
“And then what?” Drake demands. “You hire another omega? Because this problem doesn’t go away, Kieran. We need a pack omega eventually.”
My heart stutters in my chest. The one? They think I’m meant to be their omega? The thought is both terrifying and touching. Me, belonging to four powerful alphas? Being the heart of their pack? It’s too much to process, too overwhelming to consider.
“I’m the pack alpha, and I’m telling you to back the fuck off!”
I press myself against the wall, breathing heavily, trying to process everything I’ve just heard. Drake, Rowan, and Elias want me as their omega. They’re defending me to Kieran. And Kieran is threatening to fire me if they don’t back off.
I’m simultaneously wanted and unwanted. Desired and rejected.
Suddenly, I see Nora bursting into the house from the front door, and I quickly make my way over to her. Her backpack bounces, her curly hair wild around her face.
“Francine!” she calls, running to me with her arms outstretched. “You’re still here!”
I crouch down to her level, accepting her enthusiastic hug with genuine warmth. “Of course I am. I promised I’d be waiting, didn’t I?”
“Where’s Kieran?”
“He’s having a meeting with the rest of your brothers in the library, so we need to keep our voices low so they can work,” I say in a low voice, and her eyes widen. “Let’s get you a snack, and you can tell me all about your day.”
