"And Drake?"
There's a pause.
"What about Drake?"
"He spends almost all his off-duty hours in Marie's nest. Even when she isn't needy. Even when Vee is. He's allowed to 'overcorrect'? He barely even looks at Vee anymore."
Footsteps. A shift in scent.
Drake.
Great.
"What am I walking in on?"
"You are being used as a benchmark for fairness."
"That sounds bad."
"Eli is accusing you of neglect," Marie says.
"I am pointing out that you have devoted yourself entirely to Marie for weeks and nobody is giving you a lecture about balance."
"I love both of them," Drake says immediately, defensive. "Equally."
The words punch a hole right through my chest.
It's not that I didn't know.
He's not shy about how much he cares for her. The way he looks at her, laughs with her, curls around her in the nest like they're perfectly made pieces.
Hearing him say it out loud, though—I love both of them—with her name implicit in the second half, does something awful inside me.
My fingers curl into the dish towel so hard the fabric creaks.
"I'm not ignoring Vee. I've just been helping Marie adjust. It's a lot. New pack, new house, new dynamics. I barely get enough time with her as it is."
"You barely get enough time with her," Eli repeats, incredulous. "She's had you in her bed almost every night. How long has it been since you've slept in Vee's?"
"Hey. I came when Vee called. I just… she wasn't calling as much. She seemed like she wanted space."
I chokeon a sound.
Wanted space.
Right.
Is that what kneeling on hardwood until midnight looks like from across the room?
Does backing away from Ragon's shadow read as not needing anyone?
Ragon clears his throat, the verbal equivalent of slamming a folder shut.
"This isn't productive. We're not putting each other on trial. The point is that we need balance. No one should be favored. Not Vee, not Marie. We should split our time more evenly. Omegas do not pit us against each other."
"I didn't—" Marie starts.
"You did. Instinct is loud. You let it talk for you. Don't."
