He led me to a small outside courtyard and pulled two sandwiches out of his coat pocket.
“I’m not hungry,” I said, taking the sandwich from him.
Dave gave me a stern look. “You need to keep your energy up.”
I wrinkled my nose but unwrapped the sandwich and took a small bite.
“Do you know Pack Ashwood?” I asked quietly.
“A bit,” he hedged. I knew he couldn’t talk freely here—we never knew who was listening. “They seem like reliable, trustworthy alphas.”
I nodded, feeling slightly less panicked. I didn’t know Dave, but he was unlike so many of the alphas I grew up with—his calm presence made me feel like I could trust what he said. We sat in companionable silence while we ate until Dave’s phone vibrated, alerting him it was time to take me into the second interview. I followed him inside, feeling like I was on autopilot until we reached the interview room door.
“You remember what I said?” Dave asked me.
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Good,” he said with a brief nod. He then opened the door, revealing the three alphas waiting for me. I took a deep breath and walked into the room.
ChapterNine
Josie
Three alphas stood in the center of the room, their eyes snapping to mine as I walked in.
Fuck, they were hot.
The alpha closest to me was dressed casually in a light blue button-down shirt and black jeans, his messy curls and glasses making him feel approachable even though he towered over me.
“You must be Josephine. I’m Ben. We’re so excited to meet you. Please come in!”
Ben said all of this so rapidly I could hardly understand what he was saying, but there was something so genuine about him I felt my lips curl into an involuntary smile. He had a huge grin on his face, and his body brimmed with energy. His gaze didn’t feel predatory like Pack Madden, and his enthusiasm put me a little more at ease. The alphas I was used to were stoic and aggressive—Ben seemed to be the complete opposite. I moved further into the room, and my knees almost buckled when his spiced apple scent hit me like a crisp autumn day. It was energizing and comforting at the same time.
“Ben, you’ve got to calm the fuck down,” a low voice said from behind him. Ben stepped to the side, and my eyes fell on an alpha with massive, broad shoulders and thick, tattooed arms.
“I’m Cam. Like Ben said, we’re glad to get the chance to meet you.”
I didn’t know what scent to expect from this intimidating alpha, but it definitely wasn’t the cinnamon roll scent that hit me. It was so perfectly sweet my inner omega urged me to lick him.What the fuck is happening to me?I felt dazed as the third alpha of the pack stepped towards me.
“Hi Josephine, I’m Theo. It’s nice…” his voice trailed off as he froze, eyes wide.
I wasn’t sure what to make of his reaction until his warm coffee scent surrounded me. I almost whimpered. It was the same scent I had been inhaling off my sweatshirt for the past two days. How did his scent get on my clothes? Did he work at the hospital? As I inhaled another lungful, I got the briefest flash of memory of strong arms holding me in Trader Joe’s. Had Theo been there when I fainted?
My mind reeled with questions, but I was also acutely aware we were being watched. Ben cleared his throat as Theo and I continued staring at each other. Theo looked as shocked as I felt. It didn’t seem like he expected to see me here, either.
“Is everything okay?” Ben said, shooting Theo a pointed look.
Theo nodded almost imperceptibly towards the camera in the corner while still holding my gaze. I gave him the tiniest nod in return. Best not to talk about what happened in the store, just in case they would hold it against us.
“Everything’s great,” Theo said with an easy smile. “Like I was saying, it’s really nice to meet you, Josephine.”
Fuck, his accent was sexy. His dark hair was neatly combed back, but some stray pieces fell on his face. My fingers itched with the urge to run my hands through his hair, and I was starting to get lightheaded from all my deep breaths. They all smelledso fucking good,and I had no idea why—no alphas ever smelled like this to me. I knew I should be intimidated being alone with them, but I felt strangely safe. Part of me longed to move even closer, which scared me—I didn’t know these alphas and couldn’t let my guard down around them, no matter what my biology said.
I took some deep breaths through my mouth to calm myself down. I realized I was just standing in front of them like a complete idiot without introducing myself.
“Hi. Um, I go by Josie,” I squeaked out.Wow, your conversation skills are incredible.
“Josie, that suits you,” Ben said with a smile.
