“The DC will come by to check and make sure that’s the case,” Richard said. “Terrible things happen when omegas are left to their own devices,” he added ominously, looking pointedly at my mother.
She sat demurely, showing no reaction to her bonded’s critique. Growing up, I had dreamed she would fight back against them, dreamed of seeing even the tiniest glimpse of the omega who had defied expectations to follow her heart. But she never did, content to be weak and subservient, content to do nothing while her bonded alphas abused her daughter.
“It’s a shame the newly proposed bill to give omegas’ fathers the power to select a pack hasn’t yet passed,” Jericho mused. To my surprise, he looked pointedly at Cam. “Don’t you agree, Cam? It’s always better when the fathers choose the pack.”
Cam tensed and the color drained from his face. Jericho looked delighted, as if he had expected this reaction and wanted to see how it played out.
Without thinking, I reached out and placed my hand on top of Cam’s. A spark of energy, like a warm current, ran through me. He turned to me, eyes wide in shock before his face transformed into the most heartbreakingly gorgeous smile I had ever seen. He threaded his fingers with mine and gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
Jericho’s face soured briefly before returning to its usual controlled mask. I met his gaze, feeling powerful. For the first time in years, I wasn’t alone.
Ben took the opportunity to change the subject. “Josie, you sure you don’t want anything to eat?”
My stomach cramped with hunger and my mouth watered. Ben’s hopeful expression made me want to do anything I could to please him.
Before I could answer, my mother cut in. “Josephine should not be eating any pastries with her figure.”
I curled in on myself, trying to make myself a smaller target, and withdrew my hand from Cam’s.
All three of the alphas bristled with anger, a growl slipping from Cam as he firmly threaded his fingers back into mine. Theo gently ran his hand up and down my back. Ben looked like he was going to say something, but I caught his eye and shook my head. I wanted this to be over with, and anything he said would get my parents riled up.
An uncomfortable silence descended over the room. My mother adjusted the collar of her blouse. Richard’s foot tapped impatiently against the floor. I stared at the coffee table books in front of me:Modern Cottages of the English Countryside. A Baker’s Encyclopedia of Yeast. A Passionate Knitter’s Pattern Guide.
Huh, I wonder who the knitter is.
Jericho looked at his watch. “We have a lot to do today. Josephine, behave yourself. Let’s go, Angeline.”
I kept my face blank as a surge of happiness rushed through me as Jericho and Richard stood. The guys glanced between my fathers and me, confused by their abruptness, but I was fighting the urge to smile. Jericho and Richard would never admit it, but they had lost today. Their goal had been to provoke my alphas into reacting and they had failed. I was sure it was a temporary victory—they wouldn’t give up that easily—but I would take it.
Ben stood, looking befuddled as he offered to escort my parents out. Jericho and Richard stalked out of the room, saying nothing to me, not that I expected them to. There was a moment when my mother hesitated, and I thought she would say something, but she clenched her jaw and walked out of the room. With her departure, the adrenaline pumping through my system crashed, leaving me cold and shaky.
Cam stood and I jumped, my breath hitching. His body vibrated with tension as he clenched and unclenched his hands, almost as if he were readying for a fight. He abruptly sat back down, his body angled towards me.
“Can I touch you, sweetheart?” he asked in a surprisingly tender voice.
A refusal was on my lips when I paused. I was so damn tired of being on my own. My omega took over and I found myself nodding.
I let out a startled squeak as Cam picked me up and cradled me in his lap. I sat stiffly for a moment and then his scent washed over me, releasing all the tension I was carrying. I pressed my face into his neck where his cinnamon roll scent was strongest and inhaled deeply.
“Is this okay?” Cam asked gruffly.
I nodded again, feeling settled beyond words.
“Good. Because I need to hold you,” Cam murmured, tightening his arms around me. It scared me how right it felt.
Theo leaned in beside me, brushing the hair away from my face. I wanted more, wanted them to all press their bodies against me, have their hands on me… but I shouldn’t want it, right? I should be strong enough to not need their comfort.
Ben returned to the living room. His irritated expression transformed when he saw us.
“Is it cuddle time?” he asked, throwing himself down on the couch and gathering my legs into his lap, placing his hand on my bare calf. “Josie, beautiful, I hate to say it, but I got thisslightfeeling that your parents might not like us.”
I snorted, a smile tugging at my lips.
“Sorry, they’re awful,” I said, hiding my face in Cam’s shoulder and taking another hit of his sweet scent.
“Not your fault,” Cam grunted.
“I’m sorry we didn’t say more to defend you,” Theo said. “We’re worried they’ll use any excuse to say we’re not proper alphas for you.”
