I perked up. I hadn’t heard much about Cam and Theo’s time in the military, but I was curious. I was especially interested in hearing an embarrassing story I wasn’t the subject of.
“I wasn’t that bad,” Theo said, his cheeks reddening.
“You shot the officer in the leg with a rubber pellet and were put on trash duty for three months,” Cam snorted.
“I don’t know if you want to start trading embarrassing basic training stories,” Theo said, a rare glint of mischief in his eyes. I whipped my face around to his and mouthed, “do it.” I wanted all the dirt on my alphas.
Theo’s face broke out in a wide smile. “Turns out Cam here has a bit of a delicate stomach,” he started, but before he could continue, Cam released me with a growl and shoved Theo to the ground. For a moment, I was scared that they were actually fighting, but Theo bounced onto the rubber mats on the floor with a laugh.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” Cam said, standing over him.
“Whatever you say, Cadet Shit Pants,” Theo said.
I giggled and Cam rounded on me. “You laughing at me?”
I quickly schooled my features. “I would never do that,” I said, eyes wide.
Cam grunted as if he found my performance unconvincing before turning around and offering Theo a hand up. Theo elbowed him in the ribs good-naturedly before wrapping his arms around me.
“You’ll get better at this, angel. Don’t be too hard on yourself,” he said. I squeezed him back, reveling in the feel of him against me.
“Let’s get you home,” Cam said. I sighed, relieved they’d sensed I had reached my limit. “I bet Ben is still in bed,” he continued with a roll of his eyes.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“Seven,” Theo responded.
I groaned. “Ishould still be in bed. It’s too early.” I sounded like a cranky toddler, but I didn’t care. If my alphas wanted me, they had to accept that I was not a morning omega.
“Come on. Let’s go home and get you back in bed,” Cam said, slinging his arm around my shoulder and kissing me on the forehead.
I leaned into him as we walked out of the building. The sun had risen while we were inside, and the sky still had a few streaks of pink in it. There were a few guys in tactical gear getting out of their cars. My anxiety spiked as I realized most of them were alphas and that if they used their bark on me, I would have to comply. Sweat rolled down my back.
“It’s okay, baby girl,” Cam said softly. He and Theo sandwiched me between them and ushered me to the car, glaring at anyone who looked in our direction. This time, I got in the back with Cam, and he kept his arms firmly around me as Theo peeled out of the parking lot.
“You okay?” Cam asked, running his hands down my body as if checking for non-existent injuries.
I relaxed into him, realizing that I was okay. Even if one of those alphas had used their bark on me, Theo and Cam would have protected me. The device made me vulnerable, but I wasn’t on my own anymore.
“Yeah, but I’m not sure I want to go back there.” My voice was small and I squirmed in my seat, still so unsure about voicing my wants and needs.
“Okay, sweetheart,” Cam responded, tipping my head so I met his gaze. “Thanks for giving it a try. We can work on self-defense at home and get you a taser instead.”
I looked at Theo, taking in his tight hold on the steering wheel and clenched jaw. The tension from this morning when he woke me up was back with a vengeance. He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw me watching him.
“That’s fine, of course,” he said with a tight smile that didn’t meet his eyes.
A sick feeling formed in my chest at his disappointment. I shouldn’t have been so whiney. Mostly, I’d just been taken off guard. Maybe if they had warned me about shooting practice, I would have been more mentally prepared.
Theo turned on the radio, effectively ending the conversation.
I sighed, leaning into Cam.
“These are cute,” he said, patting my space buns.
“I can give you some later,” I said, eyeing his hair.
Cam kept a straight face, but I could practically hear him trying to figure out how to turn me down without hurting my feelings. I hid my smile in his chest and let myself doze off, only waking up once we pulled into our familiar driveway.
