“Just give me thirty minutes?” A realization crashed over me: if I was making them lunch, it would make sense to invite them inside. Into my space. I wasn’t ready for that. Felix was the only one who had been inside my home.
“It’s a nice day. We can eat outside,” Easton said. My lips parted as he winked at me, and I had the strange feeling that he’d read my mind. Or maybe he’d just noticed my body language. My omega wanted to preen at how much Easton seemed toseeme.
Before I did anything ridiculous like run into the alpha’s arms and scent mark him, I turned and went back inside. I leaned back on the door and took a deep breath. One day, I would stop running away from people.
The three alphassat on the sandy bank leading down to the beach. They all looked a little more rumpled and sweaty than when they arrived this morning, and I felt a warm spark of something deep inside me. I took a deep breath, steeling myself as I balanced the plates on my arms. I walked over to them slowly, carefully, giving me more time to take them in.
Lars’s hair was tied in a topknot, and he laughed at something Easton said. Finn was sitting a bit apart from them. Had he told the other two about the movie theater? Based on how he was sitting, all hunched over and silent, the wind ruffling his somehow-perfect dark hair, I doubted it.
All three guys looked up as I got closer. I nervously handed Easton his plate first. He looked down at his sandwich with what could only be described as stars in his eyes. I’d made him and Lars grilled cheeses. Nothing fancy, but I added tomato and bacon to it and two types of cheese, so it was basically the fanciest thing I made.
I gave Lars his plate next, mumbling, “I hope you like it.”
Then I handed Finn his lunch, which consisted of two cold slicesof bread. And sandwiched in between? Three large dill pickle spears. Unsliced.
Finn looked at the sandwich and then back at me, finally meeting my gaze. I arched an eyebrow. Lars and Easton took in our silent standoff.
“Oh, Finn doesn’t like—” Easton started to say, but was cut off by Lars elbowing him in the side.
Finn picked up the sandwich, slowly bringing it to his lips. His gaze locked with mine, and he took a large bite. The pickle crunched loudly and his eyes watered as he chewed. And chewed. Apparently, the pickle sandwich didn’t quite want to be swallowed. Finally, he did it.
“Thanks,” he croaked.
I smiled sweetly, feeling seconds away from letting out an evil cackle. “You’re welcome.”
I turned around, flipping my hair dramatically over my shoulder. “Enjoy your lunch.” And I flounced away.
15
FINN
Our front doorshut behind us, and Easton and Lars both turned to face me, arms crossed.
“Want to tell us what the fuck that was about?” Lars asked.
“What do you mean?” Pretending to be ignorant wouldn’t get me far, but I was desperate to put off the inevitable. The moment I told them I wasn’t interested in pursuing Olive, it would be over for me. I would be out of the pack. Actually, I might just be kicked out if they found out what I had done to her… leaving her alone in the theater like that.
“There was something going on between you and Olive,” Easton said. “Why did she give you a pickle sandwich? And why did youeatit?”
I had to fight the bizarre urge tosmile. I swore my lips twitched. I had no idea how she’d found out about my hatred for pickles, but it was a fitting revenge for how I’d treated her. Actually, I deserved much worse punishment. Olive would never be my omega, but that didn’t lessen the sick feeling of guilt in my chest.
“I don’t know why she did that,” I mumbled with a shrug.
Easton let out an exasperated noise that sounded likeungrr,and Lars just scrubbed his hand down his face.
“Olive is the omega I scented years ago,” he said. “My alpha knew she was ours back then, and I feel it even more strongly now.”
Easton threw his arms around Lars’s shoulders with awhoop. “You’re kidding me. You’rekiddingme. I knew she was perfect for us. It’s meant to be!”
My heart sank as Lars confirmed what I’d suspected when I scented Olive. It was all coming to an end, and I wasn’t sure my heart could take it. Losing my grandparents was one thing, but losing my brothers?
I should tell them. Come clean and let them know I wasn’t interested in bonding with Olive or any other omega. That Icouldn’t.My alpha rumbled in disagreement. He wanted Olive. But the grief of seeing my grandpa fade away after the loss of his bonded was a heavy stone in my chest.
I ran my fingers through my hair. “I don’tknowher yet. And neither do the two of you, really.”
Easton bounced on his toes. “This restoration is the perfect time to get to know her. To court her.”
I pursed my lips, confident this had been Easton’s plan all along.
