“We didn’t think this through,” I mutter into my drink when the others enter. “How did we think this was going to end?”
“We didn’t know it would be like this.” Val leans against the pool table.
“This is my fault.” Kaiden sinks into the leather armchair behind the desk. “I offered us for her heat. I brought her into our home.”
“But we made that choice together,” Sylvan says, frowning as he looks between us. “Why are you all behaving as if we’ve lost her? She’s still here. She came back with us—”
“You think she’s not up there packing her stuff?” I scoff. “Come on, Syl. She doesn’t want a pack. She doesn’t want us—”
“That’s not true.” Sylvan scowls. “She cares about us. We’re compatible.”
“Jesús…” I swig my drink. “Compatibility doesn’t change the fact that she doesn’t want a pack.”
“She told us that from the start,” Val murmurs. “She made it clear what her focus was. Her business. But still we…” He doesn’t finish. He doesn’t need to.
We naively thought she’d change her mind for us.
I stare at my drink. “Every time she said it… I acted like we could convince her otherwise.”
Kaiden finishes his drink. “We all did.”
I exhale sharply, dragging a hand down my face. “I pushed her,” I mutter. “I just really thought…” My gaze drops to the floor.
I think about the car journey. How we spoke to her, her face, then the silence.
“And what exactly did we expect her to say to that reporter?” I say, suddenly angry. “If we told her about the headlines, she could have prepared a statement or something.”
“But we didn’t, because we were afraid of what she’d say,” Sylvan confirms. “We were afraid she’d do what you think she’s doing now.”
“Leave,” Val ends.
My stomach twists sharply.
“She agreed to her heat. She stayed when we asked her to. But she never said she wanted more.” Kaiden rubs a hand over his mouth, then exhales slowly. “And then we punished her for not saying something she’s never promised us.”
“We’re assholes,” Val says, finishing his glass.
More than assholes. We’re just like any other alpha who won’t accept no for an answer.
Revea is everything we’ve ever wanted in an omega. Independent, fierce, passionate about her work… and we still heard what we wanted instead of what she actually said.
We’re about to lose the best thing that’s ever happened to us.
“Fuck!” I slam my empty bottle down, already heading for the door.
“Where are you going?” Val calls.
“To do what I always do,” I say. “Damage control.”
I just hope it’s not too late.
I take the stairs two at a time. When I reach the door of the spare room, her scent slips out from beneath it. Sweet dark cherry and smooth vanilla, but with a bitter edge.
Not like when she was sick. And it’s not anger either.
My stomach curdles as I softly rap on the door. “Ve,” I murmur, resting my forehead against it. “Can I come in?”
My hand lands on the handle—
