“The best,” she replies simply. “I had the perfect childhood.”
I’m envious of the warmth in her voice.
Silas leans forward slightly. “How did they pass?”
The warmth shifts. “Car accident,” she says. “They came to visit me for parent’s weekend when I was in college. On their way home…”
Her scent changes. It’s all burned sugar now. My alpha bristles immediately. He doesn’t like that she’s hurting. Neither do I.
She wipes at her eye quickly, like she doesn’t want to make it a thing. I stare at my plate. This is why I didn’t want to do this.
“I’m sorry,” she says. She’s smiling awkwardly at each of us. Tears still filling her eyes. “It took a while, but I can usually talk about them with happiness instead of getting all emo. It’s just—”
Graham takes her hand in his. “Just what, beautiful?”
She smiles at him. A real one this time. Then she looks back at Silas and then me.
“It’s just that they would have loved this for me. For us. To know that I found my scent-sensitive pack just like they did.”
Her eyes linger on mine. Daring me to deny it.
My jaw tightens. I don’t look away. And that’s my mistake. Because something in my chest shifts when I stare into her golden, hazel eyes, and my alpha leans into it like she’s his fucking lifeline. Like she’s his.
Like she’smine.
I shut that down hard and drop my eyes back to my plate.
People don’t stay. That’s the truth of it. No matter how right something feels. On the other side of it, someone’s always left hurting and hollow. I’ve seen it too many times.
Silas
Jealousy is an ugly emotion. And an alpha who lets it control him is worse. As pack leader, I’m supposed to be above it.
Our omega is growing her bond with Graham. That’s a good thing. The best thing. Strong bonds make strong packs. It means we’re doing this right. Still, the feeling sits like a stone in my gut.
I lean back in my chair and rub a hand over my bearded jaw, the memory rising whether I want it to or not. It’s been four days and I can’t let it go.
That day had already been long. My meeting with the hotel had gone over by a few hours. What started as a request to design a few special pieces for the VIP lounge, turned into way more. By the time I left, my head was pounding.
Lucy was worse.
The treatment had hit her harder this round. She tried to smile through it, but I’m her big brother. I know every lie she tells whenshe says she’s fine. Her eyes were strained. Her color gray. I couldn’t even get her to eat a popsicle. Sitting with her for a few hours had drained what little energy I had left.
By the time I pulled into the driveway, I wanted one thing. Lark.
Just five minutes of her warmth. Her scent in my lungs. The comfort of wrapping my arms around her and breathing her in.
I’d gone upstairs to find her. The house had been quiet. Too quiet. At first I thought she might be asleep. Then I heard it. And then I smelled it. Her salty caramel and Graham's chocolate, layered thick in the air, drifting all the way down the hallway.
Fuck.
Every alpha instinct in my body sharpened.
Soft sounds. Breathless.
My first reaction had been pride. A grin even tugged at the corner of my mouth.Didn’t think you had it in you, Graham.
But then my muddled brain put two and two together. The sound wasn’t coming from the bedroom. They were in the nest. For a moment I just stood there, staring at the closed door, the realization settling in slowly. My omega had invited Graham into her nest.
