Pucking With My Head

Melissa Huxley

Chapter 1

Beth

Every bone in my body ached.

It had been one of those never-ending days, and I was completely exhausted. The ice rink may have been one of my favorite places, but after a day of teaching classes and the early morning shift at the coffee shop on campus, on top of taking every spare moment to finish classwork, I was totally run-down.

Sighing, I circled the rink, gliding along on my skates, letting my mind go blissfully quiet for a few minutes. The rink was empty, it was late, and I only had one private class left before I could go back to my dorm and collapse for the night.

Just one more year, and I would be free. After graduation, I would be able to work one job instead of two, and there would be no more exams. Though there would be plenty of spreadsheets. I was studying to become a financial planner and bookkeeper, so they were a necessary evil.

Every day, I reminded myself that my current level of stress was only temporary. As soon as I finished college, I’d rent a small apartment and live my life however the hell I wanted.

Maybe I would get a cat.

“Bethany!” A sweet child’s voice shouting from the other end of the rink pulled me out of my daydream.

Skidding to a halt, I twisted to look at the entryway to the rink.

Joey Noble was hands down one of my favorite students. At seven, almost eight years old, she was tall for her age and wore a pink leggings-and-sweater set with her little white ice skates, her dirty-blonde hair tied up in a haphazard bow.

“Hey!” I greeted her warmly as I skated over to the entrance. A wave of bubble gum hit my nose as she neared. The sweet, childhood scent immediately put a smile on my face.

“We match!” she declared excitedly, gesturing to my pink jacket.

“We do!” I agreed with an enthusiastic nod. “I wish I had cool pink leggings like yours, though.” I pouted.

Joey’s face broke out into a huge smile. “Daddy G got them for me!”

“Well, he has good taste.” I nodded seriously before looking behind her.

Gideon Noble stood a few feet behind her, watching us interact with a controlled, almost blank facial expression.

Wearing a fitted black coat that appeared tailored to his body and a tartan scarf, he looked downright edible. His hair was dark, brushed back, and there were several gray strands peppered throughout. It didn’t matter that he was probably a decade older than me. Just the sight of him made my insides tingle in a way I was determined to ignore.

“H-hello, Mr. Noble,” I greeted him with a wave. I had to raise my voice because he was so far back.

“How many times do I have to ask you to call me Gideon?” he asked with a smile, shaking his head.

I shrugged. “Fine. Hello, Gideon.”

The use of his first name felt so personal…

I had no idea what was going on between us, but it had been going on for a while. He and the other members of his pack had been bringing Joey for skating lessons with me for almost two years. She had started in the under-six class and then moved on to private lessons.

A few months ago, I’d swallowed my pride and asked him for legal help. I had expected him to give me the card of a cheaper lawyer. What I hadn’t expected was for him to insist on being my legal counsel, even when I informed him it was for my friend Kennedy.

Ever since then, I had been hyperaware of him. The way he cared so sweetly for Joey, the growly tone when he asked if I was okay.

“Can we work on the spins today?” Joey asked excitedly as she took a step onto the ice.

I pursed my lips, as though I had to think hard about it. “I think we can do that!” I said, pleased at the way her face lit up.

“I’ll leave you ladies to it. I’ll be in my usual spot,” Gideon said, nodding to the small café that looked out over the ice. On the weeks he brought Joey to her lesson, he would take his laptop and sit so he could also watch Joey. It was sweet that, despite how much her fathers worked, they always made time for what Joey wanted.

I personally tried to forget that he was watching me, but my body was keenly aware of it.

“Okay, then, how about we get started?” I asked the beaming child as he walked away.

With a nod, she started to glide around the ice, warming up.

“How old were you when you started skating?” Joey asked as she skidded to a halt, stumbling slightly because she had been going a little too fast. I had told her before, but it had been years ago.

“Four!” I beamed. “My mom loved ice skating, and where I grew up in Nebraska had a large ice rink, so she took me every week and I fell in love with it.”

“That sounds nice,” Joey said as we circled the rink. I liked to take the first ten or so minutes every lesson to get the student acclimated to the ice. Even if they skated every week, going from land to ice was an adjustment.

“It was,” I agreed. “Now, how do you feel about practicing our two-foot spins today instead of the one-foot?”

Joey groaned, throwing her head back. The movement made her lose balance for a moment, but she quickly regained composure before giving me a long-suffering look.

“I suppose so,” she sighed, her adorable face far too serious.

An hour later, Joey was exhausted but grinning as we made our way off the ice.

“You’re doing so well.” I smiled as we took our skates off.

Since she was my last student of the day, there was no point in remaining on the ice. Sitting beside Joey on the bench, I leaned down to untie my skates while also keeping an eye on her because all those laces could be difficult for children.

“Hey, munchkin, how’d your lesson go?” a warm voice said as they approached. A waft of fresh, salty air hit me before I could even glance up.

It wasn’t Gideon. I knew that scent far too well.

“Dad!” Joey happily greeted her father.

Glancing up, my eyes met those of Dr. Jensen Noble. My gaze darted over to the café, where Gideon was packing up his laptop.

So, they both had decided to pick up Joey.

All they needed was Cullen, and it would be a pack party.

Joey launched herself into Jensen’s arms, and he spun her around playfully. He was also much older than me, but that didn’t stop me from appreciating just how the muscles in his arms flexed as he swung Joey around.

He turned to me. “Beth, how are you?”

“I’m good, thank you.” I nodded, standing up. He was easily a foot taller than me, and without my skates on, I was extra small. I was an omega, and like most omegas, I was vertically challenged.

This close, his saltwater scent invaded my senses. Alphas smelled good; that was a given. Most of their aromas were pleasant, but there were always some outliers who smelled like dull printer toner or pencil lead. Pack Noble didn’t just smell pleasant.

Their scents were phenomenal.

The first time I met them, my brain had gone haywire, my entire body jolting in reaction. Even though I had been affected before, this reaction had been a whole new level. Every cell in my body had come alive, and my brain had been singularly focused on finding the source of that amazing smell.

When I’d realized that those said scents belonged to my student’s parents not long after, I had shrunk back. It didn't matter how amazing they smelled and how my omega insisted I needed to know them. They were significantly older than me, and it was inappropriate to date the fathers of one of my students. I needed my job desperately. I couldn’t risk losing it by behaving inappropriately.

I was working two, sometimes three, jobs just to be able to afford my tuition because my fathers refused to support me through college—well, they insisted they would pay if I went to a local college and stayed home, but I didn’t want that.

Jensen was still wearing his scrubs, which shouldn’t have been so appealing, but it certainly did it for me.

“Pulling more ER shifts?” I asked casually, ignoring the way my throat tightened.

Jensen nodded as he took Joey’s backpack off her. “Yeah, they were short-staffed, so I decided to help. The Chargers aren’t too busy at the moment, so I thought why not?”

He had been the team doctor for the California Chargers NHL team for a few years. Even though that was a full-time job and he even had a few assistants, he sometimes pulled shifts at the local hospital. He also used to be an all-star hockey player—so an accomplished overachiever.

When I had asked him about why he still took ER shifts, he had insisted it helped keep him sharp as a doctor. On the team, he saw many of the same sorts of injuries, whereas the ER really tested him.

“Well, Joey has done amazing today.” I beamed.

“I wouldn’t expect any less,” he said, gazing down lovingly at his daughter.

Joey was the daughter of a pack, so one of the three men in the pack was her biological father, but packs tended to never check to see who was the one who contributed DNA.

My family had been much the same growing up, though I only had two fathers. Both alphas. My mother, an omega, had passed away when I was young. So that left me, my fathers, and my gaggle of alpha brothers.

Safe to say, it had been an extremely testosterone-filled house growing up.

That was probably part of the reason I had become so attached to Joey—she was the only girl in a house full of alpha males. I didn’t know the details, but early into her lessons I had asked a question about her mother. I think I had asked one of her fathers if Mom was going to pick her up any day.

They swiftly informed me that there was no mother in the picture and there hadn’t been for many years.

Since then, I hadn’t brought it up with Joey, but every now and again, she mentioned missing having a mom.

As Gideon came down the stairs and I said my goodbyes to Joey and Jensen until next week, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I knew who it was, and I immediately didn’t want to answer it. It had been a long day, and I was already exhausted. I didn't have the energy to deal with my family.

With a sigh, I looked at the phone screen as a text came through from one of my dads.

Pa:

Hey, Bethy, are you able to make the chocolate fudge cake when you visit next?

Pa:

Your brothers mentioned they’ve been craving it.

There was a chocolate cake that our mother used to make that my fathers and brothers were obsessed with, and instead of learning to make the cake themselves, it was simply one of the many jobs they pushed onto me.

I didn’t answer. I simply stowed my phone in my pocket and looked up to where Joey was leaving the rink, turning back and waving goodbye at me. Waving back, I pasted a grin on my face.

My family could wait until later.

I had a date with a steaming bowl of mac and cheese and a good book.

Chapter 2

Jensen

“Dad, can I come with you next time you go to a team practice?” Joey asked as she nibbled on the edge of her bagel. Was she done with them? Usually, she devoured bagels like a rabid animal, especially the morning after a skating lesson.

I nodded as I pulled some cream cheese out of the fridge for my own breakfast. “I don’t see why not. You want a bit more ice time?”

Joey nodded. “I also want to see how the players practice. I know how figure skaters do…”

That seemed logical enough. Hockey was a family sport, and half of the team was bonded with children. There was one pack on the team that were young and unbonded, but I had seen them around the team children. They may have been manwhores, but they behaved perfectly around their Chargers family.

“You wanting to see what Daddy J used to do, kiddo?” Cullen asked as he ruffled Joey’s hair playfully.

“Maybe.” She shrugged. “When is Daddy G coming home?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.

“In a few days. He’s back Tuesday.” Our pack mate had left this morning on a short work trip—he had a deposition in Montana, so he was camping out in a hotel for a few days while he worked.

Joey nodded. “Good. I want him to watch me skate. Bethany says I’m getting so fast, maybe one day I’ll be as fast as her!” she declared excitedly.

I smiled at the mention of her ice-skating instructor.

The day before, when I had picked Joey up, I had been undoubtedly excited to see Bethany again. She’d clearly been exhausted, and I had resisted the urge to grill her on her diet and sleeping habits.

Still, she had beamed at me, that crisp apple scent potent and tempting as ever, despite the dark circles under her eyes. Though I’d done my best to maintain eye contact, I had struggled because the clothes she wore to teach were skintight.

Usually, that didn’t mean anything to me, and I could control myself. With Bethany… well, there was something special about her.

My pack mates weren’t immune to it either. Every one of us had been obsessed with her for years, but we had all agreed we weren’t going to make a move.

We had resolved against finding another partner, after what had happened with Joey’s mother, and Bethany was a lot younger than us. We were in our late thirties and she was in her early twenties—we were probably coming off as creepy old men unable to take our eyes off her.

Still, there was that deep primal instinct I had to care for her that I had never experienced with another omega. Sure, there was usually a degree of care; alphas thrived on being caregivers, but with Bethany, the urges were that much stronger.

After her lesson, we had taken Joey to a local pizza joint to get some dinner, and she had chattered about how much fun she had with Bethany. Although our daughter was typically reserved, she and Beth had immediately hit it off. It was the main reason we had encouraged her to continue; she lit up during those lessons.

“You know, I think we will need to get you some more clothes for your lessons soon,” I mused as I lathered a thick layer of cream cheese on my bagel.

“I’ll ask Beth!” Joey declared excitedly. “She showed me pictures of her show leotards, and they are so pretty!”

Just like the omega herself.

“Okay, you can do that when you see Bethany next week, but for now, we need to get you to school.”

Joey pouted at me but hopped off her chair all the same.

Most of my day was spent resting while Joey was at school. It took time to recover from working an ER shift. Even though I was in peak physical condition, I wasn’t exactly young anymore. I couldn’t down three energy drinks to get through a shift without having a killer headache the next day.

I still got to pick Joey up from school, though, and listen to her discuss all she had learned about plant life cycles.

“Are you working tonight?” Cullen asked, hurrying into my home office, his cell phone in hand.

“I am. There’s a game at eight,” I confirmed, another reason I had been resting.

Cullen’s face dropped. “Shit,” he hissed. “It’s all gone to shit!”

“What do you mean, it’s all gone to shit?” I asked, sitting up straighter. The worry in his tone put me on edge. “Is everyone okay?”

Cullen nodded. “Yeah—it’s work. Three staff members called out sick, the beer kegs are leaking, and we’re completely booked out with reservations for the night!” he said, shaking his head.

My eyes widened. Cullen owned a popular restaurant in the city. It had been his passion project, and we had funded it as a pack, but now that restaurant was more lucrative than my medical and Gideon’s legal career combined.

“Fuck—what about the new manager?”

Cullen had just hired a new guy so he could try and be home a little more. When he had made the hire, he had been excited and was making all these plans to take Joey to all her extracurriculars, as he would have more time on his hands.

“The fucker walked out on his shift this morning. Seems like he couldn’t handle the stress of a weekday lunchtime.” He growled as he started to pace my office, tapping away on his phone furiously.

“I’m guessing you need to get down there?” I asked.

Cullen nodded.

“Is Lila available to babysit Joey?”

He shook his head with a grimace. “I already called her. She can’t do it. Is there anyone else we know?” he asked, his face pinched with stress.

I shook my head. I couldn't think of anyone off the top of my head. We tended to be very particular about who we let look after Joey.

“I guess I could take her in with me?” Cullen suggested, but his face made it clear he knew that was a bad option. The restaurant was loud and was open late. Joey would be exhausted and unable to get any rest.

“If I could get out of this game, I would. Unfortunately, one of the assistants is down, so I’m needed.”

“Fuck,” Cullen growled.

For a moment, I racked my mind, trying to think of anyone else we could trust to look after our daughter. The list was extremely short. There had to be someone, though.

Not having someone to watch Joey was a rarity. Between the three of us, one of us was usually available, and we all made a conscious effort to be present in her life. In seven years, this sort of thing had only happened once or twice.

A thought crossed my mind.

“What about Bethany?” I asked.

“What about her?” Cullen said curiously, his pacing momentarily paused.

“She and Joey get along great, and she’s said multiple times she owes us one after Gideon helped her friend with her legal troubles.”

“She doesn’t owe us shit for helping her out.”

“I agree, but we’re up shit creek without a paddle and we need a babysitter.”

I pulled out my phone, looking up Beth’s number.

“Do you think she would do it?” Cullen asked.

“It’s worth a try.”

Clicking on her contact, I placed it on speaker and held my breath while it rang. What if she doesn’t answer? Am I getting my hopes up for nothing?

On the third ring, she picked up. “Hello,” that soft, familiar voice said.

“Hi, Bethany, it’s Jensen. I’m sorry to disturb you.”

“Hi, Jensen, what can I do for you? Is Joey okay?”

Despite my panicked state, I couldn’t help but smile at her immediate concern for Joey.

“Well, I know this is a somewhat unorthodox request, but we are in a bit of a situation and could use a hand. Gideon is out of town for a work thing, and I have a game with the Chargers tonight. Cullen’s just been called in for a work emergency as well, so I was wondering if you’d be willing to watch Joey for a few hours? We will pay you, of course! It’s just, otherwise, she would have to go to the restaurant with Cullen, and we hate to drag her there late at night.” I spoke in a rush.

“Sure, I can help!” Bethany said.

“Are you certain? If we’re disturbing you, let us know.”

A delicate snort came from Bethany. “The only thing you’re disturbing is a bubble bath, and I can take one of those at any time,” she assured us.

My eyes widened and my throat tightened at the mental image of her in a bubble bath.

Fuck, I wanted to see that.

Did that make me a creepy old man?

Judging by the way my pack mate’s eyes were nearly bulging out of his head, we were both creepy old men.

“If you’re sure…” I trailed off.

“When do you need me?” Bethany laughed lightly.

“As soon as possible?” I grimaced. “Cullen needs to leave ASAP, and I should be leaving any minute for the game, but I can hold on for up to an hour.”

“Just let me know where you guys live, and I will see when the next bus is.”

Bus?

She was planning to take public transportation to get here?

There was no way in hell I liked the idea of her taking a bus late at night. Sure, it was only late afternoon, but it was already starting to get a little dark, and I didn’t want her to take any risks.

Did she not have a car?

What was I saying? She was a student; of course she didn’t have a car. Most students didn’t need cars because everything they needed was on campus.

“There’s no way in hell you’re taking a bus,” Cullen growled. “I’ll pick you up.”

“W-wha—there’s no need for that! Honestly, I am more than happy to take public transportation,” she assured us, her tone surprised.

Was the idea of us offering to give her a lift really that shocking?

“We insist,” I said firmly.

“Where do you live?” Cullen asked in that gruff voice of his. I raised my eyebrows at him. Did he have any idea how grizzly he sounded?

“I…uh…”

“You can simply tell us a nearby location where we can pick you up from if you’re not comfortable letting us know where you live,” I assured her gently, glowering at Cullen as I did. He was coming on strong; the last thing we needed was for him to scare her away.

Somehow my pack mate’s eyes widened even farther when the meaning of my words sank in.

“No, it’s okay!” She reeled off the address and Cullen nodded.

“I’ll be there in fifteen. Is that okay?” he asked.

“S-sure. I’ll get dressed now.”

She wasn’t dressed? What was she wearing? That was an avenue I really shouldn’t be letting my mind go down. Bethany was about to be in our house, looking after our child. I could not be thinking dirty thoughts about her.

The sound of splashing water that echoed through the speaker only confirmed her nakedness.

“Thank you so much for this. Cullen is already out the door. He drives a black Lexus.”

“That’s good to know. Thank you. Honestly, I’m happy to look after Joey. She’s such a sweet kid, and I owe you guys big-time after everything you’ve done for me.”

“You owe us nothing. Hell, we owe you for this.”

Bethany’s beautiful laugh reached my ears. “That is something I think we’re going to have to agree to disagree on, Jensen.”

The use of my name made me instantly rock hard.

Chapter 3

Beth

Holy fuck.

Holy fuckity fuck.

I needed to keep my cool, but that was hard to do, considering Cullen Noble was on his way to pick me up.

My humble home consisted of a small studio that I did my best to keep neat, all my decor in shades of pastel purple or pink.

Even though I tended to dress in muted colors, my home and my nest were another story. I was a pink girly, and I wasn’t ashamed of that.

As I looked over the space, I started to doubt that pride. Did the space seem childish, immature?

Not that Cullen Noble would be seeing it, because I had every intention of meeting him outside on the street. Rushing as fast as I could, I threw on a pair of comfy leggings and an oversized hoodie and yanked my hair into a messy ponytail.

Despite the short notice, I managed to make myself look somewhat presentable as I grabbed my bag and laptop before heading down the stairwell to the street. I could always use the time once Joey was asleep to study. When Jensen called me, I had jumped on his request because I wasn’t going to turn down an opportunity to make a little extra cash. And it also helped that I really liked Joey.

My timing was impeccable because as I closed the door behind me, the black Lexus pulled up to the curb.

That car probably cost more than my yearly tuition.

Cullen slid out of the car in one graceful movement, walking around the hood and toward me before I could even make a move.

“Hi,” I greeted him lamely as he stalked toward me with a serious face.

Was I in trouble?

“Thank you for this,” he said softly, taking my bag from my shoulder and opening the passenger side door for me.

Had he really gotten out of the car simply to open the door for me and take my bag?

“You really didn’t have to pick me up,” I insisted as he stood there with the door open, looking at me intently.

“Yes, I did. Now get in the car.”

I got the distinct impression that there was no use arguing with him, so with a small sigh, I slid into the passenger seat. The car was luxurious—the leather of the seats felt all buttery.

“I’m sure you need to get to work instead of wasting time picking me up,” I pointed out as he waited for me to buckle my seat belt before pulling away.

Sitting so close to him in a small, confined space meant that his scent was almost overpowering. Usually, when I was exposed to one of their scents, it was at the ice rink, where I could take a step back, or it was muted by all the other smells wafting around.

Oak and some sort of alcohol—bourbon, maybe? It was hard to describe, but it was so painfully Cullen. Warm, inviting, with a hint of spice.

“You’re doing us a favor. There is no way in hell I’m going to let an omega take a bus when it’s starting to get dark.”

I bit my lip, resisting the urge to gape at him. Of course, I had heard of alphas who were protective and were concerned about omegas’ well-being, but that hadn’t been my personal experience. “I take the bus plenty. It’s really not dangerous.”

Cullen’s eyes locked on me as we paused at a red light. “Just how often do you take the bus?”

“Every night I teach, I take it back from the ice rink. Well, maybe not every night. Some nights, I walk if I’ve worked really late and had to do some cleaning around the rink.”

A strangled noise left Cullen’s throat. “You walk?”

I nodded. “Nothing bad has ever happened, and what other choice do I have? I need to work.”

“You shouldn’t be walking home in the dark!” Cullen growled.

He muttered something else, but I couldn’t make it out as he glared at the road in front of him.

“It’s sweet that you’re concerned. You don’t have to be, though. Honestly, I’ve been looking after myself for a long time.”

He looked like he wanted to say something but stopped himself. After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth. “Have you eaten yet?”

“Not yet. I tend to eat later in the evening because I’m usually skating or pulling a shift at the café.”

“Joey hasn’t eaten yet either—I’ll give you one of my cards, and you can order dinner for the both of you.”

“Does Joey have any allergies?” Part of me wanted to turn down his generous offer, but considering it was going to feed Joey, I couldn’t say no.

“None, but she will reject anything that contains mushrooms.”

I shuddered. “I can’t blame her.”

“Mushrooms are amazing!” Cullen cried.

“They are fungus!” I laughed loudly. “I have no desire to eat random moss I find in the woods or lick the mildew off my shower wall. I am not friends with the fungi!”

Cullen looked horrified, but then burst into laughter.

We drove through a nice part of town, far nicer than any area I had been in. I knew Joey’s fathers did well for themselves, considering one was a lawyer, another a doctor, and the third a restaurant owner. I just hadn’t realized how nice of an area they lived in.

Every house had massive, well-manicured lawns and their own private gates.

We pulled up outside a particularly large property, and like magic, the gate opened.

“Do you press a button to open the gate, or does it just know to do that?” I asked, amazed by their fancy-pants technology.

Cullen glanced at the gate as he turned into the long driveway. “Our cars have chips in them that the gate recognizes and lets us in.”

“Fancy,” I said, suppressing a gasp as the house came into sight. It was gigantic, modern, and gray.

I resisted the urge to say anything as we pulled up outside the house and Cullen got out, rushing over to my side to open my door before I had the chance to do so.

Quietly thanking him, I slid out of the seat.

“Bethany!” Joey’s excited shout reached my ears only a second before a small body hurtled into mine. Arms wrapping around me, the child beamed excitedly.

“Hi! Looks like you’re happy to see me.” I smiled. Her grin was infectious.

“I am! You are way cooler than the other girl my dads get to babysit.”

I chuckled as she grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the entrance. Jensen was standing at the door, arms crossed, a loving smile on his face as he watched his daughter drag me into the house.

“Hi,” I greeted him breathlessly.

“Hey, thank you so much for this,” he said, nodding to Joey, who was bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“My pleasure.”

Now that I was in their house, all I could think about was how strong their scents were. It was overpowering, but in the best way. Having both of their scents mixing together in one space was a heady experience. There was also a subtle hint of parchment in the air. Gideon’s scent.

“She hasn’t eaten yet,” Cullen said gruffly from the doorway.

“You need to eat.” Jensen frowned. “Give her a card. She and Joey can get takeout.”

Next to me, Joey gasped. “Pizza!” she cried in excitement.

“Don’t get too excited, munchkin,” Jensen admonished. “What if Bethany doesn’t like pizza?”

Joey’s face fell. “Oh, well, that would be sad. But we can order different food?”

Jensen was clearly holding back a laugh.

“Well”—I squeezed her hand as I beamed down at her—“I happen to love pizza.”

Joey’s face broke out into a wide grin as she started bouncing on the spot. “Yes!” she cried excitedly, her little curls bouncing around crazily as she did so.

“That’s good,” Jensen agreed. “I hesitated to mention it, but if you didn’t like pizza, I was going to be convinced you were a psychopath, and I wasn’t sure we should have a psychopath looking after our daughter.”

“Pizza is a very good litmus test for psychopaths,” I agreed, keeping my tone serious.

“Thankfully, in this house, we all like pizza, so you’re safe.” Jensen laughed.

“Is there anything else I need to know—bedtime? Routine? Homework?”

Jensen sighed. “We try to get her to bed around eight, but she’s got a mind of her own, and I’m sure all the excitement of having you in the house will mean she’ll be hopping around like a bunny on crack for hours.”

“That’s a mental image.” I smiled. Kids had boundless energy—it was something I loved about them, even when I was bone-deep tired myself.

“That’s a seven-year-old.” He laughed. “She’s a good kid, though. Since it’s the weekend, she can stay up a little later if it makes things easier for you. Just make sure she brushes her teeth when you sense she’s getting sleepy. If you leave it too long, it becomes a battle that you’ll never win.”

I nodded. “Noted. Sleepy women should never be messed with.”

Jensen raised his brow and nodded. “A sentiment I completely agree with. I don’t know who will be home first, me or Cullen. Usually, I’m back about midnight from games like this, but Cullen will come home whenever the restaurant dies down and he can leave it without the place imploding. How late can you stay?”

“I can stay as long as you need. I’m not working in the morning.”

“You teach in the mornings?” Cullen asked, confused. They had inquired once about morning lessons, and I had explained it was something I didn’t do.

“No, not at the ice rink. I have barista shifts at a café on campus a couple of times a week. The pay isn’t great, but they provide plenty of caffeinated drinks.”

“You work two jobs and take classes?” Jensen asked, a frown marring his features. “How did we not know this?”

Because I didn’t like to advertise it.

“It’s how I pay for college—well, that and a few scholarships. Don’t you guys need to be getting to work?” I asked pointedly.

They both nodded.

“Okay, you go do that. Joey and I will order pizza and watch one of those animated movies she’s been telling me about. Don’t worry, you’ll come home in a few hours, house still intact and child happy and healthy—though I plead the fifth if she eats too much sugar.” I smiled easily at them, my words a diversion. I wanted the topic to move away from me and the mess that was my life and onto the situation at hand.

Joey tugged my hand. “You know, the pizza place near us makes warm cookies as well!”

Thirty minutes later, Joey and I were settled on the plush seats in the theater room.

You heard me right. Theater room. This pack was so freaking fancy, they had a room just for viewing movies. Joey had directed me through the house with all the skill of a tiny dictator. We had gathered a variety of pillows and blankets from the storage boxes in the room and spread them across one of the three-seater recliners that sat in front of the projector screen.

The added layers of alpha scents only made the room feel that much more luxurious and welcoming. I could easily sleep on the plush chairs surrounded by those smells.

For a moment, I had panicked, thinking I wouldn’t be able to set up a projector to play a movie, but the tenacious child had simply grabbed the remote and started swiping through.

As she did, I looked up the number for the pizza joint. It was fancy, but what else could I expect from this neighborhood? When every house cost at least seven figures, even the fast food was going to be impeccable.

Cullen had left his card on the table, but I was pointedly avoiding that. There was something about using his debit card that felt oddly intimate, and I wasn’t sure if I should.

So I paid for the pizza.

It cost way too much, but Joey was so excited for the cookies that I didn’t mind. Maybe I would see if there were any extra barista shifts I could snag over the next week to cover the difference.

“How many times have you watched this movie?” I asked.

“Too many to count.” Joey shrugged as the animated film started playing, pulling the blanket up around her. “Do you watch anything again and again, Beth?”

I nodded. “There was this movie about a girl who wanted to be an ice skater when I was your age, and I loved it so much. My mom was a skater, so she would watch it with me.”

“Do you miss her?” Joey asked the question casually, but her body tensed as she spoke.

“I do,” I said softly. “I love my family, but they’re all boys, and boys can be smelly.” I scrunched my nose playfully.

A giggle escaped her. “They can! Well, my daddies smell good, but at school, some of the boys are so stinky! Some of the girls are stinky too—you’re not stinky, though. You smell nice.”

“Thank you. You’re not stinky, either,” I assured her with a grin.

“Where do your daddies live?”

“In Nebraska with my brothers.”

Joey’s eyes widened. “That’s far away!”

“It is, but I really like the school here. I go home a lot to see them. I’m even going this weekend! I leave tomorrow morning.”

In fact, my fathers had texted me several times throughout the day, expressing their excitement over my impending visit.

Joey nodded. “That’s good,” she said, her face a mask of seriousness that made me bite back a smile.

Before we could say anything else, the doorbell rang, and Joey paused the movie while I dashed to the gate to grab the pizza.

Returning moments later with a large pizza and a box of cookies, I placed them on the little fold-out table in the theater room. I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to eat in the fancy room, but Joey didn’t seem bothered, so I would just ensure we didn’t leave a speck of food behind.

“What did you get on your half?” Joey asked curiously.

“Peppers and sweetcorn,” I said, opening the box. We had split the pizza in two, half cheese for her, and half with my toppings.

“I don’t like peppers….” Joey trailed off, her face confused. “But those smell nice…”

“You’re welcome to try it,” I said, pushing my plate toward her.

For a moment, she looked at it like the slice of pizza was going to attack her, before gingerly picking it up and bringing it to her lips. I had to resist the urge to giggle at her facial expressions. The last thing I wanted to do was scare her off from trying something new.

Taking the tiniest bite, she chewed it for a while, her face deeply concerned. Slowly, her face broke into a smile. “This is good!” she declared, taking another, larger bite.

“Good! I’m glad you like it. Sometimes, trying new things is the best!”

“Unless it’s mushrooms,” she said solemnly.

“Unless it’s mushrooms,” I agreed.

Chapter 4

Cullen

Normally when the restaurant was busy, I wouldn’t be so distracted. I wouldn’t even have a chance to think about what was going on at home. There were dishes everywhere, meals that needed to go out, tables that needed to be bussed, and staff members who needed to have breaks—it was never-ending.

For some reason, though, all I could think about was the fact that the pretty, petite blonde omega was in our home. When she had insisted on taking the bus to our house, a visceral rage had overtaken me. I knew it was best to keep my distance from her, but there was no way in hell I was going to allow her to put herself in danger, especially when she was doing something to help us.

She was pretty. Actually, she was beautiful. It was almost painful to look at her, in a good way, and I don’t think she realized it. Anytime I picked up Joey from skating lessons, Bethany would be sweaty from her workout, wearing that sweatshirt that clung to her like a second skin, her hair up in its perky ponytail. The first time I’d met her, I struggled to find my words, which was unlike me.

None of my pack had dated seriously since Joey’s mother had left, but we all had our flings every now and again. I was pretty sufficient at wooing ladies for a night. Not to sound conceited, but I knew I was good-looking. Not to mention, I owned a successful business, and women liked that.

But when I’d met Bethany, she had smiled at me and my throat had closed up in a panic. It felt like the alpha inside me was bashing at the walls of my chest, desperate to get out. That first hit of that crisp apple scent, and I’d wanted to pull her into my arms.

There was no way I could actually do that. I was a great deal older than her, and she was my daughter’s ice-skating teacher.

At first, I’d said nothing, merely stood back and watched and ignored the feelings rolling around in my chest. But as I watched my pack mates near her, it became apparent that they also weren’t unaffected by her.

Once we realized that, a conversation happened, and we all agreed that it was a bad idea for a whole litany of reasons.

That didn’t change how we were drawn to her.

Just the knowledge that she was in my house had me itching to run back there.

Jensen:

The pizza just arrived. Saw it on the doorbell camera.

I paused, looking at our group chat. There hadn’t been any text notifications from my bank. How had she paid for pizza without my card?

She’d better not have paid for it herself.

If she had, I would be having a stern word with her. I would also have to restrain myself from spanking that ridiculously pert ass of hers.

Cullen:

I should be able to leave in a few hours.

Jensen:

Good. I think they’re having a good time. Bethany sent me this.

The screen filled with a selfie a second later of Bethany and Joey sitting in the theater room, cookies spread out between them, beaming widely at the camera.

Jensen:

Apparently, Joey ended up eating half of Beth’s pizza slices, even though there are peppers on them…

Gideon:

What? I thought it would be a cold day in hell when that girl ate peppers.

Jensen:

Seems Bethany has the magic touch.

Gideon:

We need to beg her to babysit more often.

Jensen:

She’s already working two jobs and studying. We can’t give her more work.

Gideon:

We could always replace one of those jobs and pay her a hell of a lot better. Hell, I would tell her to quit both her jobs, but I think Joey would revolt if Bethany wasn’t teaching her anymore.

I raised my brows; that actually wasn’t a terrible idea.

Having Bethany in our house constantly sounded like a special kind of torture, though.

Maybe I was a masochist because I liked the idea a little too much.

It was almost ten-thirty by the time I could pull myself away from the restaurant. Most of the guests had left, and there were only a few stragglers remaining, so my staff could take care of it.

“I’ve got to get going,” I explained to Sally, who had been practically running the joint whenever I wasn’t there.

She looked at me, surprised. “You’re leaving before midnight. Are you okay? Do you have a fever? Do I need to call an ambulance?”

I shook my head, biting back a smile.

I was a slight workaholic.

“I had to leave Joey with a babysitter, and I don’t want to make them wait up too late.”

Sally nodded. “Ahh, yeah, the little miss. Do you want some cheesecake to go? We’ve got that and a few slices of red velvet cake left.”

I wasn’t exactly wild about the idea of giving Joey cake so late at night, but Bethany would probably want to take a slice or two home.

“Can you pack two slices of each for me? Thank you. Between the child and the sitter, I’m sure they’ll get demolished. They had pizza for dinner.”

Sally narrowed her eyes. “Where from?”

“Frankie’s,” I said.

She nodded. “Okay, that place is decent, but it’s got nothing on our pizza.”

I chuckled. “I’ll bring them here for lunch one day. The sitter is actually Joey’s ice-skating teacher, who’s doing us a favor tonight because everything went to hell today.”

“In that case, there’s also a slice of the death-by-chocolate cake left. You’d better take that for her!” Sally said, disappearing into the back.

Ten minutes later, I was in my car with several boxes of cake sitting in the passenger seat as I sped, probably a little too fast, in my desperation to get home.

I loved the restaurant, but sometimes the late hours made me worry. Joey was young, and I wanted to be there for her. In some ways, I could—I was around during the day to take her to school and extracurriculars, but come dinnertime, I was usually pulled in to work.

Most of the lights were off when I pulled into the drive. I was happy to find the front door was locked, so I quickly turned my key and crept in. I didn’t want to disturb Joey if she was asleep. I highly doubted she was, though, considering our daughter was somewhat of a terror when it came to sleeping. Every time someone babysat her, she would stay up until one of us came home.

Thankfully, she didn’t need a babysitter often, so we let it slide.

Light and quiet noises emanated from the theater room, so I made my way over, cake in hand. The house had a faint smell of crisp apple to it. It was delicious and inviting.

Bethany.

God, I was obsessed with that smell.

I expected to find both the girls awake, watching TV, but the sight that met my eyes nearly caused my chest to explode.

They were curled up together on one of the sofas, blankets draped over them. Joey was leaning her head on Beth’s lap and was fast asleep. Bethany was watching the TV with rapt attention, her hand gently running through Joey’s hair.

The sight was so sweet, and Joey was obviously completely at ease, snoring lightly. Bethany had draped a blanket around her, and every now and again, she glanced down at Joey, a small, sweet smile gracing her features as she did so.

She hadn’t noticed me standing in the doorway like a complete creeper. I needed to announce my presence, but at the same time, I wanted to just stand there and watch.

Is this what it would be like for Joey to have a mother? I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about that. Our daughter’s life was a whole lot better without her egg donor, but sometimes I thought a feminine influence wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Gently, I knocked on the doorframe, announcing my presence.

Bethany jumped slightly, her eyes darting to me. As she registered who was standing in the doorway, her body sagged in relief.

“Hey.” She smiled, looking down at Joey. “I know it’s late. She fell asleep hours ago, and I didn’t have the heart to move her.”

I nodded. “I’m just impressed by the fact she’s sleeping. Don’t worry. I’ll carry her to her bedroom.”

Bethany bit her lip. “Could you do that sooner rather than later? I desperately need to use the bathroom, and she’s been asleep on me for so long, I’m pretty sure my legs are dead!” She whispered a laugh.

“Of course.” I took a step forward, keeping my voice at a whisper. “You could have moved her.”

Bethany shook her head. “I didn’t want to disturb her rest.”

I carefully scooped up my child, chuckling lightly when she didn’t even stir. When Joey was asleep, she was dead to the world.

It had terrified the shit out of us a few times when she was a baby.

“Thank you!” Bethany whispered gratefully as she climbed out of the chair and scampered out of the room.

Smiling to myself, I took Joey back to her room and deposited her in bed. She turned over with a small grunt, burying herself in the blankets. I waited a moment to ensure she was asleep and then tiptoed out of the room, even though I probably could have thundered out of the room and she still wouldn’t have woken.

Bethany was standing in the kitchen when I made my way downstairs, rummaging through her bag. Spotting me, she smiled warmly. It was a casual look for her, but for me, it was a punch in the gut. Did she have any idea just how beautiful she was? She probably had young men knocking down her door.

Don’t think about Bethany and other men. You are going to get murderous.

She pulled her phone out and checked the time. “I need to get going. Honestly, you don’t need to drive me. I know you said you would, but I am more than happy to go catch a bus,” she said, the smile never slipping off her face.

“Nope,” I said simply, taking a step forward and plucking the purse off her shoulder, ignoring her shocked expression. It was probably a mistake getting so close to her because her scent was unavoidable.

God, I wanted to taste her.

How could an omega smell that good?

“Cullen!” Bethany said in an admonishing tone, giving me a startled look. “Give me my bag!”

“No,” I said, my voice firm and expression hard. If there was one thing I was not going to mess with, it was her safety. “Get in the car.”

She gave me an exasperated look. “Joey is asleep upstairs. You can’t leave her!”

I paused.

Shit.

I hadn’t even thought of that.

Fuck—a few minutes with this omega, and my mind was going blank.

“Jensen will be back soon.”

Bethany glowered at me for a moment before huffing. “I catch the bus all the time after I’ve been out late,” she grumbled, starting to walk past me.

Unable to stop myself, I gently grabbed her arm and pulled so she was looking at me. I wanted to meet her eyes as I spoke. “Any man that is letting you take public transportation or walk home is a piece of shit, and I hope you understand that. You are worth a lot more than that.”

Beth’s eyes were wide, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to find her words.

Internally, I cursed at myself. I shouldn’t have said anything. I just couldn’t resist. The idea that some young punk alpha would think it acceptable for her to walk home made my blood boil.

“Okay…” Bethany said softly.

We were close, too close. I could make out the little flecks of gold in her eyes, the way they complemented her hair. Those plump, inviting lips that looked freshly kissed, the slope of her nose. The pulse hammering through the veins in her neck.

Fuck me.

It took all my effort to step back, breaking the spell between us.

Thankfully, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway provided the perfect distraction.

I nodded. “Get in the car,” I said, letting go of her arm. “And I’m giving you the money for the pizza.”

Thankfully, this time, she did as she was told.

“Hi, Bethany!” Jensen beamed as he entered the house. “Bye!” He laughed as I lightly pushed Bethany toward the door.

“You’re being awfully bossy,” she grumbled as she opened the passenger door. “What’s that?” she asked, looking at the takeout bag on the passenger seat.

“Cake for you,” I replied simply. “I took some in for Joey, but this is all yours.”

She tried to hide her grin, but cake was always a winner.

When we pulled up outside her building, I pushed a handful of cash into her hand, ignoring her protests.

Thankfully, she didn’t check how much it was until she got out of the car.

Chapter 5

Beth

Ireally shouldn’t have taken the babysitting job the night before I had to travel back home, but I hadn’t wanted to leave Joey’s family in the lurch.

Also, the cake was hands down some of the creamiest, most decadent dessert I had ever tasted. I ate two slices before I went to bed.

The tummy ache was worth it.

Joey was a sweet kid, and I’d enjoyed my evening with her. If I didn’t have to be up at the ass crack of dawn to catch a flight to Nebraska, I probably wouldn’t have any regrets.

While I waited for my flight, I nursed my cup of iced coffee filled with so much syrup it was practically a milkshake. I needed all the sugar and caffeine to get me through the day. My mind kept drifting back to the intense look Cullen had given me when I tried to leave at the end of the night, and his rather complimentary anger.

He definitely had too much faith in his designation, though. I had come across plenty of alphas who were happy for me to walk home after a date. Part of me wondered what it would be like to date a man like him, one who cared and wanted to make sure I was safe.

It wasn’t a long flight, by any means—usually three to four hours—but between getting there early for security and the flight itself, going to see my family usually took the better part of a day.

My fathers had also insisted I get the earliest flight because they were desperate to see me. Apparently, living in California was like living a million miles away.

During the flight, I managed to read a few chapters of one of my textbooks I had downloaded to my e-reader so I wasn’t wasting any time in the air.

I had packed light, considering I was only staying with my family for a few days. I needed to be back Tuesday for work. I would have Saturday night until Monday evening to spend with them.

“Bethy!” My dad Richard greeted me excitedly, pulling me into a bear hug when he saw me at the arrivals gate.

“Hey, Dad.” I smiled, leaning into the embrace. His familiar spiced fruit scent was comforting and familiar.

“I’m so happy you’re home,” he said, pulling back and looking me over.

“It’s just for a few days,” I reminded him.

“I know.” He waved me off. “Your brothers have missed you!” he said as he took my bag and we started walking toward his truck.

“Are they all home?” I asked, my stomach twisting with unease at that prospect.

“Yeah, Jake and Danny are living with us again, and Hayden comes over every night.”

I loved my family; they were just…a lot.

“And Pa?” I asked.

“Will be home from work by the time we get back. It’s going to be a full house!” he declared excitedly.

Our family home had been in my mother’s family for decades before she passed. I had spent my entire childhood in the idyllic farmhouse with a wraparound porch and blue window trim.

“You know, your brothers are doing really well for themselves,” Dad said happily as we pulled into the long, long driveway.

“Really?” I asked, cocking a brow. “They still live at home.”

“Hayden doesn’t!” my dad said, shaking his head emphatically. “And there’s this omega he’s dating. Heather. Sweet girl. I really hope he can convince her to settle down with him. It would be nice to see him happy with a family.”

My brother couldn’t look after a Chia Pet, let alone himself. I was already feeling sorry for Heather, and I hadn’t even met her.

“Are they managing to hold down jobs?” I asked.

“Hayden has been at the car shop for almost six months now. Danny is between jobs right now, and Jake just started at the local butcher’s shop.”

I nodded. None of my brothers kept a job for very long; that was one of the reasons none of them had lived away from the house for longer than a few months.

“Now, don’t make that face, Beth. They’re good boys—you know how hard it is to find work nowadays. Not many people are hiring and all that.”

I bit my tongue.

People in town were hiring; they just weren’t hiring man children who were more interested in partying and smoking pot than working. They had all been fired multiple times for turning up late to jobs repeatedly.

“I’m not saying anything, but I am managing to hold down two jobs and take classes at the same time.”

My dad sighed, a long-suffering sound. This wasn’t a new disagreement. “If you were closer to home, you wouldn’t have to do that. You know we would pay for you to go to the local college.”

“Let’s not get into this again,” I said as we pulled up in front of the house. The last thing I needed before spending any extended time with my family was a reminder of their stark favoritism.

There was loud, boisterous shouting emanating from the living room. I turned to my dad, who was behind me, and he shrugged. “Some new video game,” he explained.

It was like my brothers were teenagers, not grown-ass alphas.

My dad Frank was standing in the kitchen, a bottle of beer in his hand as I walked in. “Beth!” he greeted me, pulling me in for a hug. “Oh, you’re a sight for sore eyes. How are you? You look skinny. You should move back home.”

“I’ll be back after I finish college,” I said, even though, deep down, I doubted that. “Hi, Pa.” Pulling away, I glanced around the kitchen.

“Boys! Say hello to your sister!” Pa shouted in the direction of the living room.

None of them extracted themselves from the video game they were playing, nor did I expect them to. They just shouted a few murmured greetings.

Exactly the warm welcome I was expecting.

Turning around, I took in the kitchen.

It was filthy.

The backsplash tiles were caked in dirt, and there was a slight smell to the place. I expected that, though. Ever since Mom died, I was the only person who deep-cleaned the house. My fathers thought cleaning consisted of clearing away a little clutter, and that was it.

“I got the ingredients to make your mom’s meat loaf, if you feel up to it?” Dad asked hopefully, rubbing my back lightly. “It’s been a while since we had a damn good home-cooked meal.”

My family didn’t cook or clean.

“Sure.” My voice was tight.

I could have said I was exhausted, that I wanted to rest after my flight, but I knew they would pretend to be okay with that, only to make subtle digs and comments when eating takeout later.

It wasn’t worth the energy.

So, before I could even sit down, I was rolling up my sleeves to cook. As I started forming the meat, I got to work scrubbing the countertops.

This was why I avoided coming home at all costs. My brothers and fathers had never adapted to the loss of my mother.

She was a warm, kind, house-proud omega. She showed her love by caring for everyone in the house, cleaning, cooking, and keeping everything in perfect order.

When she died, I took over, partially because I felt like my family was falling apart, and despite being a child, I thought if I could do what Mom did, it would make things better.

News flash—it didn’t.

I just became the go-to for all domestic labor in my family.

The food was ready after three hours. Not once did any of my brothers offer to help. In fact, Jake and Danny both popped into the kitchen at various points to complain that they were hungry and waiting on food.

They didn’t even bother to say hello to me properly.

“I just got here. It’ll be ready when it’s ready,” I snapped at them.

Disgruntled, they returned to the living room and proceeded to ignore me. They didn’t return until I shouted that the food was on the table.

Both my dads and three brothers gathered around the table.

“Hey, Beth, can you grab me a beer?” Jake asked as soon as my butt hit the chair. He was leaning back, a shit-eating grin on his face. So relaxed and at ease.

“You can grab it yourself,” I said, frowning at him.

Jake’s face dropped. “I was just asking a favor. What’s wrong with you? You don’t need to be so bitchy.”

“Don’t call your sister bitchy,” Pa admonished.

“I’m tired, I’ve been traveling all day, and I’ve been cooking while you’ve been sitting on your ass, playing games,” I pointed out.

“Jake, you can grab yourself a beer,” Dad chided quietly.

My brother glowered at me before pushing back, his chair scraping against the floor as he left the dining room, storming toward the kitchen.

“You know,” Dad said, turning to me with a frown as he ate the mashed potatoes I’d spent the last hour making for him, “you need to be nicer to your brothers. You are traveling a lot, but that is your choice. You were the one who wanted to go to school so far away, when you could have stayed near home.”

I bit my tongue. What did my choice to move away have to do with my brothers expecting me to wait on them hand and foot?

“Why did you even choose to go so far away? It’s ridiculous. Everything you need is right here,” Hayden said.

“She’s just putting off settling down because she’s a bitch,” Danny said.

I shouldn’t have taken the bait, but I was tired, and I couldn’t handle their needling so soon after arriving home. “So what if I’m not ready to settle down yet?” I said. “I’m working a good job, I’m getting a degree, and I’m self-sufficient.” I shrugged.

“Are you dating?” Dad asked from the head of the table, a mildly perturbed look on his face.

“Some, the random date here and there.”

He paled a little at that. “Why are you dating all the way out in California when you’re going to be coming home once you finish college?”

“Because that’s what young people do?” I knew what my father was really getting at, but I didn’t want to get into it.

“But you’re coming home and settling down here, right? We are your family.”

“Mom left her home state to live with you guys,” I pointed out. I knew it was a mistake the moment I said it. Both my fathers’ faces turned red as I called them out.

“That was completely different.”

Danny frowned. “You’d really just abandon us, wouldn’t you?”

Fucking hell.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sighed. “I haven’t even been here a full day. Can you knock it off for a bit?” I growled, getting up.

“You just got home. Why are you fighting with us?” my pa asked with a frown.

Like I was the one causing the fighting, not them?

“I’m not hungry. I’m going to get some sleep. Good night,” I said, leaving the room, only pausing to put my plate in the dishwasher. I knew full well that my family wouldn’t do the same, and I would have to take all the dishes off the kitchen counter and put them in the dishwasher the next morning.

Ignoring my dad calling my name, I made a beeline upstairs for my old room. The space was exactly the same as the day I’d left it. It looked like the room of a little girl, all pink frills and bows.

I didn’t particularly like either, but my fathers seemed to think that was what girls wanted, so they’d decked out my room in all the frilly, girly things they could find. I liked pink…but that room looked like a doily had thrown up on it.

Collapsing onto the bed, I grumbled to myself as I reached for my phone.

Visiting my family was exhausting, and I hated it. I loved them, deep down, but they were all so lost in their own worlds that they didn’t seem to care about me anymore, only what I could do for them.

There was a message from Jensen. Sitting up straighter, I opened it and broke into a smile. It was a photo of Joey and Jensen, cutting up a bell pepper. Along with the photo was a text.

Jensen:

She decided she wanted to try peppers. I think you are officially a sorceress!

Beth:

Pizza is the way to all girls’ hearts!

Jensen:

Including yours?

Beth:

I would do some downright despicable things for a good margherita pizza after a long day at the rink.

Jensen:

I’ll have to remember to feed you the next time you babysit Joey after the rink.

Jensen:

Shit, sorry. That was presumptuous. You helped us out once, and we are so, so grateful that I let my wishful thinking get away from me.

Beth:

Don’t apologize. I’ll happily look after Joey again. She’s amazing, but you will have to restrain Cullen. He grossly overpaid me and refused to take no for an answer.

Jensen:

Joey was safe, was well fed, AND tried peppers. No monetary compensation is enough.

I frowned at that. Cullen had shoved a wad of cash at me as he dropped me off. I had taken it, thinking it was just a small amount for the easiest babysitting job ever, but when I returned to my place and counted out the five hundred dollars he had given me, I almost had a heart attack.

Could I really accept so much money from them for a second time? I felt guilty doing it the first time. Part of me had wanted to march outside and shove the money back at Cullen and tell him off…but I had bills, and a lot of them.

Jensen:

Look, the ball’s in your court. You can look after Joey as much as you want. I know you’re busy.

Beth:

*sigh* I’ll probably take you up on that. Joey is such a sweet kid.

Jensen:

She’s amazing, isn’t she? I don’t know how three idiots like us managed to make such a sweet child.

Beth:

She is so sweet, but just wait until she’s a teenager!

Jensen:

Cullen can take care of her then. He’s a brat and can handle a teenager.

I fell asleep texting Jensen, lulled to sleep with a smile on my face.

Chapter 6

Beth

Sadly, my peace was short-lived. The sun hadn’t even started to rise by the time my brothers were clattering around, shouting at one another as they started their day.

Usually, they liked to sleep until early afternoon, but as two of my brothers somehow had jobs now, between the five males in the house, it was always noisy.

Grabbing my phone, I shot off a quick message to my best friend. She had two babies and was usually up early.

Beth:

I’ve been home less than twenty-four hours, and I already want to run away.

She answered almost immediately.

Kennedy:

Then come home! I haven’t seen you in a while. Char and Samuel miss their auntie Bethy!

Even though Kennedy’s children weren’t biologically related to me, I had the position of honorary aunt, and I enjoyed it greatly. I had made several jokes that my position would become more important when they became teenagers and wanted to start dating. Well, for Charlotte, at least. They had four fathers who were very overprotective, and I could just imagine how they were going to react when a boy looked her way.

The door to my room opened, and Jake came barging in without knocking. Glowering at him, I put my phone down. “Dude, I could have been getting changed!”

He shrugged. “But you weren’t. Today, when you’re doing shit for the dads, can you bake some cookies for the guys at my work? I told them I would bring some in.”

“You didn’t think to ask first?”

“It was a last-minute thing. Come on. We know you can bake cookies in your sleep.”

That didn’t mean I wanted to. I could have told him no, but then I would have to deal with his constant whining. So, taking a deep breath, I simply nodded and passed on a fake smile. “Sure.”

“Good!” He grinned. “You should be getting up, anyway. You’re being a lazy butt staying in bed this late,” he said as he sauntered out of the room.

My hands shook with the urge to throw something at the back of his head. He had been fired from several jobs for sleeping in, so he was being a hypocritical ass.

There was never a chance I would actually be able to relax while I was at my family’s home. I had stopped thinking that was a possibility long ago. From the moment I walked through the door, there was always a pile of work waiting for me.

My pa was sitting at the kitchen table as I padded downstairs.

“Here’s the lazy college student!” He smiled warmly.

He probably thought he was making a hilarious joke. I simply gave him a tight smile and went over to the fridge. I wasn’t sure when the disconnect happened, but it was like I was from a different universe than my family.

“Where’s the milk?” I asked. “There were two bottles yesterday before dinner.”

“Hayden took them to his place. He said he was out,” he said, turning the page of his newspaper.

“Well, if you guys want me to make mac and cheese for dinner, I’m going to need milk,” I pointed out.

My pa frowned. “You can go get some more, can’t you? Hayden’s been busy working so much and trying to keep his place in order that it’s unfair to make him go to the store when we had it here.”

“Can no one else go and get milk?”

He shook his head. “Your brothers are at work, and I’m about to head to the office.”

“What about Danny? He’s not working right now, so what is he doing all day?”

“He’s searching for jobs. It’s not his fault every employer in town is judgmental.”

“Surely he can take two minutes between his job hunting to grab some milk if he wants dinner made for him?”

Pa grimaced. “He doesn’t have his license right now, so he can’t drive.”

I swiveled around to look at my father incredulously. What had my idiot brother done this time to warrant his license being suspended?

“Don’t give me that look, Bethany. Your brothers have been having a hard time. They really struggled losing your mother—we all did.”

Yet, somehow, I was expected to do everything on my own and they were handed everything on a silver platter.

“Pa…”

He got up, walked over to me, and pulled me into a hug. “I know they get on your nerves, but they are your brothers, and we need to support them. If your mother was here, she would know what to do.”

The hug was familiar and warm, and for a moment, I leaned into it. “I’ll go get milk,” I muttered after a moment, deflating.

My pa beamed down at me. “Thank you. Now I must go to work, but I’ll see you for dinner!”

Gathering his things, he headed out the door, and I heard his truck pulling out of the driveway a moment later.

The house was quiet and empty.

Honestly, I kind of liked it that way.

My phone dinged, and I checked the screen, thinking it could be another text from Pack Noble. Not that they had any reason to be texting me again, but still, my heart jumped at the possibility. Talking with them had been oddly easy. Over the phone, I wasn’t distracted by how annoyingly good-looking they were.

Liam:

Hey, do you want to go to dinner on Friday?

I frowned at the screen. Liam was an alpha I had been briefly introduced to last month. A girl from my economics class had insisted that he would be a good potential match for me, so I had agreed to take his number.

Normally, I would turn him down and move on. I had no interest in dating at the moment, but after my brother’s words insinuating that I was a whore…well, I wanted to be petty. Not that I would ever tell my family that I usually dated betas.

That would lead to a lot of questions, and there was no way I was going to admit to them that I didn’t want to end up with an alpha because I saw how poorly they treated the women in their lives.

Taking a deep breath, I stashed my phone away and turned back to the food. Soon enough, I would be back home, where I only had to care for myself.

And I officially had a date.

Chapter 7

Cullen

Fury.

Usually I kept my cool, but with Bethany, that seemed to be getting harder and harder. Joey couldn’t stop going on about her.

Then she turned up at the restaurant almost a week after she had babysat Joey. A whole week of her scent infiltrating my senses, driving me insane, and now she was here.

At my restaurant.

On a date.

Though I doubted the pathetic alpha who smelled like raw meat could really be considered a date.

He’d turned up before her, proceeded to drink while hitting on Sally, my bartender who took no crap, before slinking off to his table. He was only there for a few minutes when Bethany turned up.

Fuck me.

She was beautiful; I knew that. I had admired her from afar, but when she turned up wearing a skintight dress that was molded to her every curve, my mouth went dry. The little red number, falling just below the curve of her ass and dipping in the front to expose ample cleavage, left next to nothing to the imagination.

I’d never seen so much of her skin on display. Naturally, when she was at the ice rink, she covered up because it was freezing. Knowing that she had an amazing body was one thing, but seeing it firsthand made my brain short-circuit.

“Boss?” Sally asked as I gaped after Bethany while a waiter guided her to the table where the asshole was waiting. “Are you okay?”

I mentally shook myself. “Of course I’m okay.”

Sally chuckled, grabbing a glass from behind the bar. “Sure thing. If your mouth was open any longer, you were going to start catching flies. Do you know her?”

I contemplated lying, saying that I had never seen Bethany before in my life, but Sally would be able to see right through me. “She’s Joey’s ice-skating instructor.”

Sally nodded. “Well, she’s beautiful. She’s turned the head of every single male and most of the females since she entered this building.”

I didn’t need reminding of that. I was already painfully aware.

“Have you seen the guy before?” I asked.

Sally frowned. “Yeah, sadly. He regularly brings girls here for first dates, usually omegas, and they rarely last long. He isn’t exactly a ray of sunshine. Judging by his past actions, this is probably a first date.”

“I don’t like that,” I grumbled.

“That it’s a date?” Sally asked, cocking an eyebrow.

I cleared my throat. “No, that he’s a serial dater. Bethany is a friend. If this guy is an asshole…” I frowned. “Did he not pick her up?”

That was utter bullshit—yes, I was unhappy, but it wasn’t because I was worried about her as my daughter’s ice-skating teacher.

I was mad that she had made all that effort to look mouthwateringly good and it was being wasted on him. He didn’t deserve her, not at all. In between helping Sally at the bar, I glanced over at their table. Whenever he looked at her, his eyes were firmly homed in on her chest.

The shithead couldn’t even be bothered to look her in the eye.

Bethany was no fool. She clearly wasn’t entirely comfortable with the situation either. She kept glancing away, fiddling with the napkin in her lap. Her body language was far from engaged; in fact, judging by the way her eyes kept glancing at the exits, she wanted out.

“Sometimes a girl just needs to figure out for herself that a guy is a dud,” Sally said.

I grumbled in response. Bethany was a sensible girl. She would surely realize he was worthless and ditch her date.

“Oh, Wallet Wanker is back,” Chris said as he emerged from the cellar, his eyes glancing over at Bethany’s table.

“That’s him?” Sally asked.

I glanced between the pair of them. It wasn’t unusual for us to give patrons nicknames, but Wallet Wanker was a new one. I had to assume Chris had come up with it, considering he was an aspiring actor and reveled in using British slang in his… well, frankly, horrible English accent.

“Explain,” I growled. Yes, I was being terse, but if this was pertinent to Bethany, it was pertinent to me.

Sally grimaced, pouring a few shots and handing them to a patron before turning back to me. “There’s this guy who’s been bringing girls here for dates, and he always forgets to bring his wallet and makes them pay for it.”

“You’re fucking kidding me,” I said. Walking up to the till, I pulled up their table number. He had ordered an expensive bottle of wine and several expensive appetizers.

“He sometimes pays—I kind of get the impression he pays if he thinks the girl is going to, you know…” Chris waggled his eyebrows.

I was mad before, but now I was livid.

How had Bethany managed to find such a paragon of chivalry? She certainly didn’t look thrilled. As he went on and on about himself, she gave him a cool, level stare. Couldn’t he tell she wasn’t at all engaged? Or did he simply not care?

Now that Chris was back at the bar, I could leave. I was here to do inventory and behind-the-scenes work and was only covering while he changed one of the barrels in the cellar.

Bethany downed her glass of wine before getting up and giving the prick a small smile and making a beeline for the bathroom. It may have been the wrong move, but I followed her, anger churning in my gut.

The bathrooms were at the very back of the restaurant, with a small corridor between them and the main building, so it was somewhat secluded. Leaning against the wall, I watched and waited for Bethany to exit.

When she reappeared, her eyes were firmly on the floor. Her blonde hair, which she usually pulled back in a ponytail, was falling in golden waves that my hands itched to tangle themselves up in.

She looked breathtaking and was wasting it on an idiot.

“Bethany,” I said, my voice a little more growly than I intended.

She jumped at the sound of her name, her eyes darting up to meet mine, before breaking into a small smile. “Cullen, what are you doing here?”

Did she not know this was my restaurant?

Was it simply fate that, of all the places she could have ended up on a bad date, she’d ended up at my establishment?

“What are you doing spending time with an idiot like that?” I asked, pleasantries be fucked.

“I’m on a date,” she said, hugging herself around the middle and frowning. My grumpiness was radiating off me, so undoubtedly she was feeling it.

“Please tell me you can agree that he’s a waste of space.”

“He’s not that bad.” She sighed, but the words rang hollow and she didn’t meet my eye. A snort of laughter escaped me, making her glower at me. “I need to go back,” she said, moving to walk past me.

“No.” The word left my lips before I could think them through.

“No?” Bethany asked, bewildered.

My eyes kept trailing down to the expanse of skin along her neck and her chest. I wanted to run my lips down them and taste her. Would she taste as sweet as her scent?

I bet she did.

When I didn’t reply, Bethany frowned. “My date is waiting for me,” she said softly, brushing past me.

My body reacted, and I shot forward by an almost primal instinct. Gripping her waist with one hand, I dragged her to the wall, pressing my body against hers, the other arm resting on the wall next to her head, caging her in.

This close, I could almost taste her, the rich hint of wine on her breath escaping those pouty lips. She was perfection, and she had no idea.

“Why are you letting that shit for brains take you out?” I asked, my voice dangerously low.

Our faces were only an inch apart, and Bethany gazed up at me. She was shocked, but there was something more to her expression. The way her lips parted ever so slightly, her eyes widening as her breathing deepened. As she took in my scent, her pupils dilated and the smell of her desire became apparent.

Sweet. Oh, so fucking sweet.

It was the kind of scent that could bring a man to his knees.

“C-Cullen,” Bethany whispered, my name on her lips the sweetest of prayers. She wasn’t angry or scared.

She wanted me.

My body was moving of its own volition, all common sense escaping me. Lurching toward her, I pressed her against the wall, every curve of her body flush against mine like she was built just for me. My hand on her waist grasped at the flesh of her thigh, pulling her closer to me.

Our lips crashed together, and it wasn’t a sweet kiss. It was hungry, frantic. I needed to taste every inch of her, to consume her. My suspicions were confirmed: she tasted like fucking ambrosia. Nothing had ever come close to her—and nothing ever would.

Her hands fisted my shirt, while the hand that had been caging her was tangled in her hair, keeping her firmly against me.

In the small hallway, her scent only intensified, her need palpable.

She wasn’t alone. I was so hard, I was shocked my pants hadn’t sprung open.

Fuck.

This was Bethany.

She was Joey’s teacher. I couldn’t fuck her, no matter how much my body cried out to feel her.

Pulling back slightly, I let the bossy alpha in me speak, which probably wasn’t the best idea, but I was nothing but instincts and need, thanks to the small, sinfully attractive omega.

“You got yourself all dressed up for a waste of space like that, when you could easily have any alpha on his knees for you,” I muttered.

“Cullen,” she whispered, her voice breathy. How would she sound as she came, soft and sweet like this, or louder and more feral?

“You need to go home. Your date is over,” I said, growling the last word.

Beth’s eyes widened. “I can’t…”

I couldn’t take her pushing back. I needed her out of my restaurant, and I needed it immediately, or I would be fucking her up against the wall before she could even blink.

“You can. You need to do better. Not displaying yourself in public like a cheap whore.”

Her body stilled, her eyes going cold as my words sank in.

Shit.

I had been harsh, but it did the trick. Her pouty lips were swollen from the kiss, her chest was heaving, making the swell of her breasts look downright pornographic.

My eyes were firmly locked on her lips when she shoved me away with surprising strength, glowering at me as she righted the dress.

“This was a mistake,” I said.

The only mistake was not taking her into the back and showing her just how much I appreciated that dress on her.

Bethany snorted. “A mistake? You’re the one who accosted me, Cullen. Get over yourself,” she snarled, brushing her hair out of her face and straightening before gracefully exiting the hallway like nothing had happened.

Chapter 8

Jensen

“Daddy, can I have the pizza with peppers again?” Joey asked as she climbed up onto the stool at the breakfast bar.

Gideon nodded as he headed over to the fridge, pulling out an apple and an orange, two fruits that Joey loved. “Sure, we can have that tonight, pumpkin,” he said, placing the fruit on a cutting board and chopping it into small pieces.

Cullen was in the hallway, putting away our jackets. It was one of those rare nights when we were all home for dinner.

“You know, maybe you’ll want to try Daddy Cullen’s pizza next.” I grinned as Gideon handed her apple slices.

“Ewww! No!” Joey grimaced. “He has mushrooms on his pizza.” She said the word in an utterly repulsed tone.

I chuckled, looking at Gideon, who was biting back a smile. We had agreed long ago that fighting with a seven-year-old over mushrooms was going to be difficult and we really needed to choose our battles.

Cullen entered the kitchen, heading to the fridge and grabbing a beer without even saying hello. He had been a surly ass for the last two days, likely because of stress at the restaurant. He had staffing issues nonstop, and that would be enough to send me insane.

“Daddy C! Are you taking me to skate this week?” Joey asked.

“I’m not so sure, sweetie,” he said, and he didn’t quite look Joey in the eye. “I’ll have to check my work schedule, but I know Daddy Jensen and Daddy Gideon will be happy to take you.”

I glanced disbelievingly at Gideon. Cullen was turning down a chance to take Joey to her skating lesson? That wasn’t like him.

“Hey, munchkin, why don’t you go pick out what book you want to read tonight while we order the pizza?” I suggested, kissing the top of Joey’s head.

“Okay!” she declared excitedly, scrambling out of her chair and running down the hallway. Every night, one of us read a few chapters from a book to her. It was our little tradition, and something we had been doing since she was tiny.

The moment she was out of sight, I turned on Cullen. “What the fuck crawled up your ass and died?”

“Nothing,” he grumbled.

“Cullen, you’re being surlier than usual,” Gideon pointed out. “You know talking about it can only help. The moment Joey mentioned skating, you clammed up…so it has something to do with Bethany.”

Our pack mate deflated. “I fucked up.”

What had he done? Was this lawyer territory? A restaurant mistake? I was immediately considering all the possibilities and how we could go about fixing it. We were a pack, and we helped one another without question—that was just what family did.

“Do we really think Bethany is a good influence on Joey?” he asked.

I halted my runaway thoughts, our conversation taking a turn I hadn’t expected. “Of course she is.”

“She’s only encouraged Joey to try new things and taken care of her,” Gideon said.

“She came into the restaurant on Friday.”

“Was she drinking heavily?” Gideon asked, his attention piqued. If Bethany had been exhibiting any behavior like that, he would be quick to dismiss her—Gideon didn’t suffer fools.

Though, she had never given me the impression that she was a drinker or a party girl. If anything, she seemed a little reserved.

Cullen shook his head. “No. Nothing like that. She just…she was on a date with a real asshat. The kinda guy who forgets his wallet every date.”

She was dating a waste-of-space alpha? Men like that didn’t deserve to be in the presence of such a sweet omega.

Gideon cocked his head to the side, deep in thought. “Well, that reflects badly on her date and not her, doesn’t it? What did you do?”

Cullen ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know! I saw her with that little jerkoff, and I just got so mad.”

“What did you do?” Gideon asked again, his voice level, but I could tell by the way his shoulders tensed that he was concerned.

Cullen took a deep breath. “I kissed her.”

Well, that made me pause.

“You did what?” I asked in disbelief.

Gideon frowned. “Bethany is off-limits.”

He was talking about our agreement. We had no intention of ever finding an omega for our pack again. We couldn’t risk Joey having her heart broken. We had discussed the vague possibility of maybe looking at having an omega join our pack once Joey was an adult and settled herself, but I wasn’t sure that would happen. We were already getting on in years. Most omegas our age had been snapped up by packs long ago.

That didn’t mean we were monks. We were still relatively young and healthy alphas, and we had urges. So, over the years, we had all had our own affairs. Nothing serious; it was merely to scratch an itch. We had agreed in the early days that we would make sure our partners were always very distant from our personal lives.

Bethany was one of our daughter’s teachers, so she was completely off-limits.

“Don’t you think I know that?” Cullen hissed. “I didn’t intend to do it. It just happened! She was wearing this tiny red dress, and fuck, she looked so good. It was like I was possessed!”

I didn’t blame him. Bethany was beautiful, and every time I was near her, the alpha in me struggled. In fact, I was a little jealous I hadn’t seen this dress.

“Why?” Gideon asked. “Why her?”

“Come on, man,” I said, shaking my head. “You react just as strongly to her scent, and you can’t deny it. When she came to you, asking for legal help, you rushed to help her so damn fast…”

Gideon’s ears turned pink, the only indicator he was embarrassed. “I did feel a little overprotective until she admitted it was her friend in legal trouble…”

“We need to be honest with ourselves—we all like her. We’ve discussed it before,” I said. It was true. She was beautiful and sweet, got along with our daughter, and smelled like fucking heaven on earth. If not for our baggage and need to protect Joey, we probably would have dived in headfirst.

“But she’s a bad idea,” Gideon said.

“I’m not disagreeing. She may not even like us. We are the creepy old men perving on her.”

“Judging by the way she kissed me back, she is most certainly interested. Fuck, I wanted to drag her into the back and taste her properly.” Cullen groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. “It was like all reason escaped me.”

“Let’s be honest with ourselves—we all know she smells better than any other omega we’ve been around. I don’t know if it’s the same for you, Cullen, but my instincts tend to rise to the surface when she’s around. Gideon, what about you?”

He swallowed. “I won’t lie. She is obviously attractive and has a pleasant scent. But she’s not appropriate for us.”

“I agree with you, but we need to treat her with respect, not grope her at every opportunity,” I said as I cleaned away the dishes from Joey’s snack.

“It was one time!” Cullen groaned.

“One time too many,” Gideon countered, turning and focusing on his task, effectively dismissing the conversation.

With a grumble, Cullen turned and left the kitchen, probably to go find Joey and make amends for being so grumpy.

There was no denying that we all liked Beth.

She was beautiful and painfully sweet. If I were slightly younger and didn’t have Joey to think about, I would have been chasing her down for even a chance at a date with her.

My pack was fucked, but we had to make it work.

Chapter 9

Beth

Cullen Noble was an ass.

What gave him the right to treat me like that, to tell me that I was behaving inappropriately and then drag me against a wall and kiss me in a way that I’d never been kissed before? That left me weak in the knees and still dreaming about it several days later?

I hadn’t even bothered to return to my date. It would have been embarrassing, seeing as I stank of Cullen and my own traitorous arousal. I was pissed at Cullen, but my body was another story.

I had quietly dreaded Wednesday, when Joey would come for her lesson. Cullen usually dropped her off—from what I understood, his schedule was the most flexible. I could have pretended I was sick and avoided work this week, but I desperately needed the cash. The price of my dorm room was going up next semester, and I couldn’t risk not having the money for it.

So, putting on my big girl panties, I headed to the rink on Wednesday. As I warmed up, I did my best to push Cullen Noble out of my mind. I was going to teach Joey and pointedly ignore him—that was my plan.

“Bethany!” Joey’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

Skidding to a halt, I turned and saw her standing at the edge of the rink excitedly as she took off her skate guards. Behind her stood Jensen, already wearing his scrubs.

“Hi,” I greeted her warmly, keeping my focus on the child rather than looking at her incredibly hot father and thinking about what his pack mate had done to me mere nights ago.

“Hey,” Jensen greeted me. “Mrs. Green is picking Joey up today—the girls are having a sleepover. I’ve been called into the ER because there’s been a few emergencies.”

“Okay, I’ll make sure Mrs. Green shows up.” I smiled warmly. “That sounds like a lot of fun!” I said, addressing Joey.

“It will be!” Joey said. “We are going to bake cookies.”

I gasped. “That sounds like a perfect night.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind? I know one of us usually picks her up…” Jensen bit his lip, and for a second, my mind wandered, considering just how that lip tasted. Would he have a musky flavor, like his scent?

Mentally shaking myself, I smiled brightly at him. “Of course that’s okay. I know Mrs. Green. I taught her daughter last year. As long as I know who is picking her up, I’m happy. The last thing I want to do is send a child home with a stranger!”

Jensen grimaced. “Yeah, that would be bad. Thank you, Bethany. We’ve been swamped lately, and you’ve been a lifesaver.”

“Go! It’s my pleasure,” I said, gently shooing him away before turning to Joey. “So, what are we working on today?”

Twenty minutes later, Joey was smiling lightly as she skated around the rink. She had been practicing toe pick turns and was doing rather amazingly, if I said so myself. As the lesson progressed, I noticed more and more that she wasn’t quite her usual self. Joey was a very exuberant child, especially when she was on the ice. Usually, as soon as she stepped foot in the rink, she was skidding around like there were firecrackers on her feet.

Sighing to myself, I skated over to Joey. Her face was flushed, but I didn’t know if it was because of the exercise or something else.

“Hey, come here,” I instructed, lightly tugging Joey toward me. Her eyes were hazy, like she wasn’t seeing me clearly. Taking my glove off, I touched her face, almost hissing at how hot she felt.

“What’s wrong?” she mumbled.

“Sweetheart, you’re really warm. Are you feeling okay?” I asked, crouching down to get a better look at her.

Joey looked at me, but she swayed slightly. “I suppose. My tummy does hurt a little.”

Ah. She was sick.

That wasn’t good.

Everything in me wanted to make her better. Glancing around the rink, I made the decision. I couldn’t let her go through the lesson if she was sick; that would only make her feel worse.

“Let’s get off the ice. I’ll call your dads, okay?” Even though I knew she wasn’t being picked up by any of her fathers, they would be the first people I called when their child was unwell.

“Will you sit with me?” Joey asked in a small voice. Her posture was hunched and she was hugging herself.

“Of course I will,” I assured her as I guided her off the ice, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and keeping her close.

As we stopped at the nearest bench, I pulled my phone out of my back pocket.

“Did you tell your dads that you weren’t feeling great this morning?” I asked as I searched for their numbers.

Joey shrugged, but the movement was lethargic.

I called Jensen first. No answer.

So I tried Cullen and Gideon. Also no answer.

After trying each one of Joey’s dads again and receiving no answer, I cursed mentally. Joey really wasn’t looking good. Her skin was sallow, her eyes unfocused, and she was starting to sway slightly.

The cold rink wasn’t the best place for her to be. She needed to be somewhere warm and comfortable. Thankfully, Mrs. Green’s number was still saved in my phone. A side effect of my job was that I had a lot of parents’ numbers in my contacts list. Mrs. Green picked up on the first ring, and I quickly updated her on the situation. “Are you able to pick up Joey early?” I asked hopefully. “She’s not feeling well and can’t complete her lesson.”

“Uh…”

Shit, that wasn’t promising. “I tried her dads first, but they’re not answering.”

“I appreciate that, but I have several girls at my house today. If Joey’s sick, I can’t risk her spreading germs. You’re going to have to stay with her until her dads come. I’m so sorry.”

She hung up.

I was looking after the sick kid she was supposed to pick up and she’d had the audacity to hang up on me?

Livid, I took a few deep breaths before turning back to Joey. She was miserable. Hunched over, her face red.

“Are we going to have to wait for my dads?” Joey asked in a small voice. She must have overheard the call.

“Yes, but there’s no way we’re waiting here. How do you feel about going back to my place, just until we can get in touch with your dads? I’ve got loads of blankets and comfy pillows, and even some chicken noodle soup.”

“Am I allowed to do that?” she asked in a small voice.

“Well, I’m not going to let you stay here while you’re feeling unwell. Come on.”

Although we could take a cab back to her house, I knew for a fact that Joey didn’t carry a house key, and if her fathers were all out, then I would be dragging a sick child across town for no reason.

My place was closest, and while it wasn’t ideal, it was the best option. Unwilling to make her walk the fifteen minutes to my building or wait for the bus, I happily swallowed the cost of a cab.

Gently guiding Joey into my apartment, I asked, “Do you want to lie down? I don’t have a guest bedroom, so my nest is your only option. But it’s going to smell a lot like me.”

Joey looked up at me. “You have a nest? A real nest?”

I nodded. “I do. It’s not very fancy, but it’s comfortable.”

“I like the sound of that.”

There was a good chance that Joey was an omega. Her designation would become apparent when she went through puberty, but sometimes there were signs.

Without another word, I led her through the tiny apartment to the alcove I used as my nest. I basically draped a ton of blankets around my king-size bed and stuffed it full of pillows. It was shabby and handmade, but it served its purpose.

“This is so cool,” Joey muttered as she kicked off her shoes and climbed into the bed.

“Get comfortable, and I’m going to go find the thermometer to check your temperature, okay? Are you hungry? Thirsty?”

“Could I have some water?” she asked, clearly trying her best to be polite.

“I’ll get you a bottle. Do you like strawberry?” I asked.

Joey nodded, her little face furrowed in confusion.

“I have some flavored water that’s good for you—I’ll grab you one of those as well.”

Joey didn’t reply. Instead, she rested her head on the pillow and snuggled down into the blankets. Going to the small kitchen area, I pulled out a bottle of water and searched in my cabinet for the electrolyte packets I kept for when I was sick. I didn’t know what exactly was wrong with Joey, but I assumed some vitamins and minerals wouldn’t hurt.

Plus, what kid didn’t like flavored water over boring regular water? With that in hand, I made a pit stop in the bathroom, rummaging through the cabinet, trying to find the old relic that counted as a thermometer. I couldn’t even remember when I’d used the thing last, if I had ever used it. It came with the first aid kit I had purchased when I first moved to California.

“Okay, Joey, can you sit up for me for a moment?” I asked kindly, sitting at the edge of the nest.

The poor kid looked exhausted and ready to pass out. With a grumble, she sat up and opened her mouth so I could place the thermometer under her tongue.

“I know this isn’t pleasant, but soon you can have the strawberry water and rest while I make some soup. I’m sure, by the time you’ve had a nap and some food, one of your dads will be here.”

Joey nodded. “Thank you, Beth,” she mumbled around the thermometer in her mouth.

“I’m more than happy to help. I just hate that you’re not feeling good. Being sick sucks, doesn’t it?”

The moment the thermometer beeped, I checked the small LED display. 101. She wasn’t in the danger zone, where I would need to take her to a hospital or get urgent medical attention, thankfully. Having worked with children a lot over the last few years, I knew that they frequently got fevers that usually weren’t severe. They just took a bit of TLC.

“Oh, you are a little warm,” I mused.

Normally, I would take Tylenol if I had a fever, but I had no idea if Joey could take that.

The only thing I could really give her without talking to her dads was chicken soup, and while that worked wonders, it didn’t replace modern medicine.

Handing Joey the bottle of water, I hovered over her as she took a few sips, helping her put it on the small nest side table before she snuggled down to sleep again. Once I was sure she was asleep, I padded into the kitchen. The sooner I got the soup simmering, the better.

Chapter 10

Cullen

Running a restaurant was something I loved dearly, but some days it was so nonstop, I was ready to pass out under my desk.

I wasn’t as young and spry as I used to be, as much as I hated to admit it. Now that I was in my thirties, I’d started experiencing the occasional bout of back pain.

From the moment I arrived in the morning, I had been inundated with so many orders that I hadn’t even been able to look at my computer. At first, I was pulled into helping in the kitchen, as we were down one line cook, and then I got asked to help with bussing tables and greeting patrons.

The only place I wasn’t needed was the bar, because Sally had that place running like a goddamned military operation.

I was in the middle of taking several plates back to the kitchen when one of the servers, Geo, appeared at my side. “Hey, boss⁠—”

“Is it urgent? We have a lot going on.”

“Some lady called Mrs. Green is on the phone for you? I told her I would let you know.”

Mrs. Green. That was the name of the mom from Joey’s school who was hosting the birthday party and sleepover.

“Thanks. Hey, can you take these? I need to answer that.” Without waiting for a response, I handed him the plates, which he took gingerly, as he clearly wasn’t as used to carrying multiple dishes.

Leaving him to struggle, I strode into the office and picked up the phone, which had been left off the hook. It didn’t matter how busy I was, I always had time to talk to whoever was looking after my daughter.

“Hey, Mrs. Green? Sorry it took so long to answer. I was working.”

“Oh, don’t apologize! And call me Abigail. I just wanted to call and see how little Joey was doing. I felt so bad that I couldn’t pick her up. I’m assuming she’s at home now?”

“You didn’t pick her up?” I asked, confused. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I noted that Joey’s skating lesson should have ended a few hours ago.

Abigail spluttered for a moment. “Didn’t Bethany call you? She called me not long after the lesson started, saying⁠—”

“Where is my daughter?” I cut her off, tone tense.

“I assumed one of you picked her up from the rink…” Abigail trailed off. “Oh gosh, I would have called you earlier, but I had several little girls I was trying to wrangle, and you know⁠—”

“I need to go. Goodbye.” I cut her off again, slamming the phone down. I didn’t have time for small talk with the woman. I needed to figure out where the hell my daughter was—immediately.

Checking my pockets, I realized I didn’t even have my phone on me. I must have left it in the car.

“Sally!” I shouted as I left the office, going through the bar, car keys in hand. “You’re in charge. I need to go pick up Joey.”

Sally nodded at me from where she was pouring several cocktails for patrons. “Sure thing, boss!” Her use of the word boss was sarcastic, and usually I would glower at her for it, but I wasn’t overly concerned at that moment.

Was my daughter just waiting around an ice rink on her own?

I didn’t even bother to look for my phone as soon as I got into the car; I simply threw it in gear and started racing toward the rink. There was mild panic gripping my chest, but at the same time, I was also certain that either Jensen or Gideon would have grabbed her if something was wrong.

There were three of us, and we were usually pretty on top of things.

Then again, lately, we had been relying more and more on the help of others.

Pulling my car into the lot, I stopped right in front of the building, in the drop-off zone, but I didn’t care as I stalked into the ice rink. Thankfully, the restaurant was only a ten-minute drive from the rink, and I’d made it in even less.

The receptionist beamed at me. “Hello, Mr. Noble, how can I help you?”

“Is Joey still here?” I asked, doing my best to keep my voice polite. It was hard, considering the panic and worry that was welling up in my chest at not knowing where the hell my daughter was.

The receptionist cocked her head to the side, looking at me in confusion. “What do you mean? Bethany took little Joey with her. . .”

I stilled at her words, not hearing anything that came after them.

What did she mean, Bethany had taken Joey?

Without uttering another word, I stalked out of the rink.

Why on earth would she take Joey home with her? If we weren’t there to pick her up, sure, Bethany should stay with her. But removing her from the rink was a gross invasion, and I wasn’t sure how I felt—actually, no. I did know how I felt. Livid, an anger unlike any I’d known before taking over me.

Who was this omega to take liberties with my child?

I needed to find Bethany, and I needed to find her immediately.

Chapter 11

Beth

It was several hours later when my phone started to blow up with calls from Jensen.

“Hello?” His voice was concerned. “Bethany, I have twelve missed calls from you. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. It’s Joey,” I said.

“What about Joey? Did she get hurt at practice?” His voice was immediately filled with panic.

“She’s fine and she’s with me. I’ve been trying to get a hold of all three of you for hours now. During our lesson, I noticed that she wasn’t feeling well and she had a temperature. I tried to call you guys. When you didn’t answer, I called Mrs. Green, who said she wouldn’t take Joey if she had a fever.”

“Fuck, oh god. My phone’s been in the locker room. Are you guys still at the rink?”

“No, she has a fever of 101. I couldn’t leave her there. So I brought her home with me. She’s had some chicken soup and water with electrolytes, and as we speak, she is fast asleep in my nest.”

“Does she need the doctor?”

“It’s only a mild fever, and I’ve been watching her. It’s probably just something she caught from one of her classmates and it’ll be over before you know it.”

Jensen sighed. “Oh god. Thank you so much—I’ll be there as soon as possible. Have you heard from the others?”

A beeping noise made me look at my phone screen. “Actually, that’s Cullen calling me right now.”

“Go. Tell him what’s going on. He’s the closest to you and can get there the fastest.”

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see the gesture. Quickly saying goodbye, I accepted Cullen’s call.

“Where the hell is Joey?” he snarled through the phone.

“My place.”

“I’ll be there in five minutes,” he growled, his voice laced with fury.

“Cullen, I⁠—”

The line died as he hung up. Bewildered, I gaped at my phone screen for a moment.

I didn’t have long to wait until there was an angry pounding on my door. Wincing, I glanced toward my nest, praying that he wasn’t disturbing Joey.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door, only to stagger back as Cullen entered my apartment. His face was contorted in rage, and I immediately felt like shrinking back in fear.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, removing my child from the rink without our permission?” He growled. “What sort of stalkery bullshit is this? Where is my daughter?”

Stalkery bullshit?

Had he really just said that?

“I—”

“Where?!”

“Asleep! So stop shouting like a fucking Neanderthal!” I hissed.

Cullen’s eyes widened as he started to shake with rage.

Uh-oh.

That wasn’t good.

“You’re getting pissy with me?” he asked incredulously. “I’ve seen some pretty desperate behavior from women, but kidnapping my child takes the⁠—”

The insinuation ignited something in me, a rage I didn’t even know I was capable of. Cullen’s biting words cut off as my hand connected with his face.

“You fucking listen to me right now, Cullen Noble,” I growled as he stared at me, his face torn between shock and anger. “That sweet child of yours is sick. I noticed it at the rink. None of you three assholes answered the phone so, yes, I brought her home, fed her chicken soup, and let her sleep in a comfortable nest instead of on a hard bench at a freezing ice rink! Now, I fucking despise what you are insinuating, so I suggest you take a breath and think things through before you open your dumbass mouth again.” The words fell from my mouth in a tidal wave, propelled by my own outrage.

Cullen deflated slightly. “Sick? Like, really sick?”

I was still shaking, though I had no idea if it was with anger or shock at the fact I had just slapped an alpha who towered over me.

“It’s a low-grade fever. If it were worse, I would have taken her to the doctor.”

Cullen swallowed. “Why didn’t you take her to our house?” he asked, but his voice was smaller.

I cocked my head to the side, giving him an incredulous look. “Because none of you three bothered to answer your phones. For all I knew, none of you were home. I wasn’t going to drag Joey back and forth when she was sick!”

“That…makes sense,” he admitted. “No one answered?”

“Nope.” I rested my hands on my hips, leveling him with a glare.

“Fuck,” he hissed, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m not apologizing.” I shrugged. I had no idea where this bravery was coming from, but I was going to roll with it.

“Nor should you,” Cullen said. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I just got to the rink and learned that you’d taken her and freaked out.”

“You didn’t see all the missed calls from me?”

He grimaced. “No, I just picked up a call from Mrs. Green at the restaurant where she told me…oh, fuck.”

“Come on. Joey is asleep, and you look like you could use a drink,” I said, jerking my head in the direction of the kitchen.

Cullen nodded. “Yeah…”

“I’m afraid I only have the cheap stuff,” I said as I pulled out an old bottle of Jack. “I got it as a gift and never opened it.” I cracked it open and handed him a glass.

He downed it immediately.

I poured him another.

He downed that one too.

“I realize not knowing where your child is has got to be terror-inducing, but have I given you any reason to think I would do Joey harm? Fuck, the worst I would do is introduce her to trashy reality TV shows and get her hyped up on chocolate!”

Cullen deflated, leaning against the kitchen counter. “I know…Fuck, I’m sorry, Bethany.”

“As you should be.” Hesitating, I asked, “I didn’t slap you too hard, did I?” The right side of his face was looking a little red.

He let out a quiet chuckle. “Actually, you pack a punch for one so small.” His head turned to the front door as a knock echoed through the small apartment. “Expecting someone?”

I shook my head. “No, but I’ll go see who it is. I don’t want the knocks disturbing Joey. It’s probably just a neighbor worried about the shouting.”

“Or my pack mate.”

Sure enough, Jensen was standing at my door.

“Beth!” he beamed. “Thank you so much for this. Is Cullen here?”

“Hey, he is.” I nodded. “Come in.” I took a step back.

My tiny dorm room looked even smaller with two giant alphas inside it.

“Cullen, are you okay?” Jensen asked.

“I’m good. I just got put in my place.” He laughed, taking another swig of his drink.

“How many drinks have you had?” Jensen asked.

“Three,” I said, wincing. “Sorry, it’s my fault for yelling at him.”

Jensen’s eyes widened in confusion as Cullen barked out a laugh.

“I was an ass. Bethany corrected me.”

“Please explain,” Jensen said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Cullen came barging in here and accused me of being a psycho stalker, stealing his daughter to get your attention,” I said dryly.

“The fuck?” Jensen choked on his words.

“I fucked up, and I’m currently apologizing profusely to Bethany. She smacked me for being an ass, though.” Cullen grinned.

“You hit him?” Jensen asked, turning to me.

“Yeah…” I winced.

I expected anger, confusion, maybe even a little surprise.

When Jensen boomed with laughter, pulling me into a hug and kissing the top of my head, I thought I was having a stroke. “You. Are. Amazing.”

Pulling back, I looked up at him, baffled. “You’re praising me for hitting your pack mate?”

Jensen nodded. “Yep. Cullen tends to rush into things without thinking when emotions are involved. He needs to be knocked down a peg or two every now and again.”

“Even I’ll agree with that,” Cullen mumbled.

“You canceled your evening to care for our child when she was sick and because of you, she’s been trying new foods! You’re magical, Bethany.”

My face heated at his praise.

“Wait, did you leave work to look after Joey?” Cullen asked.

Jensen still had an arm around me. I knew I should pull away, but his light grip was so comforting. Up close, his scent was mesmerizing. I wanted to bury my nose in his chest and inhale deeply.

That wouldn’t help Cullen’s accusations that I was a stalker if I was huffing his pack mates at every opportunity.

“Bethany has a full day of teaching on Wednesdays.” He directed his words at Cullen before turning to me. “How many lessons did you cancel, sweet girl?”

“Just a few, told them I had the flu. Trust me, I didn’t mind. Well, I didn’t until Grumpy Bear came barreling in.”

Jensen nodded. “We’ll pay you for the lessons you missed.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do⁠—”

“Bethany.” Cullen’s voice was low and grumbly. “Please.”

The pleading tone in his voice took the wind out of my sails, and I deflated in Jensen’s arms. “Okay,” I agreed.

“Good!” Jensen beamed, kissing the top of my head again. “Now, I should go check on the patient before I drive us all home, because there’s no way in hell Grumpy Bear over there is driving.” He laughed.

“That nickname had better not stick,” Cullen grumbled.

“Oh, I think it will.” Jensen smiled, practically skipping out of the room.

Twenty minutes later, Jensen had loaded a sleepy Joey into the car, as well as a grumpy bear, who was getting rapidly inebriated.

“Dude, it’s just Jack. I didn’t think you were such a lightweight!” Jensen laughed as we loaded them into his Jeep.

Cullen’s car was going to have to stay at my place until they could collect it.

Joey was wrapped up in my favorite baby blue blanket. She had been clinging on to it in her sleep, and I didn’t want to make her part with it, so a blanket and two of my pillows were in the Jeep with her.

“Bethany…” Jensen turned to me with a grin. “Are you able to do me a favor?”

“Sure.”

“Can you drive Cullen’s car back to our house? We’ll feed you, then drop you back off.”

“You want me to drive that?” I asked, pointing at the stupidly expensive, shiny sports car. “I’m not a wonderful driver…”

Jensen shrugged, a mischievous grin on his face. “Well, if it gets a dent or two, I guess that’s karma for my pack mate behaving like such an ass, isn’t it?”

I looked between the fancy car and Jensen, whose smile never slipped. Could I really do it? I would feel terrible if I damaged the car, but at the same time, I would probably get a little thrill from sticking it to Cullen after he’d behaved like an ass.

“Come on, sweet girl…”

“Give me the keys,” I said, holding out my hands.

I followed Jensen the entire way back to their house. Yes, I drove like a geriatric, but when you’re controlling a vehicle that probably cost as much as a house, it’s rather stressful. Jensen took pity on me and also drove slowly so I could follow him.

Thankfully, most of the roads were wide and open once we got away from the university. I managed to pull up outside the guys’ house with the car entirely intact.

Gideon was waiting on the front porch with his arms crossed.

“Hello, Bethany,” he greeted warmly before glowering at Cullen, who was stumbling out of the Jeep. By Gideon’s expression, Jensen must have let him know everything that had happened.

As Jensen and Cullen took the sleepy Joey inside, Gideon turned to me, his posture relaxed as he took a step forward.

“Thank you so much for helping,” he said. “Jensen filled me in. I see you managed to get the car here in one piece!”

I frowned. “Can we hide it in the garage and tell Cullen I totaled it? Give him a few minutes of panic for being an ass?”

Gideon smirked. “I would pay to see the look on his face. The fucker deserves it. I’m going to give you a lift back. Jensen also instructed me to give you this.” He held up an envelope, and I already could tell it held cash. “And take you through a drive-through on the way home.”

I inhaled the fruity parchment scent of Gideon. It reminded me of an old library, and that always put me at ease. At the same time, it was exciting, and I wanted more of it.

“Jensen was very chatty on the drive home, wasn’t he?” I grumbled. “I don’t need that.”

Gideon shrugged, placing the envelope in my hand. “You’re taking it.”

Growly alphas shouldn’t be so damn sexy.

Chapter 12

Gideon

Bethany Wells was too tempting for her own good.

After hearing the way she had been treated by Cullen from Jensen, I was shocked that Cullen wasn’t sporting a broken nose.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel a little proud that she had slapped him.

After spending the drive to her choice of fast-food places and then her apartment in relative silence, I sped back to the house. My car smelled so fruity and tempting that I had a raging boner the entire drive home. I wasn’t the kind of alpha to get random boners. I was controlled, collected, but it seemed that whenever Bethany was near, my body had other ideas.

“Where’s the asshat?” I asked as I entered the kitchen, where Jensen was cutting some veggies and throwing them into a pot.

“Sleeping off the booze. Joey is dead to the world.”

“Does she need anything?” I asked, my chest tightening. Ever since Joey had been a baby, I had struggled with her being sick. Usually, I was logical and fixed things, but you couldn’t fix a sick child. Thankfully, we had a doctor in our pack, so he was usually able to keep an eye on things and reassure me when I started hovering like a control freak.

Jensen shook his head. “Honestly, Bethany took really good care of her. She fed her, kept her hydrated and comfortable. It’s just one of these childhood fevers. All Joey needs is rest and good food.”

“And Cullen was an ass to Bethany while she was taking such good care of our child?”

Jensen grimaced. “Yeah, he accused her of some nasty things, but from what I can tell, she put him in his place.”

I nodded thoughtfully. She was sweet and caring and maternal—everything we’d wanted Bella to be and were sorely disappointed—but at the same time, she had a fire to her. She wasn’t the kind to roll over and take someone talking down to her. Even if I didn’t condone violence, I respected her for slapping my pack mate when he deserved it.

Had I been there, I would have been tempted to punch him myself. Despite my desire to try and keep my feelings for Bethany professional and somewhat detached, I felt an overwhelming amount of gratitude toward her for her actions.

The rest of our evening was pretty calm. Joey was fast asleep, and we regularly checked on her while Jensen watched TV and I worked on my laptop.

Around eight p.m., Cullen came stumbling down the stairs. “Hey,” he greeted us as he padded toward the kitchen. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked worse for wear.

“How are you feeling?” Jensen asked, not looking away from the TV.

“Fine,” he grumbled. “I only had three drinks. It was just because I had them in quick succession.”

“Sure…” I trailed off. He was totally lying to himself; the sad reality was, we just couldn’t drink like we used to, given we were getting on in years.

“I need to go get my car. I can’t leave it on the side of the road in a college neighborhood. That’s just asking for it to get broken into,” he said as he walked into the living room, a bottle of water in hand, and collapsed onto the couch next to Jensen.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. The car is here,” I said casually, doing my best to keep the smirk off my face.

Cullen frowned. “How?”

I turned to him with a grin, unable to help myself. Jensen was biting back a laugh of his own. “Bethany drove it back here.”

Cullen paled, and I could have sworn he turned a little green. “Oh, god…is it okay? Did she beat it up? She totally would have been within her rights to, but that thing was so expensive and so pretty…”

“You accused the woman who was taking care of a sick child of stalking you and kidnapping the child she was caring for,” I pointed out.

Cullen groaned, throwing his head back. “I’m going to need to get a new car, aren’t I?”

Unable to hold back anymore, Jensen burst into laughter. “Dude, your car is fine. She drove it back in immaculate condition and looked terrified of scratching it. Even after you were a complete ass to her, she drove your car safely.”

“Well, I didn’t think it was possible for me to feel like more of an ass, but apparently, it is.” Cullen groaned, closing his eyes.

“No matter our feelings on the matter, we have to agree that Bethany is someone we can trust. She’s proven to us time and time again, especially today, that she has Joey’s best interests at heart,” Jensen said, muting the TV.

I nodded thoughtfully. We always struggled to trust anyone else with our daughter, given our past. In the early days, when we had considered dating other omegas, we had found a few who had been far more interested in us than in Joey.

One omega even had the audacity to suggest we rehome Joey, like she was a fucking Pomeranian.

I had kicked that woman out of my house so fast, her head spun.

That particular instance was the final straw that stopped us from searching for an omega.

I was in a bind. It was obvious that Bethany was attracted to us to a degree. We were good-looking alphas, even though we were quite a few years older than her. I could be objective and admit that. Despite that, she had only ever acted professionally, politely, and in Joey’s best interests.

“Joey mentioned a while ago that Bethany loves spicy pasta,” I said as I scrolled through some deposition paperwork.

Cullen nodded thoughtfully. “Well, everyone likes food, and that’s at least something I can provide! If Joey feels up to skating next week, I’ll pick her up and bring Bethany some apology food.”

“I think that’s the smartest idea you’ve had in a while. Maybe take some of those cookies your chef makes, because most omegas have a sweet tooth, don’t they?” Jensen said.

Cullen nodded. “I think it’s time for me to eat some humble pie and beg for forgiveness.”

Jensen snorted. “You’ve got your work cut out for you. Bethany doesn’t take shit from anyone.”

No, she didn’t.

It felt like every day that passed, Bethany was endearing herself more to me.

Chapter 13

Beth

Jensen:

On a scale of one to ten, how much do you want to murder my pack mate?

As I looked down at my phone screen, a giggle escaped my chest. Jensen had been keeping me updated on Joey’s condition, and she was back at school and much better.

Bethany:

None of my feelings are particularly murderous.

Jensen:

In that case, would you be able to babysit Joey on a regular basis? A few days after school?

Jensen:

We were considering hiring the Heralds’ babysitter after Cullen was such an ass to you, but Joey made it clear that the only person she found acceptable to look after her is you. Given how well you get along and how amazing you’ve been to her, I have to say we agree.

Bethany:

Flattery will get you everywhere. Isn’t the school year nearly over?

Jensen:

Then I guess I better heap on the praise. Joey attends a summer school where they mostly play and do extracurriculars, but we usually take the last three weeks of August off to spend time together as a family. Also, we will pay well! You won’t have to work any other jobs.

I had no doubt that they were going to pay extremely well, given that every time I’d done something with Joey, they had thrown obscene amounts of cash at me. Babysitting was a good job, and I was happy to take it, but should I give up the security of my other jobs on the off chance they would stick with me?

What would happen if Cullen lost his patience again?

Bethany:

I happen to like teaching ice skating!

Jensen:

Well, keep going, then. You only teach two days a week. We can work around that. Trust me, Bethany, I’m prepared to beg on my hands and knees. We are swamped with work, and our sweet, lovely, precocious child is being a thorn in our side and hates everyone except for us three and you.

Bethany:

I would say she has good taste, but she likes Cullen…

Jensen:

I mean…you’re not wrong.

Bethany:

When do you need me to start?

Jensen:

Oh, thank the lord. ASAP. Joey’s school isn’t within walking distance of the house, so I may have bought a car for you to use to pick her up.

My eyebrows rose so high that they nearly disappeared into my hairline as I stared at the screen, trying to comprehend what Jensen had just said. Did he buy me a car? Why on earth would he purchase a vehicle for me?

Bethany:

Excuse me?

Jensen:

Well, actually, it was Gideon who decided to buy the car because it was a safe vehicle, and he wanted something with high safety ratings for you to use to pick up Joey.

Bethany:

I haven’t even said yes to babysitting her yet.

Jensen:

I was hoping, praying, dreaming, making sacrifices to the gods to try and make this happen.

Bethany:

Text me the details. I have a class I need to get to.

Jensen:

Thank you, you amazing, stunning creature!

Laughing, I stowed my phone away in the bag and made my way down the hallway to my last class of the day.

It probably wasn’t smart getting more entangled with this pack, but for some reason, the thought of saying no never even crossed my mind.

Two days later, Gideon’s secretary stopped by my dorm room. She handed me the keys to a sleek SUV that was waiting outside, as well as a house key and the security code for the pack house. I wasn’t sure how I felt having so much information on how to enter and exit the pack house, but if it was for Joey, I would do it.

“Bethany! Are you watching me?” Joey asked excitedly as I pulled up outside her school. I had to show my ID to prove who I was in order to pick her up, but Gideon had added me to the approved pickup list.

“I am,” I confirmed. “Just one or two nights a week when your dads are working.”

She bounced on the spot. “Yes! I told them I would only be good if it was you.” She smiled conspiringly.

“Get in the car.” I chuckled. “I’m making tacos for dinner.”

Her eyes widened as she scrambled into the seat. “With lots of sour cream?”

I smiled. “With all the sour cream.”

“Perfect! Daddy Jensen never puts enough sour cream on them.”

“Well, I promise I’ll add loads,” I assured her.

Throwing the car into drive, we headed out of the parking lot and back to the house. She was clearly back to normal after her short illness, so we could have a nice night filled with food and animated movies.

My phone pinged as I was browning the taco meat. Joey was at the kitchen table, doing her homework, occasionally shouting a question at me as I cooked. Checking my phone, I groaned when I saw the message.

Pa:

Hey, you coming home next week?

I sighed. It felt like I hadn’t been back in California that long before they were begging me to come home. They would want me home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and any random reason.

Naturally, they always expected me to pay for the plane ticket.

Bethany:

I can’t. I’m working.

Pa:

Don’t you usually move your shifts around?

I grimaced. In the past, I had made sure my schedule allowed me to spend time with my family, but given the nature of my work with Pack Noble, I couldn’t exactly take a week off without notice.

Not that I wanted to take a week off. As much as I loved my family, they were exhausting, and I didn’t feel the need to see them again so soon. I was still recovering from the last visit. I could only handle them in small doses.

Bethany:

I changed jobs. I needed to find something that paid a bit more so I could afford tuition. Unfortunately, that means I can’t get time off as easily.

Was I making a subtle jab to my father that he refused to pay for my tuition and this was the consequence? Maybe.

Pa:

What are you doing?

Bethany:

Some nannying work.

Pa:

Oh, okay, that sounds nice.

I snorted. Of course, my father would approve of anything that meant I was acting like a traditional omega. In his mind, childcare was women’s work, so I was doing the exact right thing.

Maybe he thought I was getting practice for when I had a child of my own.

Pa:

I’m sad you’re not coming home. I can’t wait until your degree is done.

Dad:

Counting down the days.

Bethany:

Yeah. Love you guys. I’ve got to get back to studying.

I grimaced, putting my phone down. My fathers were counting down the days in excitement, but I felt like it was a looming deadline to my impending doom.

Going home wouldn’t be fun; it would be stifling.

But they were my family, and I loved them.

Family meant sacrifices.

Chapter 14

Gideon

Iwas the first one home, so I closed my car door and shuffled into the house. Bethany had been working for us for a few weeks, and I didn’t know why she had agreed to nanny for us, but thank god she had. Even though she was only at the house one or two days a week, the entire place was running a lot smoother.

Joey’s schedule, which had become somewhat chaotic, was running perfectly on time. Some of the people we had paid to babysit would just be near Joey and not interact with her, whereas, from what I understood, Bethany had animated conversations with Joey as she drove her to various extracurricular activities, or when they were home together, they did an activity. One night, I came home to find them making pizza from scratch, both of them giggling at the counter.

Cullen had been keeping his distance, but his food hadn’t. The fridge was always stocked with plenty of fresh pasta and meals for Bethany to take home. We insisted they were extras from the restaurant, but they were actually meals Cullen had made specifically for her.

Overall, things were feeling a lot easier.

The house was dark. It was late, so Joey would already be asleep. The omega’s sweet, crisp apple scent was now a permanent fixture in our home, and I still wasn’t completely used to it.

I wasn’t complaining about it, though.

Bethany was in the living room, curled up in a blanket, watching TV in the dark. Her brow was furrowed and there were dark circles under her eyes.

Were we working her too much? She needed to take care of herself. Even though it wasn’t my place, my hands itched to shake her and tell her off for not caring for herself properly.

“Hey,” she greeted me softly as she noticed me standing in the doorway, staring like a creeper.

“Sorry it’s so late. I got distracted drafting legal papers.” I mentally berated myself. I should have gotten back earlier so she could have gone home and rested. I could draft legal paperwork from home, but when I was in the office, sometimes I got distracted and time got away from me.

That was a habit I needed to correct.

“How was she?” I asked, nodding in the general direction of upstairs, to where my daughter slept.

“She was good as gold.” Bethany smiled as she slowly got up from the sofa.

“You got her to bed with no complaints?” I asked incredulously. I thought it was only us she did that with. Every day, Bethany amazed me.

“I told her if she was good, I would help her make cupcakes next week.” She smiled weakly.

“Ah, bribery. Works a treat. Hey—are you okay?”

Her eyes were hazy, and she winced and wobbled as she stood. Everything in me was alert in an instant. Her scent, as amazing as ever, was slightly off.

There was tired, and then there was this. She seemed physically unwell.

“Oh, yeah.” She waved off my concern, but I didn’t buy it for one moment.

“Come here,” I instructed, gently pulling her toward me, pressing my hand against her forehead. “You don’t feel warm…”

“It’s just a headache,” Bethany insisted, pulling away with a wince.

I cocked my head to the side. “You keep squinting every time you look at light.”

“My vision is a bit sensitive,” she admitted.

“Nausea?”

“A little. This happens every now and then, but it goes away after I sleep it off for a day or two.”

That made alarm bells ring in my head. How long had she been having these episodes? Why wasn’t she taking care of herself? “Beth, that’s not a normal headache.”

She shrugged. “It’s been happening for a while now—I just sleep it off.”

“Have you been to a doctor?” Anger was starting to swirl in my gut, and it was taking everything in me to keep it restrained.

“Nope.”

Anger simmered in my stomach at her cavalier attitude. “You need to see a doctor! These symptoms aren’t normal.”

“Like I can afford to go to a doctor right now. I’m working two jobs just to be able to afford to go to class,” she pointed out. “Look, I’ll be fine. I just need to get home.” As she spoke, her nose scrunched, and it was clear she was struggling to keep focused.

“Not happening,” I said, gently taking her by the arm and pulling her in the direction of the stairs.

She frowned and followed me. Her usual fight was missing, which was a surefire sign that she really wasn’t feeling well.

“It’s just a headache,” she muttered.

“It’s a migraine, at least. You mentioned that these last a few days—can you get out of bed during these episodes?”

“Not much, but I can handle a few days in bed.” She snorted lightly at the implication of her own words.

There was no way I was going to let my mind go there when she was sick.

The guest bedroom was decorated in cool green tones with dark wooden furniture. We didn’t use the room often, as we kept to ourselves and rarely had guests, but the cleaning lady kept it in good condition with clean sheets.

“Lie down,” I instructed, pulling back the duvet.

Bethany frowned at me. It was almost adorable how confused and belligerent she looked. “Just for a few minutes…if you’re sure.”

“In,” I said firmly.

“Bossy,” she grumbled, crawling under the covers.

She didn’t know the half of it.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I watched her burrow into the covers, groaning as she did. Pulling out my phone, I shot off a text in the group chat.

Gideon:

What do you recommend for migraines?

Jensen:

Good painkillers, a dark room, and plenty of rest and fluids. Why? You not feeling great?

Gideon:

It’s not me. It’s Bethany. I came home to relieve her, and she was wincing at the light and claimed she just had a headache. But she’s also nauseated and struggling to stay standing up.

Jensen:

Fuck, that does sound like a bad migraine. Has she had them before?

Gideon:

She mentioned she has a few times, but she just wanted to go home and sleep it off. She said they last for a few days.

Cullen:

Did you take her home?

Gideon:

Of course not. She’s in the guest bedroom. There was no way I was going to leave her on her own while she was sick. Joey is already in bed.

Cullen:

Good.

Jensen:

I’m leaving the hospital now. I’ll be home in fifteen minutes. She can stay with us until she’s better. I’ll even grab a few things from the hospital in case she needs them. Has she spoken about this with her primary care doctor?

Cullen:

If she’s got a nasty migraine, I doubt she’s talking to Gideon about her primary care doctor, dumbass.

Gideon:

Actually, I told her she needed a doctor, and she laughed at me and said there’s no way she could afford a doctor when she’s working two jobs just to afford tuition.

Cullen:

Fuck. Take her to the doctor. Now.

Jensen:

I am a doctor, remember? I’ll be there soon, and I can check on her and I’ll decide if she needs to go to the hospital. I can even bring IV fluids with me, and she’ll be more comfortable at the house.

Gideon:

See you soon.

Bethany was dozing lightly, her brow furrowed even as she rested. I was a sucker when someone was sick—whenever Joey was sick, I would hover like a mother hen. Sickness made my inner control freak extra itchy because illness was so unpredictable. Bethany…Seeing her unwell tugged at a different emotion.

She came across as so collected and competent. Fiercely independent and able to do everything. Hell, she had gone toe-to-toe with Cullen and won. Seeing her vulnerable like this made me uneasy. An overwhelming desire to protect her was riding me hard.

Omegas were precious, Bethany even more so. By falling asleep in my house, she was trusting me, and I wouldn’t take that for granted. Gently brushing back a strand of hair that had fallen in her face, I watched her intently.

We all agreed that finding an omega wasn’t in the cards for us, but we were all tied in knots over this particular omega, and I didn’t think that was going to stop anytime soon.

Regardless, there was no way I would let her go home alone and suffer, especially after she had done so much for Joey when she’d been sick. At least, that was what I was telling myself as I scrolled through our group chat.

Bethany was younger than us by quite a bit, but somehow we fit into each other’s lives easily. There was no walking on eggshells around her, unlike with Joey’s mother. She had been an amazing influence on our daughter, and it was obvious we all had strong feelings for her.

Cullen had already slipped once, and despite his anger at his slip, I had never heard him say he regretted it.

“I’ve said it a million times. I’m fine!” Bethany whined as Jensen hovered over her.

My pack mate frowned down at her. “You’re dehydrated and can’t even look me in the eye without your vision swimming. Stop being so stubborn. I have some medication that may help…”

“I don’t need it,” Bethany grumbled, hiding her head under the covers.

Jensen glanced at me. The suffering look on his face was somewhat ruined by the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He was a caregiver through and through. Even with an unwilling patient, such as Bethany, he was gaining immense satisfaction from the verbal battle and his ultimate victory.

“If you’re fine, should I open the blinds and turn the overhead lights on?” Jensen asked, his voice hardly containing his chuckle.

“Fuck off!” came her scathing hiss from under the pile of bedding.

Jensen bit his lip, trying to restrain himself from laughing. I, on the other hand, was lacking patience. I wanted to tear that comforter away from Bethany and force her to take the medication for her own good. The idea that she was being cavalier with her health made me irrationally angry. Even though, as the father of a seven-year-old, I was well aware that a sick woman was not a rational creature.

So I let Jensen take the lead.

“In that case, take the medication, and then I’ll leave you to rest until we make some food for you. If you don’t eat or drink, then you’re getting an IV for some hydration.”

Bethany’s head popped up from the covers to glare at Jensen. “First, this one refuses to let me leave and manhandles me into this room, and now you’re threatening to stab me with a needle?” she asked incredulously.

Her eyes were hazy, hair mussed from rest. Rumpled and sleepy, she looked lovely. I wanted to pull her into my arms and keep her close.

I was accepting that I had strong feelings for Bethany—I was never going to act on those feelings, though.

Unlike Cullen, I had self-restraint.

Jensen nodded. “That sounds about right.”

Bewildered, Bethany looked between the two of us. “I give up,” she growled, burrowing back under the covers and ignoring us.

“So being sick makes you bratty,” I muttered.

That made her head pop up.

“Bratty?” she asked, her expression disbelieving. “You wouldn’t have to deal with this if you’d let me go home!”

“Medications!” Jensen said firmly, holding out the two pills and a glass of water with a pointed smile.

If looks could kill, Jensen would be six feet under. Glowering at him, Bethany snatched the pills and water out of his hand, quickly swallowing them and thrusting the glass back into his hand.

“Good girl.” Jensen beamed.

Bethany’s glare was impressive.

Chapter 15

Beth

Iwasn’t an idiot—I understood that the headaches weren’t good. Although I’d been wanting to get them checked out since they started happening, any recommended neurological tests would be too expensive. And I couldn’t deal with the chaos that would ensue if I went to my family doctor back home. To say my dads didn’t do well with health scares was a vast understatement.

Joey had already been in bed, so I’d decided to curl up on the sofa and watch some TV. Since the guys wouldn’t be home for a while, I’d decided to make myself comfortable. I’d only gotten a few minutes into the TV show when the scalp-splitting pain started.

Closing my eyes, I had lain back and prayed to the gods above that the pain would subside before I had to go home. Even though I had the car now, the guys still insisted on driving me home, especially when they got home late. It usually felt like overkill, but I was secretly thankful now, since my head was pounding. Usually Cullen drove my car home if one of the others was taking me back. It was a lot, but fighting them seemed futile.

I couldn’t lose two days to another headache. I had work and classes, and I was only a few weeks away from my midterm exams. Plus, I was supposed to be babysitting Joey tomorrow. I’d only just started working for Pack Noble, and there was no way I could mess it up so soon. Sometimes I could get through the headaches if I took some over-the-counter pain medication and just endured.

Working for them had been rather pleasant. Cullen was keeping his distance, but he kept feeding me all the same. The meals he left in the fridge from his restaurant were excellent, and I was pleasantly surprised when I found the creamy pesto gnocchi that I had ordered on my abysmal date that was cut short and never got to try.

It was just as good as I had imagined.

Working for Pack Noble was so shockingly easy, sometimes I felt bad for taking their money when I enjoyed being around Joey, anyway. They grossly overpaid me… but at the same time, I was more financially secure than I had been in years, and I intended to roll with that.

When Gideon had come home, I had wanted to fight him, but I had been too weak. Before I knew it, I was curled up in bed, being hooked up to an IV that Jensen insisted on, even though I did as he asked and ate, then passing out for the night.

The pack house smelled of pure comfort, and usually when I had a migraine, getting restful sleep was difficult. Surrounded by the warm scents, though, I drifted into a quick, easy sleep, filled with dreams of alpha snuggles.

“Time for your next dose,” a voice said from the doorway. It was the next day, and I really wasn’t feeling all that much better.

Turning, I resisted the urge to glower at Gideon as he stood in the doorway, a glass of water and pills in hand.

I hated pills.

“I’m feeling much better. I don’t need them,” I said, trying to plaster on a smile that was undoubtedly fake-looking.

Gideon gave me a stern look, his eyes dark and his posture unmoving.

“Fine,” I huffed, holding out my hand. “This is mean.”

He sat down on the edge of the bed as I sat up. Close up, the scent of old books and blackcurrant was so strong, I instinctively leaned into it. His scent was the kind of smell that screamed comfort, warmth, and protection.

Safety.

Most alpha scents were comforting to some degree, but Pack Noble had something unique about them.

I had once gone on a date with an alpha who smelled like wet leaves, and not in a good way. Getting through a meal sitting across from that scent had been almost impossible.

Gideon, on the other hand…I wanted to curl up in his scent and bask in it. I was probably far from the kind of omega they wanted. I was immature, too young for them. They probably wanted someone mature and elegant.

I still had a few stuffed animals in my nest.

His eyes raked over me, taking in my undoubtedly disheveled state as he handed me the pills and waited until I put them in my mouth to hand me the water.

“You need sleep,” he murmured.

I snorted lightly, downing the glass of water. “I’m much too busy for sleep.”

He didn’t smile. “Why are you working so much? Joey mentioned that you come from a pack family. Why aren’t they supporting you through college?”

I grimaced. I could understand why he was asking. It was highly unusual for a pack to not financially support their children.

“My fathers didn’t want me to leave for college,” I said, choosing my words slowly. “They made it clear they would only support me going to a local community college and staying at home, but I wanted a full university course load, and I wanted to live independently for a bit.”

“Joey mentioned you don’t have a mother.”

I nodded. “Just two dads and three brothers.”

“And you wanted to leave them? I don’t know how I would feel about Joey wanting to go halfway across the country…”

I shook my head. “Joey won’t have my reasons for leaving. You guys are excellent fathers, and I get the feeling she isn’t going to veer far when the time comes.”

“So why did you choose to leave? You have to admit, it’s unusual for an omega to move so far from home.”

“It is,” I agreed. “My mother passed when I was a little older than Joey, and my fathers…well, they were a mess. Despite my age, I ended up taking over a lot of the household duties.”

Gideon’s eyebrow rose. “I’m assuming your brothers also took on extra duties?”

A small snort escaped me as I gave him a disbelieving look. “Unfortunately, I come from the kind of family that thinks housekeeping is woman’s work. They profess how much they love me and yet have me run myself ragged looking after them all. And although I love them—they’re my family—when it came time to pick my university, I wanted a bit more freedom.”

“That’s…just wrong.” Gideon’s words were laced with confusion.

“It is, but you can’t change family. I always just assumed that was the way things were. Then I moved out and realized how much different life could be. Being able to come home and not have a pile of laundry or a pile of dishes to do that my brothers or fathers have left behind is a type of freedom I adore. So, if the price of that freedom is working a lot, then I’m going to do it.”

Gideon cocked his head to the side. “I know you love your family, but they should be ashamed of themselves.”

I shrugged. “It is what it is. What would you do if Joey wanted to move states away for college?”

Gideon stared into the distance for a moment, deep in thought. “Well, I haven’t had time to fully plan for that. I assume we would set her up with a sizable trust fund so she can afford anything she wants while she’s away, and one of us would move our work so we were somewhat near. Not so near we were crowding her, but near enough that we would be there if she ever needed us.”

“You would just uproot your lives for her?”

“Of course. She’s our daughter. That’s what parents are supposed to do.”

“I think—ow.” I broke off with a groan, my hand going to my temple as splitting pain ricocheted through my skull.

Gideon grimaced, eyes raking over me. “Get some more rest. Cullen is cooking us some food. It will be an hour at least, and hopefully by then, the pills will have kicked in.” Gideon lifted the blanket as I nestled down.

“You’re being too nice,” I grumbled.

“I’ll be mean to you tomorrow if you want.” He chuckled, but I was already falling asleep and unable to respond.

Chapter 16

Cullen

“Daddyyyy,” Joey whined, bouncing around the kitchen. “Is dinner almost done? Can I wake Bethany yet?” she asked, pouting at me with wide, adorable eyes.

She had bounded home from school so excited to see Bethany. When Jensen had dropped her off in the morning, he had told her that the omega she adored wasn’t feeling well and was sleeping in the guest room. Joey had wanted to go see her immediately, but after some coaxing, Jensen convinced her that they should wait until dinner so she could rest.

Usually saying no to my daughter was a struggle, especially when she was making a face like that, but I knew that Bethany needed as much rest as she could get.

So, while I threw together dinner, Joey was bouncing around, telling me to hurry up.

I had decided to make chicken noodle soup for Bethany, with freshly baked rolls. There was also some chicken alfredo if she wanted it.

“How about you go grab a tray, and we can start getting it all ready for Bethany?” I suggested.

“Yes!” Joey nodded enthusiastically and darted to the pantry where we kept the trays, happy to have a job.

“She’s so excited.” Jensen chuckled from the doorway, where he stood wearing jeans and a California Chargers jacket.

“Just got in?” I asked. “Have you managed to go check on Bethany yet?”

He nodded. “That was the first thing I did. She’s awake but a little groggy from all the medications.”

“Is she okay to eat?”

Jensen smirked. “Judging by the way she was grumbling at me that she was perfectly fine and ready to go home, I think she can handle a meal.”

“Is she being stubborn still?”

“Of course, she is. Apparently, Gideon had to glare at her to make her take her medication earlier.”

“I don’t envy her, then.”

Gideon was kind and fair, but also unrelenting and straightforward—especially when it came to looking after those he cared about.

“Hi, Daddy!” our daughter greeted Jensen as she bounded out of the pantry, tray in hand. “I’m going to take Bethany’s food up to her!”

“Maybe it’s best to let one of us carry it,” Jensen said, his smile never wavering.

Joey thought for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I spill things.”

I snorted. That was an understatement. Joey had all the grace of a bull in a china shop when she was excited. When she had first expressed an interest in skating lessons, I had been concerned, but somehow, she took to it like a duck to water. On the ice, she was graceful. Off the ice, she was rambunctious.

We made quick work of filling the tray. A large bowl of soup with plenty of noodles in it, several pieces of bread, and some fresh butter on the side. A bottle of water and a glass of fruit juice. I wanted her to have options.

As soon as I picked up the tray, my daughter beamed and started ushering me out of the room, excited to finally see Bethany.

“You know, Daddy, I don’t like that Bethany’s feeling yucky, but I do like that she’s here. Maybe we can have more sleepovers in the future?” she asked innocently as she followed me up the stairs.

“Maybe.” I hummed noncommittally. It was one thing to have her staying over while she was unwell, but under any other circumstances, my mind would be wandering to a place where it probably shouldn’t.

A place that didn’t involve much clothing.

“Bethany! How are you feeling?” Joey shouted as she opened the door.

“Joey! Inside voices,” I reminded her. “Remember, Bethany’s head hurts.”

Joey paused and looked back at me, wincing, before turning to Bethany, who was sitting up, a soft smile on her face. “Sorry!” she whispered.

Bethany chuckled. “That’s okay. I’m feeling a lot better. What have you got for me?” she asked as Joey clambered onto the bed. Bethany instantly wrapped one arm around her, pulling her into her arms. It was so natural a move, like something one of the dads would do, it made my chest burn with some undescribed emotion.

There was no denying the girls looked related. Sure, Bethany was too young to be her mother, but with the same blonde curls, they could have easily been family. Joey’s curls were slightly more platinum, but over the years, they had slowly been darkening to a tone more like Bethany’s honey blonde.

“Daddy Cullen cooked. He’s the best cook out of all my daddies.”

“Who’s the worst?” Bethany asked with a giggle. As I gently handed her the tray, she smiled and mouthed thank you.

“I can answer that for you,” I said. “That would be Jensen. He is so obsessed with health and nutrition that he will eat steamed vegetables with no seasoning.”

“Oh, that sounds…interesting.” Bethany grimaced before looking down at her tray. “This looks amazing!”

As she spoke, her hand ran lazily though Joey’s hair, their closeness evident.

The omega beamed at me, and the smile was like a punch to my chest.

I was falling, even if I didn’t want to admit it.

I cleared my throat. “I’ll leave you girls to eat. Call me when you’re ready for me to take your tray like a good servant.” I smiled, turning and leaving the room hastily.

If I stayed, I would have ended up begging her to run her hands through my hair as well.

Bethany was in our home, and she was sick. She was treating me just like everyone else, but there was still that hint of tension whenever she looked at me.

So, before heading to the restaurant, I took a drive across town to the fancy chocolate place that I had heard so much about. It was ridiculously overpriced, but apparently it was an omega’s dream. As a chef, I could appreciate some high-quality chocolate.

After spending what felt like the equivalent of Joey’s college fund on twenty different flavors, I grabbed the bags from the sales associate and headed home.

Joey met me at the door, and after I gave her a chocolate lollipop, she scampered off to annoy Gideon as he tried to work. Most evenings, she would bounce between the three of us, or we would all settle in the same room together. It was a little different while Bethany was staying with us, but that wasn’t a bad thing.

“Hey.” I spoke softly as I entered the guest room. The door was ajar and the light was on low.

Bethany was sitting up in bed, looking worse for wear. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her skin was pale and almost sallow. The sight of her clearly sick did things to me that tied my insides up in knots.

“Hey,” she greeted me weakly. “Sorry I’m still invading your space. I’ll leave as soon as I can.”

Approaching the bed, I said, “If you think you’re leaving this house before you are completely better, then you are delusional. You may be able to go toe-to-toe with me, but Gideon?”

Bethany grimaced. “Yeah, he’s too scary to slap.”

“Even I wouldn’t dare.” I chuckled.

“What do you have there?” Bethany asked, cocking her head to the side.

“Speaking of slapping me, I bring a peace offering.” I handed her the bags.

As she gently opened them, her eyes widened. “Cullen! This place is fancy…” She trailed off, rummaging through the bags.

“I didn’t know what kind of chocolate you like, so I got a bit of everything, and I heard the dark chocolate could be good for headaches. Now, I don’t know if that’s a medical fact or just what people say because they want chocolate when they have a headache, but I thought it would be best I get it.”

“You bought so much,” she whispered as she stared at the goodies.

“Well, I owe you an apology.”

“What for? You’ve done several asshole things in the last few weeks.” She grinned at me as she spoke.

Clearly, she wasn’t going to let me off easy.

“The whole accusing you of being a stalker?”

Bethany bit her lip thoughtfully. “Though your logic was fucked up, I can understand why you did that. Whereas other things you’ve done are just cruel. You told me I looked like a cheap whore…”

My face was probably bright red. I was usually so much more confident. Talking to one sickly omega shouldn’t have been as painful as this was, but Bethany had a way of putting me through the wringer.

As she spoke, she pulled out the chocolate, oohing and aahing at the various options as she inspected them. Totally unaware that I was mentally warring with myself as I tried to figure out how I could properly apologize for everything.

“I didn’t mean it. I…let’s just say, the things I said that night had nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. You looked stunning.”

Bethany nodded. “I know I did. I’ve been saving that dress for a date, and unfortunately, I ended up going on a date with an alpha that smelled like raw meat.” She shuddered. “Maybe dating isn’t in the cards for me for a while.”

I swallowed. Should I encourage her to date, tell her that she’s beautiful and any guy would be lucky to have her? Or should I let her think that dating wasn’t for her just so I didn’t have to watch her with other men?

One thing was for sure: I was going insane.

“From what my staff told me, he’s a bit of an asshole. Word has it, he pulled the I forgot my wallet move with several women.”

Bethany’s nose scrunched adorably. “Well, in that case, maybe I dodged a bullet.”

“You can slap me again, if you want.”

She grinned. “I’ll remember that the next time you piss me off. It’s kind of hard to be angry, though, when I’ve got this much chocolate in front of me…oh! Raspberry white chocolate. This looks amazing.”

“You need real food as well. What do you want?”

“There were these garlic and herb lima beans on the menu at the restaurant. I was going to order them before you so rudely interrupted my date…”

I burst out laughing. “I’ll have them whipped up in twenty minutes.”

“I can get used to this service.” She giggled, popping a piece of chocolate into her mouth as I turned to leave. “Though, Cullen,” Bethany called out around a mouthful of chocolate as I reached the door.

“Yeah?” I turned back to look at her, and she was smiling sweetly at me.

“You ever call me a whore again, and I’ll take a crowbar to that pretty car of yours.”

Chapter 17

Beth

“Take it easy. I mean it,” Gideon said as we pulled up outside my dorm.

“I will. I promise.”

I didn’t promise him how long I would take it easy for. The rest of the night seemed like a good amount of time before I went to my morning class.

Gideon frowned. “Maybe you should have stayed at the pack house.” His gaze was piercing as I squirmed in the passenger seat.

I shook my head. “I want to be back in my own nest. I’m feeling much better, and I don’t want to keep imposing on you guys.”

“It’s not an imposition.” His voice was stern, firm.

I had to subtly press my legs together to ensure he had no idea just how much that tone affected me.

“I promise, I’m going to crawl straight into my nest and sleep more.” I smiled brightly at him.

“Good. Also, Cullen has arranged for lunch to be delivered from the restaurant, so you don’t have to think about food tomorrow.”

“Oh, that’s sweet of him.”

Fuck.

I had every intention of going to class like normal the next day, but Cullen would know that if I wasn’t here to accept the delivery.

Cullen had been extra attentive since our little conversation. I’d been pretty out of it, but I distinctly remembered threatening to go all Carrie Underwood on his car, which was mean, even for me.

“Yes, since you’re spending one more day at home, relaxing and recovering, it should be helpful, right?” He smiled at me.

I glowered back. “I have a class tomorrow I can’t really miss…”

“What happened to your promise that you were going to rest?”

“I was…for the rest of this evening and overnight.”

Gideon chuckled, a warm, rich sound that delighted me. “Stubborn. We’ll check in tomorrow. Don’t push yourself.”

“I won’t. It’s not like I do much in class, anyway. I just sit there and take notes. I’ll be back home, tucked up in my nest before it’s even dark!”

Gideon held my gaze for a long moment. I felt like a deer trapped in headlights, unable to pull away. The car was thick with the smell of alpha, and there was only so much I could take.

I needed to get into my own nest, maybe play with my vibrator, and get some damn sleep.

Maybe I should have stayed in bed for another day.

The next morning, I was seriously regretting my stubbornness when I pulled myself out of bed for my class at eight. Though I’d felt well rested the night before, now my body ached.

Still, I had to persevere.

My dreams had been haunted by three particularly good-looking alphas, and the pounding headache made it hard to truly rest.

The result: one very tired, very cranky omega.

But I couldn’t skip class or my afternoon shift at the café. I only had one or two shifts left, since I was slowly leaving that job now that I was spending more time nannying Joey.

The class passed in a blur; I hardly took any notes, and my mind wandered every two minutes. Sitting in the back, I could technically say I was there, even though mentally I was on a whole other plane.

At the café, on the other hand, I had to be active and present. I didn’t even bother to greet anyone as I beelined to the back to grab my uniform. The campus café I worked in was small and cozy. The menu consisted of a few different coffees and teas and a selection of sandwiches. Nothing too complex, but it had its busy moments.

“Beth? Are you okay?” Mable asked as I shoved on my apron and hat.

Mable was a sweet omega, painfully shy and miniature, even for an omega. Her strawberry-blonde waves fell to just above her shoulders, and she had a smattering of freckles across her nose. Even after working with her for almost a year, we’d had few conversations, as she kept to herself. I got the impression that she was merely nervous to talk to people instead of being standoffish or unwelcoming.

Though she was always on her phone, texting someone. I never wanted to pry, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about who it was making her smile softly at her phone screen.

Her maple scent hit my nose as she walked up to me.

“I’m fine.” I smiled, though it didn’t reach my eyes. “I’ve had a pretty bad migraine for the last few days.”

“Do you want to go home?” Mable asked, her brow furrowed in concern. “You really don’t look well.”

“I don’t want to leave you short-staffed.”

Mable shook her head. “You won’t be,” she said sweetly. “Luke is on shift today, and he’s also going to be training the new guy, so we’ve got plenty of staff. You’ve started phasing yourself off shift now that you’re babysitting, anyway.”

I looked at her, trying to decide what to do. If I was completely honest with myself, I wasn’t feeling well enough to work a full shift. If there was plenty of staff, what was stopping me from going home? It wasn’t like I needed the money now that Pack Noble was paying me so well for looking after Joey.

In a few days, I was going to be babysitting again, anyway, so maybe it would be best to take that time to rest.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

Mable nodded eagerly. “Go! We’ll be fine. I’ll grab you a tea and some food while you take off your apron.”

“I don’t need—” I started weakly.

Mable shook her head. “I made too many cherry scones and club sandwiches. There’s no way I can sell them all, so you’ll be helping me, really.”

Shaking my head, I smiled to myself as I pulled off the apron. Before I could even finish taking off my hat, Mable was back with a takeout cup of tea and a brown paper bag full of food.

“Make sure you get plenty of sleep,” Mable instructed softly.

“Call me if the shop gets busy. I will come and help.”

She shook her head. “No, you will not. You look like death warmed over. You’re going to go home, turn off your phone, and sleep, okay?” She gave me a stern look, which, coming from her sweet, soft face, was hard to take seriously.

“Okay.” I nodded, biting my lip while taking the food and drink from her. Between her and the food Cullen had sent, I was going to be well stocked.

Chapter 18

Jensen

“Iknow we made an agreement, but we’re all attracted to Bethany, aren’t we?” I asked as I took a swig of my beer. We were sitting around the kitchen table, each with a drink in hand. It had been one day since Bethany had gone home, and the house felt oddly empty without her.

I’d been lost in my own thoughts for the last two days and had decided to call a pack meeting. We needed to discuss what was happening as a pack. As a family.

“We’ve said that before,” Gideon pointed out, rubbing his temple. True, it felt like we were constantly having the same conversation—we liked Bethany and we wanted her, but we had to put our daughter first.

We knew that Cullen was obsessed with her. He was the one who hadn’t been able to resist kissing her at the restaurant. We teased him about it on occasion, but if I was honest with myself, I likely would have done the exact same thing in his shoes.

“Are we really going to be okay with watching Bethany date other alphas?” I asked. “Cullen lost his shit when he saw it. Let’s be honest with ourselves—she isn’t going to stay single for long. She’s stunning, she’s sweet, and there’s no way in hell that people aren’t taking notice of her.”

Gideon looked a little green. None of us liked that idea, but if they thought she was going to remain single, they were being delusional.

“It’s not a good idea, though,” Gideon said. “Think of Joey.”

“Joey adores Bethany,” Cullen replied. “We can’t keep using her as an excuse.”

“But what if she leaves her? I don’t want to risk our daughter being heartbroken again.” Gideon growled.

That was the last thing I wanted as well. Joey was the light of our lives, and we had to do anything we could to protect her.

“Do you really think Bethany would just leave and never look back?” I asked. “It’s not fair to compare her to Joey’s mother. Bella was a monster.”

Cullen grunted. “That’s an understatement…You guys know I’m attracted to Bethany. It’s not just her scent or her looks. She’s generally so sweet and kind and warm and everything that Bella wasn’t.”

I nodded.

“At the same time, she’s fiercely independent and takes care of herself. Unlike Bella, Bethany doesn’t demand or even want the princess treatment.”

Joey’s mother had wanted us to wait on her hand and foot. While we’d treated her amazingly, gotten her gifts, and taken her on vacations, nothing was ever good enough for her.

At first, we’d bent over backwards for her, doing everything in our power to make her happy. But over time, we realized that there was no limit. Nothing would ever be enough for her. Eventually, she decided to chase richer alphas who could give her more.

“Something tells me that Bethany would be fun to spoil,” Gideon admitted with a small smile. “It would certainly be a battle. Did you know, she’s insisting on picking Joey up from school tomorrow?”

“She’s supposed to be resting. Doctor’s orders!” I huffed. I would know, considering I was the doctor!

“You try telling her that.” Gideon smirked.

Cullen shook his head, though he was wearing what I could only describe as a fond expression. “I will get plenty of food from the restaurant and make sure she’s got anything she could need here.”

“That’s a good idea,” Gideon said.

Everything in me wanted to grab the omega and lock her in a room so I could take care of her and let her heal in peace. There was no way I was actually going to do that, because that was mildly psychotic, but alpha instincts were a bitch. It was in our nature to care for omegas. And caring for Bethany was quickly becoming my obsession.

We were all quiet for a moment.

“I want to ask her on a date,” I admitted.

I was sick of waiting, of trying to restrain myself. I couldn’t remember the last time I wanted anything as much as I wanted her, and I didn’t want to hold myself back anymore.

Both my pack mates sat up straighter. “You mean…” Cullen trailed off.

“I’m curious about what this is. I know we agreed it was a bad idea, but are we kidding ourselves? All of us are crazy protective over her⁠—”

“We are also very protective of Joey,” Gideon pointed out.

I glowered at him. “That’s different and you know it. Care to explain why you came back stinking of arousal last night after taking her home?”

Gideon growled, roughly running a hand through his hair. “Because she’s stunning! There’s no question about that. I’m not blind.”

“She’s also good for Joey,” I argued.

Cullen sighed. “So, you want to go for it?” His expression was anxious, but there was a hint of something else…maybe hope?

I nodded. “I do. I really fucking do, but I don’t want to do it without you guys. We do it as a pack or not at all.”

Cullen thought for a moment, downing his glass of whiskey. “Well, considering I can’t control myself around her, you know I’m in. This may be a terrible idea, but I can’t see us resisting for much longer.”

“Gideon?” I asked, turning to him. My heart was in my throat. If he agreed, then all bets were off, and we would do our damn best to woo the omega many years younger than us. Maybe we were thinking with our cocks, but there was something magnetic about Bethany that I couldn’t ignore anymore.

Gideon sighed. “Give me a few days to think about it.”

That wasn’t a no.

He was going to break.

I just knew it. It was only a question of when.

Chapter 19

Beth

Iwas lucky that Joey was such an easy child. My first day back babysitting for her, she greeted me with a huge smile as I picked her up from school and offered to take her to a drive-through for a little after-school snack.

Joey’s school was private, and fancy as fuck. There was no normal school routine. They broke for the summer in mid-June, and even then, Joey would remain in a summer program until mid-August, when she would get three weeks off with her dads. They had a whole litany of adventures planned for then, but for now, it was me and her.

We spent the afternoon relaxing in front of the TV, playing a video game where we were giant stuffed animals that beat the living snot out of each other. Then I helped Joey with some of her schoolwork. She currently had a reading assignment, so she sat next to me, reading from her book while I listened and occasionally helped her.

When it was time for dinner, I heated pasta from the restaurant, but I had also found a packet of turkey dinosaurs in the freezer.

That, in my opinion, made for a perfect match.

Joey was very much in agreement.

She wolfed down her food as I leaned over the counter, picking at my own bowl. My stomach was turning, cramping, and sweat was beading along my hairline. Running my hand through my hair, I took a few deep, measured breaths. The last thing I wanted to do was worry Joey, but she was more concerned with playfully biting the heads off her turkey dinosaurs.

“Hey, kiddo, I’m just going to run to the bathroom.”

Joey looked up at me, a frown marring her face. “Beth, you’re really pale…”

“I’m just feeling a little icky. I’m probably not all better yet. It’s nothing to worry about, though. By the time I get back, I expect all of your dinosaurs to have no heads. Okay?”

She nodded, a glimmer of excitement entering her eyes as she picked up another dinosaur.

Reassured that she was all right, I climbed up the stairs to the bathroom as my stomach started to twist even more violently and my vision swam.

Closing the bathroom door a little too hard, I pressed my back against it, taking a deep breath as I ignored the cramps tearing through my abdomen.

For a while, I just stood there, dragging in deep, slow breaths, willing my heart rate to slow. Every part of my body felt electrified, but not in an excited way—in an icky, unwell sort of way. My pulse was through the roof, and I could feel sweat gathering at the back of my neck and my palms.

I stilled as it dawned on me what could possibly be going on.

Was I going into heat?

Sure, I had all the symptoms of going into heat, but I took suppressants religiously and had never actually experienced a full heat.

“Bethany?” Jensen’s voice rang out, along with a knock on the bathroom door. “Are you okay? Joey said you weren’t feeling very well.”

I silently cursed. Clearly, he had just gotten home and spoken to Joey. It was obvious what was going on, but I didn’t know why it was happening. I had been on suppressants since I was a preteen. The moment I had shown signs of maturing, my fathers had put me on them. They took me to the doctor and let them explain the heat cycle.

“I…fuck, I don’t feel well.”

“Are you in heat?” he asked incredulously. “I can smell you…”

“I take suppressants every day,” I hissed. “I can’t be in heat.”

There was a moment of silence, then a curse from Jensen. “Uh, Bethany. The medications I gave you while you were sick… they can make suppressants not work. Jesus, you smell really strong.”

Great. Just fucking great.

Embarrassment heated my face. I wanted the ground to swallow me up. Jensen Noble could smell the slick that was already soaking through my underwear.

“Yeah…” I trailed off.

I was totally going into heat. I couldn’t deny it. The cramps were increasing, and sweat was beading on my brow. Of all the fucking places to go into heat! If only I was at home with my nest… and my vibrator.

“Okay, what do we do?” he asked frantically.

“I don’t know what to do!”

I heard muffled voices as one of the other pack members clearly joined Jensen outside the door.

“Bethany?” Gideon’s voice joined in.

Fuck.

The low, gravelly tone made another wave of cramps roll through my body.

Go to alpha.

My body was making demands that my brain didn’t want to listen to. How long did I have before I would be completely lost to the heat haze?

Pressed against the door, I could make out every word they said to each other.

“She’s going into heat,” Jensen explained.

“What? How?” Gideon’s voice was shocked and almost frantic.

“I forgot to ask what suppressants she was on before I gave her the migraine medication. Clearly, it’s affected her system, and, yeah…I was just going to ask about taking her back to her dorm.”

“Bethany?” Gideon raised his voice so I could hear him clearly. “Would returning to your dorm be for the best?”

I shook my head before it dawned on me that they were on the other side of the door and obviously couldn’t see that.

“It doesn’t really have the facilities for going through a heat. Maybe in some other fancier buildings, but usually you need to book a heat suite in advance. I could try and ride it out in my dorm room, though. I just need to get back there.”

“Is your dorm secure?” Gideon asked. “From what I’ve seen, it isn’t.”

“Well, it’s better than nothing!” I growled.

“No fucking way. The smell of an omega in the building would be way too much—she wouldn’t be safe!” Jensen said.

I stilled. That was something I hadn’t considered…how easily an alpha could break in. It wasn’t like I could say no when I was lost in the throes of my heat.

My chest constricted as panic started to well up and a sob escaped my chest. “What do I do? It hurts!”

And boy did it fucking hurt. I hadn’t gone through a full mature heat before, thanks to my fathers putting me on medication before I even had tits.

“We can help you through this. It’s not ideal…but we can do it.” Jensen’s voice was strangled.

Not ideal?

Inexplicable rage filled me. His tone was so confusing. Did he want to fuck me through my heat, or was he looking at it like a freaking chore?

Grabbing the first thing my hand touched, I whirled around, stood with alarming speed, threw the door open, and tossed the toilet roll I had picked up at Jensen’s head with surprising accuracy.

“I am not a fucking chore to be done!” I growled, grabbing another projectile and throwing it at the startled alpha. He was so shocked, it took him a moment to raise his hands to protect his face from the flying paper.

“I didn’t say it was a chore!” Jensen said, utterly appalled.

Gideon stood to the side, a small smirk on his face, enjoying the scene that was unfolding in front of him. “You really don’t know when to pick your words, idiot.”

Thoroughly deflated, I turned to Gideon, bending over slightly, resting my hand on the wall as another wave of cramps threatened to overtake me. “Take me back to my dorm?”

Even as the question left my lips, I knew it was a bad idea. Being in an enclosed space with him would just lead to me crawling into his lap and begging him to fuck me.

Gideon grimaced and shook his head. “I don’t think I can do that. I’m not going to take you back if you won’t be safe.” He turned to Jensen. “Is there anything you can give her for the pain?”

“Not really. If she’s had a heat within the last year, we can probably numb it with medication, and then she can ride it out here?” he asked questioningly.

“I’ve been on medication since I was, like, thirteen,” I admitted.

Both their eyes widened.

“Have you ever had a heat?” Jensen asked.

“Nope.” I gritted the word out, clutching my stomach with one hand. “I planned to save that until I was settled down with a pack. Heats make omegas do stupid things.”

“Oh, this is bad,” Jensen muttered.

“No shit!” I snarled, reaching for another projectile, but was stopped by Gideon lightly grabbing me and pulling me toward him. He likely intended for me to just go near him, but as soon as I was in his vicinity, my omega took over, and I launched myself at his chest, burying my face in his neck, inhaling lungfuls of that delicious scent.

“Fuck, you smell good,” I groaned, pressing myself against him. Old paper and blackcurrant. Fresh but musty. It was a paradox, but I fucking loved it. I wanted to lick his neck, to see if his skin tasted like he smelled.

He clearly didn’t mind, seeing as his cock was pressed firmly against me, and he was excited.

A growl rumbled in Gideon’s chest as he turned to Jensen. “Go make sure Joey is okay, and call Cullen. He needs to get home right now.” He barked the order in that bossy voice that made me melt.

I liked the sound of that. I liked it a lot.

Chapter 20

Gideon

There was no doubt that Bethany was rapidly going into heat. When she opened the bathroom door, the smell of slick and arousal hit me in the face so strongly, I was amazed I managed to keep control of myself.

The fact she was calling herself a chore also probably had something to do with my restraint. The idea that Bethany could consider herself a task to be done was baffling. How did she fail to see herself clearly?

As Jensen disappeared down the hallway to check on our daughter, I wrapped my arm around Bethany’s waist and dragged her in the opposite direction.

To my bedroom.

I could have taken her to any of the rooms in the house for a little privacy, but my alpha was in control of that decision. With her smelling as good as she did, I needed her in my space. I wanted her scent in my room. Was it the responsible thing to do? No, but I still did it. It was hard to maintain any semblance of control when I had Bethany throwing herself at me, smelling like pure sex.

“Bethany?” I pulled back to look her in the eye, but she was determined to stay glued to me.

Fuck.

Every curve of her body was amazing, pressed up against me.

I wanted to run my hands over her, to touch every inch.

Usually I had the answers. I was a levelheaded alpha, and I trusted my gut. Only, I had no idea what to do in this situation. Was Bethany lucid enough to consent? According to Joey, they’d been having a conversation only minutes earlier, which would insinuate that she wasn’t too lost in the heat haze yet, but judging by the smell, she was barreling straight into a deep heat.

It wasn’t unheard of for a heat to come on suddenly without any warning, especially in a situation like Bethany’s, when she’d never had a heat before.

“Bethany, we need to discuss this,” I said, my voice firm.

She shook her head, plastering her face against my neck. Part of me considered locking her in a room and leaving her to ride it out, but that would just be cruel. Omegas could go through their heat solo if they were medicated and had been through a few before, but if it wasn’t treated carefully, an omega going through a heat alone would end up with a host of health issues.

An adorable growl escaped Bethany, and she spoke, her face still pressed against my neck. “Is this sensible? No, I am aware enough to know that. But my fucking god, this hurts, Gideon, and you have the ability to make it stop. If you don’t want to knot me, just leave me alone. But don’t stay here and torture me.”

Her voice broke at the end, and with it, my last thread of resolve was destroyed.

We were in this now.

There was no way I could let her suffer.

My hands tangled in her blonde mane of hair, tugging her face away from my neck so we were nose to nose.

Her breath smelled just like her—sweet, crisp apple.

Our lips crashed together in a frenzied movement. I wanted to take my time with Bethany, but she clearly had other ideas as she wrapped her legs around my waist, pressing her denim-covered pussy against my length.

“Please, don’t go slow,” she whined against my lips.

I didn’t want slow. I wanted fast, hard. Control was something I craved, but it wasn’t the time. Bethany wasn’t used to being in heat, so she needed to be treated gently.

I was about to form a response when a pained cry left her lips, a high-pitched, visceral sound of pain.

The heat.

It was physically hurting her.

Her jeans were drenched in sweet, musky slick. I had never known an omega to produce so much, but I wasn’t going to complain.

Fuck slow.

She needed a knot, and she needed it now.

Mere minutes ago, I had been driving home, excited to see her and maybe share dinner with her and my pack mates, and now I was about to fuck her against the wall of my bedroom while Jensen looked after Joey and Cullen no doubt rushed home.

Small hands tugged at my clothing. Our shirts were easy enough to remove, her plain black bra far more alluring than anything I had seen before, mainly because of the omega wearing it.

“So beautiful,” I cooed as I trailed kisses along her shoulder, relishing in the salty-sweet taste of her skin as she ground against me. The friction was maddening in the best way. If I let my alpha take the lead, I would have had her bent over the nearest surface, plunging my knot deep into her until she could think of nothing other than my cock.

“We are going to have to get those jeans off if you want to get knotted,” I muttered against her lips.

At my words, Bethany reared back, her eyes wide. Without a word, she unwrapped her legs, letting me place her back on the floor for a second as she reached for the clasp of my suit pants.

I had intended to get her naked first, but fuck me, she was a determined little thing. Before I could even blink, she was on her knees, my pants open, cock bobbing free. She beamed up at me before opening her mouth and swallowing my length.

Fucking fuck fuck.

She took every inch of me down her throat like a pro, and I wasn’t small, by any means.

“Holy fuck…” I cursed, my hand tangling in her hair as she bobbed up and down, humming gleefully.

I was supposed to be knotting her; she needed that, but I didn’t think I could stop her. My body was frozen in pure bliss.

It had been a while—out of all my pack mates, I dated the least—so I was already close to finishing, and I refused to embarrass myself like some young dumb alpha.

Any ounce of self-restraint I had left me the moment her lips touched my cock.

She stood, grinning brightly at me as she undid her jeans, and my hands automatically reached to help her get out of them.

Our movements were frenzied, a blur of tangled limbs, as we made our way across the room, desperately kissing, groping, and reaching for each other. Somehow we ended up on the bed, with me over Bethany as she ground her hips toward me while wearing nothing but that tiny bra and matching black underwear.

“Knot!” Bethany growled, lurching forward and nipping at my shoulder. My head swam with the scent of her slick. It was overwhelming, but I was fucking obsessed with it.

Her underwear was gone seconds later, thrown across the room. My lips found hers as I lined myself up.

“Fucking drenched,” I groaned, as the warmth of her wetness coated the head of my cock. The part of me that craved control wanted to drag the moment out, to make her beg sweetly to be filled and knotted.

Only, she was in pain and I didn’t like that one bit.

Slowly at first, I inched forward. I didn’t know what her experience was. If I thrust forward with no preamble, I could have hurt her.

Her pussy gave no resistance, though. My cock slid into her warmth with ease, which was surprising, given just how beautifully her walls strangled my cock.

“Fuck!” Bethany dug her fingernails into my shoulders as I started thrusting, shallow at first, but slowly building up to something stronger. With each push, her walls tightened, and it was obvious she was already getting close.

“Now, you’re going to be a good girl and come for me before I give you my knot,” I growled lightly, nipping at the skin under her ear.

“Please,” she whined, thrashing underneath me.

Grabbing the flesh of her upper leg as leverage, I opened her wider, my thrusts increasing to an almost frantic pace. I was already close to the edge, but I needed her to topple over that cliff before me.

Thankfully, she didn’t make me wait. Her walls fluttered around me, trying to milk my cock for everything it had. My vision blurred and the overwhelming urge to bite her hit me.

I had knotted omegas before—I wasn’t new to that—but never had I felt such an overwhelming urge to sink my teeth into them.

Bethany was dangerous, but as my cock expanded, I had to exert considerable effort to avoid biting her. I couldn’t do that. It would be cruel and taking advantage. Bonding was something to be discussed together and mutually agreed upon.

Then again, if we were bonded, she couldn’t leave.

My logic was screwed up. Yes, I had been abandoned before by Joey’s mother, and the idea of biting Bethany so she couldn’t leave us definitely held its appeal, but that would be unfair to her. I was an asshole. I wasn’t a monster.

Shaking the thought out of my mind, I opted to focus on the omega currently locked on my knot.

Her pupils were blown as she looked up at me in amazement. Some of the haze was clearing from her vision, and her breathing was becoming more even.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” I asked gently.

“A-a little clearer,” she muttered.

Well, she wasn’t running and screaming for the hills. So that was a good thing.

“How are you feeling about what’s happening right now? Do you want us to take you home?”

Her gaze turned from confusion to anger. “Do you want me to leave?”

I thrust my hips forward. Even though she was already locked on my knot, I could still nudge it slightly deeper inside her. Her walls clamped down and her eyes rolled into the back of her head for a moment at the sensation.

“Motherfucker!” she hissed, making me chuckle.

“If I have it my way, you’re not going anywhere. But you weren’t exactly lucid when we started this conversation, and now that you’re having a moment of clarity, we’re going to discuss it.”

Bethany bit her lip. “Look, I didn’t intend to jump your bones, but it hurts a lot, and I don’t like the idea of going home and dealing with that pain on my own.”

“Then don’t,” I said simply.

“This changes nothing, though,” she said, nodding more to herself than to me.

I said nothing.

No way were we going to support her through a heat and not have it change everything. There was no point in saying that and stressing her out, though. She was already in a vulnerable position.

“Are you in any pain?”

She shook her head. “No, the cramps have stopped. It’s still there, but it’s not painful, if you know what I mean?”

I nodded. “Sounds about right. Usually at the start, there are moments of lucidity and less pain before it really amps up.”

Her eyes widened. “It’s going to get worse?”

Gently, I brushed a wayward strand of hair away from her face, looking her in the eye as I spoke. “I don’t know. To be fair, that first wave seemed pretty intense. They may all be like that. They may be less; they may be more.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “It’s very bizarre that you know more about heats than I do. Don’t get me wrong—I know the mechanics, I know what happens, and I’ve heard my friends talk about them—but I hadn’t really thought about the sticky logistics.”

I chuckled. “Just wait until you’re three days in and you refuse to shower.”

“Nope.” She grimaced. “I refuse. I will be showering.”

“It’s kind of hard to shower when you’re locked on a knot,” I pointed out.

She huffed. “I know how knots work. I’m new to heats, Gideon, not to the concept of knotting,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Who?” I growled, my grip on her ass tightening, making her wiggle against my knot.

“That’s not important,” she muttered, kissing along my shoulder.

“I beg to differ.”

“Would you rather keep fucking me or discuss my past endeavors?” she asked snarkily.

Brat.

“I can do both,” I assured her, grinding my knot into her, making her moan.

She kissed my neck, panting breathlessly, basking in the afterglow.

The reprieve wouldn’t last long, but fuck, I was going to enjoy it.

Chapter 21

Cullen

Jensen:

Bethany went into surprise heat. It looks like we are going to be helping her through it. Get your ass home!

When the text came through, I stared at my phone for a moment. We were in the middle of dinner service, and I was trying to figure out what the text meant. It seemed inconceivable that Bethany would be going into heat at our house. So, even though the message was right there in front of me, it took a second for my brain to catch up.

Then I was out of the restaurant so damn fast, I must have broken several speed limits on the way home.

Sweet, crisp apple saturated the entire house. It wasn’t the normal amount that was present whenever Bethany was around. It was more intense, thick, and so much sweeter.

It was the smell of an omega in heat.

“Hey,” Jensen greeted me with a tight smile. He and Joey were sitting at the kitchen island, doing her homework.

“Hey…”

“Daddy!” My daughter launched herself at me, wrapping me up in a hug.

“Hello, kiddo! You working hard?” I asked.

She nodded, pouting slightly. “I don’t like math.”

As much as I enjoyed every moment with my daughter, I was wondering what the hell was going on upstairs.

“I’m about to help Little Miss into bed,” Jensen said, his voice measured. “Why don’t you see what Gid is up to?”

My eyebrows rose. He was hiding it well from our daughter, but I could tell the fucker was jealous.

I said my good nights to Joey and gave one last parting grin to Jensen before I made my way up the stairs. With each step, the smell of sweet apple only intensified.

Without bothering to knock, I waltzed into Gideon’s room. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what room they were in. I simply followed my nose.

Gideon was lying back on his bed, a very naked, sleeping Bethany curled up on his chest. Covered only by the sheet that was thrown over the two of them, it dipped low, showing the smooth expanse of her back.

My mouth went dry at the sight. Pressed up against my pack mate, she was snoring lightly as he ran a hand through her hair.

“The first wave ended pretty quickly. She needs to rest as much as she can before it really hits,” Gideon whispered, looking down at her. “We are in no way prepared for this.”

We weren’t, but we were going to have to make it work.

“I’ll text the restaurant and get them to drop off food for us so there’s plenty of snacks for her. We will have to swap out to make sure someone’s with Joey at all times. Jensen’s going to put her to bed soon, but then I have no doubt he’ll be up here.”

Gideon chuckled. “Poor fucker is probably losing his mind, being patient.”

Oh, undoubtedly. I knew I would be climbing the walls if I had to wait like he was. We were fathers first and foremost, though, so Joey had to be our priority. Thankfully, with Jensen taking the first shift, it meant that I could move my attention to the stunning blonde omega curled up on my pack mate’s chest.

“I’m going to hop in your shower and wash off the restaurant funk, okay?” I could have gone back to my own room to my own shower, but I didn’t want to be too far away from Bethany.

Internally, I was warring with myself. I wanted to help Bethany if she wanted me to help her, but we hadn’t exactly had the best relationship up until now. I had been awful to her when I was frustrated at my own lack of restraint. She had slapped me, rightfully so, and called me names, and I had accosted her.

“Yeah, go for it.”

“You sure she wants me here?” I asked softly, voicing the thought that was plaguing me.

Gideon nodded. “Yeah, when she had a moment of lucidity, we spoke, and she’s all in. All three of us.”

I exhaled, pleased with Gideon’s answer, but also surprised.

With a final nod, I hauled myself into the shower, making sure to wash myself thoroughly. The last thing I wanted to do was get the restaurant stink all over Bethany. It was hardly an appealing smell. I wanted her to enjoy my scent, not that of the back of house.

I was halfway through washing my hair when the shower curtain was pulled back and a very sleepy-looking Bethany stood there, wearing a T-shirt that clearly belonged to one of us because it was giant on her.

“Hey,” she whispered, her eyes raking over me.

“You escaped Gideon?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“I’m here,” my pack mate said from the doorway.

I should have known he wouldn’t let her out of his sight.

Bethany cocked her head to the side, taking me in. I wasn’t shy; I knew I looked good, and her appreciation only served to inflate my ego further.

Was she waiting for me to get out?

Just as I was about to reach for the dial to turn the shower off, she hopped right in, plastering herself to me, T-shirt still on.

“Oh, hello.” I smiled, wrapping my arms around her as she pressed her nose into my neck. “Do I smell good?”

“She’s having a spike. She needs a knot right now, and mine is still recovering,” Gideon explained.

She hummed in agreement, her hands running over my body as she did. Naturally, I was already hard as a rock and ready to go. Simply having her in the shower, even covered in a shirt, was like a fucking wet dream. Her perfume permeated the shower as slick started to run down her thighs.

Thankfully, we were in a shower.

“What do you want?”

“Knot,” she said simply.

“Here or bed?”

She frowned for a moment. “Here. Then nest.”

I glanced at Gideon, whose eyes were widening. We hadn’t thought about a nest. Omegas needed a nest, especially when they were in heat. It was how they felt secure and comfortable.

“Turn around,” I ordered, smiling when she did as I commanded, sticking her butt out pointedly.

Lifting the damp T-shirt, I took a moment to enjoy the sight of her pert ass. How many times had I appreciated it in those tight leggings she skated in? Too many to count.

“Hands on the wall, omega,” I growled as my lips found her back, sucking on the skin there. Fuck, I wanted to bite her, but for now, I was going to make do with leaving my marks all over her body.

It wasn’t hard to line myself up; she was displaying her perfect ass just right so I could slide in.

“Yes! Fuck!” she cursed as I slid to the hilt.

My legs trembled with the intensity of her walls wrapped around me. She was fucking phenomenal. The warm wetness strangling my cock was all I could think about. I wanted to be gentle, but the moment her slick touched my cock, it was like I was right back in the hallway of the restaurant with her pinned up against the wall, everything in me screaming that I needed to claim, to fuck, to own her.

Except, this time, the audience was my pack mate, and she was wet, willing, and ready. I had fucking died and gone to heaven.

“How is this pussy so fucking perfect?” I muttered, nipping at her neck as I started to thrust. “Is this what you wanted, to be fucked up against a shower wall by a nice big alpha knot?”

“Yes!” She nodded, but her movement was somewhat restricted due to the way I was now pressing my weight into her back.

“Good girl. I’m going to use this beautiful pussy again and again over the next few days. I’ll fill you with knots and cum at every opportunity. You’ll be feeling our knots for days, carrying our scent.”

I could tell that my words were hitting home because, with every thrust, her pussy wept more delicious-smelling slick.

“More, please, more,” she babbled, her hands scrabbling for purchase on the cool tile wall as she shoved her ass back, meeting me thrust for thrust.

“You’ll get what I give you,” I growled, nipping at her shoulder, making her legs tremble. “This is just the start. This pretty pussy is going to be so well used by every single one of us that—fuck.”

She screamed so loudly that one of my hands had to snap over her mouth to avoid her alerting Joey as she came almost violently. All the blood flow to my cock was restricted as her walls pulsed around me.

“That’s it. Come all over my cock. Cover me in your slick, omega,” I rumbled, pressing her harder into the tile. My vision tunneled, and I forgot where we were, who was watching, and everything else to do with my surroundings. My knot started to expand, filling her to the brim, stretching those perfect walls around me.

My head swam and my body moved of its own accord, pressing deeper into her.

There was only Bethany.

Taking my knot like a fucking angel.

Coming again.

And again.

I had no idea orgasms could last so long. Bethany drained every last drop from me and left me feeling like a happy, exhausted, wrung-out husk.

That was only the first time knotting her.

There were going to be many more while she was in heat.

“Fuck,” she mumbled sleepily as we came down from the high.

I wrapped my arms around her waist, keeping her standing, since her legs were trembling almost violently. I was shocked I was able to hold us up because my own legs were feeling less than stable.

Even though I was utterly drained, I couldn’t resist touching her, kissing her neck, inhaling lungfuls of her sweet apple scent as we slowly returned to earth.

We stood like that together for almost twenty minutes, enjoying the closeness. Her forehead was pressed against the tile, her breathing returning to normal.

When I finally pulled out with a groan, she whimpered at the loss.

“Again?” she asked softly, making me chuckle. Even exhausted, she still wanted more.

“Soon,” I assured her. “How about we get dry, put on our clothes, and go to bed? Then, once you’ve rested, you can nest.”

Turning to me with a sweet smile, she nodded, letting me guide her out of the shower, where Gideon was waiting with a fluffy towel to dry the soggy omega.

I didn’t get such treatment—I had to dry myself.

Then again, I was nowhere near as cute as Bethany.

Even while we were getting her dressed, she clung to us, sticking her face in our chests and being clingy.

I secretly loved it.

Climbing into bed, Bethany made a happy little chirping noise as she nestled herself between us.

The door to the bedroom opened, and Jensen padded in, smiling at the sight of us in a cuddle puddle as Bethany caught her breath.

He grinned. “It smells like someone’s having fun in here.”

Bethany’s head popped up as she looked at Jensen hopefully. “Alpha,” she whined in that sweet voice that made my cock stand to attention.

“Hey, pretty girl,” he cooed as she crawled over to him, meeting her at the edge of the bed. “How are you feeling?”

She pouted. “Icky.”

“What can I do to make it better?” he asked, leaning in and placing a painfully soft kiss on her lips.

“Knot?” she asked hopefully, making me chuckle. She was working through us fast.

“I got the impression that you’ve received a couple of knots in the last hour.” He smirked.

“More.” She smiled sweetly, pawing at his shirt.

“For you? Anything.”

Chapter 22

Jensen

“No, I need that one!” Bethany whined as she reached for the blanket Cullen was holding.

Her heat was ramping up, and now she was completely in the nesting phase. One moment, she was being all sweet and cuddly with us, and the next, she was pacing around the room, moving the blankets, moving us, and insisting that nothing was right.

Her eyes looked downright wild as she scoped out what we had available. She was naked, covered in sweat and cum, as she took control of the room.

We had grabbed various blankets and pillows from around the house. Thankfully, Joey was asleep, and we didn’t disturb her, as it was the middle of the night.

It wasn’t ideal. If we had more time, we would have purchased more nesting supplies so she could make her space exactly how she wanted it for her heat. Nests were highly personal for omegas and needed to be just right.

For about half an hour, she painfully arranged every blanket, pillow, and item of clothing in a semicircle around the bed at the very edge, making a little bird’s nest. We simply stood back and watched, handing her items when she requested them. Sometimes, ascertaining what her request was could be difficult because she would just hold her hand and make a grunting noise without explaining what items she wanted.

Any time we tried to help, she would growl at us. It wasn’t a threatening sound—she was as vicious as a newborn kitten—but we didn’t want to upset her, so we simply watched her build the nest, her smile slowly getting wider and wider the more pleased with her work she became.

Eventually, she sat in the middle of the nest with her legs crossed, sitting up straight, beaming at us.

“Nest!” she declared proudly.

“A very beautiful nest,” Gideon agreed, leaning forward to claim her lips in a bruising kiss.

“Can we join you in your nest?” I asked, wanting permission.

When she beamed at me and nodded, we didn’t hesitate. We had been waiting patiently for what felt like ages.

As soon as I was lying down, Bethany pounced on me, her lips exploring my neck, my chest, sinking lower.

When she took my cock into her mouth, I nearly jumped out of my skin with how good it felt. We had done away with clothes a while ago. It wasn’t worth even trying while she was in heat—unless she wanted to be coated in more of our scent, then wearing one of our shirts could help.

“Looks like someone is hungry.” Cullen chuckled as he joined us in the nest.

“She probably needs to eat again soon,” Gideon said.

“Knot!” the cranky omega shrieked.

“No,” Gideon growled. “Not until you finish your sandwich.”

Cullen was sitting back on the bed with a very wriggly, very grumpy omega sitting on his cock. She was close, ready to be knotted, but Gideon was more concerned with getting her to eat.

It was a rather amusing battle of wills to watch. Bethany was solely focused on getting her knots, but Gideon was concerned with her overall health and well-being.

Turned out, they were both rather stubborn.

“Just take a few bites and you can have my knot.”

“Knot first.” Bethany pouted, the fire in her gaze dimming as tears gathered in her eyes.

Cullen and I shared a glance, biting back our laughs. Even though he was determined to succeed, Gideon was a sucker for tears.

“Just eat the sandwich, omega. Then we can all knot you,” I told her, my tone coaxing.

“All of you?” she asked softly.

“All of us,” Cullen confirmed.

The tears stopped, and her face hardened. Snatching the sandwich out of Gideon’s hand, she shoved it unceremoniously into her mouth.

Even though she was being stubborn and abrasive, it was the cutest thing I’d ever seen. There was something about Bethany that, even when she was trying to annoy us, I found her ridiculously alluring.

By the time we were two days in, Bethany was well and truly lost in the haze of her heat. Between trying to meet Bethany’s needs and regularly checking on Joey, switching who was looking after her, we were exhausted. What little sleep we were getting was frequently interrupted.

Thankfully, on the second day, Gideon had organized for Joey to go to a sleepover with several of her friends so we could have the next day or two to try to recover.

We had experienced heats before, but maybe we were officially old men, because Bethany was draining us dry. Well, she could drain me dry, and I would be a happy husk.

After Gideon knotted her, she had climbed off him and gone after her next knot without any recovery time. Cullen was her next target. As he lounged on the bed, she took his cock into her throat, humming happily as she did so.

The movement meant her ass was sticking up in the air, displayed like a fucking piece of art. Gideon was still recovering from the last time he knotted her, and Cullen’s cock was buried in her mouth.

Which meant it was my turn to have a little fun.

Knee-walking across the nest to where she was presenting herself, I ran my hands over her rear, enjoying the silky-smooth skin.

She wiggled her hips, a silent invitation, as her mouth was otherwise occupied.

The head of my cock pressed against her folds and my balls tightened, like they were preparing for the sheer volume of cum they were about to produce.

Bethany was eager, pushing her hips back farther when I didn’t immediately thrust forward, opting to savor the moment.

Tutting, I grabbed her hips, holding her in place for a few seconds before lightly slapping her ass. Judging by the slick that flooded her pussy, she liked that a lot.

I chuckled. “You’ll get my cock when I am good and ready.”

Her mouth was busy swallowing Cullen’s length repeatedly; otherwise I was sure those pouty lips would be sassing me.

I was having the time of my life. Her attitude wasn’t annoying or grating, like Bella’s had been. Bethany just followed her emotions; there was no ulterior motive, and she was utterly herself.

It was pure and so fucking joyous.

Maybe it was the copious orgasms talking, but I was pretty sure I was falling head over heels in love with Bethany Wells.

Now we just needed to convince her of that, because as a pack, we had been somewhat gruff and grumbly until now. Well, I had been a ray of sunshine; my pack mates, not so much.

But first, knots.

Having made her wait, I took pity on her and surged forward, a strangled moan escaping my throat as I did so. I would never get tired of the feel of her pussy.

“Holy fuck,” I groaned.

Cullen chuckled, his hand fisted in Bethany’s hair. “She feels fucking glorious, doesn’t she?”

“We need to quit our jobs and do this all day,” I said as the tip of my cock brushed against her G-spot, making her writhe and moan with a mouthful of Cullen’s cock.

“I think she likes the sound of that.”

“Do you?” I asked, leaning forward slightly as I set a slow, measured pace, enjoying every second of her pussy swallowing my cock. “Do you want us to quit our jobs and spend all our days knotting you again and again?”

“I think you overestimate our stamina,” Gideon said. “This should be a one-time thing.”

One-time thing? Did he really think he could walk away after this?

My pack mate was deluding himself.

Bethany reared up on her knees, Cullen’s cock falling from her lips. She ignored his grumble of protest as she glowered at Gideon.

“Mine!” she growled, leveling him with a furious look.

His eyes widened as his mouth opened and closed, lost for words.

The new angle somehow made my cock hit deeper, and though my thrusts were shorter, her walls got that much tighter. My head swam. “You suggested that this won’t continue to the very horny, deep-in-heat omega, dumbass.”

“Bella never…”

Bethany stilled.

“Shut up!” Cullen growled as I pulled her closer to me, pausing my movements to nibble on her neck.

“Don’t worry, omega. You’re all ours. There’s no one else. You’re the only omega who gets to take our knot.”

“Mine…” She pouted.

“Yes, yours,” I assured her. “Now, why don’t you take care of Cullen, and once you’ve done that, maybe I’ll knot this pretty, slick pussy?” I said, pushing forward and reminding her what we had been in the middle of.

Gideon had the good sense to look repentant, having made the cardinal mistake of not only mentioning an end to the knots, but also mentioning another omega while in Bethany’s nest.

Thankfully, as soon as my knot was pressing against her entrance, everything was forgotten. As I thrust one final time, sweat broke out on my brow while my knot rapidly expanded. It had already been growing when I pushed forward, so she was howling in pleasure as I pressed on, stretching her walls to capacity. She sucked on Cullen’s knot as he came, covering her neck with his release, marking her skin with his scent.

We collapsed into a puddle, a happy, satiated puddle. My legs were tingling with exertion, and my head was fuzzy from the sheer force of my release.

“I think you drained me dry.” I chuckled, kissing her shoulder.

“Fucking sorcery, that’s what that mouth is,” Cullen agreed, making the omega beam at him.

When she wiggled herself sleepily off my knot moments later, reaching for Gideon, he had no complaints. Pulling her into his arms, he flipped them so he was hovering over her, kissing her slowly, taking his time.

After a few minutes, he flipped her again, not even letting her get to her knees before he was balls-deep in her again. Gideon was a man possessed. He had knotted her more than any of us, but he was raring to go again.

The nest smelled like a messy mix of all our scents—tart apple being the most potent, thanks to Bethany’s slick.

Pinning her hands down in his, he snapped his hips, his movements brutal, powerful. “Take my cock like a good girl. This sweet pussy is mine now, and I am going to enjoy… every… fucking… minute I spend inside you.” He punctuated each word with a thrust, her body bowing into him every time.

If it wasn’t for the look of unadulterated bliss on her face and the scent of her perfume rolling off her in waves, I might have been concerned for her. Gideon was fucking her like a feral animal, and she was loving every minute of it. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, the nest filling with the sound of wet thrusts. The blankets were drenched in slick and cum, but cleaning that was a later issue.

For now, I was enjoying watching them. We had seen one another fucking during heats with Bella—it was impossible not to—but there had been no enjoyment in it. Watching Bethany get fucked deeper and deeper into the mattress, desperately shoving her ass back and begging for more, was a euphoric sight.

Her hands fisted in the blankets in front of her as Gideon leaned down, nipping at her shoulder, making her mewl in pleasure.

It had only been a few minutes since my knot had deflated enough to release her, but already, my blood was rushing back to my cock while watching Bethany come again and again and still beg for more.

“Come for me, my omega. Come on my knot, and don’t you dare be quiet. Otherwise, I’ll fuck you repeatedly until you’re hoarse from screaming my name.”

I wasn’t sure if that was a threat or a promise, but I don’t think Bethany minded that one bit.

Tremors overtook her body as she screamed, Gideon sucking on her neck as she came.

And fuck, did she come.

Gideon came himself with a low groan, thrusting so deeply she must have felt his knot in her stomach. Her screams of pleasure only increased.

Sweaty, panting, and utterly fucking stunning, she grinned up at me as her eyes sparkled.

“Feeling good, pretty omega?” I asked.

She nodded dopily. “Cuddles?”

Chapter 23

Beth

“You should be resting!” Jensen said as I padded downstairs.

“I’ve been in bed for days. If I don’t get up soon and move, I’m going to lose my mind. Don’t you guys need to get to work? How much time did you take off?” I asked pointedly.

Jensen grimaced. “A few days, but we’ll be fine.”

After my heat had broken, we spent a day napping, eating, and recovering, and now I was ready to move around again. I had ignored my life for too long.

Knotting was something else. I had snarked at the guys that I wasn’t new to it, but what I failed to admit is, I had only experienced knotting via a knotting dildo. The real thing was far more intense… not that I was complaining.

“It’s Saturday. Joey and I can do her homework and eat a bunch of junk food while you guys go to work. We’re not going to leave the house or do anything too strenuous, so you don’t have to worry about me.”

Jensen paused for a moment, his eyes piercing as he looked me over. “Are you sure? I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone so soon after a heat.” He wrapped an arm around me, kissing the top of my head.

“Honestly, I feel great. If Cullen brings me any more food, I may throw him out a window. He’s feeding me like I’m a linebacker and not an omega.”

A chuckle escaped Jensen’s chest. “It’s how he shows he cares.”

Did he care? Given everything that had happened between us, I wasn’t quite sure where we stood. We bickered and we fucked. There were moments when there was a soft understanding between the four of us, and there were moments when I wanted to strangle them.

The front door clattered open as Gideon and Joey came home, the exuberant child running up to me with a big hug. “Bethany!” she cried excitedly. “I went to the grocery store with my dad, and we got all of the cookies.”

“Hey! Good job!” I said, hugging her back.

Gideon shook his head with a smile as he took off his jacket. “She managed to get three types of cookies. That’s all.”

“Three types?” I asked, looking between the pair of them. “I don’t know how you convinced him, but I’m impressed.”

Joey beamed at me. “I told him you like all those kinds of cookies.”

Gideon looked away, the tips of his ears turning pink.

“Thank you,” I whispered as Jensen pulled me tighter to him.

“Have you told her about Friday yet?” Gideon asked, looking over my head to Jensen, his momentary embarrassment forgotten.

“Friday?” I asked, looking between the two alphas.

“We’re taking you out on a date,” Jensen said, his grip on me never lessening.

“A date?” I asked, confused. When had I agreed to a date?

“Yeah,” Gideon said, striding toward me and pulling me into his arms, acting like it was the most natural thing in the world. I had expected everything to go back to normal as soon as I recovered from the heat… but they were still very touchy and warm toward me.

I liked it more than I dared admit.

“Like a date, date?”

They both nodded. “Like a date, date.”

Jensen cleared his throat. “Also, Bethany is insisting we all go catch up on work while she and Joey hang out today.”

“It was all part of my master plan to get cookies.” I grinned.

Both alphas looked me over, their expressions discerning.

“Are you sure?” Gideon asked.

“Yes!” I cried, rolling my eyes. “I’ve already said that to Jensen. Now, the pair of you need to get to work. I assume Cullen is already there?”

Gideon nodded. “Text me every hour.”

“Yes, sir!” I laughed, playfully saluting him before turning to Joey. “First one to the den gets to pick the movie!” I shouted, ending the conversation with the bossy, sexy alphas.

My brain was running a mile a minute. Was I officially dating these alphas now, or were we going to go back to normal? Could we even go back to normal now that I knew how delightfully each of them could fuck me?

“Hey, Beth?” Joey asked as she played with her pasta, not looking me in the eye. I had reheated some of the restaurant food for us, quick and easy, and it even contained the odd vegetable.

“Yeah?”

“Would you come to my school in a few months for a thing?” Her shoulders were hunched, like asking made her anxious, even though I had no idea why.

But if it was important enough for her to ask, then I would go.

“Of course I will! What is it?”

“The school Thanksgiving festival. All the moms come and help man the booths.”

“I would love to come, but why don’t you ask your dads?” I asked, frowning slightly. While I liked that she was trusting me, I was more concerned with why she was bringing this to me instead of to her dads.

Also, what school started planning the fall festival in August?

Apparently, fancy private schools like the one Joey attended.

“That’s because I didn’t tell them about it.”

That raised a few alarms. I stopped messing with the dishes and turned to Joey, giving her my full attention. “Talk to me, kiddo—why didn’t you tell them? Your dads love going to your school things.”

Joey suddenly became very interested in her pasta. “Because it’s all moms going. I don’t have a mom, but you’re always around and really nice, so I thought you could come.” She shrugged. “The teacher made it clear it wasn’t a thing for dads…”

I paused, my heart breaking for Joey. My reaction was to immediately agree, even though a small part of me worried that I would be stepping on her fathers’ toes. “Hey, I would love to come.”

“Really?” Her eyes brightened as she sat up straighter.

I nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll check with your dads. If they’re okay with it, I’ll be there! I remember those events at school. They sucked.”

“Who went with you?”

“No one. I was usually alone.”

Joey’s face dropped. “That’s not good.”

“It wasn’t. Now, eat your pasta, or no cookies.”

Joey groaned playfully but picked up her fork and started eating.

Gideon was the first to make it home. Joey was upstairs, trying to find her books, when I found him in the kitchen. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close to him for a moment, burying his nose in my hair.

“Hey,” I greeted him with a tight smile, nerves coiling in my stomach. “Can I have a word with you for a moment about Joey?”

The alpha tensed, his face going from placid to tense. “Is everything okay?”

“It is!” I assured him. “It’s just…Well, today, Joey asked me to go to an event at her school, and I agreed. I should have asked you guys first, but I just felt for her and blurted out the words before I thought about them!”

“What event?”

“It sounds like the mothers come into the school and help set up a little carnival for the kids.”

Gideon frowned. “She asked you to go? We usually go to those things.”

I took a deep breath. “I think it’s moms only…”

“You’re not her mom—why would you agree to go to that?” His voice was sharp, and I couldn’t help but wince.

“I know I’m not, but the moment she asked me, all I could think about was how many times my school did mom-and-daughter events and I was all alone. It sucked, Gideon. I was always on the sidelines, and every time it happened, I felt terrible. I know I’m not Joey’s mom, but I care about her, and if I can help her feel a little less alone, then I would happily do it!”

“She really asked?” Gideon’s posture was still tense. I desperately wanted to know what was running through his mind.

I nodded. “I should have asked you first, I know. My heart just broke for her, remembering my own childhood. Even though you guys are far more involved in her life than my fathers ever were.”

“You don’t talk about your family much…Was it really that bad, being raised by just fathers?”

The vulnerability in his voice was palpable. He wasn’t asking about me; he was asking out of concern for his own daughter.

I cocked my head to the side, thinking for a moment before speaking. “Yes and no. On the one hand, I certainly missed my mother, and she left a gaping hole in my life. Never having anyone to go shopping with or to teach me to do my hair or nails wasn’t fun.”

His brows knitted together. “I hate that you had to experience that. You deserved better. Do you see your family much now?”

I scrunched my nose. “I honestly want to avoid them. I only go back out of obligation. That won’t be the case for your family, though. My fathers never made an effort. Cullen learned to braid hair better than most for Joey, and I saw the wardrobe full of princess dresses from when she was a toddler.”

“We’ve done our best.”

“And Joey is a fantastic little girl,” I assured him.

“But we’re failing if she doesn’t feel like she can ask us to these events.”

I shook my head. “No, speaking from experience, it’s not like that at all. Joey thinks you guys hung the moon, rightfully so. You are some of the most attentive fathers I’ve ever met, but these school events…frankly, they suck, and little kids suck. Joey didn’t ask me because she would rather have me there over any of you guys. It’s simply because I have a pair of tits, and the other kids would tease her if she brought a dad.”

Gideon’s eyes widened. “They would tease her?”

I nodded sheepishly. “Yeah, children are seriously assholes.”

“Did children tease you?”

“Tons.”

“How do we stop that from happening?”

I took a deep breath. I wanted more than anything to advocate for Joey, having been in her position, but I also didn’t want to insert myself where I wasn’t welcome. “Listen to Joey. See what she feels comfortable with. Yes, she’s still young, but you’ve raised a wonderful child, Gideon.”

He swallowed. “I appreciate you talking to me about it. I’m honestly not sure how I feel. We knew that Joey would need a female influence in her life eventually, but we didn’t want someone to come along who would just vanish out of her life and hurt her more…”

I placed my hand on his arm. “Gideon, look at me. I don’t give a flying rat’s ass about whatever disagreements I have with you three. Everything that happened over the last few days means nothing in this conversation. Even if you fuck me over and I hate you…When it comes to her? I’ll be there as a friend whenever she needs me. I needed that more than anything when I was a child and hated that I never had it. I don’t want to leave here and go back to my family. I keep telling them I will, but every day I realize more and more how much I love it here. So, for as long as Joey needs a friend, I’m here.”

“You really mean that, don’t you?”

“I went to a few too many mother-daughter events alone…That shit is scarring, and I refuse to let that happen to her. I know that may anger you, but I⁠—”

My words were cut off as I was hauled against Gideon, my body pressed against his as he pulled me in for a bone-crushing hug.

“Thank you,” he muttered in a choked whisper, his face buried in my hair.

I giggled. “You’re stuck with me for as long as Joey wants me.”

Chapter 24

Jensen

The whole week dragged by so slowly.

We spent the better part of the week planning the perfect date. An outdoor concert where there would be plenty of food trucks.

There was a little of everything to do, and we had organized for Joey to have a sleepover with her best friend, so we had the entire evening to ourselves.

“Do you think she’ll like it?” I asked as I changed my T-shirt for the tenth time.

“It looks like a really good event. I’m sure we’ll all find something we enjoy,” Gideon said as he stood, leaning against my doorframe.

Glancing at the mirror again, I grimaced. Nothing seemed good enough. “I can’t believe I’m nervous.” I laughed. “It seems silly. I never get like this.”

“We’re all a little anxious. It’s because we really like her. We haven’t pursued someone as a group for years.”

“She’s…fuck, she’s something special,” I muttered. Gideon had told me how Bethany was firm in wanting to be there for Joey, and if anything, that made me even more obsessed with her somehow.

From a distance, the sound of the door opening and closing grabbed our attention.

I grinned at Gideon. “Showtime.”

We both headed downstairs, pausing when we saw the sight in the doorway. Cullen and Bethany were wet—and not the fun kind.

“Shit, is it raining?” I asked. Bethany’s hair fell in soggy tendrils around her face, and her clothing was sticking to her like a second skin, making my cock perk up.

“No, we just decided we wanted a dip in a lake,” Cullen said sarcastically, making Bethany giggle.

“It’s pouring,” she told me, scrunching her nose adorably.

Fuck.

Well, that was going to be a problem.

“Why the long face?” Beth asked. Her eyes widened. “Am I dressed okay?” She looked down at herself as we joined her in the entrance hall. “Sorry I’m drenched. I couldn’t find my umbrella.”

“You look perfect,” Cullen assured her.

And she did. Wearing a pair of strappy, heeled sandals and a pale pink dress with long sleeves that floated around her thighs, she looked incredible. Her blonde hair was braided and pulled back into an updo.

“So, what’s the plan for tonight?” she asked.

We looked at one another, silently communicating.

Gideon was the first to say something. “Well, I think our plans may have just been canceled.”

“Oh no. Why?” Beth said, her face falling.

I couldn’t help it. I burst into laughter. “The plans were to go to an outdoor concert that had food trucks. Outside, as in the open air…”

Beth’s mouth dropped open as she looked back toward the doorway, where we could hear the rain hammering down. “Ah, I can see how that would be a problem.”

“I’m so sorry—I should have thought about this,” Gideon started to say, but Bethany waved him off.

“Don’t apologize. While you are very impressive, Gideon, I don’t think you can control the weather.”

Cullen snorted. “If he could, he would.”

“I don’t doubt that,” I agreed.

Gideon deflated. “We will reschedule. I promise, Bethany.”

She smiled brightly. “There’s no need to reschedule.”

My heart dropped. Was she regretting giving us a chance?

Shit, we needed to fix this.

This was our first official date, which meant we should be spoiling her with flowers, food, and a good time. Bella had been so demanding, and our plans were already pretty casual for us.

Joey’s mother would have been pissed if our plans had fallen through. The temper tantrum was always brutal. Her rage would be felt throughout the house for days. We’d only put up with it because we had a daughter with her. Even though I wanted to avoid that more than anything, I would rather Bethany be angry then give up entirely.

“Bethany…” Cullen started, but she turned to him, still grinning.

“You’ve told me time and time again how good a cook you are. I think it’s time you use some of those skills, and we can utilize that amazing theater room of yours.” She beamed at us. “I may need to towel off first, though,” she said, looking down at her damp clothing.

Perfection. Bethany Wells was utter fucking perfection. She took the canceled plans in stride and even suggested a pretty fucking amazing alternative.

Gideon grinned. “A movie night does sound like a good idea.”

Pulling Bethany into my arms, I kissed the top of her head. “You’re too damn sweet.”

She grinned up at me. “You won’t be saying that when I am demanding all the desserts.”

Bethany padded upstairs to grab a towel and dry herself off to the best of her ability. I followed her while Cullen got to work in the kitchen.

“Do you want a change of clothing?” I asked as I handed her a clean towel from the linen closet in my room.

She chewed her lip thoughtfully. “That may be for the best. My shorts are fine, but my dress is pretty soaked.”

“I’ll grab one of my shirts.”

I would take any excuse to have her wearing my clothing.

I didn’t know why I expected her to disappear into the bathroom to dry herself off, but she started to pull her dress off right then and there in my bedroom.

Noticing my wide eyes, she asked, “Do you want me to go to the bathroom to change?”

“No! Do you want to go into the bathroom and change?”

She snorted delicately. “Jensen, I think you can handle seeing me in a bra after everything we did during my heat. Or am I reading the room wrong?”

Her scent clouded somewhat, and it dawned on me that she was doubting herself. “Oh no, no, no, I very much would like for you to change here. Tonight isn’t just about that, though. We really want to spend time with you.”

A slow smile spread across her face. “Okay,” she whispered, before gripping the hem of her dress and pulling it over her head, leaving her in a pair of tiny black spandex shorts and a matching T-shirt bra.

It wasn’t a particularly sexy set, but on her, it was everything.

Frankly, she could make a potato sack look good.

All too soon, she was tugging one of my T-shirts over her head. It fell to her knees and swamped her, but there was something about her being covered in me that was so pleasing to my inner alpha.

“Well, now I’m hard.” I laughed, running a hand through my hair.

“Sorry.” Beth shrugged, but her expression was far from apologetic.

Minx.

Turning to look in my mirror, she started pulling bobby pins out of her hair. Several strands had already been falling out, thanks to the rain, so she brushed it out with her hands until her golden waves were flowing down her back.

Once she was done, I followed her downstairs. Barefoot and wearing my clothes, she fit in perfectly.

We met in the kitchen, where Cullen was already pan-frying something that smelled delicious.

“Nice outfit.” Gideon smiled, handing her a glass of wine.

She giggled. “I suppose it’s a good thing I’m not wearing a dress anymore, considering the last time I wore one around Cullen, he called me a cheap whore.”

All amusement fled from me when she said those words so casually.

Cullen froze, his eyes wide.

“He did what?” I growled.

Bethany nodded. “At the restaurant. When he interrupted my date? Didn’t you tell them about that?” she asked Cullen.

Gideon looked furious. “Why on earth would you do that?” he growled at our pack mate.

Bethany shrugged. “The dress was a little short.”

Oh dear fucking lord.

In a flash, Cullen was across the kitchen, sweeping her into his arms and depositing her onto the kitchen counter. He stood between her legs, his hands on either side of her, so she was essentially trapped.

“Okay, you and I need to have a conversation about that night,” he said, completely ignoring us. “You didn’t look like a cheap whore. You looked fucking phenomenal. So much so, in fact, that the moment I laid eyes on you, all rational thought left my brain.”

“That would insinuate that you have rational thoughts to begin with,” I murmured.

He ignored me and continued, “You looked so good, and I was trying to be respectful because you work with my daughter. But I realized you were on a date with that lowlife. I couldn’t help myself. I followed you to the bathroom, and before I could even think, I was grabbing you and kissing you. Fuck, the things I wanted to do to you in that dress, Bethany. If I had my way with you, you wouldn’t have been able to use your legs for days.”

Bethany’s mouth was open as she gawked at Cullen, clearly shocked at his tirade. “But…”

“I needed you out of my restaurant fast. Otherwise I would have hiked that little dress up and used my tongue to show you just how much I appreciated it. So, yes, I was an asshat and I very much regret that, but let me reiterate—you looked like sheer perfection, nothing else. Is that clear?”

Bethany nodded while Gideon and I watched in amusement. We would berate Cullen later for his stupidity, but for now, we would leave them be.

“I think your pasta is boiling over,” Bethany whispered.

“Shit!” Cullen hissed, dashing over to the burner, making us all laugh.

Thirty minutes later, we were all settling down in the theater room with several bowls of pasta and a variety of takeout menus.

“How many desserts are too many desserts to order?” Beth asked thoughtfully as she thumbed through a leaflet. I had the remote in hand and was scrolling through the various movies and TV shows available.

“Order as many as you want,” Gideon said, sitting down on the couch next to her. She didn’t even flinch at the proximity.

“There’s got to be a limit. I cannot be allowed free rein on dessert menus,” she insisted.

“Honestly, we can each eat several desserts, easily.” Cullen passed her a fork for her pasta. “Get as many as you want, and I can assure you they won’t go to waste.”

Her eyes widened as she took in the menus. “There’s so much to choose from,” she muttered.

Gideon grinned, shaking his head. Reaching over, he plucked the menu from her hands. “Eat your pasta first,” he said, passing her the bowl.

She glanced down at the dish as he handed it to her, frowning. “What happened to my mac and cheese?” she asked, scrunching her nose.

Cullen smirked. “I added broccoli and chicken. I’m sorry, but there was no way I could serve you a meal with zero protein or veggies.”

He couldn’t help himself; the urge to care for Bethany was overpowering, and Cullen was very firm in his belief that a meal needed to contain protein and veggies to be balanced and healthy. No matter how much he wanted to please her and give her everything she wanted, we still had to look after her.

“Okay, I can accept the broccoli. Broccoli and cheese are a nice combination, but chicken? Really?” Her little nose scrunch was adorable.

“It’s good for you,” Gideon said.

She turned to him, sticking out her tongue before snatching up her fork and taking a bite. “It’s delicious,” she admitted, chewing slowly. “Even if you did desecrate it with extras.”

I had to put a hand over my mouth to stop myself from laughing loudly. The look of righteous indignation on her face nearly sent me over the edge.

“Hush and pick what you want to watch,” Gideon said.

I never thought such a simple date night could be so perfect.

We insisted that Bethany pick the TV show, and in protest, she had chosen a trashy reality TV show. It was pretty obvious she expected us to object, but when I had excitedly put on the show, beaming at her as I pulled her in for a hug, she had simply stared at me in abject horror.

None of us really relished the idea of watching a reality show, especially not the trashy dating ones, but twenty minutes into the first episode, we were hooked.

“But that guy isn’t her type on paper,” I whispered as two of the contestants chatted.

Cullen hummed thoughtfully. “I’m not so sure. Big knots are everyone’s type.”

“You would know.” Bethany snorted lightly. She was nestled into my side, her head resting on my chest. As soon as she settled, Gideon had picked up her feet and placed them on his lap, his hand resting on her leg, always keeping her within reach.

Cullen was on the other sofa, watching us enviously.

When the third episode finished, we all glanced at one another.

“We have to keep watching,” I whispered.

Bethany bit her lip. “Just a few more minutes, maybe? They left it on a cliffhanger!”

Gideon grinned. “Whatever you want, sweetheart.”

She grinned at him. “Perfect, but first, I need a pee break!” she declared and extracted herself from our grasp.

“The dessert should be here any minute as well, so that’s perfect timing,” I said.

When she came back from doing her business, Cullen pounced, grabbing her lightly around the waist and dragging her onto his sofa. “My turn!”

Bethany glared at him playfully but settled into his arms without argument.

Chapter 25

Beth

Four weeks later

As I packed my books into my bag, I stopped by the fridge to grab my usual breakfast of yogurt and berries. It felt odd being back in my little home; I was getting so used to the pack house. But I had studying to do, and since Joey was home for a few weeks, the guys had taken more time off. I did occasionally look after her, but it was few and far between. When school had started back up, they had extended their time off a little to help her acclimate to her new grade and teacher.

It was sweet, and I wished my dads had been so caring.

We texted constantly, but I totally understood that, for a week or two, Joey was the priority. It was now late September, though, so I would be back to picking up Joey regularly very soon.

We had both started back at school full-time. Joey returned at the start of September, and my classes started around the same time, even though I had been studying all summer to prepare for my final year and get extra credits, so I’d hardly gotten a break.

The moment the scent of the yogurt hit my nose, my entire body recoiled.

Usually, I didn’t mind it at all, but my nose had been oddly sensitive. My stomach turned violently, and I only had a second to get myself to the bathroom before I was hurling up my guts. I didn’t want to be sick. I had just started my final year of college, and the end was in sight. I had to get a jump on my classes if I had any hope of graduating.

Sitting on the bathroom floor, I pressed my forehead against the cool tile wall.

I didn’t feel sick, my skin wasn’t warm to the touch, and there were none of the telltale symptoms of the flu.

Well, there was always pregnancy.

My body stilled, like ice water had been thrown over my head. Could I be?

Surely not.

I was on birth control.

Which I’d happened to lapse taking while I was sick and staying with Pack Noble.

Shit.

It had been over a month since the heat, and we had gone on a few small dates, but I had been hyperfocused on my schoolwork. Having missed a few key deadlines while in heat, I had been scrambling to catch back up.

Sitting up straighter, I glanced around my bathroom.

It wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.

I needed a test.

Classes forgotten, I climbed to my feet, making a beeline for my bag. There was a nice grocery store about twenty minutes away from my dorm, and they would undoubtedly stock the fancy digital tests—the ones that let you know in clear, bold writing if you were pregnant or not.

Grabbing my wallet, I hurried out the door, now a woman on a mission.

Why on earth were there so many varieties of pregnancy tests?

Grabbing a few boxes, I started reading. Turned out, a few of them were ovulation tests.

Once I had a digital one in hand, I pulled out my phone, snapping a picture.

Bethany:

Look, don’t freak out, but I need an opinion and I’m losing my mind.

My best friend replied instantly.

Kennedy:

Shoot!

Bethany:

*image*

Bethany:

Is this a decent test, like a digital one that’s clear?

Kennedy:

BETHANY!

Kennedy:

Oh fuck, yes, it is!

Kennedy:

You think???

Bethany:

There is a *small* chance. I just want to be sure.

Kennedy:

Okay, that is the kind you need. You want to come here and take the test? I can be your emotional support mom friend.

I chuckled lightly. Part of me was tempted to take her up on her offer, but I was probably overreacting and being silly. The chance of me being pregnant seemed so minimal.

Bethany:

I’m okay. It’ll be negative. I just need to check.

Kennedy:

If I don’t have a message with your results within an hour, I will be hunting you down.

Bethany:

I don’t doubt it.

With a sigh, I tossed the test into my basket, pausing before throwing in a second in for good measure.

My next stop was the ice cream section, because it felt like a rocky road kind of day.

Finding my sweet treat of choice, I opened the freezer and leaned in to grab the carton of delicious ice cream that was, sadly, all the way at the back.

“Bethany?”

That rich voice, so familiar.

Turning, I resisted the urge to grimace when Gideon’s warm face came into view.

“Hi…” I trailed off lamely.

“You haven’t been by the house in a while. Joey’s been pouting all over the place.” As he spoke, he wrapped an arm around my waist, kissing the top of my head in a move that made my insides mushy.

“I’m sorry—I’ve just been trying to catch up after my surprise week off. I know you guys have been busy with Joey starting the new school year.”

Gideon nodded. “That makes sense, but you know you’re welcome. I…” He trailed off, his gaze locked on my shopping basket.

Where the pregnancy test just so happened to sit, like a big glowing beacon, screaming this omega is totally knocked up.

“Bethany?” he asked, his voice dangerously low.

“I, uh…I need to get going. It was nice seeing you,” I said, injecting my voice with lots of fake cheer as I went to turn away and make a beeline to the checkout.

A hand wrapped around my wrist, turning me back and halting me in my tracks.

Gideon didn’t look happy, not at all.

“Are you pregnant?” he asked in a low voice.

“I don’t know! That’s why I got the test. I’m probably being silly, but I’ve been sick a few times.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” he asked, his voice low and controlled.

“Because there’s nothing to tell,” I said, attempting to tug my hand out of his grip and failing miserably.

“If you’re taking a pregnancy test, then there is something to tell.”

“No, I’m probably being paranoid.”

Gideon was thoughtful for a moment, taking the basket out of my hand, ignoring my complaints.

“What are you doing? Give me that back!”

He shook his head. “We’re going to go check out, and then we’re going back to the pack house, and you are taking these tests.”

I spluttered, following him as he strode toward the cash registers. He really wanted me to go back to his house to take the tests?

That was ludicrous.

“I can pee on a stick in my own home,” I assured him in an annoyed whisper. I would have shouted, but I didn’t really want to be screaming about peeing on sticks in the middle of a grocery store.

Gideon gave me a firm look, and deep down, I knew that resistance was futile. He had a stubborn set to his jaw that made it clear he was not going to back down.

That’s what I got for going to the fancy grocery store.

Jensen and Cullen were waiting for us the moment we arrived. Thank god it was the middle of the day and Joey would be at school. I hardly spoke to Gideon the entire drive, crossing my arms and glaring at him occasionally to let him know just how displeased I was. My ire seemed to bounce off him as he simply stared forward at the road.

“Is it true?” Jensen asked, rushing forward when he saw me.

I turned to Gideon. “When on earth did you have time to message them?” I asked incredulously.

“I texted them while you were getting in the car.”

Stupid bossy, controlling alpha.

I huffed, turning to them. Jensen had a large grin on his face and Cullen didn’t seem that stressed either.

“Look, I’ve been slightly averse to a few foods recently and thought I would take a test. It’s seriously unlikely that I’m pregnant. Gideon is blowing this so far out of proportion.”

Cullen cocked his head to the side. “No, he did the right thing, bringing you back here. We should be with you if you’re taking a test.”

I leveled him with a glare. “I probably have gas. Or a virus.”

Jensen smirked. “I guess it’s a good thing I’m a doctor, then. If it’s gas, we will stay with you in solidarity while you stink.”

“Look, we have a right to know,” Cullen said.

I shook my head. “It’s not like I was keeping anything from you. I had a slight suspicion, so I decided to take a test in my own bathroom in my own home before I had a conversation with you guys. I didn’t realize I needed permission to pee on a stick.”

“We need to know,” Gideon said.

Huffing, I looked at each of them in turn. “You are stressing yourself out for no reason. The chances that I am actually pregnant are minimal. You should have just let me go home. I would have taken the test, seen that it was negative, and never have bothered you guys, but now you’re getting all worked up!”

“The migraine medicine may have made your birth control useless if it messed with your suppressants…” Jensen trailed off.

The handsome fuck had a point.

“Bathroom. Now,” Gideon said, pushing me toward the stairs.

When he started to follow me into the small bathroom, I turned to him with shock. “You don’t think you’re coming in here with me, do you?”

He nodded, his face hard and set.

In the hallway, Jensen was smirking and Cullen looked like he was about to shit a brick.

“Out!” I growled, snatching the pregnancy tests out of Gideon’s hand and shoving him toward the door.

“But you⁠—”

“Out.” I put every ounce of strength I had behind the word to make it crystal clear I was not going to urinate in front of them.

Gideon didn’t look happy with the prospect, but eventually he stalked out of the room, allowing me to close the door behind him and lock it.

Part of me wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Was this what I got for overreacting, thinking I needed a pregnancy test in the first place?

“Have you taken the test yet?” Jensen asked through the door.

“You know what? Having you three hovering outside the door does not make for easy urination!” I growled.

A chuckle echoed in the hall. Cullen.

It took several tries—I even turned on the faucet to try to encourage my shy bladder—but I was able to pee on the stick while ignoring the three alphas hovering outside the door.

“Okay, I’ve done it. We just need to wait three minutes for the results,” I said, placing the test on the counter before turning on the faucet and washing my hands.

Those three minutes were painfully slow, but once the alarm on my phone beeped, I turned over the test.

Positive.

Oh.

Fuck.

Chapter 26

Gideon

Bethany stared at the test in abject horror.

When she hadn’t answered us for a few moments, we’d barged in—the lock was flimsy and could easily be undone from outside—only to find her staring at the test on the counter. Her face was contorted in shock as she muttered to herself, too quietly for us to hear.

It was obvious she had expected it to be negative. If she had thought there was a serious possibility of her being pregnant, she would have taken the test a lot more seriously.

“B-but what does this mean?” she asked in a small voice.

The lack of confidence, the quiet panic, it tugged on something inside me. I wanted to reach out and pull her into my arms to assure her that everything would be all right. We would take care of her.

My pack and I had been in this situation before, but it hadn’t ended well.

Then again, Bethany was a very different person from Joey’s mother. She wasn’t the kind of omega who would bail on her child. Though, truth be told, we’d thought the same about Bella.

“We’re going to need to get you a doctor’s appointment to see how far along you are,” Jensen said softly.

Bethany’s eyes shot to him. “Well, considering the only time I’ve had sex in the last three years was when I shared my heat with you guys, I think it’s pretty obvious when this happened,” she said, waving the test in the air.

Cullen snorted. “Ignore Dr. Stupid. You do need to make an appointment, though, to make sure everything is okay and to help prepare.”

We were all crowded in the doorway, pressed up against one another. The overwhelming urge to make things right was hitting me, but I had no clue how to do that.

“I had wine,” Bethany whispered in horror, glancing between the test and us. “The other night. Oh god, do you think I’ve hurt them?” she asked in a panicked whisper, her hands drifting to her stomach where our baby was growing.

Our baby.

We were going to be fathers again.

That little plus sign was impossible to ignore.

“A glass of wine won’t cause any problems,” Jensen assured her. “You can ask the OB when you see them.”

“This is impossible. This can’t be real. I don’t know what’s happening. I must be dreaming,” Bethany rambled as she started to pace in the small bathroom.

Internally, I was feeling just as panicked, but I knew I couldn’t let it show. My job now was to make sure that she remained calm and relaxed. Alphas were born to be leaders. Omegas were often the calming force behind them, but Bethany was far from calm; she needed us to be strong for her.

If we all freaked out, it would be a disaster.

“We will figure it out,” I said, gently grabbing her arm, stopping her panicked pacing.

“Figure it out? How are we supposed to figure this out? It’s a baby, Gideon. I went into heat, and now I’m pregnant with my bosses’ baby, because that’s what you guys are. You are my bosses!”

“Actually, we’re dating, and we have been since your heat,” Jensen pointed out.

Bethany huffed, glowering at my pack mate with impressive ire. I was kind of glad I wasn’t on the other end of that look. “I don’t think a few pity dates after an accidental heat really count in this situation, Jensen.”

That made me pause.

Pity dates?

Is that what she thought?

Cullen was the first to react, lurching forward into the small bathroom and cupping Bethany’s face in his hands, refusing to let her look away. “You think those were pity dates?” he asked, voice low and gravelly.

There was no missing the way her body automatically melted into his. Her hands rested on his chest as she leaned into his touch.

“Those were because we wanted to be around you. Yes, you’re fucking stunning and the sex was goddamned mind-blowing, but you, Bethany Wells, are a fucking ray of sunshine in the lives of us three grumpy assholes, and we love having you around.”

Bethany stared at him, her eyes wide and shocked.

“I fully agree with him,” I said. “Those were in no way pity dates, and if you say that again, you won’t be able to sit for a week.”

Her eyes widened at my threat, but the way she bit her lip and her scent intensified, sweetening slightly, made me think she wasn’t that horrified at the idea.

I mentally filed that information away for later.

“I think we all need to sit down, have a drink, and talk,” Jensen said.

“Yes, these conversations are better suited to a couch, not a hallway,” I agreed.

We had a lot to discuss, and a lot of decisions to make.

There were so many things to start planning. I already knew that Bethany would want to keep her baby, and that was entirely her choice. If I was brutally honest, despite the fact that this baby would be a complication, I wanted the child more than anything. Joey had brought unimaginable joy to our lives. Another baby could only be a blessing. The lack of sleep would be brutal—Bella had refused to do any of the night feeds, but spending so many late nights having baby snuggles and bottle feeds had been both exhausting and a joy.

“I am broke as a joke. How am I going to pay for a baby?” Bethany asked, sitting on the couch, her hair a mess from how many times she had run her hands through it. “I can hardly afford to look after myself and pay for classes!”

“You don’t have to pay for anything. That’s what we’re here for,” Cullen said. He and Jensen were opposite her on the other couch, while I was next to her. The scent of her distress was obvious, burned apples. It made my chest itch uncomfortably, but none of us would say a word.

I glared at my pack mate, who looked confused at my ire. “That’s not only what we’re here for, Bethany. We’re here for anything you need. This baby is a sibling to Joey.”

The family finances were managed primarily by me, so when Joey was born, I had created several trusts in her name to make sure she never had to worry about money. She had a college and a mating fund ready to go—though I never intended to tell potential suitors about the mating fund until after she was bonded and settled. Some alphas would take advantage of Joey, and I refused to let that happen.

It was no secret that Bethany wasn’t in the best situation financially, from what little I had gleaned from our conversations. But she had done admirably, funding her way through her education with next to no help from her family.

“Judging by when my heat was, I must be due sometime in May. I can’t have a baby in May. I have finals.”

“You can take them early, or defer them until after the baby’s born,” Jensen said. “High levels of stress are not a good idea while pregnant.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t think high levels of stress are ever a good idea, Jensen.”

My pack mate grinned and shrugged at me. “I don’t know. Sometimes stress can be a very powerful motivator. I’m pretty sure I got through my last year of medical school on stress, caffeine, and sheer spite.”

Bethany ran a hand through her hair. “I can’t afford to defer! I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am.”

“We’ll pay for anything you need,” I assured her.

She shook her head. “I can’t let you do that.”

Considering we were the ones who got her into this predicament, we very much could. It had been Jensen’s fault for not warning her that the medication he gave her for her migraines would cause her suppressants, and perhaps even her birth control, to fail.

“I think we all need to take a breather,” Jensen said. “Bethany, you’re looking a little green.”

He wasn’t wrong. Her face had taken on an unusual pallor.

Cullen vanished for a moment before reappearing with a cup of tea, gently placing it in the omega’s hands. “There’s going to be a lot to discuss, but for now, I think we should all take a breather and let the news sink in.”

“You guys can’t be happy about this,” Bethany said softly.

I cocked my head to the side. “The timing isn’t ideal, but this is a child, and we’ll love them.”

Internally, I was battling my own war. Deep down, I liked that this baby tied Bethany to us; she had been a joy to have around, even when moody. There was still that nagging worry, though, that she would leave, just like Bella had.

Bethany took a deep breath. “I still can’t believe I’m pregnant.”

“Maybe it’s a good idea if you stay at the house a little more. That way, we can help look after you while your pregnancy progresses,” I suggested.

Bethany blanched. “I can’t just give up my dorm room. I’ve been living there for years. It’s my home…Then again, they’re only for single occupancy. They won’t allow me to keep that room once I have a baby. The bigger dorms are more expensive… Once I start blowing up like a balloon, I’m not going to be able to ice skate or teach. Oh god, this is a mess.” Her breathing started to come in ragged pants, and I could see the panic creeping into her expression.

Shit, she was going to have a panic attack if she didn’t calm down.

Scooping her up into my lap, I gently rubbed her back, rocking her back and forth. “Breathe, Bethany. It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”

I let her fall apart in my arms while my pack mates watched, pained expressions on their faces.

Our lives were about to change.

Taking a sip of her tea, Bethany steeled herself before looking between us, her back straightening. After she had cried for twenty minutes, Jensen had insisted on getting her another drink so we could continue our conversation.

I hated how her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed from crying. The omega shouldn’t be crying; we should be doing everything we could to make her happy.

“I want you to tell me about Joey’s mother. Until now, I haven’t really thought it’s my place to ask, but she was the mother of your first child, and I need to know what happened. I’ve heard the rumors from mothers at Joey’s school that you took Joey from her. I don’t exactly believe them, but I need to be sure. Is she alive? Dead?”

Cullen sighed, looking at me. We all knew this conversation was going to have to happen at some point, but we hadn’t thought it would be right after Bethany discovered she was pregnant.

“We’ve got nothing to hide,” Cullen said.

We knew about the rumors, and they weren’t exactly pleasant, but we saw them as an unexpected side effect of the decisions we had made. Our priority had been, and always would be, protecting Joey. Though we could handle a few rumors, I imagined, for Bethany, they were distressing. She must be wondering if we would potentially take away her—our—child.

Jensen nodded. “It’s more embarrassing than anything else,” he admitted, shaking his head. His hands were clenched, resting on his knees. We were all fidgeting.

“Embarrassing?” Bethany asked, her brows furrowing.

“Bella wanted more than we could give her,” I explained.

“How so?” Bethany asked, clutching the cup of tea tightly.

“We met her when we were young, and Joey wasn’t exactly planned, but we were ecstatic when we found out. We had been with Bella for over a year, and we all assumed we would be bonding at some point in the near future. Only, there were cracks in the relationship, and we failed to see them until it was too late.”

Cullen cleared his throat. “She wanted the finest of everything, a full-time staff so she never had to lift a finger, designer everything, and we were happy to provide that…but it was never enough.”

“She left?” Bethany asked, cocking her head to the side, her voice scratchy from tears. “Or did she die?”

“Neither,” I admitted. “By the time Joey was three, Bella was using her as a bargaining chip. She refused to bond with us and threatened to leave with Joey whenever we wouldn’t cave to her demands. We only went along for so long because we were terrified she was going to take our daughter away from us.”

Bethany’s eyes widened as my pack mates grimaced. It was reprehensible, threatening to leave. Threatening to take our child because we didn’t buy her three designer bags one week was downright abhorrent.

“One day, we pissed her off. It was over something stupid—she wanted to go on a vacation with us all, the fifth that year, and she wanted to leave Joey with a nanny. Bella was many things, but she wasn’t maternal in any way. She preferred to leave our daughter in the care of nannies, and we often accepted that because we could tell she didn’t like having a child. We told her that it just wasn’t doable with work the way it was, and Joey had some doctor’s appointments.”

Jensen huffed. “Let’s just say, the bitch didn’t take it well.”

“It’s a long story, but Bella tried to get rid of Joey. She attempted to put her up for adoption at a shady adoption agency without our consent so she could have us to herself.”

Bethany’s mouth opened, but she was clearly lost for words. Her gaze ran around the room as she tried to make sense of what I was saying. She had a conscience, so I knew hearing what Bella had done would be shocking.

“She tried to give her daughter away? Joey?” she asked in disbelief.

I nodded. “Luckily, we found out before she managed to complete her plan, and we put everything in place to protect Joey.”

“And that’s when Bella left?”

I smiled. It wasn’t a friendly smile; it was a sinister one. “No, I realized when she sank to that level, something more serious needed to be done. I made it clear to Bella that she needed to leave and never come back. I cut off her access to all our money—she had been putting off bonding with us, so she had no legal protection in that regard.”

“We also made it clear that, if she didn’t leave immediately and without causing problems, we would spread what she had done around all her social circles and make sure that she was publicly shamed.” Cullen chuckled darkly. “Bella only cared about her social life, nothing else.”

“She left in the dead of the night, and we ensured she could never return. All we wanted was our daughter,” I said. “Rest assured, Bethany, we have no intention of taking a child away from their mother. You’ve been a fantastic influence on Joey, and I have no doubt that you’ll be a good mother.”

A rueful laugh escaped her chest. “You sound more confident in my parenting abilities than I am.”

Jensen moved so he was sitting next to her, taking the hand that wasn’t wrapped around her cup of tea in his. “Hey, you are nothing like Joey’s mother. You are caring and kind and have basic human decency. We’ve all seen you around Joey and all the kids you teach; you’re a natural.”

“Does Bella still have any legal say over Joey?” she asked, looking between us.

“Unfortunately, if she returns, we may have a legal battle on our hands. We have custody, but courts are very favorable to an omega mother. We are prepared for that eventuality, though,” I explained.

Bethany nodded. It warmed my heart that, despite her stress, she was still concerned for Joey.

“Whatever happens now, we are in this together,” I assured her. “We aren’t going anywhere. You aren’t on your own anymore.”

Chapter 27

Beth

After we found out about the baby and I learned all about Joey’s mother, life returned to a semi-normal state.

Well, as normal as it could be while knocked up.

Morning sickness was also part of my new routine. Every morning when I rolled out of bed, I was immediately grabbing my favorite cheese-flavored crackers that were shaped like fish.

The guys quickly picked up on my coping mechanism, and every time I saw them, they had little snack packs of crackers stashed in various places for me in case I got nauseated.

It was adorable, really, that they cared so much.

Every now and again, I found myself watching Joey as she did her homework, played in the den, or cuddled up with her fathers, watching TV. How her mother had been able to just walk away from her blew my mind. I wasn’t even biologically connected to the child, but I knew that walking away would be impossible for me.

I had a couple of hours between classes, so I sat in the library, looking through my meticulously labeled and color-coded planner. I relied heavily on it to keep track of everything, given all my activities.

Pulling up a web page, I started researching the phases of pregnancy and things I needed to know. I marked down when each trimester would end, when I would need to book a sonogram appointment, and even roughly what size the baby would be.

In my mind, the baby was the size of a chicken nugget, and that wasn’t going to change. The idea of me carrying something the size of a watermelon in my stomach was terrifying, and I didn’t want to linger on that thought too long.

As I turned the pages, I frowned to myself. Something was going to have to give. My schedule was jam-packed, even now that I’d finished my shifts at the café. I hadn’t even known about my pregnancy for that long, but I was already exhausted.

“It’s about time I saw you!” a familiar, sweet voice called out before a set of arms wrapped around me from behind, her violet and vanilla scent making me smile.

“Hey, Kennedy,” I greeted, standing up so I could hug her properly. The woman was just a few months postpartum, but she looked phenomenal. Her skin was clear, her hair shiny, and she was beaming like there was no tomorrow.

“We have so much to talk about. Come on. We are getting lunch. I am so mad at you. I don’t know why you think it’s acceptable to answer my texts with simply I’m pregnant then refuse to answer your phone!”

I smiled sheepishly. That hadn’t been my best moment, but I’d been somewhat overwhelmed after learning I was pregnant.

“I’m sorry. There was a lot going on.”

Kennedy waved off my concern. “I assumed so, which is the only reason I didn’t come to your place to find you, though I had a feeling I wouldn’t find you there. Come on. We can talk about this while getting lunch. I am baby-free for a few hours, and I plan to enjoy it.”

“Who’s on baby duty?” I asked as I shoved my books into my bag.

“Storm and Charlie have the babies. I think they’re taking Charlotte to get new shoes because she’s growing out of hers so fast. Children grow like weeds, I swear.”

There was a little Italian restaurant on campus we both loved, and thankfully, it wasn’t busy so early on a Thursday. We were seated and ordering our food within minutes.

“So, how far along are you?” Kennedy asked, taking a sip of her soda.

“Ten weeks, roughly? I found out last week, but we only had sex during my heat, so it’s pretty obvious when it happened. That was early August, before Joey had her break.”

“And how are you feeling?”

I didn’t meet her eye as I stirred my soda with its straw. “Physically, I’m feeling great. I’ve had a bit of morning sickness, but nothing more than that right now.”

“And the dads? They’re Joey’s family, aren’t they?”

I nodded. “They seem really eager to help.”

“Are you guys together?”

I grimaced. “I’m not sure. We’re taking things really slow because of Joey. They already have a daughter we need to think about. We’ve had…moments. A few dates, but this changes things.”

“True, but they also have a pregnant omega they need to think about now. Oh! They have calzones here…” She trailed off, looking at the menu.

“They’re good,” I agreed.

“What are you going to do about work? I assume you’re not going to be able to teach on the ice much longer if you’re pregnant. And didn’t you already quit your barista job? Are your guys willing to support you? It’s the least they should be doing.”

A long-suffering sigh escaped my chest. “I’m not sure, honestly. I love skating, but it’s not recommended while pregnant because of the risk of falls. What would I even tell my students if they knew I was going on maternity leave? I’m sure I would lose all my clients, because who wants their child around a pregnant omega who has no pack? They’ll think I’m a terrible influence.”

Kennedy rolled her eyes. “Beth, you are the furthest thing from a bad influence. Your alphas should be willing to help, though.”

“Oh, they would—they’ve offered—but I’m not sure I want to accept. I’m basically the nanny they knocked up. Yes, we’ve gone on a few dates, but I’m still not sure where we stand. Can I really put all my faith in them?”

Our conversation paused for a moment as our food was delivered to our table. Kennedy cocked her head at me, her expression thoughtful.

“I’m not saying to put all your faith in them. Still keep your savings. Still keep yourself safe. But it wouldn’t hurt to start accepting more help from them,” Kennedy said as she cut into her calzone. “Are they still paying you for looking after Joey?”

I grimaced. That was a point of contention for me.

“They are, but I’m not sure how I feel about that. It feels kind of icky to be getting paid by the guys you’re sleeping with.”

Kennedy snorted. “That makes it sound like the weirdest prostitution ever. I totally see why that could be difficult, though.”

“Even if I stopped taking the money, they would make the money appear. They’re so stubborn about making sure I get paid for what I do. Sometimes I just want to take Joey for ice cream because she’s a sweet child and I want to spend time with her.”

Kennedy cocked her head to the side with a small smile. “How does it feel knowing that you’re going to be giving birth to her brother or sister in a few months?”

“Fucking terrifying,” I admitted, taking a swig of my soda. “You’ve told me enough horror stories about pregnancy that I am convinced this thing is going to destroy me.”

Kennedy giggled. “I’m not sorry. You need to be aware of what can happen. When I was pregnant with Charlotte, I had so many people telling me that birth was beautiful and easy and postpartum was a breeze.”

I distinctly remember Kennedy’s postpartum with Charlotte, and it was anything but a breeze. She had been on her own for the pregnancy and birth. I had wanted nothing more than to be there with her, but my family had insisted I come home for a few weeks.

Looking back, I deeply regretted going to my family instead of being there for my best friend.

“But it was so much easier with Samuel, right?”

“It was in a lot of ways.” She hummed in agreement. “With my pack around me, a lot of the baby work was eased, but my body was still a wreck. Unfortunately, no amount of help is going to stop your boobs from feeling like they’re going to fall off or your lady bits from burning up a storm.”

“Loving the reassurance here, Kennedy.” I chuckled before I nibbled at my pasta. It was delicious, but the topic of conversation had me feeling a bit queasy. I needed to know what was going to happen, though.

Kennedy shrugged. “You’ll be happy at the end that I was honest with you. I expect to get so many random texts from you over the next few months, asking if whatever symptom you’re having is normal. I would have killed to have someone I could text like that during my pregnancies.”

“I appreciate it. I really do. I’m just a bit overwhelmed. I hardly had any time for myself before, and now I’ve got to grow an entire human?”

“Something’s going to have to give.”

I glowered at her. “Sometimes I hate the fact that you’re right.”

She grinned. “It’s a gift, really.”

That evening, I was still mulling Kennedy’s words over in my mind. I knew she was right, that something had to give, but I had no idea what.

“You’re thinking awful hard there,” Jensen said as he found me sitting at the breakfast bar, planner in front of me. “Where’s Munchkin?”

“In the den, watching one of her animated movies. I’m just trying to schedule some things. Given this”—I gestured toward my stomach—“things need to shift.”

Jensen walked over to me, looking at the planner over my shoulder as he lightly rubbed my lower back, his salty scent and his hands turning my body into goo.

Fuck. That man had magic hands. All thought left me momentarily as he started massaging my sore lower spine.

“That does look awfully packed,” he mused.

“It won’t be soon. I’m probably going to have to give up ice skating until after I give birth. I can still help Joey learn from off the ice, but I don’t think I’ll be able to keep up my regular lessons.”

“Yeah, that would pose a risk to the baby, but I know you love teaching.”

“I can always go back after I give birth, I suppose. I just feel silly because I quit my job at the café, and now I’m losing the teaching job.”

“We can increase your pay for watching Joey.”

I turned to him with a glower. “You really think you can keep paying me while I’m pregnant?” I ran a hand through my hair. “Doesn’t that feel a little sketchy to you?”

Confusion flitted across his face before he took on a more determined look.

That probably wasn’t a good thing for me. His hands came to rest on either side of the counter, trapping me there.

“Okay, we obviously need to have a conversation about this. As far as we are concerned, we want to help and provide for you. I would happily hand you as much cash as you want so you don’t have to work. Hell, we could hire someone else to look after Joey, though I think she may riot.”

“No one else is looking after that little girl but me,” I grumbled. “But I can’t let you pay me anymore. It doesn’t feel right.”

Up close, his scent was so strong, I wanted nothing more than to lean forward and rub my cheek against his, scenting him.

Maybe it was the hormones, but I didn’t stop myself, rubbing myself gently against him while he spoke.

“Bethany.” Jensen raised an eyebrow. “We’re alphas. You are pregnant. I’m pretty sure that if we aren’t providing and supporting you and our baby, we are going to lose our fucking minds. You know what? Why don’t you tell Gideon that you don’t want to accept money from us? I’m sure his grumpiness will be heard throughout the entire state.”

“I’m stubborn, not an idiot. I won’t go toe-to-toe with Gideon. I’ll be more subtle with him.”

Jensen laughed loudly, throwing his head back. “Oh, I would love to see that.”

I glowered playfully at him. “Hush.”

Once he regained control of himself, Jensen straightened. “Come with me,” he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the kitchen. As we walked toward the stairs, he shouted in the general direction of Gideon’s office, “I’m showing Bethany our little project!”

Little project? What on earth had these men been up to?

Gideon joined us as we made our way up the stairs, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Cullen is going to be pissed you didn’t wait for him.”

Jensen shrugged as we reached the landing. “This one is stressing about money, so it felt like the right moment.”

“Right moment for what?” I asked, exasperated. It was like they were silently communicating, and it was driving me insane.

“Come here,” Gideon commanded softly, pulling me toward him so I was lost in a cloud of fruity parchment scent. “We wanted you to know you have a place here…so we’ve been getting the nest room set up.”

I cocked my head at him. “A nest room?” I asked lamely. Many larger houses came with nests for an omega, but I had no idea this house even had one.

“We’ve been using the room mainly for storage, so we’ve been slowly emptying and getting it ready for you,” Jensen explained.

“But I’m fine in the guest room,” I insisted. The room was beautiful, and I was actually getting quite comfortable there.

“You are not a guest. You are a member of our family, and we want you to stay here, especially once the baby is here. Let us show you,” he said, gesturing to one of the doors.

Following him through, I took in the large space with awe.

It was beautiful, if a bit plain. A gigantic circular bed stood on the far wall, easily big enough to hold six or seven people. There was plenty of floor space, a walk-in closet, and large bay windows that let in a lot of natural daylight.

It was easily twice the size of the guest room, designed to accommodate an entire pack. I had dreamed about a room like this as a teenager; I’d wanted a space that was all mine to decorate that wasn’t a tiny alcove or an afterthought.

My family hadn’t exactly been supportive when my omega instincts flared up, claiming they didn’t understand what to do. Even I knew that was bullshit, because they had been mated to an omega…or had they treated my mother just as badly?

“We didn’t want to choose any colors or decorate anything until you could have a say,” Jensen admitted. “So it’s a little plain, but we wanted to have a good base so you could do whatever you wanted.”

“There’s plenty of space for a crib in here as well, or there’s a little connecting room for when the baby is a bit older,” Gideon explained.

I hadn’t really thought about what I was going to do once the baby arrived. Of course I was going to need their help. In the back of my mind, I had assumed that I would stay in the guest room for a bit once the baby was born.

The nest…it was beautiful. My omega instincts were already itching to decorate it. I could imagine some soft, blush pink curtains, a wall of delicate fairy lights, some pastel throw pillows.

“You want me to move in?” I asked quietly.

“We do,” Jensen confirmed. “Cullen’s also been part of this project, so he’s all in too. Gideon wanted to be bossy and insist that you move in immediately, but we talked him down.”

The alpha in question crossed his arms and glowered at his pack mate. “She should be here, where we can care for her!”

Jensen chuckled. “Why don’t we start with staying a night or two here or there? Ease Joey into it? She’ll love having sleepovers.”

She would; there was no doubt about that.

The room was certainly nicer than my run-down little dorm room, and getting more of Cullen’s cooking certainly sounded appealing. Part of me was concerned that I would be letting go of my last shred of independence, but I wasn’t too worried for some reason…

My hand rested on my stomach, thinking about the baby inside me. They would need to be around their fathers. Having seen just how amazing parents these guys were, I wanted that for my baby more than anything.

“I suppose staying a few days a week wouldn’t hurt,” I said, looking around the room with awe.

Jensen beamed. “I think that’s an excellent start.”

Something told me that they were going to be stubborn when it came to me sticking around more and more until the baby was born.

It was kind of nice, to feel so wanted.

Chapter 28

Beth

My car was filled with so many cookies.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive?” Cullen asked as we packed up. He was frowning at the car, his mind running a mile a minute.

I shook my head, unable to contain my grin. “Nope. I can do it, Grumpy Bear.”

“There’s so many cookies!” Joey declared as she stuck her head out of the window.

We were at Cullen’s restaurant, picking up an inhuman amount of cookies for the Thanksgiving festival at Joey’s school. We had considered baking them, but thanks to the little nugget I was growing, I was exhausted.

My fridge at home was full of healthy and nutritious meals from Cullen’s restaurant, even though, half the time, I ended up staying at the pack house. Jensen was constantly giving me little gift bags with prenatal vitamins for the baby and chocolate bars for me.

Gideon…he was a pain in my ass.

When I had logged on to the university portal to pay my next semester of tuition and fees, I found that they had mysteriously been paid. At first, I freaked out, thinking there was an error. Then Gideon had explained that he had simply gone ahead and paid for it.

Part of me wanted to scream and yell at him that he was overstepping, but at the same time, it was a huge help. The money that would have gone toward that semester could now be put toward getting supplies for the baby.

As I was quickly learning, babies were very expensive.

“Have fun, and be safe,” Cullen ordered as I climbed into the driver’s seat, both of us waving as we peeled out of the parking lot. He avoided getting too close to me while we were with Joey because we hadn’t discussed what was happening with her yet—that would have to happen soon, but the adults all needed to be on the same page before then.

Our job was to set up the milk-and-cookies booth at this festival. A small elderly lady directed us to our assigned place when we arrived, and we immediately got to work.

The school was abuzz; it was all mothers and their children setting up various booths. Right away, I could see that Joey bringing any of her dads would have stuck out like a sore thumb. Still, we made the best of it.

“Can I put the streamers up?” Joey asked as I started stacking the boxes of cookies.

I nodded. “Go ahead. Put them on the sides of the booth, but be careful. If you need help, ask me! I’ll get the cookies in the display case. Then we can get the ice to keep the cartons of milk cold. How does that sound?”

“Thank you!” she squealed before diving into the box of decorations we had bought.

Even though exhaustion tugged at me, I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. These sorts of events were fun. Even though my own baby wouldn’t be doing them for a long time, I was honored Joey wanted me here.

I was determined to be the best surrogate mother possible for her.

We were putting the final touches on the store when a few mothers walked by. One of them seemed particularly interested in me. She had shoulder-length pin-straight blonde hair and was wearing a sweater that was pristine and clearly expensive.

“Are you here with Joey?” the woman asked. Even her voice was snobby.

“I am!” I smiled brightly.

Her smile never slipped as her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “I’m sorry. I was under the impression that Joey didn’t have a mother.”

Thankfully, Joey was out of earshot, but I still glanced her way to double-check. This woman had a lot of gall to be so blunt in front of children. Thankfully, Joey was a few feet away, working on milk cartons, as I stood on a chair, pinning up the final few streamers that were too tall for her.

I kept my smile pleasant, even though I was feeling anything but. “Unfortunately, that is the case. That’s why I’m here to help out.”

The mother made a simpering expression that could almost be misconstrued as pity. “I’m so sorry. Joey mustn’t have told you. This event is intended for the mothers to help set up…” She trailed off like she was expecting me to apologize to her.

I was grinning so widely, my cheeks were starting to hurt, even though the anger was rising.

I was very familiar with this sort of mother—I had been subjected to several of them throughout my childhood. Someone who thought their status on the parent-teacher board made them more important than everyone else. They thought they were the best mothers in the world and were excited to show that at every opportunity, even if that meant tearing down a child.

“No, Joey told me. I assumed you weren’t the kind to exclude and bully a child because she had the misfortune of not having a mother.”

Her eyes widened, and she looked at her two friends, who were equally startled. Never in a million years would they have suspected me to call them out on their bullshit so spectacularly. People like her didn’t cope well with outright confrontation. They were far more passive-aggressive.

Righteous anger filled me, and I wanted to say a lot more than I did. Joey was such a sweet girl. She deserved to be treated better than she was. Women like this mother infuriated me, and if I wasn’t in a school full of children, I might have been more inclined toward violence.

Even though I’d known I would be a part of Joey’s life even before my pregnancy, it was different now. I would give birth to her half sibling, and there was no way I would be a mother to her little brother or sister and leave Joey out in the cold. That was a level of cruelty I couldn’t even fathom.

Deep inside my gut, a feeling grew that was protective, possessive…and, dare I say, maternal?

“We would never!” she spluttered.

I glanced over to where Joey was putting all the milk cartons into the ice bucket, blissfully unaware of the conversation I was having.

“Of course, you wouldn’t.” I beamed, keeping that sickly-sweet expression on my face. A tall man with a bushy mustache passed us, and recognition dawned on me. “Principal Jeffs! Hi.” I smiled sweetly at him as I got down off my chair, wiping my hands on my jeans.

He turned to look at us, greeting us warmly. “Hello there…Sorry, my dear, you seem so familiar, but I can’t place your name.”

“Bethany Wells. We met last year when your fourth-grade class came to the ice rink.”

Realization dawned on his face and he smiled. “Of course. It’s so nice to see you again. Are you here with one of the children?”

The entire time he spoke to me, the snooty mother looked at us in surprise. She was seemingly baffled by the fact that I had already met the principal.

“I’m here with Joey Noble,” I explained.

“Ah, how wonderful. Are you close with her family?”

I nodded. “I am. I often look after her.”

“Well, I’m glad you could join us today. I’m sorry I can’t stay and talk. I must go and check on the other booths. But have a wonderful day, and if you have any issues, don’t hesitate to find me, Bethany.”

“I won’t. Thank you so much. It was lovely seeing you again.” I waved goodbye, the smile on my face making it ache.

I was going to need a facial massage after this because I was smiling far too much.

“I stacked all the milk cartons,” Joey said, sliding up to me.

Turning away from the mothers still lingering, I gazed down at Joey, “Good job! I think we are ready to sell some cookies.”

I didn’t even bother to turn back to look at the woman who had been criticizing us a moment earlier.

I had something more important to pay attention to.

A sweet, kindhearted little girl who deserved all the love in the world.

The Thanksgiving festival was a hit.

Joey and I were stuck behind the cookie stand for most of the day, but we had a blast. Every now and then, a wave of nausea would hit me, and it would take a moment of deep breathing to ease it, but I refused to let it hinder me when it came to being there with Joey.

Shortly after we’d finished setting up, the doors opened and members of the public started flooding in.

Naturally, the men of Pack Noble were some of the first through the door. They didn’t hover, though. They came, grabbed a butter cookie each, and handed their cash to Joey so she could put it in the cash box before going and enjoying the rest of the festival. I could see them glancing back constantly, a look of joy on their faces when they saw how ecstatic Joey was.

Kennedy even dropped by with Charlotte. The toddler was planted firmly on her hip, but upon seeing the cookies, she made several grabby motions for them.

“Joey, this is my friend Kennedy and her baby, Charlotte.”

“Hello, Joey! I’ve heard so many nice things about you from Bethany. She said you’re one of her best skaters.”

Joey beamed. “I am!” she agreed, nodding. “Did you come for cookies?”

“I did. She told me all about the festival, and I just had to come and see it. Can I have a whole box of cookies?”

Joey gathered the cookies excitedly, while Kennedy gave me a beaming look. “She’s so adorable,” she whispered.

I nodded, biting back a smile.

“I’ll call you later, okay?” I said once she had the box of cookies and Charlotte had her own personal cookie in hand.

Joey’s dads came back toward the end, heaping praise on their daughter and giving her hugs for the amazing job she had done.

When Cullen said good girl to me, I nearly melted into a puddle.

Chapter 29

Cullen

Iused to love working at the restaurant. The quiet hours in the office, when I could muddle through paperwork while Joey was at school, was relaxing.

Only, now, my mind kept thinking about a certain omega.

Seeing her at the festival with Joey had been something else. The way she had looked after Joey, while giving her space to be herself, yet was always there to help if Joey needed it. They had worked together so well, and both of them had radiated joy the entire day.

The sight was almost painful, it was so beautiful.

And now Bethany was a part of our family.

“Hey, Cullen, you have a visitor,” Sally said as she grinned at me, leaning against the bar.

“What’s that smirk for?” I asked, looking up from my paperwork. I was sitting in the tiny office at the back of the restaurant, going through the various order forms that needed to be completed for the week. “Who is it?”

Her grin widened. “A pretty blonde I just happened to see you kissing in the hallway after her disastrous date a few months ago…”

“You saw that?” I spluttered. I had thought we were completely out of sight.

She chuckled gleefully, throwing her head back. “When are you going to realize I see everything here? Your pack is dating her, aren’t they?”

“We are, but we aren’t widely publicizing it yet. She’s nervous, and given the age gap…”

Sally cocked her head to the side. “As long as everyone is over the age of twenty-one, I say age is just a number. She seems like a good fit for you. You guys could do with some fresh young energy in your life. You’re acting like a bunch of grandpas, even though you’re young yourselves.”

“She’s still in college.”

Sally shrugged. “Judging by the way she smacked you, she’s more mature than you are.”

I groaned. Of course, she had seen that. “I would very much like you to forget you ever witnessed that…”

“I’ll show her through.” Sally beamed, practically skipping out of the room.

A moment later, Bethany was walking in, a small smile on her face. She was wearing a sundress with a cardigan over it. The dress was short, brushing against her thighs, emphasizing those legs that I very much wanted wrapped around me.

“Hey, what brings you to my den of iniquity?” I asked, getting up from my chair and pulling her into a hug.

“Classes finished early, and I kept thinking about the pistachio and raspberry pastries you were talking about the other day, so I thought I would stop by.”

“Have you eaten lunch yet?” I asked.

She pouted. “I’ve had some chips.”

“You and I both know that isn’t a proper meal.”

“I know, but I am craving sweet things with a vengeance. I don’t want real food. I want desserts!”

My hands rested on her hips, and I couldn’t help but smile down at her. She was freaking adorable, and part of me just wanted to hand her every dessert I could find to keep her smiling at me.

A larger part of me wanted to take care of her, though, and that meant real food. She was pregnant and needed to eat food with at least some nutritional value.

Leaning down, I rubbed my cheek on hers, inhaling her delicious sweet omega scent. It was like the best sort of crack, and it had been a while since I’d had a hit.

“Well, we have some beautiful steaks and baked potatoes for the dinner service tonight.”

She chewed her lip thoughtfully. “I’ll accept that…if I can have pastries after!”

A chuckle escaped my chest. Leaning down, I growled lightly as I spoke. “I’m going to make sure you’re well cared for, even if you want to smack me for it.” I laughed, but it was lower than my usual timbre.

Tart apple washed over me, almost painfully sweet.

Clearly my words had done something.

“Is someone feeling a little needy?” I asked.

Her face flushed. “I’m sorry, ugh! I think I have some de-scenter in my bag.” She started to rummage in her handbag, but I stopped her.

“Or I could help you…”

Her eyes widened. “You mean…here?!” she asked, her voice almost scandalized.

“It’s my office and the door locks.” I shrugged. “I just want a little taste.”

“I mean…” Bethany trailed off.

She wasn’t saying no, so I took her lack of an answer as a yes. When more of her sweet scent exploded in the room, I knew that was exactly what she wanted.

My grip on her hips tightened as I swept her up, depositing her onto my desk. The way my office was set up, her back was to the door, and she was facing my chair.

As I moved her, she squeaked in shock.

Fucking hell, even that was adorable.

“Cullen!” she whispered, gaping at me.

“You can’t be standing for what I plan to do to you,” I informed her, leaning forward and claiming her lips in mine. I was between her legs, bending down to claim her mouth. “If you can stand when I’m done with you, then I’ve done a bad job.”

“Oh…”

I laughed, “Yeah, oh. Now, be a good girl and stay quiet.” As I spoke, I slowly sank to my knees.

“I… uhh…oh, fuck.”

The whispered curse word falling out of her mouth made me grin as I slowly pushed the hem of her dress up. Her scent was so fucking potent, it was like I had shoved my face right in a fucking apple pie.

She wanted this, probably more than she was willing to admit. We had been so hands-off since her heat, and it had been killing me. We were all in, but I didn’t want to steamroll her.

It was also starting to dawn on me that I couldn’t let her fester in her own thoughts for too long, or Bethany was likely to freak herself out.

So, devouring her on my desk felt like a nice middle ground.

“Do these even count as underwear?” I hummed, tracing my fingers along the thin bit of fabric that was already soaked by her wetness.

“I may need to do laundry,” she admitted with a cute little scrunch of her nose. Her small smile warped into a moan of pleasure as I pushed the scrap of lace aside and sank my fingers straight into her heat.

Just as wet, tight, and perfect as I remembered.

I tutted. “It looks like we’ve been neglecting you.”

“I…well—oh, fuck!” Her words were cut off as I started lapping at her sweet pussy.

She was definitely my new favorite dessert. I focused my attention on her clit, my fingers roughly thrusting in and out of her pussy. I wasn’t overly gentle. I was demanding, taking what I wanted.

Her legs trembled around my shoulders, and she clamped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from crying out. The hand that wasn’t buried in her heat clenched on the flesh of her thigh, keeping her right where I wanted her.

Bethany was mine, and I wasn’t letting her go anywhere. She needed to be reminded of that regularly.

She wouldn’t be able to leave if she was constantly blissed-out on orgasms and unable to use her legs.

Her orgasm came quickly—clearly she had been needing it—as I was rewarded with a wave of sweet wetness while I tongued her clit, her walls clamping down on my fingers. I was hard as a rock, but my pleasure could wait.

“Oh, fuck,” Bethany muttered, looking at me with awe as she slowly came down from the high.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the almost dopey look on her face.

I’d done that.

Pride washed over me as I stood, still between her legs, my hand lightly grabbing her chin and pulling the still-dazed omega in for a kiss. If she was repulsed by her taste on my mouth, it didn’t show, because she met my touch eagerly.

“Now, how about we get you lunch?”

She nodded. “Just give me a few minutes for my legs to start working again.”

Chapter 30

Beth

Things were going shockingly well.

Joey and I had decided to go out for ice cream after school because it was Thursday, the start of the long weekend, and she deserved a treat. She had been working so hard on her spelling and even got a perfect score on the last test.

“The teacher was surprised I could spell grateful,” Joey said as we lined up to pick out our flavors.

“You’ve been working so hard. I’m not at all surprised! Now, what flavor would you like?”

Joey looked at the display case, biting her lip. I resisted the urge to chuckle because I knew the look on her face all too well. It was indecision.

“Do I only get one?” she asked sweetly.

Normally, I would have held my ground and said yes, but considering I was trying to choose between three different flavors, I couldn’t exactly tell her she could only have one.

“You can pick two today, but only because you aced your test.”

Joey’s face lit up, and she jumped up and down happily, reaching for my hand as she did so. “Thank you, Bethany! I want chocolate chips and strawberry shortcake.”

I nodded, unable to keep the smile off my face. “Those are some good choices! I’m going to get chocolate and raspberry swirl with hot fudge sauce. Do you want sprinkles on yours?”

“Of course!” Joey nodded seriously.

Ice cream toppings were a very serious topic.

Joey ordered her ice cream, shyly thanking the nice beta lady who was helping us, as I paid for our treats. By the time we sat down, the server had already brought the ice cream over. I had chosen one of the fancier ice cream parlors that had table service, but Joey and I had wanted to look at the display ice cream to pick our flavors.

“So, when do you and Daddy J leave?” Joey asked, diving headfirst into the dessert, taking a gigantic bite and humming gleefully.

“Tomorrow morning,” I said. “Daddy J will be going to the game in Nebraska, and I’ll go on the same plane as him before going to see my family.”

When I had expressed that I probably would have to see my family sometime soon, Jensen explained that he had a game in Nebraska coming up. Even though he would be busy working, I knew that having him in the same city as me would help me cope with my family.

So he had booked us tickets on the same flight out.

“Daddy G said we can watch all the princess movies, and Daddy C told me he would take me to the trampoline park.”

“That sounds like a fun weekend! Why the frown?” I asked.

“Do you think Daddy C will mind if I want to go to the trampoline park next weekend? Because then you’ll be here, and you can come with us.”

My heart melted at her sweet words. This child was impossibly thoughtful and kind—her fathers had struck gold with her.

“How about you go with Daddy C this weekend, and all of us can go next weekend? Twice the fun! Only if you’ve finished your homework, though…”

Joey grinned. “I can do that!”

Taking a bite of my ice cream, I thoughtfully hummed to myself. Could I even go to a trampoline park while pregnant? I was so early in my pregnancy that my stomach was still completely flat, but I didn’t know what the risks were. I’m sure if there was any cause for concern, Jensen would stop me, but I didn’t want to get Joey’s hopes up for nothing.

With Joey thoroughly distracted by her dessert, I pulled out my phone and shot a quick text in the group chat.

Beth:

Jensen, can I go to a trampoline park in my condition? I don’t want to get Joey’s hopes up!

His reply came almost immediately.

Jensen:

No summersaults, but you can go for a light bounce.

Gideon:

Are you sure?

Jensen:

I’m the one with a medical degree, so suck it.

Cullen:

Also, if jumping around is a bad idea, what we did in my office the other day would most certainly need to be banned…

I put my phone screen down on the table for a moment while I tried to gain some composure. I didn’t want Joey to see me blushing like a schoolgirl and ask what was happening. Once I was sure I had my face under control, I resumed texting.

Bethany:

Don’t worry, Gideon. I’ll be safe. Now I’m putting my phone down and filling your child with sugar so she’ll be a nightmare for you this weekend.

Gideon:

Looking forward to it.

Despite the upheaval of our lives, we were falling into a routine that seemed to be working. I was looking after Joey and managing to keep up with all my schoolwork, on top of staying at the pack house most days and spending time with three particularly good-looking alphas.

“You all packed?” Jensen asked as he met me in the entryway.

I nodded. “I don’t need much.” There weren’t a lot of things that I needed at my family’s house, so all I took with me was a carry-on bag with a few changes of clothing. “It’s only a weekend.”

Jensen nodded, lifting the carry-on out of my hand. “I’ll get these in the car.”

“Bethany!” Joey called as she bounded down the stairs, wrapping her arms around me. “I’ll miss you,” she said, smiling sweetly up at me.

“Well, good thing I’ll be back before you know it! When Daddy C picks you up from school on Monday, I will be here waiting for you.”

Joey nodded excitedly. “And Daddy G is going to be here all weekend with me! Though he doesn’t let me have cookies as much as you do…”

“Bethany’s just too nice for her own good,” a warm, grumbly voice said as Gideon appeared in the kitchen doorway a few feet away.

Unable to resist, I stuck my tongue out at him. “We girls have to stick together.”

He smirked, stalking forward, pausing for a moment to look at Joey. “If you’ve said your goodbyes to Bethany, you can have one cookie. Okay?”

Joey perked up. “Thank you!” she squealed, hugging me again. “Bye, Bethany!” Then she scrambled out of the hallway into the kitchen.

Jensen chuckled. “You’re going soft, old man.”

“No, I just wanted to do this,” he said, closing the space between us as his hands lightly grabbed my neck, trapping me between the wall and his body, as his lips crashed down on mine.

Hungry and delicious. He tasted like the coffee he was so fond of, which I also happened to enjoy greatly.

A simple touch from his lips had my body igniting. Instinctively, I molded my body to his. My hands fisted in his shirt as he kept total control, exploring every inch of my mouth, turning me into a needy puddle of goo.

“A cookie seems like a good trade-off for that.” Jensen chuckled as Gideon pulled back, straightening his shirt, a small smile on his face, acting like he hadn’t just made my head go all fuzzy with his sexy alpha man powers.

“I…uhh…” I struggled to find the words, still reeling from the kiss.

“You’d better get going, or you’ll miss your plane.” He smirked as Jensen ushered me out the door.

“You’re kidding me!” I hissed as Jensen led us to our seats.

When we had arrived at the airport, Jensen had taken over, guiding our way, checking us in. I had just followed him, drinking my iced coffee—decaf, of course—and daydreaming.

It was kind of amazing. Usually, airports were chaotic, between dealing with the logistics and dodging the crowds. With Jensen, I didn’t have to even think about what was going on around me; I simply followed him.

I trusted him enough to go with the flow, knowing he wouldn’t lead me astray.

Well, that was until we walked onto the plane, and instead of turning left, toward the economy seats, he headed straight for first class.

“What?” He blinked at me innocently. “These are our seats!” He gestured to the large, comfy seats with a mind-boggling amount of legroom for a plane.

“Jensen, we should be sitting back there.” I jerked my finger in the direction of economy seating, and he just grinned.

“You’re pregnant, and I wanted you to be comfortable. Sit.” He pushed me toward the large, plush seat.

“This is ridiculous,” I grumbled. “It’s a three-hour flight!” I didn’t need a fancy, first-class seat for a three-hour flight. That was a level of extravagance that felt bizarre to me. Then again, I had never actually flown first class anywhere. I was a student, so economy seating was my tried and true.

“But what if you want to nap? These seats turn into a bed…”

“You’re incorrigible.”

Jensen beamed. “But you like me anyway. Plus, I always travel at least business when I’m flying for the Chargers. There was no way in hell I was going to sit up here and let you sit in economy like a peasant.”

He was supposed to be traveling with the team but had opted to travel with me instead.

I took my seat, shaking my head. Even I had to admit it was comfortable. We buckled in and stowed our bags, and within ten minutes, we were preparing for takeoff.

Several times in the first hour, the flight attendant offered me and Jensen champagne, which I sadly had to turn down—a tragedy, really, because when would I have access to free bubbly again?

“This is fancy,” I hummed, leaning back and taking a sip of my soda.

“Get used to it.” Jensen grinned as he flicked through some work files.

I raised a brow at him. “I won’t be getting used to it, because next time I fly to see my family, I will be sitting in coach, like everyone else.”

Jensen snorted. “We’ll see about that.”

Fidgeting in my seat, I gazed out the window at the clouds. Despite the comfortable nature of the seats, I was antsy.

“You smell strong…” Jensen chuckled.

I glowered at him. “Shit. I’ll put some perfume on. It’s not my fault Gideon got me worked up before we left the house.”

It was true; I had been a little worked up ever since that kiss. The pregnancy hormones meant I was raring to go after the smallest touch. It was cruel, really.

Jensen’s grin only widened. “Well, there’s a simple solution to that.”

I cocked my head to the side. “And what is that?”

“The bathrooms here are also very fancy and large…”

Did he mean…?

Judging by the hungry and mischievous look in his eye, he very much did.

Chapter 31

Jensen

She raised her eyebrows at me as what I was insinuating sank in.

Did she want to?

Judging by the burst of perfume, she most certainly did. Her sweet apple scent and arousal were painfully obvious, especially when I was sitting so close to her.

“What if someone sees?” she whispered in a scandalized voice.

She wasn’t saying no. My cock was already rock hard, just thinking about what I could be doing to her shortly.

I shrugged. “Who would see? There’s no one here, and the flight attendants are serving the meals in economy right now.”

She glanced around. First class was fairly empty. The only other person in sight was on the other side of the plane, and had headphones on and wasn’t paying attention to us.

“We would have to be quick,” she said, her voice breathy, her pupils wide with arousal. God, I wanted to devour her.

Holy fucking shit, yes.

“I can do quick.” I chuckled, undoing my belt, grabbing her hand and dragging her down the aisle. When it came to her, I could easily do quick. One smile from Bethany, and I was a teenage boy ready to blow my load.

She bit her lip as I pulled her into the tiny bathroom. Given it was first class, it was a lot larger than most plane bathrooms, but it still wasn’t large, by any stretch of the imagination. It just fit the two of us.

Before the door was even fully closed, her hands were scrambling at the clasp of my jeans. Given the small space, we were a tangle of limbs, but all I wanted was to feel her pressed up against me.

Actually, that was a lie. I wanted to feel her inside and out.

Our lips crashed together. It was clumsy, but just the taste of her was enough to make my mind haze over with that familiar need to rut her again and again.

“How do you want me?” I asked against her lips.

“Fuck me,” she whispered softly.

Those two little words made my knees weak.

I didn’t really have much of a plan when we’d entered the bathroom. All I’d intended to do was make her come. With my fingers, and maybe I could taste her while watching her fall apart, moaning my name. This was a very pleasant turn of events, though, and my cock was already raring to go.

“Hands on the mirror,” I growled, lightly grabbing her hips and turning her.

In the small space, she leaned over slightly, her ass pressed against me. Her flushed face in the mirror was a sight to behold.

This was probably the best idea I had come up with all year.

The rest of our pack mates were going to be so jealous.

Yes, our pack mates, because as far as I was concerned, even though we hadn’t bitten Bethany yet, she was one of us.

She had somehow managed to undo my jeans, so all I had to do was grab the hem of those little exercise shorts she was wearing and tug them down with her underwear, leaving her exposed.

The small area immediately filled with an explosion of sweet apple.

Meeting her gaze in the mirror, I couldn’t have wiped the smirk off my face if I tried. I must have been the luckiest bastard around because I had this stunning, sweet omega who was pregnant with my child, needy and desperate for my cock.

I was going to develop an ego.

Well…more of an ego.

As my fingers found her folds, I closed my eyes and huffed in pleasure as her sheer wetness became apparent.

Bethany was more than ready.

“So wet and needy. Did mean old Gideon leave you wanting?” I muttered quietly in her ear.

She nodded desperately, meeting my eye and thrusting her hips back in a silent plea.

It took some maneuvering, but I managed to line her up with my cock. I was already so hard, and nothing was going to stop me from fucking my omega until she creamed all over my cock.

“Fuck!” she hissed as I slowly sank in to the hilt. My cock met no resistance; if anything, she sucked me in deeper.

One hand settled on her waist, the other snaking up to cover her mouth as she adjusted to my size. “Shush, omega. Otherwise, everyone on this plane will know exactly what I’m doing to you.”

Her pussy tightened around me beautifully, and a muffled moan escaped her.

“Oh, do you like that idea?” I asked, nipping at her earlobe as I started to fuck her, my pace frantic. “Maybe I should knot you here, so everyone can see just who you belong to.”

I wouldn’t, because knotting and plane bathrooms didn’t mix well, but it was a nice thought. Maybe I could convince her to ditch seeing her family and come to my hotel instead, where I could spend the entire night knot-deep in her.

There was no way that was going to happen, but I could daydream.

“So fucking perfect,” I muttered, watching as her eyes rolled back. Our position meant I could see everything perfectly, from her face to the way her tits bounced in that low-cut top and her ass pressing against my hips with each thrust.

Reaching around to her clit, I started rubbing gently at first, but quickly increased the pace to match my thrusts.

Her body was fucking perfection, and if I had more time, I would have removed her top and enjoyed the sight of her tits bouncing unrestrained…a plan for the future, maybe.

She rocked back slowly, her pussy hungrily sucking my cock in. Already, her walls were tightening. Sucking on her shoulder, I wanted to mark up her neck, to let everyone know she belonged to me, but in the depths of my mind, a small voice reminded me she was about to go see her family.

Bethany’s legs trembled as she came, and I tightened my hand over her mouth. I wasn’t sure she could contain her moans, but fuck, I wanted to hear them.

Wetness coated my cock and my knot was rapidly expanding. In such a small space, the only scent was us. Sweet crisp apple, combined with my own fresh salty scent, was fucking delectable. My thrusts became shallow as my own release was close.

I wanted to bury my knot in her so badly, and it took all my willpower to refrain, but for her, I would do just about anything.

As I sank my teeth into her shoulder deep, but not enough to break the skin, my cock exploded, throbbing with release, filling up my omega with cum and scent.

The caveman in me liked that a lot.

I kept my knot outside her, so it didn’t feel as good, but even having her wrapped around my tip as I came was amazing.

When my balls had been drained of every last drop, and I could have sworn every bit of energy had been sapped from my body, I glanced at Bethany in the mirror. She looked the same, except for the small, blissful smile on her face. We were both panting heavily, like we had run a marathon.

After a moment, Bethany chuckled. “Did we just join the mile high club?” she whispered.

It took everything in me not to howl with laughter.

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

Chapter 32

Beth

No one was there to pick me up.

Jensen and I had parted ways at the airport, since he had to hurry to get to the game. He offered to stay with me until one of my family members arrived, but I had practically shoved him into a cab. It was bad enough that he wasn’t traveling with the team to be with me; the least I could do was make sure he got to the game on time.

I stood outside the airport for twenty minutes, and no one appeared. With a sigh, I pulled out my phone and dialed one of my dads.

“Hey, Bethy! You just landed?”

“About thirty minutes ago,” I confirmed. “Who’s picking me up? No one’s showed up yet.”

My dad was silent for a moment. “I think one of your brothers is supposed to be grabbing you. Your dad and I are both at work.”

I knew my brothers were pissed I’d skipped out on Thanksgiving, but this was a whole new level of petty. Spending the holiday without them had actually been amazing; I had gone with the guys and Joey to the restaurant, eaten good food, and taken a leisurely walk. It had been simple, but perfect.

“Well, they clearly decided they didn’t want to come get me because they’re pissed. A cab is going to cost an arm and a leg!” I growled.

“I’ll call the boys. Someone will be there within an hour!” he assured me.

Great. I had a whole hour to sit on uncomfortable airport seats.

Danny picked me up, but he wasn’t happy about it. “You could have called a cab,” he grumbled as he pulled up.

“And spend fifty dollars I don’t have? No, thank you.” I threw my bag into the cab of his truck and slammed the door behind me.

“Well, I had shit to do.”

It couldn’t have been anything that important, considering my brother hadn’t held down a job in years.

“You know Hayden is pissed that you didn’t come for Thanksgiving? You totally ruined things for him. We were all expecting you to come home, and you just abandoned us. So, yeah, everyone’s pissed,” Danny continued grumpily.

I sighed. “I told our dads that I wasn’t coming home weeks ago.”

“You’ve never missed a holiday, so why would you start now? Hayden brought the omega he’s been seeing, and thanks to you, we looked pathetic.”

I resisted the urge to snort. My family managed to make themselves look pathetic without even trying. They just liked blaming me because it made them feel better.

“What do you mean?”

“There was no meal,” Danny said, like the answer was obvious.

“You guys didn’t organize a meal?” I asked incredulously. I knew that cooking was beyond their skill set, but I assumed they would get some takeout or find an alternate place to eat.

Danny shrugged. “We all assumed you were coming home. By the time we realized you weren’t, we hadn’t done any shopping, and we couldn’t order out from anywhere. We ended up eating frozen pizza because of you.”

“I fail to see how that’s my fault. I told you guys I was staying in California.”

I was already dreading getting back to the house and seeing what state they had left it in. Looking out the window, I rubbed my stomach subtly. Nausea was swelling in my gut, and I wasn’t sure if it was residual morning sickness or nerves.

Even though logically I knew that none of it was my fault, I couldn’t help the guilt slowly washing over me. I was the one who always managed the family holidays, and this was the first time I had been away. I had made a promise to myself and to my mother when she had already passed that I would look after our family, and clearly I was failing.

Would my mother really want to see me doing this much for them, though? She’d managed to do everything and made it look so easy. Was that simply because she was an amazing woman? Or was it because I was looking at our past through the rose-colored glasses of a nine-year-old?

Taking a few deep breaths, I pulled out my phone and, thankfully, the conversation with Danny stopped as he focused on playing with the car radio while he drove.

The weekend couldn’t be over soon enough.

Naturally, the house was filthy.

Still, my heart sank as I took it in. Even as I considered what I needed to do in order to get the place in good condition again, I couldn’t ignore my exhaustion.

Why had my family never learned to do this themselves? Was it my fault for always cleaning up after them? I was pretty sure there was no changing them by that point, so I had essentially trapped myself as their maid.

The smell of most household cleaners made me nauseated, and the prospect of spending the weekend deep-cleaning the house felt like torture.

Then again, maybe this was my penance for abandoning my family over the holiday.

My eyes had been opened, though. I knew that my family took me for granted when it came to cleaning the house and looking after them. For so many years, I had simply assumed that alphas couldn’t do those things, and that’s why they had omegas.

Only, now I had seen how much different it could be.

When I had mentioned to Gideon that the smell of the counter spray in the kitchen was making me nauseated, he’d cleaned the entire kitchen while I was in class with an all-natural cleaner and opened the windows to ensure there were no residual scents to irritate me.

I never had to clean up after them. Sure, I would clean the kitchen or one of the rooms when Joey and I had been doing activities, but that was simply picking up, not deep-cleaning. Pack Noble was able to take care of themselves, and they had made it clear that it wasn’t what they wanted from me.

Well, if I was honest, I wasn’t sure exactly what they wanted from me. This tentative relationship we were entering was confusing, but I never felt taken for granted.

In fact, I felt cherished.

I had been standing in the kitchen, lost in thought as I assessed the room. The bathrooms and the kitchen were always the worst. Usually, I would dive right in and start cleaning, but something was stopping me this time.

“Bethy!” my dads greeted me as they arrived home, both pulling me into hugs. For some reason, their scents weren’t as comforting as usual as I pressed my face into their chests and I hugged them respectively, their facial hair scratching me as they kissed my cheek.

“Hey, it’s good to see you. Work okay?” I asked.

“Keeping us busy!” Frank said with a grin. “But I’m so glad we have our baby girl home. This place just isn’t the same without you,” he declared, pulling me in for another hug.

“I’m going to go lie down for an hour,” I told them as I pulled back, intending to head toward the stairs. I was exhausted and could do with a nap before dealing with all my brothers.

“You’re going to sleep?” Dad asked incredulously.

“I’m tired from the flight.”

Pa frowned. “Aren’t you going to start getting the dinner prepared for tomorrow? Heather is coming over, and you owe it to Hayden.”

I frowned. “You didn’t tell me you’re having visitors this weekend.”

“Hayden invited her over once he learned you were coming. After Thanksgiving.”

My dads sighed, looking at each other.

“Was it that bad?” I asked.

“Well, we’ve all been so busy with work, and we assumed you were coming home, so there was no food, and the house was less than tidy. Heather took one look at the place, and you could tell she wasn’t impressed.”

If I were her, I probably would have run for the hills.

“Why didn’t you order food? I told you I was going to be in California.” I ran my hand through my hair.

“We thought you would change your mind. You always come home for the holidays. We assumed you knew how important family is.”

I ignored that not-so-subtle dig.

“I had work,” I pointed out. “You told me if I wanted to stay in California and study, I had to pay for it myself.”

My dads looked horrified. “That’s cruel, even for you, Bethany. Don’t twist it back on us. We thought you cared about your family enough to make the time to see us for the holidays. You know how much your mother loved Thanksgiving,” Pa said.

Yet they had never made time to come and see me. Looking at the ground, I bit back tears. It felt like no matter what I said or did, it would never be enough for them. They would only be happy when I was back living at home, doing nothing with my life.

That was never going to happen, though.

I had a baby on the way.

And a life in California. A life that I loved.

“Well, we may have to order takeout tomorrow. I don’t have time to cook a large meal, and I’ve still got classwork.”

“Bethany…”

“No.” I glowered at my fathers. “If Hayden wanted me to cook a meal to impress Heather, then he should have asked me before I came here. He should have given me warning so I could do it. I am not going to stay up all night preparing food when I am exhausted. That isn’t fair to me.”

They shook their heads. “Your mother was so good at this…”

There it was again, talking about how my mother would be disappointed in me. They didn’t have to outright say it. They just had to insinuate it to tug on my heartstrings and make me do whatever they wanted.

What if I had a daughter? If the baby I was carrying was a girl, how would I feel if Pack Noble treated her the way my parents treated me?

I would be livid.

I would be so obscenely angry if any men in my family treated my daughter like that. Actually, if any male, regardless of whether or not they were family, treated my daughter that way, I would be feral with rage.

Would my mother have felt the same?

“I need to go get some sleep. I’ve been working and studying all week, and I need an hour’s rest.” My voice was firmer than they were used to, and I didn’t give them a chance to argue before I turned to the stairs and made my way up to the old sanctuary that was my childhood bedroom.

Dinner was oddly quiet.

The dads had ordered pizza, and we sat in the living room, eating. I did my best to ignore the glares from my brothers. Hayden and Danny were eating, and Jake had wandered off, probably to find a beer.

Eventually, the silence became too much, and Hayden put his food down. “So, what are you going to make tomorrow?”

I gave him a cool look. “I’m going to spend time with my family and relax. This is supposed to be a break for me.”

His face twisted in anger. “You know Heather is coming over tomorrow.”

“We can go out to eat.” I shrugged. “There are several nice places in town.”

“Yeah, but thanks to you, she thinks we are a mess. We need to show her we can do family dinners.”

The energy it took to spar with my brother far exceeded what my exhausted state was capable of. “You know⁠—”

“Bethany!” Jake shouted as he thundered down the stairs, his voice full of anger, cutting off our conversation. “What the fuck are these?”

I looked up and stilled when I saw my bottle of prenatal vitamins in his hand.

Chapter 33

Beth

“Where did you get those?” I asked, my voice tight as everyone gathered around him, checking out what was in his hand.

“That doesn’t matter,” he growled.

“Considering the only way you would have them is if you were rummaging through my stuff, I think it does,” I pointed out.

My brothers had never respected my personal space.

“Bethany. Are you pregnant?” Pa asked, turning to me with wide eyes, dinner forgotten. His face was pale, like this was the worst news he could have possibly received.

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself for what I was about to say. Not mincing words, I said, “Yes.”

Every member of my family gaped at me in shock.

Danny shook his head, a disgusted look on his face. “Great, just fucking great. Who is the father?”

“None of your business,” I said, crossing my arms. His accusatory tone put me on edge.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Dad asked, his brow furrowed. “I assume you’re coming home?”

“Of course she is!” Hayden said. “She’s going to have to rely on us to financially provide for her bastard child, because there’s no way she can finish college now.”

I shrank back like his words were a physical blow. They were cruel, even for him. “You know what, Hayden? Get fucked. I have no intention of moving back here. I intend to stay in California with the fathers.”

“Fathers?” Dad asked quietly. “Are you dating a pack?”

I sighed. “It’s a long story.”

“She probably doesn’t even know who the father is,” Hayden said.

“You know what? That’s a lot of judgment from someone who had to go to the free clinic when he was only sixteen because he had slept with so many women, he needed a shot of penicillin.”

“It’s different for men,” he argued.

Well, that was a shitty double standard.

“I didn’t come home to be berated or to run around, cooking and cleaning for you guys.”

“Well, clearly, you’ve lost your way, whoring yourself out over there. We never should have let you leave!” Hayden thundered.

“Let me?” I asked incredulously. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you have no fucking say on what I do or where I go.”

“We are your family. Of course we do! You’re an omega and clearly too stupid to be left to your own devices.”

“You know what? I don’t need to put up with this bullshit!” I growled.

Danny’s eyes widened. “You think you’re so much better than the rest of us, just because you go to a fancy university!”

“No, I think I’m better than you because I can wash my own freaking underwear!”

Danny glowered at me.

Hayden spoke up. “Seriously, Beth, this isn’t cool. You fucked us over, and now you’re dropping this in our lap.”

“I came home less than twelve hours ago, and all I’ve done since then is run around, doing jobs that everyone in this house is too incompetent to do.”

“Okay, I think we are all getting a little heated…” Pa started to say.

“How far along are you?” Hayden asked, a look of pure fury on his face. I didn’t recognize the man in front of me. My brother was long gone and replaced by an angry alpha.

“Why is that any of your business?”

“Because if you’re not too far along, you can get rid of the fucking thing.”

I stilled, staring at him in abject horror. Everyone turned to look at him, shocked at his words. Had he really just said that?

“Seriously?” I said, my voice quiet.

“Honey…Do you really think you’re ready for a child?” Dad asked quietly.

I turned on him. “Are you agreeing with him?” I asked, my voice deadly calm. Although I expected a certain level of bullshit from my brothers, my dads were a different story.

“Well, you’ve clearly made some bad decisions. You can correct them…We can’t afford another mouth to feed.”

Staring at my father, at his wrinkled eyes and his salt-and-pepper hair, a sort of stillness washed over me.

It was as though all the years of emotional neglect crashed down upon me in a single moment. Not once had they asked about how I was feeling. They were only concerned about what my child would cost them. Fear was acceptable—I understood fear—but this wasn’t that. It was callousness that I didn’t expect from my own family, and it stung more than I ever could have imagined.

“You know what? I don’t need to entertain this conversation,” I said calmly, turning to the stairs toward my room.

“That’s it. Just fucking run away like a child,” one of my brothers shouted after me.

My only answer was to slam the door behind me.

As soon as I was in my room, I let the tears fall. I wasn’t sure if they were tears of anger or sadness. Probably a combination of the two.

I had expected anger, but witnessing my fathers agreeing with the idea of terminating a child I was already in love with was a blow I hadn’t been expecting. My breathing was jagged as I raked in breath after breath, trying to get my tears under control.

Grabbing my phone from where it was charging on the bedside table, I opened my chat with Jensen.

Beth:

Is that offer to join you in your hotel room still open?

Jensen:

Of course. Want me to come get you? Your family already pissing you off?

Beth:

They found my prenatal vitamins.

Jensen:

Shit, how did they take it?

Beth:

They insulted me for a while, then acted like I needed to go to an abortion clinic.

Jensen:

Excuse me?!?!

My phone started ringing, but I ignored it, opting instead to gather my clothes and shove them into my bag. Why had I even bothered to unpack? I should have known my family would pull some bullshit like this.

Taking several deep breaths, I did my best to cool the simmering rage threatening to overtake me. That much anger couldn’t be good for the baby.

Within ten minutes, my bag was packed, but I wasn’t ready to face my family again just yet. So I sat on my bed and quietly simmered, all the anger I felt toward them only intensifying.

They probably thought I was cooling off, but it was quite the opposite.

I had no idea how long I sat there, but eventually I knew I had to move. I had to leave. Grabbing my bag, I stormed down the stairs, making a beeline for the exit.

“Bethany, what are you doing?” my dad asked, shocked at the sight of me carrying my duffel.

“I’m leaving,” I said simply.

“You can’t just leave—this is your home.”

I sighed. “Look, I’m not gonna hang around just for you and my brothers to scold me. None of you are perfect, but you expect me to be?”

“It’s not like that, Bethany,” my pa insisted.

“Isn’t it?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow.

As I was speaking, Hayden entered the room. “Hey, I know I may have gotten a bit angry, but I only want what’s best for you. We both know you can’t support a child.” His words were soft, like he was trying to be understanding, but he had the self-awareness of a fucking wombat.

“I can support my child just fine. I’ve been looking after myself for a long time, unlike you. Plus, my baby’s fathers are on board.”

“And you trust them? They knocked you up without bonding you. That says everything about the kind of people they are.”

I wanted to laugh. And being unable to clean up after himself didn’t say a lot about the person he was?

“They are good people, and I’m happy about this baby,” I said.

“Are they rich? Is that why you decided to get knocked up?”

I grimaced. “The fathers’ financial status has nothing to do with you. Weren’t you just accusing me of needing your financial support a few minutes ago?” I shook my head. “Look, this is giving me a headache. You guys clearly need time to come to terms with this. I’ll see you at Christmas.”

Hayden’s eyes widened. “You’re leaving? You can’t go! After Thanksgiving, we need to make sure we have a good family meal with Heather.”

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to steel myself. “Then you will have to figure out a meal yourself. I refuse to stay here after you suggested I get rid of my baby!”

“Of course I’m going to suggest that. You’re ruining your life.”

“Or maybe I’m seeing things clearly for the first time in a while.”

My brother’s face grew red with anger. “You. Can’t. Leave. Dad! Say something!” He turned desperately to our dad.

“Bethany, you really should stay and help out after everything. After all, your brothers only want what’s best for you. They’ve invited people over this weekend, and those people will be disappointed if we don’t have a nice meal for them.”

I turned toward Dad, my own anger rising. “Then make the meal yourself!”

“You know we can’t do that. Your mother was the cook, and after she left, you took over.”

“You say that like I had a choice! All of you refused to lift a finger, when it came to cooking and cleaning. You still do! I’ve only ever done what I had to, and I’m sick of it! You all are grown men, and if you can’t figure out how to make even a simple damn meal, then good freaking riddance. I’m done being your housekeeper.”

Hayden scoffed. “I swear, you have become so fucking selfish since leaving for California. I don’t even recognize you anymore. Mom would be ashamed of you for abandoning your family like this.”

His words hit just as hard as he intended them to. My strong stance deflated at the mention of our mother. Would she really be ashamed of me? I had spent years looking after my family, only to be treated like this.

“I think it’s time we leave.” A familiar voice from the doorway made me look up from the floor.

Jensen was standing in our kitchen doorway, wearing jeans and a blue button-down, looking as amazing as ever. The waft of salty air that followed him hit me like a ton of comforting bricks. His scent meant safety, and my inner omega was obsessed with it.

“J-Jensen?” I stammered. “What are you doing here?” I had given him my family’s address in case he needed to reach me, but I hadn’t expected him to turn up!

“You sounded upset in your messages. There’s no way I was going to let you grab a cab to the hotel.” His expression turned hard as he glanced at my brothers and father. “Obviously, it’s a good thing I came.”

“Who the hell are you?” Hayden asked, his voice accusatory.

Jensen raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. Even though they were both alphas, Jensen was clearly the more powerful one. He stood almost a head taller than Hayden, and he was obviously the more mature of the two.

“I’m the father of the baby you told your sister to abort,” he said, his voice so low and menacing that all my family stood to attention.

Hayden’s eyes widened. “You’ve got some nerve, showing your face here.”

Jensen shrugged. “Bethany is upset—there’s no way in hell she’s staying here.”

“You can’t just come and demand she leaves. We are her family!” Danny piped up.

Jensen turned to my dad. “I assume you’re one of her fathers? I’d intended to meet you when Bethany was ready to tell you about the pregnancy. Now, as you can see, she is upset, and I’m not going to stand around while your sons try to shame her when she’s twenty times more responsible than they are.”

“That’s not fair…” my father sputtered.

“Isn’t it?” Jensen asked coolly.

“Let’s just go,” I said, walking over to him. He nodded, taking my duffel bag.

We both took a step toward the door when a hand clenched around my upper arm, dragging me back. “You’re not leaving with a fucking stranger.”

Danny.

I cried out in pain at the harsh tug backward, stumbling over my own feet.

The next three seconds were a blur of movement as Jensen plucked me out of Danny’s grasp and launched himself toward Danny, his fist making an impressive sound as it connected with his cheek.

“Don’t you ever lay a fucking hand on her again. You hear me?” Jensen snarled. Gone was his usual happy-go-lucky golden retriever personality. In its place was a seething, furious, and dangerous alpha.

Despite the severity of the situation, my stomach did a little flutter.

Angry Jensen was hot.

Danny was crouched over, holding his face with unbridled horror in his expression.

“Let’s go,” I muttered, tugging the back of Jensen’s shirt.

He glanced at me, the anger subsiding slightly but not leaving his expression entirely. With a surprisingly gentle grip, he took my hand in his and pulled me toward the door. His rental was sitting outside, and we both ignored the shouts from my family as we got in.

Danny watched in horror, still unable to compute that he’d just gotten sucker punched.

We were quiet for a moment when we pulled out of the driveway. Jensen was still radiating anger, and I wanted to give him a moment to calm down.

“Thank you,” I whispered eventually, tears still running down my cheeks.

He didn’t have to come for me, but I appreciated that he had. I could have gotten myself to the hotel just fine, but having him there to support me meant more than he probably realized.

He reached out, taking my hand in his. There was still an angry tension in his jaw, but I knew that wasn’t directed at me.

“Let’s get you home.”

Home.

That sounded about right.

Chapter 34

Cullen

Anger.

I hadn’t felt rage like that in a long time, but when I got the call that Bethany had been bullied by her family, I was livid.

Jensen hadn’t explained much about what had happened, only that Bethany’s family knew she was pregnant and had treated her badly, and the two of them were coming home immediately. Jensen had told the team he had a family emergency and bailed on the game.

They had hopped on the first flight back, so it only took them a few hours to get home. I had decided to let Sally cover the restaurant as I stalked around the entryway to the house, waiting on their arrival. Joey was at the zoo with one of her school friends, so she wouldn’t be witness to my sheer rage over Bethany’s knucklehead family.

When Jensen’s car pulled up and they got out, there was no missing the redness in Bethany’s eyes. Her hair was scraped back into a messy bun, and she was wearing one of Jensen’s hoodies and a pair of jeans. His clothing was huge on her, making her look even more vulnerable and tiny.

She was upset.

That infuriated me. I wanted to punch whoever upset her.

“Explain,” I demanded before she was even fully in the door. My ire made me short and snappy.

“Hello to you too, Cullen. It’s nice to be home.” Her voice was full of sarcasm, but I was more concerned with figuring out what the fuck had happened.

The anger in her gaze made me pause. Shit, I was being an ass. Gently wrapping my arm around her, I pulled my girl into an embrace, kissing the top of her head. I needed to be looking after her, not thundering around the house like a grumpy bear.

Shit, maybe the nickname Bethany and Joey had been calling me held a little bit of truth.

“I’m sorry. I’m just worried about you. I didn’t mean to be cranky.”

She looked up at me, cocking an eyebrow. “I’ve come to accept that you guys are always cranky these days.”

Is that how she saw us? That wasn’t how I wanted her to see us.

“I’ve got dinner ready. Let’s sit, and we can discuss what happened,” Gideon said, gesturing toward the kitchen. His posture was tense, and I knew he was also secretly raging that someone had been nasty to our omega.

Bethany hummed in joy when she saw the tacos laid out and grabbed a plate with twice as much as any of us had. She sat at the kitchen table and dove in. I was happy to see her eating. The dark circles under her eyes and the stress tugging at her features made me uneasy. Bethany was pregnant. She should be lounging around on soft surfaces, eating all the candy she wanted and relaxing.

“Why didn’t your family take the news well?” Gideon asked as he picked at his own food.

“Well, I’ve told you I don’t have the best relationship with my family. All our issues kind of came to a head.” She grimaced around a mouthful of taco.

“We thought they might be angry when they learned you were pregnant, but the scene that Jensen described sounds abhorrent,” I said with a frown.

Bethany nodded, slowly chewing and swallowing. “Yeah…I don’t know what I expected, but that was extreme, even for them.”

“We told you all about our messed-up history. I think it’s your turn.”

“You guys know that I got really close to Joey and wanted to help because I knew what it was like to be raised without a mother.”

We nodded. Her care and consideration for Joey was one of the first things that we’d loved about her. “Yeah, I remember you setting me straight about that a while ago…” Gideon smirked.

“My family is different from yours. You guys don’t push Joey to do anything she doesn’t want to do. You are all capable alphas who can take care of yourselves. My mother was the kind of omega who did everything for everyone. My fathers never cooked, never cleaned, never did their own laundry. Naturally, as the only female in the house, it all fell to me.”

Gideon stilled. “You’ve mentioned your family to me before, but I think we all need to hear the entire story.” He glanced at us as we spoke. What did he mean, Bethany had told him things? What things?

Bethany took a deep breath. “I mean that none of them could cook. My fathers were a mess, and so before I was even thirteen years old, I was doing the laundry and making their meals. I thought it was the right thing to do, that I was helping after we lost Mom. Only…”

“They quickly started taking advantage?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“Yeah…” Bethany’s response was barely a whisper, as if she was still trying to come to terms with it herself. “I’m starting to see that more and more now. My dads. They love me, but they are so stuck in their ways that, when I told them I wanted to go to California for college, they refused to support me financially.”

“Are you saying they offered to support you only if you stayed in Nebraska?” I asked.

She nodded at the same time as Gideon, who didn’t look at all happy. “Not just the state, but I had to actually live at home. It was only recently that I realized it’s because, without me, the place is falling apart since they can’t function on their own. My brothers can’t hold down a job, they can’t do a load of laundry, and they are, frankly, pathetic. It’s probably my own fault for enabling them for so long. I’ve always just rolled over and done what they wanted, but that changed at Thanksgiving.”

She paused, taking another bite of her taco.

Anger simmered in my gut. Gideon had implied that she had basically been used as a free maid by her family for years, but hearing it from her own mouth made me furious.

“What changed at Thanksgiving?” Gideon asked with a frown. “From what I understood, that has been your fucked-up normal for a while…”

She smiled at him ruefully. “The problem is, I didn’t go home. There was no way I was going to let Joey down after she’d asked me to help with the festival. So I called my fathers and told them that I wouldn’t be coming home for Thanksgiving. Apparently they didn’t believe me. One of my brothers, Hayden, is dating an omega, and he’s trying to impress her by pretending he’s a respectable, capable adult. Turns out, they assumed I was going to come home anyway and was only joking about staying here. When this omega came for Thanksgiving and they didn’t even have a meal to serve, apparently it was humiliating, and my brother got angry. That’s why I went to visit them this weekend—to make up for Thanksgiving. But the moment I got in the house, they started throwing accusations at me and blaming me for their inability to do anything.”

She went to stand, but Gideon shook his head. “Lime soda?” he asked, knowing immediately what she was getting up for.

“Oh, thank you.” She sat back down, picking at her tacos. “Anyway, I didn’t plan to tell them about the pregnancy. I just wanted to get the weekend over with and get back here. Only, when one of my brothers was rummaging through my bags, he found my prenatal vitamins.”

“Your grown-ass brothers were going through your bags?” I asked. The more she told me about her family, the more baffled I became. How did these idiots even survive?

“Yep, and my fathers saw nothing wrong with that. Whenever I get on any of my brothers to get a job, do some housework, or do the bare minimum, my fathers would remind me that they struggled when my mother died and I needed to show a bit more grace with them.” She laughed bitterly.

“You were the only daughter and the only other omega in the family. Didn’t they think it would be hard on you?” I asked, exasperated. She didn’t respond, but she didn’t need to. Clearly, her family hadn’t been thinking about her at all.

“And is that what led to the scene that I walked in on?” Jensen asked. He turned to us with a frown. “The way they were talking to her was fucking disgusting.”

“I didn’t expect them to take it well, but I didn’t expect them to be cruel,” she whispered.

She didn’t deserve that. The idea of us ever treating Joey like that made me feel sick to my stomach.

“I’m so sorry that happened,” I said, reaching out and taking her hand that wasn’t holding a taco.

“I think, as terrible as it was, it needed to happen. It’s time they learn to stand on their own feet. They expect me to be back for Christmas, but I don’t think that’ll be happening.”

“No way in hell,” Gideon agreed, handing her the soda. “From what you’ve told us, they would have you on your feet the entire holiday, working like a dog, when you should be resting.”

“That was pretty normal for the holidays,” she admitted. “They started talking badly about our unborn child, and I just lost it. My fathers gave my brothers so much financial support over the years. They’ve paid for cars, they’ve paid for apartments, they’ve bent over backward for them, while I have been slaving away out here in California to get an education so I can make something of myself, when all they expect of me is to become a housewife.”

I can’t imagine how much it would have hurt, watching her brothers be handed everything while she had to work nonstop.

“Well, that’s not going to be your normal anymore,” I said firmly.

“I agree,” Gideon said. “This year, we will get food from the restaurant because it’s open on Christmas.”

Bethany’s eyes darted to me as she cocked her head questioningly. “I thought everything closed on Christmas.”

“Usually, but a few years after opening the restaurant, I noticed not all my staff had family to go home to, so we started doing a sort of family Christmas Day at the restaurant, where anyone who didn’t have family could come and have a good meal on Christmas. Just spend some time there. Over the years, it’s evolved and now we cook for a lot of the homeless population in the city. My staff only work if they want to, and they get paid triple time.”

“That’s really sweet…” Bethany smiled.

“The only thing you have to worry about on Christmas Day is having fun with Joey, eating a bunch of food, and keeping your feet up,” Jensen said as she took a sip of her soda.

“No cooking, no cleaning, no work. It is a holiday, and you’re going to rest.” Gideon’s tone was firm.

A sigh escaped her chest. “Joey is really lucky to have fathers like you, you know that?”

Something about her words made my chest burn with pride. We were doing our best for our daughter, but we were never certain if it was enough. But to hear Bethany, who had been through the exact same situation as Joey, praising us made me feel ten-feet tall.

“She’s also really lucky to have you,” Jensen said.

“Not many women would yell at me when I became a surly ass because they wanted to help my child,” Gideon pointed out.

Jensen leaned over, dragging her chair toward him so he could wrap his arms around her and kiss the top of her head.

“They’re so mad at me,” she whispered sadly. The broken tone of her voice hurt me to hear. Her dads and brothers were idiots, clearly failing to see the amazing woman in their lives.

Well, we were going to appreciate her and love her and spoil her like she goddamned deserved to be. We hadn’t really said out loud what our situation was, and I knew that had infuriated Gideon to no extent, but we were together.

The house felt warmer with her around, and we were all happier.

“You deserve so much better,” I assured her.

Chapter 35

Beth

“Ican walk to the fridge, you know?” I grumbled as Cullen brought me another soda.

“I know, but you need to rest,” he said as he sat next to me on the sofa, pulling me into his arms.

All I had been doing was resting. After the debacle with my family, the guys had gone into overdrive, making sure I rested. I hadn’t cooked or cleaned or even gotten my own drink since I came back. It was kind of nice being spoiled, but I was so used to doing things myself that it was a struggle at times to adjust to this new normal.

I was spending a lazy Tuesday on the sofa, watching TV with Cullen while Gideon worked from home. He had hardly gone into the office since I’d returned home. His presence was comforting, but I hoped he wasn’t slacking at work or falling behind because of me.

Jensen had picked up another ER shift, but he had checked with me several times before accepting the shift, not wanting to leave if I wanted him to stay. It took a lot of assurance, but he finally left. The guys were probably going stir-crazy stuck in the house with me.

I snuggled into Cullen’s side, subtly pressing my nose into his chest so I could get a hit of that bourbon and oak scent.

“How are you feeling?” Cullen asked softly, running his hands through my hair.

“Good. Just tired,” I admitted. “The nugget is sapping my energy.”

Cullen chuckled. “Little thief. You should try and get more rest, but I know that advice is going to fall on deaf ears.”

I looked up at him, cocking an eyebrow. “That’s rich coming from you, Mr. Workaholic.”

A warm, rich laugh emanated from his chest. “That’s fair, but you’re growing a human being.”

He had a point there…but I didn’t want to admit it.

“We need to tell Joey soon.” I sighed. “I want to get her involved before I pick out many decorations or furniture.”

“She’s going to love being a big sister. You know she’ll be begging you for more as soon as you give birth?”

Giggling, I shook my head. “She’ll have to make do with the nugget for now!”

We stayed curled up on the sofa for an hour, simply basking in each other’s presence. Even though we hadn’t outright said what we were, it was clear that they were more to me than just the pack who had gotten me pregnant.

“Hey…Cullen?” I looked up at him with big, round, pleading eyes.

A smile spread across his face. “What do you want?”.

I bit my lip. “Do we have some stinky cheese here?”

His eyebrow rose. “Stinky? That’s specific.”

I shrugged, squeezing him slightly. “I can’t explain it, but I’ve been thinking about stinky cheese all day, and even last week, I had a hankering for it, and I don’t know why. All I know is I really want some stinky cheese.”

“That sounds like a pregnancy craving.”

“Then it’s your fault!” I giggled.

“How so?”

“The nugget is the reason I’m getting these cravings. You are the one who potentially put said nugget inside me, so ergo, it is your fault!” I was giggling at my own absurd logic.

Cullen cocked his head to the side, his dark hair flopping over to the side as he did so. “Well, I’m not sure I can refute that logic, though the blame may also sit with Jensen or Gideon.”

“If the baby comes out with a briefcase or more energy than humanly possible, we’ll know who is to blame.”

A loud, rambunctious laugh echoed throughout the room. The mental image of a little baby holding a briefcase was oddly adorable.

“I don’t think we have anything here, but if you feel like going on an outing, there’s an Italian deli not far from Joey’s school. We can go get some, then pick up Joey.”

I sat up straighter, a smile tugging at my lips. “That sounds really nice,” I said. “We can even take Joey for an after-school treat.”

Cullen smirked. “Let me guess, you also want chicken nuggets, and you’re using our daughter as an excuse?”

My mouth dropped open in mock outrage as I lightly shoved him. “I despise that insinuation, Mr. Noble. Even though the assumption is correct, I merely thought that Joey could also benefit from my rampant cravings.”

He shook his head, unable to contain his grin. “Get dressed. We have cheese, a child, and chicken nuggets to get.”

I hopped up, clapping my hands excitedly before scampering over to the stairs, shouting up toward Gideon’s office. “Cullen and I are going to go buy stinky cheese before we get Joey—you want to come?”

I took the chuckle that emanated through the house as agreement.

“How much longer?” I whined, bouncing on my heels as we waited outside the school.

Gideon laughed, pulling me into his side, pausing my movements. “How many times have you picked Joey up from school now? You know it’s a few more minutes.”

“I know.” I pouted. “I’m just excited.”

We were going to the local park. Cullen was waiting in the car with my stinky cheese, and Jensen was almost finished with work and would be meeting us for our family outing. Joey was going to love it—she lit up whenever she got all her dads at once.

“Gideon!” a sickly-sweet voice called out from the crowd, making me still. I immediately recognized that voice.

The snotty-looking blonde woman who had been so insistent that the Thanksgiving festival setup was only for mothers was approaching us, an overly friendly smile directed right at Gideon.

“Mrs. Lowe,” Gideon greeted as she approached with a nod.

“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Jennifer?” she said, playfully batting him on the arm. “How are you? I haven’t seen you at pickup for a while.”

I took a step back, no longer clinging to him as much. Technically, I was the nanny. Though a large part of me wanted to cling on tighter and stake a claim on Gideon because the way she was looking at him was downright desperate.

She wanted him.

Maybe she was hiding it well, but I could tell.

“How is Lillian?” Gideon asked.

“Good. She needs to have a playdate with little Joey soon.”

Not if I had anything to say about it.

My hand went to my flat stomach for a moment before dropping it. Thankfully, Jennifer hadn’t noticed. After the way she had spoken about Joey at the fall festival, there was no way in hell I was going to encourage her child and Joey to have a relationship.

Even though, technically, her child was innocent, I could almost guarantee that some of the mother’s toxic, vile behavior had rubbed off on her.

“Sure.” Gideon nodded, his face unreadable.

I swallowed. Was it my place to say anything? My role in Joey’s life was becoming more and more complicated by the day. There was no way I could let her around Joey, though. That was just asking for her to get hurt.

When she placed her hand on Gideon’s forearm, giving him that simpering look, I nearly lost my mind.

“Here, why don’t I give you my number?” she asked, pulling out her phone.

Gideon smiled, turning to me. “It may be best if you take Bethany’s number. She’s far more involved with picking Joey up than me.”

Jennifer’s face dropped. “I am more than happy to take the nanny’s number, but I would also like to talk to you occasionally. We all know staff doesn’t always last.”

My hands were itching to reach out and tug on her perfectly styled hair as she gave me a disapproving look.

Staff.

Was that all I was?

Oh no, what if Gideon agreed?

Gideon frowned, wrapping his arm around me again as he pulled me into his side. “Bethany isn’t a staff member. She’s part of our family.” His words were firm, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

My insides turned to mush as I smiled up at him. It was the first time he’d declared that I was family, and hearing that felt good.

Jennifer’s face reddened. Before anyone could say anything else, she waved at another one of the moms and scurried away.

“We don’t like her,” I muttered at Gideon as she left.

“She’s flirty but harmless. There’s no need to make drama where there is none.”

“I didn’t tell you this at the time, but she just happened to be a bitch about Joey not having a mother at the fall festival. She was trying to get me kicked out for helping Joey in that passive-aggressive way that makes me want to throttle her.”

Gideon’s eyebrows rose. “Are you serious?”

I nodded. “As a shark attack. I dealt with it at the time, and Joey didn’t see or hear anything. You can blame it on the pregnancy hormones if you want, but I will throw hands if she’s mean to our Joey.” As I spoke, I glowered in the direction Jennifer had gone.

Gideon’s hand rested on my lower back as he kissed the top of my head. “Stand down, killer.” His words held no heat. In fact, they were almost affectionate and…proud.

“When do you want to tell her?” Jensen asked as we watched Joey and Gideon playing on the swings. Cullen was over at the ice cream truck, grabbing cones for all of us.

“I don’t know,” I said as I rubbed my belly. I was into my second trimester, and I was going to be showing soon.

“Maybe over the holidays would be nice, especially considering you’re going to be with us. We should probably tell her before you move in full-time…”

“Who said I’m moving in?” I asked with a frown.

Jensen chuckled. “You’ve been sleeping at our place more than your own. Joey loves having you around, as do we, and we know full well you can’t live at the dorms when you have a baby.”

“I could get my own apartment.”

Jensen pursed his lips. “I suppose you could, but that seems kind of silly when you have several helping hands at our place. Maybe you should have this conversation with Gideon.”

I snorted. “You know full well that wouldn’t be a conversation. Gideon will steamroll it.” I took a deep breath. “Maybe staying more wouldn’t be the worst.”

Now it was Jensen’s turn to snort. “I’m too snuggly to resist!”

I doubted I would be able to resist for long. After all, it made more sense to be there once I gave birth, and easing Joey into it was probably the best solution. It also helped that I simply wanted to be there around them all.

“We’ll see.”

Chapter 36

Beth

Iwasn’t the best chef of the family, by any means, but I was doing a decent job at making a homemade lasagna for dinner. Joey was getting picked up from school by the mother of one of her friends, so she would be home any minute. I wanted to make something that would be both nutritious and filling. Therefore, a lasagna with a side of salad seemed like a good bet.

It wasn’t completely homemade—I would leave making pasta from scratch to Cullen—but as far as my cooking skills went, I was rather impressed with myself. When I’d lived on my own, I was a huge fan of instant noodles…not that I would ever admit that to the guys. They would probably freak out and give me even more vitamins.

I had just placed the pasta dish in the oven and was getting to work throwing together a salad when the front door slammed. Putting down my salad tongs, I turned to the entrance, where Joey came storming in. It was immediately obvious that something was wrong. Her eyes were red and puffy, like she had been crying.

“Mrs. Lowe said you’re having a baby!” Joey sobbed, tears flowing down her cheeks.

My body stilled, eyes going wide.

How did she know?

Clearly, this wasn’t good news for Joey, and I didn’t want to lie to her. We had planned to break the news to her gently, but that had gone out the window.

“Well? Are you?” she asked, her voice breaking.

“You don’t like that idea?” I asked softly, kneeling in front of her. She turned to leave, to run away from me, but I gently grabbed her by the hips. Usually, I would let her stomp off and feel her emotions, but this needed to be addressed before she ran off. “I’m going to be honest—I am going to have a baby in a few months.”

The way her face fell at my words straight up broke my heart.

“Lillian said that with a new baby, you wouldn’t care about me anymore,” she admitted with a broken sob.

Lillian?

She was the daughter of Jennifer Lowe, the simpering mother who had been clinging to Gideon.

How on earth did she know I was pregnant?

Also, why was she dropping Joey off? All Gideon had told me was she was at a friend’s house, but he failed to mention which friend.

The how wasn’t overly important. I had to fix the situation unfolding in front of me, fast.

“Hey, that is a load of bullshit,” I said, my voice firm.

Joey’s eyes widened. “That’s a bad word. The daddies tell each other off when they say that word.” Her voice was a hushed whisper, the shock of my cursing temporarily stopping her sobs.

I nodded. “It is a bad word, but I wanted to use it because Lillian was so very, very wrong.”

“What do you mean? You’ll have a new baby to care about. You’ll forget all about me. That’s what Lillian said. You’ll be a pack, and I don’t fit in because my mommy didn’t want me.”

My heart broke in two at those words.

“Josephine Noble, you listen to me right now. Your mother was a dummy. A big, stupid dummy. You want to know why? Because you are amazing. We don’t get to choose our parents, and sometimes they fail. My daddies failed, which makes me sad, but I have so many people in my life who love me and who I love, like you.” Tears gathered in my eyes as my overwhelming love for Joey swept over me. “Sweet girl, I’m not going anywhere. This baby may change things, but they’ll be for the better. Your daddies love you so much. They’ll love this baby as well, but they’ve got plenty of love in their hearts to share.”

“But you’ll be busy with the new baby and won’t want me…”

I cocked my head to the side. “I won’t lie. It’s going to be busy in the early days while we adjust to caring for the new baby, but that won’t change how much we love you. This baby is going to be your little brother or sister, and they’re going to need you.”

Joey peered at me. “You love me?”

A few of the tears welling in my eyes ran down my cheeks, and I wiped them away. Even though I wanted to give Joey her space, I couldn’t resist pulling her into my arms. “I do. I really do. This baby changes none of that.”

Joey was quiet for a moment, her arms slowly wrapping around me and hugging me back just as fiercely while she sobbed.

For a few minutes, we just sat on the kitchen floor, embracing each other. I was doing my best to keep it together and failing horribly.

As soon as the sobbing died down, we went upstairs, dinner forgotten, other than quickly turning off the oven to avoid a house fire. Curling up in the nest, I turned on the TV, and we watched a princess movie together.

Joey was more subdued than usual, but I stuck to her side like glue. There was every indicator that Joey would be an omega, and we thrived off cuddles and physical contact, so that was what I gave her.

Soon enough, I could feel her relaxing and getting absorbed in the movie. As soon as her soft little snores started emanating, my tears overflowed, and I finally let myself properly cry. The emotions of the day, coupled with my hormones, made for a good, hour-long crying session.

For a while, my thoughts lingered on Joey’s biological mother. How could a woman have gained such an amazing little girl and disregarded her so quickly? I hadn’t met the woman or even seen a picture of her, but I hated her more than I had ever despised anyone else.

Joey was mine.

There was no question about it.

I’d already been falling in love with the sweet girl before I was pregnant, and now, well, it would be impossible to let her go.

Regardless of my budding relationship with her fathers, Joey was a motherless child, and I was about to be the mother of her sibling. She was always going to be a part of my life and my child’s life. There was no way I could ever walk away from her or treat her any differently than my own child.

I had been worried about becoming a mother in a few months, but the truth was, I was already a mother to a cute, sassy little girl.

Chapter 37

Gideon

“Did Bethany say she was going to cook?” Jensen asked as we pulled up. Cullen was in the driveway, getting out of his Lexus.

It was one of the rare nights we all arrived home at the same time.

“She did. I offered to bring dinner home with me, but she insisted,” I said as we headed up the drive.

“How long have you been here?” Jensen asked Cullen with a laugh.

“Seconds. Trust me, I wouldn’t hesitate to get some solo time with our girls.”

I would do exactly the same.

Together, we entered the house.

Bethany padded slowly down the stairs, her face serious. She was wearing tight leggings that showed off every curve of her legs and a college sweatshirt of mine.

“We need to talk,” she said, pointing to the living room. “Now.”

“Where’s Joey?” Cullen asked.

“Asleep. Living room.” Her response was short, terse. Her scent was unusual. Instead of the almost caramel apple scent she gave off when she was happy, this was charred, like someone had burned an apple pie.

“Uhh, why do you look murderous?” Jensen asked as we followed her, her footsteps a little louder than usual.

As we filtered into the room, Bethany closed the door, glowering at me. “Your admirer is a bitch!” she hissed, looking me dead in the eye. I was used to anger from her, but it was the playful, fun kind of anger. This anger was genuine and possibly violent.

Not that she was really dangerous; she was a tiny omega who hated mushrooms. Not exactly murder material.

Though, the look she was giving me was enough to make me reconsider.

“Admirer?” Jensen asked questioningly, cocking his head to the side as he stepped next to her. “Come here. You’re too far away,” he said, reaching out for her.

She batted his hands away.

Jensen frowned, pouting at her rejection.

“Jennifer Lowe?” She looked at me, her gaze hard.

What had that insufferable woman done now? She was a pain but harmless, or at least I’d thought she was.

“Isn’t that the PTA mom from the school? The clingy one who kept trying to convince you to join when Joey started there?” Cullen asked. “She was creepy,” he admitted with a shudder.

“Thank you!” Bethany threw her hands up in the air. “Clingy and creepy.”

“She’s not that bad,” I insisted. “She’s just…eager.”

Bethany rounded on me, the look of fury on her face so terrifying, I took a step back. We were probably a sight—a large alpha stepping back from the fury of a little, grumpy omega, but I was quickly realizing that she meant business.

“Well, that bitch and her demon child told Joey that I’m pregnant and that we wouldn’t want her once we have a new baby! The poor girl came home in buckets of tears.”

My blood turned to ice.

I focused on Bethany, who was staring me dead in the eye, her arms crossed, her body language screaming try me. “Tell us everything.”

“Fuck, where is she?” Cullen said, going to get up from his seat, but Bethany lightly pushed him back down, shaking her head.

“She cried herself out, then fell asleep in the nest. She was exhausted, and I didn’t want to disturb her. You guys—Fuck. She was so distraught, and I wasn’t sure what to say to comfort her.”

Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes, and she furiously wiped them away.

The sight of her distress was just another blow.

I needed to make it right. My family was upset, and it was my job to protect, love, and cherish them. There was nothing on this earth I valued more than the people in my house at that moment, and I would do whatever it took to prove that.

“She’s a bitch—no, that word isn’t strong enough!”

Bethany ran a hand through her hair, pacing, her frustration palpable. She had just recapped her conversation with Joey, and my stomach was twisted up in knots.

Jensen and Cullen were both sitting on the sofa, appearing various degrees of queasy. Cullen’s elbows were on his knees as he hung his head in shame, his hair sticking up at odd angles from the number of times he had run his hands through it while Bethany had been talking.

The usually relaxed and laid-back Jensen was clenching his jaw so hard, I was surprised he hadn’t popped a blood vessel yet.

They looked just how I felt.

Was this our fault? Because we had waited to tell Joey ourselves? Bethany was almost halfway through her pregnancy, and we had been keeping it under wraps. We had wanted to ease Joey into it and protect her, but somehow, we had managed to fuck up.

Bethany chewed on her thumbnail, a behavior she only did when stressed. “I did everything I could to reassure her, but there’s only so much I could say. I didn’t want to start talking about how I was going to be in Joey’s life forever when we hadn’t even discussed who I am to her. Hell, we haven’t even clarified what we are.”

“What we are?” Cullen asked, confused.

“What are we? We’ve been doing this thing for months now, and as much as I’m enjoying it, we need to be clear with each other, because it impacts that sweet little girl upstairs.”

What did she mean, she wanted to know where we stood? Wasn’t that crystal clear? At least it was to me.

“We are family,” I said simply.

Bethany rolled her eyes with a huff and glared at me. “Thank you, Captain Obvious. I’m having your baby. We are forever going to be linked. But what does that mean about my relationship with Joey?”

“We’re dating, aren’t we?” Jensen asked.

“I think?” She threw her hands in the air as she continued pacing. “I don’t know if we are together or if we’re just fucking because I’m pregnant with your child. The last thing I want to do is overstep when comforting Joey because I’m not a permanent part of your lives.”

“Of course you’re a permanent part of our lives!” Jensen said, staggering to his feet and approaching Bethany. She didn’t push him away this time as he grasped her by the upper arms, looking her dead in the eye. “We are together. There is no doubt in my mind about that. We’ve been working so hard to consider Joey in all this, I think maybe we failed to have a few conversations. Given what happened with her mother, we just want her to feel secure. The last thing we want is another mother figure in her life who leaves. Don’t you dare think that doesn’t also mean you’re ours.”

Bethany cocked an eyebrow, some of her confidence fleeing her expression, her scent still a little burned. “Do you think I’m going to leave?”

I shook my head. “No, but I can’t help it. Our pasts make us doubtful.”

“But I’m not going anywhere. I want to be there for Joey, but I need to know what my role is. Are we together? Are we on a path to me becoming part of this pack? Or am I simply a bang nanny who just happens to be carrying your child?”

My eyes shot up at that term as I promptly choked on thin air.

A bang nanny?

I didn’t know that Bethany even knew of that phrase.

“The fuck?!” Jensen exclaimed.

Cullen growled, striding over to Bethany, pulling her into his arms. “I’m not afraid to say it. I’m in love with you. I’m fucking terrified because that means I’m vulnerable, but I don’t care.”

I was a bit jealous, because both of my pack mates had held her and I had yet to. My hands itched to touch her.

She was mine.

Bethany stared at Cullen with a shocked expression. “You love me?”

Cullen nodded. “Yep. You most certainly aren’t a bang nanny. You are sweet, kind, and fucking fierce. I’ve loved you since the moment you slapped me, omega.”

His lips crashed down on hers in a frenzied kiss. He was devouring her. Her hands fisted in his shirt as he pulled her as close as possible; any closer, and they would fuse together.

“We’re supposed to be having a serious conversation, not making out like teenagers.” I tried to sound severe, but the humor in my voice was impossible to miss.

Jensen was beaming at the two of them. That moron had been in love with her for years. “I also love you, but I feel like Cullen stole my thunder a bit there.” He laughed. “Maybe we’ve been working so hard to keep it from Joey that we kind of kept it from ourselves?” He turned to me before looking back at Bethany. “I can’t even pinpoint when I fell in love with you, because you just keep knocking me off my feet. You’re so fierce and independent, but also soft and sweet. You think stinky cheese is amazing, but are terrified of mushrooms. You’re an adorable paradox, and I am obsessed.”

A beautiful blush spread across her face at his words, and she gazed up at him adoringly.

I wanted her to look at me like that.

Did I love her?

Simply imagining not having her around made my chest clench in an almost painful way. Any day I didn’t see her felt like a loss. Stupidly intelligent and fiercely loyal and protective, Bethany was everything I wanted in a mate.

She was mine.

There was no way I could let her go. She was my first thought in the morning and last at night—with the exception of when Joey woke me up by jumping on my bed, and then my first thought was usually a little grumpier.

I had been playing it cool for weeks, but I knew I was obsessed with her. The last thing I wanted to do was push her deeper into a relationship before she was ready just because we had some emotional hang-ups, thanks to our ex.

But if she tried to leave, I wouldn’t hesitate to track her down and drag her back home, because she belonged here, with us.

“You?” she asked, turning to me, speaking with a soft, hushed voice.

“It doesn’t feel as impactful being the third one in a row to say it, but I do. You’re ours, Bethany. Nothing is going to change that fact. We are just as much yours. I may not be the best at words, but you’re it for me. You’re a pain in my ass, yet every goddamn time you sass me, I love it. You’ve ruined me in the best way.”

Her grin widened. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Deep down, I thought I knew that, but there was still that small part of me that felt like I couldn’t put Joey in that situation again.

Cullen sighed. “But given Joey’s mother…”

Bethany huffed. “Okay, so you guys love me, but you’re scared I’ll turn tail and run like your ex, so you’re nervous about how much I insert myself into Joey’s life. Is that right?”

I nodded stiffly. I felt like a monster admitting it, but I couldn’t help my worry. Bethany leaving didn’t feel like a possibility, but there was that teeny, tiny chance.

And that chance was enough to make me pause.

“I’m not worried about that.” Jensen shrugged. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re part of this pack, and you already have a significant role in Joey’s life. At this point, I think it would be pretty hard for you to overstep.”

She met my eye, a serious expression clouding her features, like she was deep in thought. “Okay, then…how can I make it obvious that I’m not going anywhere?”

“That’s not on you,” Jensen said, shaking his head, wrapping his arm around her waist.

“If you want me to be part of this pack one day, then does that mean I’ll be a mother figure to Joey?”

“If you want to be,” I whispered. “I want you to be.”

Bethany snorted. “I loved that little girl before I loved any of you idiots.” She looked between us, brow furrowed. “Okay, let me get this straight. With enough time and trust, you would be happy for me to be a mother figure to her, just as I am the mother to her sibling. But you are still nervous that I might leave and break her heart. Is that right?”

I nodded. “I know it’s not fair to you…”

“But you’re not going anywhere,” Cullen growled.

“Ours.” Jensen smirked, kissing the top of her head.

She shrugged, biting back a grin as her face flushed. “It’s understandable, but I think we are all dismissing a perfectly easy solution here.”

“If you’ve got an answer, let us know,” I said.

She smiled at me. “Bite me.”

I sat up straighter. “Excuse me?”

“I’m down!” Jensen cackled, twirling Bethany around playfully until she batted at him to put her down.

“Dude, careful,” Cullen said, but he had a giant, shit-eating grin on his face. “Do you really want to bond?”

We had wanted a bonded omega since we were teenagers, dreamed and discussed it at length. After Bella, it had felt impossible, but Bethany was suggesting it with such resolute ease.

Bethany shrugged. “We are all in agreement that this is serious.” She gestured between us all. “Bonding seems like a good way to solidify this.”

“Now, don’t get me wrong. I want to bite you right fucking now. But we don’t want to rush you,” I said. “You’re younger than we are.”

Bethany snorted and looked down at her stomach, where she was just starting to show. Her tiny bump was so adorable, and when we were home, she wasn’t afraid to show it off. Bella had hated her changing body, but it excited Bethany. She was stunning, and I couldn’t wait for the next few months.

“I think the child growing inside me has elevated the timeline a bit. If it was just us three and the baby, then when we bond wouldn’t be as big a deal, but we need to make sure that Joey feels secure with what’s going on. If we are a fully bonded pack, she’ll know that I’m not going anywhere.”

Did I want that? Fuck, yes, I did. We would be a family unit and have that security that Bethany was one hundred percent ours. Naturally, as a member of our bonded pack, she would have a bigger role in Joey’s life.

I was about to grab her and pull her into my arms, but Jensen grimaced. “We should talk to the docs before bonding,” he said.

“What?” Bethany gaped.

Jensen closed his eyes and tilted his head back, disappointment evident. “I hate being the responsible one, but you should have the OB-GYN clear bonding before we do it. Some pregnancies have more risk factors, and bonding can take it out of you…”

Bethany pouted but nodded. “I guess that makes sense.”

“How long until you see a doctor next?” Cullen asked.

“I just moved her to our insurance, so this week!” Jensen beamed.

I gently but firmly cupped her face, forcing her to meet my eyes. “You’re ours. There’s no question of that, Bethany, but I want you to be sure. I don’t want you to just do this for Joey, because once I sink my teeth into you, you’ll never be rid of me. You think I’m obsessed with you now? I’ll be a thorn in your side once we bond.”

Her eyes lit up. “Is that a promise?” she asked breathily.

“As long as you’re sure…” I trailed off.

Her eyes flashed with something…not angry, but excited. Reaching over toward the couch, she grabbed one of the pillows and hurled it at my head.

“I’m not offering just because of Joey. I’m also offering because I love you idiots! I swear to god, if we become a fully formed pack, we are all going to family therapy, because we are all messed up and need to figure out healthy communication.”

Chapter 38

Cullen

We were all reeling after our conversation with Bethany.

I was all in. She wanted to be a pack, and I craved that as well. I wanted to be able to show her off, to scream from the rooftops that such an amazing omega had chosen me.

I was an idiot in love.

Though I was sure my absolutely amazing daughter had something to do with it as well, I liked to pretend that Bethany fell madly in love with me first.

I’d been obsessed with her from the day I met her.

Now that bonding was on the table, there was a weird electricity in the house. We didn’t know when it was going to happen, but it was going to happen. I was sure Jensen would be looking into the health and well-being side of things, but that OB-GYN appointment couldn’t come soon enough.

After our conversation, I’d wanted nothing more than to pull Bethany into my arms and snuggle with her for the night, but she had gone straight back up to the nest to watch over Joey. Though I’d pouted, I couldn’t help but love her all the more for her dedication to Joey.

When Joey had woken up for some dinner, she had been herself, if not a little subdued. It was clear she was exhausted, and we didn’t want to push.

It didn’t feel right to send Joey to school until we had cleared up what her classmate had said to her.

So we decided to play hooky.

Obviously, I cleared it with Gideon first, but in the morning, I grabbed Joey and drove over to the restaurant. She was excited to be doing something other than schoolwork for once.

“Let’s go raid the chocolate pantry before Sally sees us!” I laughed as Joey scampered toward the back.

The staff member in question was in the doorway before I could even blink. “You really think you guys can keep anything from me?” she asked, her eyes full of laughter. She had a soft spot for Joey. All the staff members did. I had been bringing Joey to the restaurant since the day we started working on it, when half the walls needed tearing down and the kitchen consisted of nothing but a sink and a few broken tiles.

“It’s been a rough few days. We need some daddy-daughter time,” I admitted quietly. “A kid at her school told her that Bethany was going to have a baby and we would forget all about Joey.”

Sally’s jaw dropped in surprise. “Was it the child or the mother? That’s not something a seven-year-old would come up with.”

I hummed in agreement. “Don’t know how the truth got out, but for today, Joey and I are going to have a little one-on-one time and bake some monster cookies.”

Sally’s head jerked away from watching the pantry Joey was raiding on the other side of the kitchen. “Wait, so the nanny is pregnant?”

“She’s not the nanny, not anymore.” I smiled. “And, yes, she is. She’s also going to join our pack at some point soon.”

“Well, fuck! Congratulations.” Sally patted my arm, beaming at me.

“I wouldn’t be too happy.” I smirked at her. “I’m going to have to step back from being a workaholic when the baby gets here. So I’m officially making you manager. Your workload just got a lot more intense.”

Sally’s grin widened. “Well, it’s about time you made my position official! Thank you. Now, I think your cute firstborn wants attention.” She pointed toward the pantry, where Joey was standing with several boxes stacked in her arms, beaming over the edge.

“I found so much chocolate, Daddy!” she shouted.

“Well, then, let’s get baking!” I declared, running my hands together as I crossed the kitchen to her.

An hour later, we were up to our elbows in cookie dough. Joey had wanted to add so many ingredients that I wasn’t sure cookies would bake, but the dough was delicious. We’d probably eaten half of it while mixing.

I had made sure I had preheated the flour and used pasteurized eggs, so they were safe to eat. My sweet child was not going to pass up an opportunity to eat cookie dough.

“So…” I said as we added more chocolate chips to the dough. Joey was sitting on the counter next to the cookies, overseeing the additions. “What do you think about Bethany having a baby?”

Joey paused, cocking her to the side as she sprinkled in a few more chocolate chips. “Beth said they would be my brother or sister. Is that right?”

I nodded. “It is. But all the daddies want you to know that, just because we’re having a baby, it doesn’t mean we’ll forget about you. You are our first baby, and nothing is going to change that.”

Joey looked deep in thought for a moment. I didn’t know if she was contemplating the cookie dough or what I had just said.

“Would that make Bethany my mom?” she asked quietly.

I took a deep breath, keeping my face still. That was quite the loaded question. Ideally, we should have been having this conversation with all three of the dads around, but Joey was happy to ask questions right now, and I wasn’t going to ignore them.

Bethany had made it clear she was all in, biting, bonding, and family. Hell, she’d loved Joey before she loved us. If given the chance, I was convinced she would adore being a mother figure to Joey.

“That depends. Do you want Bethany to be your mom?”

“I like her. She’s nice to me, like a mom should be.”

“Well, there’s no rush. You can take things slow, and if it feels right, we can talk about it.”

“I liked having her at school. All my friends thought she was cool. Will she still come to my school things?”

I chuckled lightly, handing Joey a cookie scoop. “I don’t think we could stop her if we tried. She loves you so much.”

“The kids at school laugh because I don’t have a mom. But I have a Bethany. I kinda think that’s better.”

“She’s amazing, isn’t she?”

“Are you guys going to bond? Make a pack? Isn’t that what mommies and daddies usually do?”

“We might. How would you feel about that?”

“I love her. I want her in our pack.” Joey nodded, a smile spreading over her face. “Hey, Daddy? Am I going to have a brother or sister?”

“We don’t know yet.”

“I want a girl. Then there will be three girls in the family, and three boys!”

I couldn’t refute that logic. Even if Bethany had a boy, I had no doubt that these girls would still be running circles around us.

We had been so busy with the logistics, I hadn’t taken time to really think about what this meant. A new little baby boy or girl in our family. The sleepless nights, the potty training. Gideon and Jensen had butted heads constantly in the early days with Joey. Gideon naturally wanted to stick to a very regimented schedule and looked up everything online and researched, whereas Jensen wanted to use his doctor knowledge and insisted he knew better.

When they’d started bickering around three a.m., I’d simply scooped up baby Joey and snuggled with her in the living room while she had her bottle.

It had been some of my favorite moments with her.

Personally, I would be happy with a whole pack full of babies, boys or girls.

Chapter 39

Beth

Humming to myself, I glanced over the menu, despite having visited the café many times before. It was one of those fun places that offered delicious seasonal drinks, and I wanted a Christmas drink. It was only a week away, and it was officially the last day of classes, so Mama deserved a decaf treat.

A peppermint latte sounded perfect.

Ideally, I would have it jacked up with caffeine, because despite only having a small bump, the little nugget was managing to disturb what little sleep I got. Sadly, thanks to the aforementioned nugget, decaf was my only option.

“Hi! What can I get started for you?” the barista asked in a perky voice as I approached the counter.

“Can I just get that amazing-looking peppermint latte?” I asked, pulling out my purse with a smile.

“Sure! That’ll be four dollars.”

I tapped my phone to the reader to pay, frowning when it made that little rejection sound.

“Sorry, that didn’t work. Can you try again?” the barista asked.

“Sure.” I sighed but kept my smile on as I tapped my phone to the reader.

Only for it to be rejected again. While I had been using the pack credit card more and more, I had opted to use my personal card connected to my digital wallet for the coffee. I knew I had plenty of available credit, so I had no clue what was happening.

“So sorry, my phone doesn’t seem to be working.” I frowned. Digging into my purse, I reached for my wallet. “Just a second. I’ll grab the actual card.”

“Of course, go ahead.” She smiled, ever chipper.

When I went to tug my card from its slot in my wallet, I froze. It wasn’t there. “I am so sorry. I’ll come back once I’ve figured out what’s going on,” I said, turning from the counter and rushing out of the café, embarrassed. Where the heck had I left my physical credit card?

All I’d wanted was a tasty seasonal drink before I tackled the mountain of work I had in front of me.

As I walked outside, I pulled up my credit card app on my phone, scrolling through it in confusion.

I wasn’t rich, by any means, but I had been saving and working hard in order to afford my tuition. Thanks to my family’s lack of support, I had done it all myself, and I was damn proud of it. Also, the guys had been insisting on paying for everything, so my small stipend from the university was rapidly accumulating.

My heart plummeted when I saw my balance.

The card I had barely even used recently had a balance of nearly ten thousand dollars, fully maxing it out.

I had never seen that much money, let alone spent it!

Scrolling through the information, I tried to figure out what that much money had been spent on as I panicked, wondering how to report this to the credit card company, because some fraudster had clearly gone on a shopping spree with my card.

Bringing my phone screen right up to my face, I read the small words on the transactions.

They were from a travel website.

Had someone used my card to book a vacation?

I was religious about protecting my details. So where was my credit card? Closing my eyes, I forced myself to think back, and that was when it hit me. The last time I’d used the physical card had been when I was back home, to order takeout for myself. In my rush to pack up and get the hell out of Dodge, I must have left it behind.

Fuck.

I had to call my family.

“Hey, Bethy!” Dad answered jovially on the first ring. “When are you flying home for Christmas?”

“Hey, Dad, I’m sorry to call when you’re working, but I left my credit card in my room last time I was there. Can you check that it’s still there? There’s been some unusual transactions, and I just want to make sure my card is safe before I report it lost to the credit card company.” I spoke in a rush, desperate to get his attention.

My dad was silent for a moment, and I could feel my heart physically pounding in my chest. What would happen if I needed to pay back that $10,000 myself? I was struggling enough to afford my tuition. There was no way in hell I’d be able to pay off that credit card balance.

“Now, don’t be mad, Bethy,” he started in a soothing tone that made my blood turn to ice.

“Do you know something about this?” I growled, my anxiety quickly turning into anger.

My father sighed. “Hayden really wanted to take his girlfriend on a little trip. You know, they’re talking about bonding and they’re getting serious, and he wanted to do something nice for her. So he used your card to book a vacation. Don’t worry; he’ll pay you back eventually. He just needs a little help in the short term after the debacle that was Thanksgiving and the following weekend when you visited.”

“A vacation. He maxed out my credit card for a fucking vacation?” I asked, my tone going shrill.

“Don’t talk to me in that tone, Bethany. He’s family, and family helps family.”

Those fucking words. That was my fathers’ and brothers’ favorite saying—family helps family—but it only seemed to matter when it came to helping my brothers, not when it came to helping me.

“I can’t make payments on this! This will ruin my credit, Dad. I need to report it as fraud.”

“Don’t do that! You need to stop being so selfish, Bethany.”

I resisted the urge to laugh at his words.

“Your brother could use the help, and you had the funds available. If you can’t afford to keep up with classes, then maybe you should come home for a few months. You know all of us are happy to support you here. Now that you’re pregnant, you should be with family, anyway.”

My body trembled with rage. I didn’t know if I wanted to sob or throw my phone against a wall and scream.

Honestly, both sounded like very good options.

“Dad, that’s credit card fraud. I can afford my classes when my brother isn’t using my credit to pay for lavish vacations! He needs to refund the trip, or I will report it,” I said firmly. There was no way in hell I was going to allow my idiot brother to derail my academic career. I had no doubt that Pack Noble would take care of any of the baby’s needs, and even my own, if I asked, but this was more of a matter of principle.

My dad was silent for another moment. “You’ve become so selfish of late. I’m disappointed in you. This is a big deal to your brother. He wants to treat Heather before they settle down and start a family. You know, she hasn’t been happy the last few months. Don’t spoil this for them.”

I shook my head, even though my father couldn’t see the movement. Despite everything he said being complete bullshit, his words still hurt. The reason Heather wasn’t happy with my brother was because she was beginning to realize he was a giant man child who never did anything for himself. She was looking right at her future and was realizing that it wouldn’t be pretty if she stayed with him.

My vision swam as rage simmered under my skin.

“It isn’t selfish to want to protect my credit. Hayden is a grown-ass adult. If he wants to take his girlfriend on a vacation, he can pay for it. He has a job!”

“He’s not been making as much as he wants as a mechanic. He’s been struggling.”

Struggling? I wanted to scoff. My dads still did everything for them. My brothers were spoiled. Sure, Hayden had an apartment, but he still leeched off my fathers for everything.

My dad sighed again. “When did you become so bitter, Bethy?” he asked softly.

Tears welled up in my eyes. “When did you decide I was worth nothing more than to help my brothers?”

“It’s not like that, and you know it. You are the one who chose to leave. Ever since you’ve been living in California, you’ve become bitter and jaded, and it’s not pleasant. You didn’t even come home for Thanksgiving. You left us to fend for ourselves. I wasn’t going to mention it, but I think it’s very unfair that we didn’t manage to have a home-cooked meal because you left us in the lurch. Part of the reason Hayden wants a vacation is to make up to Heather for the fact that he’d promised there was going to be a Thanksgiving dinner at our house, like every year.”

I sighed. “Again, that isn’t my fault. I told you I wasn’t coming weeks in advance.” Shaking my head, I decided to let the matter of Thanksgiving drop. If he didn’t already understand, he never would. “It doesn’t matter. Tell Hayden to refund the vacation, or I am contacting the credit card company. It’s fraud and it’s illegal.”

My dad spluttered for a moment. “You wouldn’t do that to your brother.”

Past me wouldn’t have, but I seemed to have developed a spine over the last few months. Maybe it was the strength of my pack behind me.

“I would do it in a heartbeat,” I said, my tone dead serious.

“If you want to prioritize stupid things like partying in California over the health and well-being of your family, then maybe you shouldn’t come back for Christmas,” he growled.

Was that supposed to be a threat? I couldn’t help it. A laugh escaped my chest. “I don’t want to come home for Christmas. I texted you that over a week ago, and you ignored it! Do you think I want to come back there so I can do my brothers’ laundry, cook your meals? So I can run around like a goddamn maid because you guys can’t look after yourselves? That isn’t a threat, Dad,” I snarled. As I spoke, I stomped towards my car, angrily ripping the door open and getting in. The last thing I needed was people watching me argue with my father on the phone. The car at least gave me the illusion of privacy.

“You always used to be so helpful, but you’ve become selfish and bitter. Look, I’m putting my foot down—you need to come home. You are not capable of looking after a baby. You need to be here.”

“I’m not bitter. I am just looking after myself. I’ll give you a few days, and if Hayden doesn’t fix this, I’m filing a report against him.” I kept my voice level.

“Bethan—”

I hung up the phone, throwing it in the passenger seat and wiping away my errant tears. Just when I thought my family couldn’t possibly sink any lower, they somehow managed to outdo themselves.

Chapter 40

Gideon

The tuna sandwich I had brought to work for lunch just wasn’t cutting it. Work was extra intense right now, since I had opted to stop taking work home and focus on the girls when I was there.

Maybe takeout would be needed for lunch.

I was preparing to reduce my workload over the next few months. Spending time with Bethany and the baby was far more important than work. I hadn’t worked my ass off for so many years to not be able to take time for family when needed.

When Joey was born, I had taken three months off, and they were some of the best days of my life. I had wanted to take more time, but her mother had insisted she needed me back at work for financial reasons.

“Mr. Noble, I know you’re busy, but you have a visitor,” my assistant, Fran, said as she knocked on my door lightly.

I shook my head. “I’m slammed.” Usually Fran was really good at keeping visitors away.

Fran grimaced. “I know, but it’s Bethany, and I think the poor dear isn’t having a good day.”

I was out of my seat in a second. “Let her in!”

“I thought so.” She smiled, darting out of the door.

A moment later, Bethany was walking in. Her eyes were rimmed with red, and she had clearly been crying.

The sight of my omega in distress immediately made my chest hurt. Every muscle in my body tensed as my inner alpha tried to figure out how to solve the issue.

“What’s wrong? Are you and Joey okay?” Mentally I was running through the plan of the day—Joey was at school, and Bethany had a few classes left before the start of Christmas break. Pulling her into my arms, I squeezed her tightly as she started to sob into my chest.

“My shithead brothers!” she snarled, her voice a mixture of sadness and anger.

My eyes closed, and I huffed in frustration.

What had those assholes done to upset her now? I thought her contact with them was minimal, so how had they managed to cause this?

“What did they do?” I asked gently, pulling back and wiping away her tears. The fact that they could still upset her so much infuriated me. They were all the way in fucking Nebraska and still causing problems.

Bethany wiped at her tears. “One of my brothers maxed out my credit card to book a vacation. He spent ten grand! I only have three in savings. How the hell am I going to be able to pay that bill?”

For a moment, I simply blinked at Bethany as I tried to comprehend what she had just said. Of all the stupid things for her brother to do, this one took the cake. Who did he think he was to just take what he wanted from her?

Then again, we knew all too well that they simply saw Bethany as a resource they could use to look after themselves. Maybe they were behaving this way because Bethany was no longer running around after them.

Either way, I wasn’t going to let it fly.

“Have you reported it?” I asked gently. Even though I was seething with anger, I didn’t want to let Bethany see that.

She shook her head, her arms still wrapped around me. “It just happened. I called my dad, and he justified it and said that I had caused a lot of problems in Hayden’s relationship and he needed this. He insisted that they would pay me back, but it would take time.”

“They could have just saved for a fucking vacation themselves,” I growled.

She nodded. “Then Dad tried to make it clear that I couldn’t afford to look after myself or the baby, and I needed to move home. He said a few hurtful things, just like last time, and I told him I would report the credit card fraud. He didn’t seem to believe me, and I hung up. I came straight here because I thought you would be the best to ask about this…Plus, I really just wanted a hug.” She admitted the last part in a small voice, squeezing her arms tight around me.

“Well, I’m available for hugs at any time, night or day, even for soaking shower hugs.”

Her watery chuckle made me smile. “You know soaking cuddles would probably lead to naked cuddles.”

I hummed thoughtfully, kissing the top of her head. “I see no issue with that.”

“So…what do we do?” she asked softly.

I guided her toward my chair, where I sat, pulling her into my lap. She didn’t protest, snuggling into me, her face buried in my neck. Nothing mattered more than making sure she was okay. The meetings and phone calls I had could all be rescheduled.

Gently running a hand through her hair, I took a moment before speaking. My first instinct was to go nuclear, to bury her brother in a lawsuit so brutal that even his grandchildren would be feeling the effects of it for years to come.

“We can start with a legal letter. It’s a softer approach, but it may scare him into paying up. If he pays, then there won’t be any legal repercussions for him. If he doesn’t listen to that, we could file a lawsuit against him.”

Bethany nodded with a sniff. “That sounds like a good idea. A letter from an actual law firm would probably make him piss himself with fear or double down.”

I chuckled lightly. “If he doubles down, I will make him regret it. I am not going to let him take advantage of you like this. He’s only escalating because you’re standing up for yourself.”

“Dad seemed really grumpy about Christmas,” she admitted.

“Well, he can get fucked. There is no way you’re going back to that abuse. I know you love him because he’s your father, but I would never allow myself or any of my pack mates to treat Joey like that. Using their grief against you is a shitty thing to do.”

“It is, isn’t it?” she said softly.

“Have you eaten?” I asked, still ready to ditch my tuna sandwich.

A heavy sigh escaped her chest. “No. I went to the coffee shop to get myself a fancy latte—decaf, of course.” She chuckled as she kissed my cheek, anticipating my lecture on caffeine. “And that’s when I found out about this whole mess. So I didn’t get my coffee.” She pouted adorably.

“In that case, how about we go get some lunch and your coffee?”

Bethany shook her head, a few strands of hair falling out of her messy bun as she did so. “I have no money.” She chuckled ruefully.

“Lucky for us, I have plenty of money. Lunch is my treat. Also, you have the pack card, remember? We share everything now!”

“Don’t you have work?”

I smirked down at her. “One of the perks of being a senior partner is that I can finish work early to go have lunch with my beautiful omega.”

“Sweet talker,” she muttered, making me laugh.

“Are you really going to say no to some fresh pizza? Or maybe some pasta from that Italian joint down the road? You mentioned you’ve been craving carbonara.”

Beth groaned, throwing her head back. “That’s mean, Gideon Noble, using my cravings against me.”

I hummed and cocked my head to the side, watching her intently. “Is it really using them against you if I’m offering to buy them for you?”

She glowered at me but snuggled back into me, pressing her face into my neck, allowing my scent to comfort her. I had noticed her doing that more often, scenting us or subtly rubbing her own scent on us. I was over the fucking moon about it. Omegas naturally gravitated toward scents and adding their own scents to their partners’, but from what I understood, pregnancy ramped that up.

“When will you send the letter?” she asked after a moment of snuggling.

“First thing tomorrow,” I replied, running my hand up and down her back. I needed to be touching her, reassuring myself that she was there and safe.

I doubted I would be able to wait until the morning. That little shit deserved to have the crap beaten out of him, but a strongly worded legal letter would have to do for now.

It would be drafted and sent as soon as Bethany was asleep for the night.

Chapter 41

Jensen

Bethany’s pregnancy was really starting to progress, and now there was a small, visible bump. At least there was when she wore tight clothing. Sadly, she had opted to wear a large, baggy sweater and yoga pants for our appointment.

“Hey, I’m ready when you are,” I said as I entered the kitchen, car keys in hand. She was standing at the counter, shoving a slice of toast covered in jam into her mouth.

Two weeks ago, I had put her on the pack’s health insurance, and our doctor wanted her to come in for a checkup. I was excited to see what the doctor said about bonding because I had a one-track mind when it came to Bethany, and I wanted her to be mine in every way possible.

Bethany quickly swallowed her mouthful. “Did Joey get to school okay?”

“Yeah, she seems to be in good spirits. She was going on about the plants they were growing in the greenhouse today.”

“That’s good. Do you think we should talk to her teachers? Is that going too far? My anger toward Lillian and her mother is bordering on irrational.”

Rubbing her back lightly, I kissed the top of her head. “I would hardly call it irrational. She hurt our girl.”

Bethany hummed in agreement, going up on tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek. I didn’t like how pale she was looking. The stress of her family’s actions had been weighing heavily on her, and she had instructed Gideon to file a suit against her brother after he failed to respond to the initial legal letter.

We were all in agreement and stood by her every step of the way, but suing a member of your family would take it out of anyone. Once the decision had been made to file the lawsuit, Bethany had dropped the subject and was focusing on her life here.

“That sounds good. How long until our appointment? Do I have time for more toast?”

“You always have time for more toast.” I smirked, kissing the corner of her mouth as she beamed up at me.

Even the most ordinary and mundane things felt more fun with her.

We were five minutes late.

“Should have told me we needed to hurry up. Instead, you just had to show me that new fancy chocolate spread, and of course I had to try it.” Bethany groaned, rubbing her stomach.

“I may not be the most intelligent of men, but I know not to get between a pregnant woman and her food. Speaking of, do you want to go get some cake after this?” I asked as we pulled up at the doctor’s office.

Bethany glowered at me, but a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “Don’t try and distract me with cake. That’s mean.” She went to get out of the car and paused, turning to me. “But, yes, we will go get cake after the appointment.”

Laughing, I followed the sassy little omega into the office.

We walked up to the reception and gave our names. There was some paperwork that needed filling out, but that was done pretty quickly. After the first few pieces of paper, Bethany tensed up. It wasn’t obvious; her shoulders were just a bit tighter, and she seemed less excited.

I silently prayed that there weren’t any prices on the paperwork, because our doctor’s office was rather expensive. Bethany was awesome, and she was pregnant with our child so she would only get the best care possible.

Knowing Bethany, she probably wouldn’t have been comfortable with that.

“Okay, if you guys would like to wait in there, Dr. Benson will be with you in a moment.” The receptionist pointed us toward a small waiting room.

As we took our seats, Bethany turned to me. “Out of curiosity, when did you put me on your insurance?”

“I made the initial inquiry probably two weeks ago. Why?”

Bethany shifted in her seat, her brow furrowed, eyes darting around. “Did you mention my pregnancy?”

I jerked my head in a nod. “Yeah, I wanted to set you up with the OB-GYN here.”

Bethany bit her lip, her eyes locked on the receptionist’s desk. “I spotted Jennifer Lowe in the back office. You know, the mother who told her child I was pregnant?”

That caught my attention. “Are you sure it’s her?”

Bethany nodded. “Do you think…”

I cursed under my breath. It was very much a possibility. If she worked at the doctor’s office or had access to someone who did, there was a good chance she’d seen the medical file.

It was a huge breach of patient confidentiality, if that was the case.

I wasn’t the most litigation-happy alpha—I left that to Gideon—but if Jennifer had used her position at the doctor’s office to cause problems in my family? I would happily sue her into oblivion.

“Mrs. Noble?” The receptionist beamed at us. “Dr. Benson is ready for you now.”

Bethany glanced at me. “Mrs. Noble?”

I shrugged. “Easiest way to get you on the insurance.”

“We’ll discuss that later,” she said, glowering at me almost playfully…so she wasn’t too mad.

“I’m prepared to apologize with foot rubs.” I smirked as we entered the exam room.

A tall, willowy brunette smiled at us as we entered. “Hello! You must be Bethany. I’m Dr. Eliana Benson. Why don’t you take a seat on the exam table, and we can have a chat.”

Bethany nodded and smiled back. I had hoped that a female OB-GYN would make her a bit more relaxed.

Their conversation covered a lot of the normal things, like family history and how her pregnancy had progressed so far.

“Would you like to see your baby today?” The doctor pulled a machine over to the table with a little doppler.

“Wait, I can see them?” Bethany asked excitedly. “I thought today was just a checkup.”

Dr. Benson nodded. “It is, but there’s no harm in a sonogram to see how the little one is growing.”

I bit back a smile. There was nothing I wanted more than to see the baby. If Cullen and Gideon had known today was going to involve a sonogram, they would have insisted on coming with us.

“Can we get a video of the baby to show the rest of our pack?” I asked.

“Of course! Just write down your email, and my team will send it to you after our appointment. It’s actually a really common request.” As she spoke, she pulled out a small bottle of jelly for the doppler. “Can you lift your shirt, my dear?”

Bethany didn’t hesitate.

The first few minutes when the doctor was looking for the heartbeat were nerve-racking, but soon enough, the room was filled with that fast little thump thump that was music to my ears.

“It’s so fast,” Bethany marveled, her eyes never leaving the screen with the little white blob that was our baby.

“That’s totally normal,” I assured her, my hand reaching out to hold hers as I looked between her and the screen. Her amazement was a sight to behold.

“Have you had any other concerns?” the doctor asked gently.

Bethany shook her head. “According to what I’ve been reading, everything I’m experiencing is normal.”

“She did have pretty bad migraines,” I said. “Then again, you haven’t had one in a while…”

The doctor cocked her head to the side, still looking at the ultrasound. “That could be stress-related. If they return, let me know and we can look at it.”

Bethany sighed. “Well, I was working three jobs and studying, and now I hardly work, so that is probably it…”

“In that case, I would suggest you wait and see, and if they persist, come back in immediately. No need to subject you to tests if you’ve already resolved the issue. Now, your baby seems to be in fine health.”

“They’re so small,” she whispered, staring at the screen.

Dr. Benson chuckled. “I assure you, they won’t feel small when you’re giving birth. This little one seems to be perfectly sized, given you’re what, fifteen, sixteen weeks?”

“About that,” Bethany agreed with a nod before turning to me. “Are the others going to be jealous you got to see the baby?”

I grinned, probably a little smug, but I was too happy to care. “Absolutely. I’m sure Cullen will ensure I get no dessert for a week.”

“You’ll survive. As a doctor, you’re always talking about the dangers of sugar…”

I pouted. “Not fair! You can’t use my own words against me.”

She giggled, a lovely sound I wanted to hear every day. Bethany, Joey, and this baby, giggling in the kitchen at breakfast.

That sounded like fucking heaven to me.

“Oh!” Bethany turned to the doctor, a beautiful blush creeping onto her face. “I wanted to ask about bonding.”

“What about it?”

“Can we bond? I mean, me and my pack?”

The doctor cocked her head to the side. “Are you not bonded already?”

I shook my head. “We want to be, but things moved very fast with the baby, and we were unsure what the current recommendation is for bonding and pregnancy. I’ve read a number of medical journals on the topic, and I am utterly lost, so I thought it best I consult with the expert on the topic,” I said, gesturing lightly to her.

A laugh escaped her as she shook her head. “I swear, doctors make the worst patients. Has he been driving you bonkers?” she asked Bethany with a smile.

“Only occasionally.”

“Hey!” I cried, pouting at the cute omega.

“Unfortunately, to answer your question…It depends. You can bond during pregnancy, but it does pose a few risks. Now, the risks aren’t serious, but they’re there. Personally, if nothing in your situation is going to change by not bonding until after pregnancy, I would recommend that. But if it is required—because, let’s face it, sometimes it’s best to be legally bonded—then the risk is minimal.”

I nodded along as she continued speaking, spelling out the specific risks. Although, like she’d said, they were minimal, it didn’t seem worth any risk at this stage. “That makes sense.” I turned to Bethany with a sad expression. “I suppose we’re going to have to wait.”

She groaned, throwing her head back. “In that case, you can tell the others!”

That night, once we were all home, I shot off an email to an old friend of mine from med school…one who just so happened to own the medical practice we went to.

“Hey, Gid, a word,” I muttered as the girls made pasta in the kitchen. Cullen was watching, desperate to help, but they were insistent they could manage.

“Yeah?” He followed me out to the hallway. Naturally, we meandered toward his office downstairs.

“I just wanted to let you know that I sent an email that may result in us suing someone.”

Gideon’s eyebrows rose. “Tell me everything.”

“You know the mother who told her daughter that Bethany was pregnant, and then they told Joey that she was going to be abandoned?”

He nodded, crossing his arms. “Yes, that shit is kind of hard to forget.”

“Well, she just so happened to be in the back office of the medical office we went to today. I don’t know if she works there or if she is with someone who works there, but is it a coincidence she told her daughter that Bethany was pregnant just days after I registered Bethany and her pregnancy at that very practice?”

“Jesus, fuck, that’s a huge privacy violation.”

I nodded. “I emailed the practice owner, and I’ll wait and see what he says, but I have a feeling we may be putting in a formal complaint about Jennifer Lowe.”

A slow smile spread over Gideon’s face. “I haven’t had a good, vicious court case in a while. She upset our daughter. I say we do it.”

I smirked at him. “I’ll let you know as soon as I get a response.”

Gideon chuckled. “Who knew growing our family would result in so many lawsuits for me?”

Chapter 42

Beth

When Joey had returned from school the night before, she watched the sonogram with rapt attention as Jensen explained it to her. She had been so confused as to how the wiggling bean on the screen could be her sibling, but Jensen took plenty of time to explain it.

“Are you going to be here for Christmas?” Joey asked as we rummaged through the boxes of Christmas decorations scattered around the living room.

“I am!” I confirmed with an enthusiastic nod.

I had hardly spoken to my family since that disastrous weekend and the bullshit Hayden had pulled. They had texted several times, but I hadn’t bothered to reply. Dodging their calls was becoming second nature. My brother hadn’t been served yet—Gideon had told me that he had filed the suit, but it would be a week or two for it to be delivered to him—so for some reason, they thought I would come running home, same as usual.

Instead of worrying about what they did or didn’t believe about me, I was ignoring them while focusing on decorating with Joey. We had picked out some new decorations, as well as pulling numerous boxes from the attic. Not that we had retrieved the boxes from the attic. We had simply directed the guys to do as we bid.

Joey nodded. “When are we going to get all the stuff for your room?”

I had officially moved into the nest, and Joey was thrilled, but she had insisted I needed more blankets.

“Some of my friends at school go get Christmas nest stuff from the big store. I’ve never been there. Have you?” she asked.

I paused, cocking my head to the side. What did she mean by the big store? The nesting supply store? It wasn’t uncommon for omegas to take their young daughters shopping with them, especially if they thought there was a chance they could be an omega themselves. Nesting was one of the few habits of omegas that were encouraged at a young age.

While I hadn’t planned to go to a nesting store…I wasn’t exactly going to turn down an excuse to go to one, either.

“I’ve been there once or twice. You know what? My nest is pretty empty. I think we could do a bit of shopping.”

Joey’s eyes lit up. “When?” she asked excitedly, jumping up and down on the spot.

Leaning over to the coffee table, I picked up my phone and opened the pack group chat.

Bethany:

Joey and I have decided that the nest needs more blankets, so we’re going shopping.

Cullen:

I’ll join you when I finish up here.

Jensen:

No fair, I’m stuck cleaning up scraped knees.

Cullen:

You’re the one who decided to work with a hockey team.

“How about now?” I asked, putting my phone down. “Daddy C is going to meet us after he finishes work.”

“Yes! Let’s go.” She jumped up, untangling the fairy lights forgotten. We could do that later…or we could convince the dads to.

We piled into my car, and I was suddenly very thankful that the guys had opted to get me a large SUV because I could fit plenty of blankets in there. Financially, I had the pack card, and the guys had made it clear that the nest room was to be decorated and to not worry about the cost.

My lack of employment would be a problem for future Bethany. For now, Joey deserved to be spoiled, and my nest could most certainly use a refresh.

Joey stared down at the blankets with a comically serious look. We were standing in the middle of the largest nesting store around and both Joey and I were in heaven. Everywhere we turned, there were throw blankets and sheets. Anything warm, cozy, and soft.

“What’s going through that brain?” I asked gently.

“I like both of these,” she admitted. “But I don’t know which one to get.”

I chuckled to myself. “We can get both, then,” I said fondly. “Throw them in the cart!”

Joey beamed at me as she did just that. I recognized the glee in her face all too well. As an omega, when I could procure plenty of nesting materials, I had a special kind of excitement that rushed through me; it was almost primal.

“Now, I think they have throw pillows in the back shaped like different animals!”

“Even dinosaurs?” she asked with wide eyes.

I nodded seriously. “Even dinosaurs.”

In a nesting store, no one could expect an omega to be a voice of reason.

By the time Cullen joined us at the store, the cart was piled sky-high. As he strode over to us, wearing a pair of dark slacks and a white T-shirt, smiling happily, my insides couldn’t help but tingle.

I wanted to kiss that five-o’clock shadow so badly.

“Hey,” I greeted him, pulling him in for a quick kiss.

“Where is our little terror?” he asked, looking around the store.

I snorted and pointed to the absolutely gigantic bin of throw pillows. “She’s in there, looking for just the right one. She picked out most of this stuff herself.” I gestured toward the cart that was overflowing.

Cullen’s gaze was comical as he looked at the sheer size of the pillow palace. “We have a little omega on our hands, don’t we?” he whispered.

I nodded. “Good luck, Dad.”

Joey took a moment to hug Cullen when she surfaced from the mountain of squish, but quickly returned to her adventure, leaving us to trail after her.

We were in the curtain department when a wave of nausea hit me. Joey was in her own little world, but Cullen noticed.

“Hey, here,” he said softly, pressing a small packet of crackers into my hand. He must have stashed them in his pocket. His other hand rested on my lower back, rubbing in that comforting way. He was so close, all I could smell was him.

“Thank you.” I took the crackers gratefully, ripping the package open and nibbling on the corner of one as we walked around.

“I thought the nausea was supposed to ease as you entered the second trimester?” Cullen asked.

“It is, but it doesn’t go away entirely.” I paused to pick up some soft muslin sheets in dusky blue that appealed to me, tossing them into the cart.

“I’ll make sure I keep a stash of the crackers in all the cars, then.”

“Thank you!” I gave him a little side hug, subtly huffing some more of that bourbon scent. Those crackers had been a savior a number of times.

“If you’re feeling too icky, we can always go back home and lounge around on the couch for the rest of the day,” Cullen offered.

I shook my head. “No way. You really want to end Joey’s fun? I think she’s going to buy out the whole store!”

“I’m sure you’re keeping pace with her,” he said, taking the cart from me and resuming pushing as I puttered around the store, touching any fabrics that appealed to me.

“Well, you did insist I take the nest room. The nest there is so big, and I don’t have anywhere near enough nesting supplies to fill the space.”

A smirk slowly spread over Cullen’s face. “In that case, I suppose we’d best get shopping!” He turned in the general direction of Joey. “Hey, kiddo! I think we need to get some new rugs for the nest room!”

“A fluffy one?” Joey asked excitedly.

“Of course!” Cullen agreed enthusiastically.

When we reached the checkout, Cullen went to pull out his bank card. When I opened my mouth to protest, he simply handed me the card with a smirk.

“I already have access to the pack accounts. Why are you giving me this?” I asked.

Cullen shrugged. “I want to get this for you. Please let me.”

“I know my finances are a mess, but⁠—”

He shook his head. “It’s not because of that. I am an alpha, and I want to buy the nesting supplies for my omega and our adorable, bonkers daughter.” His face was so open and honest, I melted a little bit inside.

“Fine,” I huffed. “Just this once.”

A smooth chuckle slipped past Cullen’s lips. “Whatever you say, omega.”

“Do you think the daddies will let us have chicken nuggets for dinner?” Joey asked as we lounged on the couch, watching the guys carry all the various nesting supplies we had acquired into the house.

I might have gone a tiny bit overboard.

Then again, it’s not every day you have a tiny human egging you on.

And I only felt a bit guilty for letting Cullen pay for everything.

I turned to her with a grin. “I could probably convince them.” Turning my face back to the doorway where the guys were, I shouted, “I’m craving chicken nuggets!”

It only took a moment for Jensen to pop his head into the room. “I’ll pick some up once we’ve finished bringing all this stuff in. I’m assuming both of you want chicken nuggets?”

“Duh!” Joey giggled, beaming at him as she cuddled into my side.

“Well, if our girls want chicken nuggets, they’ll get chicken nuggets!” he declared, grabbing a bag of nesting supplies and heading upstairs.

“I like having you here,” Joey admitted, her childish bubble gum scent soothing me to the core.

“I like being here,” I replied.

Chapter 43

Jensen

Christmas was hands down one of my favorite times of the year. The decorations, the festivity, the joy—what was not to love? The girls had been having the time of their lives decorating the house. Every surface had some sort of lighted tinsel garland or knickknack on it.

We’d been an active part of helping decorate; any time they needed something hung high up, we were summoned.

It still didn’t feel real to me that, this time next year, we would be decorating with a baby and our bonded omega. Now that Joey was more secure in knowing about the baby, I was more excited than ever. We’d even started discussing names, but Joey had been very adamant that she was the best namer, and I wasn’t going to disagree with her.

“So, what is this thing we’re going to do today?” Bethany asked as we slipped on her shoes.

“Team skate!” Joey shouted happily.

Bethany smiled indulgently at her. “But what is a team skate?” She knew full well what a team skate was. She was merely engaging Joey. It was beautiful to watch.

“All of the hockey players on Daddy’s team bring their families, and we all go skating together!”

“Well, that sounds lovely. I bet you are one of the best skaters there.”

Joey nodded seriously. “I am, though Saint is really good at doing spins!”

Bethany cocked her head at me in question.

“One of the young team members,” I said.

Bethany hadn’t been skating in a while, and I was unsure about her going on the ice, but she said she was going to stick to the edges and avoid any fancy footwork. She could glide around the ice in her sleep, plus we would be there, keeping a constant eye on her.

She had mentioned going back to work in response to her brother maxing out her credit card, but there was no way in hell we were going to let her go to work because her brothers were assholes.

In fact, as soon as Bethany had told us what her family had done, I linked one of our pack accounts to her credit card account and paid the entire balance. After that, we ordered her a new card and canceled her old one. Anything to save her the stress. She had clearly been avoiding looking at her account because she hadn’t said anything yet.

We all piled into two cars. We used to be able to take one car when we went out, but with the addition of a pregnant Bethany, that was a bit more difficult. Bethany, Joey, and I piled into one car, while Cullen and Gideon took the Lexus.

I was puffing my chest out in pride that I got to drive the girls. Any extra time with them was a win. Even when they begged to go through the drive-through to get ice cream cones.

“It’s December!” I exclaimed. “This is not the time of the year for ice cream.”

Bethany shot me a horrified look that almost made me laugh. “Jensen Noble! Ice cream is a treat year-round. I don’t know why you’re limiting yourself to seasonal pleasures. It’s just weird…” She trailed off, biting back a laugh.

When Joey shouted, “Yeah!” from the back of the car, Bethany broke, bursting into rambunctious laughter as I changed lanes so we could go get their ice creams.

Family skate was always a fun day. Many of the players had kids, and Joey loved seeing them all. Most of the wives and girlfriends weren’t skaters, so they would be doing their best impression of Bambi on ice.

My girls, on the other hand, were pros.

They took to the ice and started skating circles around everyone immediately. We were all content to watch them for a few moments before introducing them.

“Sainty!” Joey shouted as she made a beeline for one of the younger players. Saint McKnight was part of a pack whose members were all on the team. Though I knew all of them, it was Jasper whom I was closest to, because I had been helping him rehab a shoulder injury.

They were nice boys, young and probably quite stupid at times, but they got on really well with Joey. With all kids, really. I half expected them to be settling down soon—they were always messaging someone on their phones, so maybe they had a potential omega.

“Joseph!” Saint’s face lit up at the sight of my daughter, picking her up and spinning her around. Usually, if anyone else picked up my child while wearing ice skates and spun them around, I would have been extremely concerned. But I knew that every member of the team had freakish control on the ice.

“How are your lessons going?” he asked when he finally put her down.

“Good!” She nodded enthusiastically. “We haven’t had as many lessons recently because Bethany is growing my little baby brother or sister.”

Next to me, my mate froze, her face flushing bright red.

Children had a beautiful way of blurting things out.

Saint’s eyes met mine before looking at Bethany, who was next to me, holding Gideon’s hand. Gideon and Cullen had both played hockey in their youth, so they knew the ice well.

“Congratulations!” Saint beamed, turning to Joey. “Little brothers and sisters are so fun. Are you going to teach them to skate when they’re a few years old?”

Joey nodded enthusiastically. “I will, and if I can’t, then Bethany will help me.” Joey turned to us expectantly, her eyes meeting Bethany’s.

“Of course I will,” Bethany agreed.

My hand instinctively reached for hers. The ice was full of team and family, and I wanted her close. Even though the team skate was a fun family day, it was also going to be the first time we introduced Bethany to everyone.

“I’m going to introduce her to the coach,” I said, cocking my head toward Bethany.

Saint nodded, before looking down at Joey, who was clinging to his hand. “Want to race me and Jasper? I bet you’re way faster than him!”

“Yeah!” She bounced excitedly on the spot, an achievement, considering she was wearing ice skates. She looked at us for a moment, waiting for our approval. Gideon nodded, and she was off like a light with Saint, her little skates clattering on the ice.

“He seems nice,” Bethany commented as I started pushing her toward a group of people.

“He is. Has a heart of gold, but he can be a bit of a young, dumb manwhore.” I laughed. “His pack mates are all on the team.”

“It must be nice to get to play with his pack.”

Jensen nodded. “They have specific contracts, which means that none of them can ever be traded without each other. Either they skate together or not at all. Now, Bethany, this is our head coach.”

The next twenty minutes were a blur of introductions. She greeted everyone warmly, shook their hands, and accepted hugs when they offered them. Bethany had such a warm, inviting personality that it was impossible not to get along with her. It wasn’t long before the entire team was smitten with her.

Once introductions were done, we actually started skating. Bethany was obsessed with watching the little kids decked out in hockey gear. The three- and four-year-olds were downright adorable. As I watched them, I couldn’t help but smile at the thought that, in a few years, that could be my child.

I had been the one who taught Joey to skate. Well, I had been the one who taught her how to hobble along the ice. Once she could stand up straight and go in a line, then we let Bethany take over.

“This Christmas is shaping up to be the best yet.” Bethany hummed as she snuggled into Gideon’s side, watching all the kids. Joey was skating circles around Saint, much to our amusement.

Bethany’s hand rested lightly on her small bump. We had decided to tell everyone about the baby. There was something exhilarating about having it out in the open, finally. Being able to pull Bethany into my arms and kiss her in public was the best feeling ever.

Chapter 44

Beth

Christmas morning had always been a time of stress and suffering. Food needed to be cooked, the mess from opening gifts would need to be cleaned up, and the tasks were never-ending. For a holiday, it was rather busy for me.

So, when I was woken bright and early on Christmas morning by Joey jumping on my bed, I didn’t know what to expect.

“Santa was here!” she declared excitedly as she shoved all the adults down the stairs. Her bubble gum scent was practically exploding everywhere due to her excitement.

“What time is it?” I yawned sleepily as Cullen threw an arm around me and we made our way into the den, where Joey was jumping on the sofa while still wearing her festive pajamas covered in candy canes. We were all rubbing sleep from our eyes and trying to join the land of the living after our rather rude awakening.

“Just be glad that Joey waited until the sun was at least starting to rise. A few years ago, she woke us at five in the morning…”

I gaped at him.

Five a.m. wasn’t a time anyone should be awake.

Ever.

Gideon hummed in agreement. “The younger they are, the earlier they wake you. We’ve got this to look forward to with the little one.” As he spoke, he grabbed Joey off the sofa and spun her around, making her giggle wildly.

“Where’s Daddy J?” she whined.

“He’s coming,” Cullen assured her. “He’s just getting coffee for the grown-ups. Then we can start.”

“I think a gift-wrapping store exploded in here.” I laughed as I surveyed the scene. Overnight, the den had been turned into a Christmas-themed wonderland. Every surface had presents on them.

Cullen shrugged. “We like to spoil our girls.”

I didn’t miss his use of the plural—were they talking about the baby, or me?

Hopefully the baby, because I wasn’t sure how I would handle the guys getting me gifts.

Joey waited patiently for a few moments, or at least as patiently as she could, jumping up and down on balls of her feet as we settled down around the room.

“Okay! Present time?” she asked excitedly.

Gideon nodded, reaching under the tree and passing a gift to Joey. He took on the responsibility of slowly distributing all the gifts. Joey wasted no time in tearing into the paper, squealing happily at her latest doll set, throwing herself into Gideon’s arms and thanking him profusely before moving on to the other dads.

“This one is from Bethany!” she said, grabbing the large, squishy parcel I had significant trouble wrapping a few nights prior.

Cullen raised a brow at me. I had bought Joey a small gift just from me. When I had been racking my mind, trying to figure out what I could get her, considering her fathers provided everything she could possibly need, I remembered the pale blue bedding from my nest she had been absolutely enamored with. Two of the pillows and one of the blankets had even left my nest and went home with her that day she was sick. So I had gone out and repurchased that exact same set of nesting supplies but in pale blue, pink, and lilac. All colors I knew Joey loved.

The squeal that left Joey’s chest as she ripped open the packaging made my heart swell with happiness.

“Thank you, Bethany!” she shouted, launching herself at me for a hug while her fathers watched on with matching grins.

“I’m glad you like them,” I said, clutching her to me in a bear hug.

Joey pulled back, nodding enthusiastically. “I love them. I’m going to make a nest that matches yours, because your nest is the best. Though I will still use your nest because it’s so big…” She trailed off thoughtfully.

“You know you’re welcome in the nest anytime,” I assured her.

“When my baby sister is born, we’re going to have to make her a nest, aren’t we?”

“It may be a boy…”

Her little look of horror was so disgusted. “But boys like icky things like mushrooms.”

I think every adult in the room laughed at that one.

Joey stood up. “I’m putting these on my bed right now!” she said, darting out of the room, weighed down by the masses of nesting supplies.

“She’s so an omega.” Jensen chuckled, looking at the doorway where she had just left.

“Our house is going to be so full of pillows,” Gideon agreed with a nod.

Cullen pulled me tighter into him, so I was practically on his lap. “Sounds perfect to me,” he said, kissing the top of my head.

Jensen leaned forward, plucking a small box out from under the tree. “This one is from all of us,” he said, handing it to me.

I wasn’t a fool. Even though it was wrapped, it was pretty obvious that it was a jewelry box. Knowing Pack Noble, it was probably expensive jewelry, so I was immediately on edge.

“You didn’t have to⁠—”

“We wanted to,” Gideon assured me.

Gingerly I opened the box, all breath leaving me when I flipped open the lid and saw the beautiful ring.

It was simple, but stunning. A gold bezel-set emerald-cut stone, which, knowing my guys, was totally a diamond.

A big diamond.

“What the heck?!” I whispered, glancing around at them. “This is way too much!”

“No, it’s not,” Gideon assured me.

“Actually, it’s rather selfish of us.” Cullen shrugged. “We can’t bond yet, so this is the next best thing for letting the entire world know you’re ours.”

Most bonded omegas tended to wear a sort of wedding band like beta women did. Usually, the ring was given after bonding instead of a marriage ceremony. If I wore the ring, it would be a clear sign to the outside world that I was taken.

“If you don’t want to, we totally understand,” Jensen said, reaching like he was going to take the ring box out of my hands.

“Don’t you dare!” I gasped, pulling the box out of his grasp.

His answering grin was dazzling.

“So you’ll wear it?” Gideon asked.

I stared at the ring. “Of course I will…but I can guarantee I’ll get it dirty or break it.” Though I was concerned about that, there was no way in hell I was going to turn down wearing a sign that I was theirs.

Gideon’s smile widened. “We can get it cleaned and repaired.”

Whatever I was going to say next was cut off as Joey came barreling back into the room, squealing that it was time to open the rest of our presents.

As she dove under the tree for another gift, he took the box gently out of my hands and removed the ring, gently slipping it onto my finger. It fit perfectly, and I just knew they had done some sneaking around to figure that out.

Sneaky, sexy alphas.

The gift opening took several hours. I had been thoroughly spoiled with even more nesting supplies, jewelry, and bath products—and Joey…well, she had just about everything a little girl could ever dream of.

It was nearing midday, and time to start cleaning up. I stood, stretching, going to grab the piles of wrapping paper and shove them into trash bags, but Jensen stopped me.

“Nope, that’s Cullen and Joey’s job. My job is to get you a snack before we go out,” he instructed, pushing me toward the kitchen.

Rolling my eyes, I did as I was told and sat in the kitchen while Jensen made me apple slices and peanut butter as a snack. He was placing the plate in front of me as Joey sidled up to me at the breakfast bar, looking at my plate excitedly.

“Want some?” I asked.

She nodded, and I proceeded to share the plate. I had a feeling Jensen knew she would be wanting to join me because he had cut up two apples and spooned out extra peanut butter.

I also didn’t miss the way his eyes kept going to my hand, at the ring that was sitting on my finger, and smiling.

“Can we watch Christmas movies?” Joey asked sweetly.

“Of course, munchkin. Why don’t you and Bethany make the sofa all comfy, and we’ll get the snacks?”

“I’ll use my new blankets!” Joey declared, getting up and running out of the room, a slice of apple still in hand.

I couldn’t help but giggle. “People will think we’ve been giving her coffee the way she runs around.”

“She’s a pocket rocket; that’s for sure,” Jensen agreed as he cleaned away the cutting board.

“What’s the plan for Christmas dinner? I know Cullen said we were going to the restaurant, so do I need to get dressed?” I asked, mentally trying to plan out the day.

Jensen shook his head. “Nope. Cullen is going to go and pick up takeout for us. All you have to do today is lounge around with our little terror and watch Christmas movies while we wait on you hand and foot.”

So that’s what we did.

Several times throughout the day, I wanted to pinch myself. There was no cleaning or nonstop cooking. Every time I wanted a snack, one of the guys grabbed it for me. Joey and I hunkered down on the sofa with her curled into my side while we watched movie after movie.

At one point, we moved to the table to eat the mountain of Christmas takeout food Cullen had grabbed from his restaurant. It was amazing—far better than anything I could have cooked. I had always thought that Christmas dinner needed to be on fancy china and have several sets of cutlery, but the Christmas meal out of plastic takeout containers was by far the best I’d ever eaten.

“Did you have a good day?” Gideon asked as I crawled into the nest, cuddling into his chest.

“It was the perfect day,” I admitted sleepily.

In fact, I hadn’t even bothered to look at my phone all day. In the morning, I had shot Kennedy a Merry Christmas message with a selfie of me and Joey, and she had sent one back of her and her pack. After that, I had left it in my bedside table because I didn’t want to see any messages from my family. Even though I had blocked them, I was fairly sure they would find a way to contact me.

The peace and quiet had been perfect. For the first time in what felt like forever, I had a relaxing holiday.

“This is what it’s always going to be like,” Gideon assured me as he ran his hand through my hair. Jensen was on the other side of me, lightly rubbing my back, while Cullen was checking on Joey, who had passed out not long ago, all the excitement of the day catching up to her.

I hummed. “I’m not so sure. I think when we have a preteen and toddler, we’re going to have our hands full on Christmas.”

“We outnumber them. We can win,” Gideon said.

Jensen smirked. “For now.”

Gideon’s hand rested on my stomach, and I couldn’t help but grin.

I was excited for the future, for my baby. There was no more panic or anxiety, only joy and anticipation.

Deep down, I knew I was ready to be a mother, and while the circumstances weren’t ideal, I was looking forward to it more than anything.

Chapter 45

Beth

New Year’s passed in a similar fashion, and before I even realized, it was January and Joey was back at school. I missed having her around all the time; she was a good companion.

I was standing at the kitchen counter, shoveling my third bowl of cereal into my mouth. Pregnancy made me hungry, and cereal was becoming a good friend of mine. I had several boxes of the ultra-sugary stuff hidden deep in one of the cabinets so Joey wouldn’t see. She tended to eat healthier cereals in the morning, and my peanut butter puffs were far from that.

I was still slowly trudging through my schoolwork. After speaking to my advisors, I had agreed to cut back my workload slightly and take an extra semester to graduate. As much as I didn’t like it, it was what was best for me and the nugget I was growing. At the end of the day I would still have my degree.

My phone buzzed, and I winced, thinking Jensen could sense my bad eating habits and was calling, ever the doctor. Only, it was a number I didn’t recognize.

Usually, I ignored all calls unless it was from someone I knew. I didn’t have the energy to deal with too many humans.

Growing a baby was hard work. My back was sore; my tits were swollen…It wasn’t a fun time.

Despite my exhaustion, I picked up the phone. It might have been someone at the doctor’s office, or maybe one of the team members whose number I hadn’t saved.

“Hi…Is this Bethany?” the soft female voice asked.

Not recognizing the voice, I frowned. “It is. Who is this?” I asked cautiously.

“My name is Heather. I’ve been seeing your brother?”

My eyes widened slightly. Why was she calling me? Had my brother sent her as some sort of flying monkey?

“Hi,” I said.

“I’m so sorry to just call you out of the blue, but I’ve been feeling like something is off and wanted to talk to you.”

I braced myself, preparing for the lecture of how I was abandoning my family. “Yes?”

Heather sighed. “Honestly, I feel like your brother is feeding me lies about you, and I just want to know the truth. He always spoke about you in such a helpful, kind, family way. And then, all of a sudden, he’s talking about you abandoning them, and I just…Something feels off. When I started to question it, he booked this extravagant vacation for us and then told me you were trying to stop it because you were jealous?”

He had told her what? The asshole had spent ten grand of my money and had the audacity to blame me?

“Oh, wow, he is spewing such bullshit,” I muttered.

Heather was silent for a moment. “That’s what I was worried about. What happened?”

“Do you want the full truth, even if it’s ugly?”

“I was considering a long-term relationship with this alpha. I need to know.”

I snorted. “Look, I love my family, but if I were you, I would run for the hills. My brothers have never had to look after themselves. I had to do all their laundry, all their cleaning, all the cooking. They’ve never been able to keep a job for longer than six months. They are grown man children who rely on the people around them to do things for them. I informed my family weeks beforehand that I wouldn’t be home for Thanksgiving, and they did nothing, prepared no food, and then placed the blame on me.”

“You’re kidding…” She sounded horrified.

“Sadly, I’m not. You know that vacation Hayden booked for you guys? Do you really think he had money for that lying around?”

“That’s what made it so weird. I didn’t think he did. He claimed he got a bonus from work, but, well, that rang a bit false.”

“He maxed out my credit card to fund it. I am happy to send you the statement as proof. He felt like, because I didn’t come home for Thanksgiving and prepare a gigantic meal to impress you, you deserved a vacation on my dime.”

“Oh my god.”

I probably should have left it at that, but the floodgates were open, and I had been wanting to rant about my family for a while.

“Have you ever seen him clean a dish? This may be partially my fault—when our mom died, a lot of the housework was put on me, and I just accepted it because I was a kid. Recently, I’ve started pushing back, prioritizing myself, creating my own family. The reason my brothers are so mad at me is because I’m no longer at their beck and call. I started setting boundaries, and they didn’t like that.”

“What you’re saying sounds a lot more truthful than what they’ve been saying,” she admitted sadly.

“Look, you seem like a lovely girl, and my brothers have only spoken highly of you, which is why I’m going to say this. Think about the life you want, the future you want. My brother needs to grow up before he can be in a healthy, stable relationship. I used to think that it was an omega’s job to do everything—all the cooking and cleaning—but then I found a pack who takes care of me. If you bond with my brother now, you are condemning yourself to a life as a housekeeper. I’m saying that as someone who loves my brother deeply. He is flawed, as are all my family members, and they need a reality check.”

“When we started dating, he was so sweet, taking me to restaurants and asking me about my day. But the more time we spent together, the more I started seeing the cracks. He always had an excuse for why things weren’t done, and I just accepted them.”

“When you love someone, sometimes that stuff is easy to overlook.”

Heather snorted. “Well, I’m not overlooking it anymore. I suppose I’ve got a lot to think about. Also, congratulations. I heard that you’re pregnant.”

“I’m sure my brother didn’t have very nice things to say about that.”

“No, and that’s part of the reason I started to think something was wrong with this situation. I really hope you’re living your best life out there.”

“I am,” I said honestly. “And I hope you take care of yourself. You don’t deserve to be dragged into my family’s mess.”

“I appreciate you telling me the truth. If you hadn’t, I may have ended up…Well, I don’t want to think about how I may have ended up. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome to call me anytime.”

“I will. Oh, and I assume your credit card is locked up tight now?”

“It is. I won’t make that mistake again.”

She hummed thoughtfully. “Considering your brother was adamant he paid for the vacation, I think if I cancel it and get a full refund issued, I’ll tell him he can use the money to take us on a vacation that is more my speed…That is, if the money gets refunded to his account because he told me the truth. The idiot never logs out of his accounts.” She laughed. “I suppose, if the money gets returned to its rightful owner, then there’s nothing we can do.”

I bit my lip. She was devious and amazing, and I was almost sad that she wasn’t going to be my sister-in-law.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Hopefully this isn’t the last time I talk to you, but if it is, I really appreciate this.”

We said our goodbyes and hung up.

Putting my phone down, I padded down the hallway to Gideon’s office. He was sitting at his desk, rummaging through papers. At my appearance, he looked up and smiled at me. “Hey, are you hungry?”

I shook my head. “Not yet, but I just had a very interesting phone call I wanted to tell you about. I may have found an ally in Nebraska.”

Pushing his chair back, he opened his arms, gesturing for me to come join him. I didn’t hesitate crawling into his lap. When I had started showing, I had tried to avoid sitting in their laps, saying I didn’t want to squish them. All three of my alphas had the same response—outrage. Partially because I was insulting their strength, thinking they couldn’t hold their pregnant omega, and then they proceeded to put me in their laps at every single opportunity.

I had simply stopped fighting it. The cuddles were damn enjoyable.

“Tell me more,” Gideon rumbled as he stroked my back.

“Will we still be able to sue my brother for his fraudulent charges if the purchases are refunded?”

Gideon thought for a moment, cocking his head to the side. “We can, though I’m not sure it would be worth the stress it may cause you. Has he seen the light of day?”

I shook my head. “That will never happen. The omega he’s been dating was getting the sense that something wasn’t right, so she called me, and I explained the situation. Let’s just say, she wasn’t very happy with my brother and said she would make sure the vacation got refunded.”

Gideon chuckled. “Good. Though, I think we’d better prepare for the tantrum your brother is going to have when that happens.”

I shrugged. “You know what? I’m honestly not worried. I have three big, scary alphas who will protect me, and I live on the other side of the country.”

“What the hell happened to the Bethany from a year ago?” he asked.

“She fell in love.” Grinning, I kissed the underside of his chin playfully.

“I love you too,” he hummed, leaning over to kiss me.

“I was talking about Joey, but you’re not too bad.” I giggled as he squeezed me.

“Brat.”

“Old man.”

We were quiet for a moment before Gideon spoke. “Your anatomy scan is tomorrow, right? We find out the gender?”

I nodded. “It’s a bit later than normal, given the whole privacy situation, but better late than never.”

“Do you want me to drive you?”

“Actually”—I sat up straighter, looking him in the eye and holding on to his shoulders for balance—“I was thinking. Why don’t I take Joey?”

His brow furrowed in confusion.

“She’s slowly getting more involved in this pregnancy, and I want her to feel included, so I was thinking she can find out the gender with me and be the one to tell you.”

Gideon’s eyebrows rose, a look of impressed pride making me wiggle happily in his lap. “That’s an amazing idea. Are you sure you don’t mind driving?”

“I can handle a little driving, old man.”

“If we had time, I would show you just what this old man can do.”

“So she’ll take more pictures of your belly, and she’ll know if it’s a boy or a girl?” Joey asked as we pulled up outside the doctor’s office. She was still wearing her school uniform, as we had come straight from pickup to make the appointment. Her hair was in two little Dutch braids, thanks to Jensen, but they were starting to fall apart after a full day at school.

“That’s right, and once we know, we can go to the bakery and get some cupcakes for the daddies.”

Joey nodded enthusiastically. I had told her that once we knew the gender, we would get little cupcakes that had a secret filling that was either pink or blue. We had wanted to do something to surprise the dads, but we didn’t want to plan anything too extreme. After all, I was pretty sure Joey wouldn’t be able to keep the secret for longer than a few minutes.

The scan should have already happened, but we had been waiting to hear back regarding Jennifer Lowe.

The internal investigation was still pending, apparently, but my files had been locked up tight, and Jennifer had lost her access to the office. If she was found to be in the wrong, she would have her access revoked permanently. It wasn’t until Jensen made the complaint that I learned that she was a part-time receptionist at that particular doctor’s office.

Joey grabbed my hand as we walked into the office.

The receptionist checked us in, and before we even made it to the waiting room, we were being called to see the doctor. The lack of wait was a good thing, because Joey was already jumping around with excitement.

Dr. Benson was just as sweet as last time, ushering me into the exam room with a warm smile. “Hello, Bethany, and who do we have here?” she asked as she noticed Joey.

“I’m Joey!” she declared excitedly. “I’m going to be the one to tell my daddies if the baby is a boy or a girl.”

Dr. Benson didn’t skip a beat. “Well, that’s a big responsibility! I guess we’d better find out. I also need to count all the baby’s fingers and toes.”

Joey listened to the doctor with rapt attention as I got on the exam table and lifted my shirt. Dr. Benson knew that this was my first pregnancy, so she was perfectly tactful when it came to what she was saying to Joey.

“Now, this is going to let me find out if you have a baby brother or a baby sister,” Dr. Benson explained to Joey as she started the sonogram.

She didn’t say anything for a few minutes as she scanned my stomach. Joey and I watched the screen, looking at the little formed baby.

“Okay, Baby looks all healthy, so now I just need to find out if they’re a little boy or a little girl!”

“I want a sister, but a boy would be okay,” Joey said, her tone serious.

Both the doctor and I chuckled at her words.

“I think I can tell,” she said after a moment, turning to Joey. “Now, Joey, do you want me to tell both you and Bethany, or should I tell just you?”

Joey’s eyes shot to me, a mixture of excitement and panic evident. We hadn’t discussed me not knowing the gender.

“If you want to find out by yourself, you can tell the baker which cupcakes to pack, and then I can find out with the daddies,” I told her.

“Really?!” Joey asked excitedly. “Can we do that?”

I nodded.

Dr. Benson smiled. “Okay, Mama, hands over your ears so I can tell this one what kind of sibling she’s got.”

I did as I was told and avoided listening as the doctor leaned down and whispered in Joey’s ear. Once they were done, I wiped the jelly off my stomach and we said our goodbyes before heading straight to the bakery.

Joey was a ball of excitement the entire way there and kept her lips sealed.

I wasn’t planning on being surprised, but now I was looking forward to sharing that with my pack.

“Daddies!” Joey bellowed as she dashed into the kitchen, box of cupcakes in hand. She was moving so fast, I had to follow at a considerably slower pace.

“We’re all here, munchkin.” Jensen laughed as he came out of the living room, finding me. “How did it go?”

“Baby is perfectly healthy, and the doctor told Joey, and Joey alone, the gender.” I smiled.

“So we get to find out together?” Cullen asked from behind me, his sudden appearance making me jump.

I gasped, my hand flying to my chest in an attempt to calm my raging heartbeat. “Jesus! Make louder steps to avoid giving the pregnant woman a heart attack, please!”

The corner of his mouth cocked up in a grin. “Noted. I’ll be more aggressive in my walking endeavors.”

“Now, let’s go find out what I have cooking in here,” I said, resting a hand on my stomach as I went to go find Joey. “Your child has the cupcakes at the ready.”

Gideon wandered out of the office. “I thought I heard the excitement of a future big sister,” he said, pulling me in for a quick hug.

“Yep, she’s enthusiastic for sure. I think⁠—”

“Daddies! Bethany! Come on!” Joey squawked from the kitchen.

A giggle escaped me as Gideon looked toward the kitchen in surprise. “I think we’d better not make her wait.”

I shrugged. “It’s your DNA to blame. I need a bit more time before I can claim to be a bad influence.”

Jensen chuckled and lightly pushed me toward the kitchen.

Joey was sitting at the breakfast bar, five vanilla cupcakes lined up perfectly. The grin on her face was infectious.

“You guys, line up and get your cupcakes!” she instructed. “We all have to bite together!”

Everyone nodded and did as they were told. I stood between Cullen and Jensen as Gideon went to stand next to Joey, cupcake in hand.

“When do we bite?” Jensen asked, directing his question to Joey, as she was leading this little adventure.

“I’ll count to three. Then we bite,” Joey explained seriously.

The tone of her voice made me think that she and one of the dads had debated the whole on three or after three debacle when it came to counting.

“I’m ready!” Cullen said, holding up his cupcake.

Joey counted down, and as soon as the word “three” escaped her, we all took a bite.

Colors aside, the cupcakes were delicious. For a moment, I considered taking a second bite before looking at the colored frosting in the center.

Not that I needed to. I was a slower biter than the guys, and Jensen had managed to break his cupcake in half in seconds.

The moment I saw the pink frosting covering his face, I knew.

I was having a little girl.

“A girl!” Cullen shouted, picking me up and swinging me around gleefully.

“I was so excited when the lady told me it was a girl. Girls are the best!” Joey declared.

I was yanked out of Cullen’s arms and into Jensen’s, smothered in his scent—but I wasn’t complaining.

Tears of joy gathered in my eyes.

Gideon beamed at me, shaking his head with a laugh. “We are going to have our hands full!”

A daughter.

It was feeling very, very real now.

Chapter 46

Cullen

It felt like after Christmas, we had blinked, and it was already mid-January. Bethany had thrown herself into her studies, making sure she could take plenty of time off once the baby was born. We had offered several times to pay for her to retake the semester, but she was adamant that she had already done most of the work and wasn’t going to give that up.

We all respected that but hated seeing her work so hard. With every day that passed, her belly grew bigger, and her exhaustion was weighing heavily on her.

Also, her cravings were getting downright weird. As a restauranter, I could appreciate some culinary exploration, but pickles and peanut butter? That was a bit much, even for me.

The beautiful omega in question was rummaging through several bags as we tried to complete the task she had given us. Tried being the operative word, because she was so dang distracting with her rounded belly. She was beautiful and all mine.

Joey was at a friend’s house for the afternoon, so we were taking the opportunity to get a few errands done as a pack. The nursery had finally been painted in the colors Joey and Bethany had picked out together, and we now had a small mountain of furniture to assemble.

“We are three highly educated alphas. I refuse to be defeated by a flat-packed dresser!” Jensen grumbled.

“I think it’s faulty,” Gideon declared as Bethany settled into the large squishy armchair we had brought her for night feeds, a bag of chips in hand, watching with bright eyes as the scene unfolded before her.

“It’s not faulty. You guys are just struggling to get the job done.” She giggled.

“No sass from the peanut gallery!” Jensen declared, playfully glowering at the omega.

Turns out, it didn’t matter how much education you had, assembling flat-pack furniture was a skill that none of us possessed. We were hobbling through the task and doing a pretty abysmal job.

The doorbell rang, a jaunty little tune playing—Jensen’s doing.

Bethany’s head perked up. “Is that my takeout? I’ll get it!” she declared happily, pulling herself out of the armchair with considerable effort and waddling toward the door.

Jensen chuckled. “I think that’s the fastest I’ve seen her move in days.”

“Her cravings are getting brutal,” I said. “I’ll go make sure she’s okay.”

“Trying to find an excuse to get away from the flat-pack nightmare?" Gideon asked.

“Oh, that’s an added benefit, but I just don’t want Bethany opening the door for a delivery guy, especially if it’s a male…”

Both Jensen’s and Gideon’s eyes flashed with something almost dangerous. The closer Bethany was to giving birth, the more and more overprotective we were getting. Even the idea of being around a member of the opposite sex that wasn’t us made all our instincts on edge. It wasn’t logical and it wasn’t fair, but Bethany had taken to the new development with grace.

Getting up was a lot easier for me, and in no time, I was following her as she waddled adorably down the hall to the front door.

It was obvious something wasn’t right when, the second she opened the door, her big, excited grin dropped.

“What are you doing here?” she growled.

At her tone, I moved next to her to see four people standing on our porch. Two older men and two that were probably closer to Bethany’s age.

Next to them was a police officer.

Actually, there were two police officers, but one was hanging back and observing.

“We came to bring you home,” one of the older men said.

Bethany snorted. “I am home, Pa.”

Pa.

It dawned on me that this was her family. The family who had treated her like crap, who had used her for their own benefit and never cared about her wants and desires.

The police officer looked right at me. “Sir, is this your home?”

I nodded. Technically, it belonged to the pack, but that was mere semantics.

“Sir, these gentlemen have filed a report claiming you’ve kidnapped their family member. I’m going to need you to come talk with me over here so the young lady can speak with her family.”

Kidnap?

“Oh, this is a new low, even for you,” I growled, looking at her family.

The fuckers didn’t even have the decency to appear sheepish.

The police officer frowned. “Now, don’t be hostile. This lady’s family simply wants to talk with her.”

“I think I am allowed to be surprised at their actions when they are accusing us of kidnapping.” I growled the last word, still hardly believing it.

“I’m getting the others,” Bethany said, going to turn back into the house, but one of her brothers launched forward, grabbing her arm and keeping her there.

“No! You’re not going to bring out more of these assholes who have brainwashed you!”

I took a step toward them, but the police officer got between us.

“I suggest you step out of my way,” I growled lightly. “He is putting hands on my pregnant omega, and you are letting him.”

The police officer looked between me and Bethany. “You’re bonded?”

Bethany shook her head. “We will be. We are just waiting for the doctors to approve it, since I’m pregnant,” she explained, yanking her arm out of her brother’s grasp.

“Your family seems to think you’re being coerced to be here,” the police officer explained.

“The only coercion here is the fact that they’re trying to make me go back to Nebraska, when I am very happy here in California.”

“You haven’t been yourself since you met this pack. We’re worried about you,” one of her brothers said, his tone almost believably worried.

Anger unlike anything I’d ever felt simmered in my veins. I didn’t know what these idiots planned, but they were not going to take Bethany away.

“Look, I think it may be best if Bethany returns to her house for a day or two, so she can spend some time with her family and avoid this turning into a legal matter,” the police officer said in a friendly tone. “If she’s unbonded, then she’s still technically the ward of her family.”

My eyebrows rose.

“You and I both know, officer, that cases where family tries to obtain legal claim over an omega after the age of twenty-one are usually thrown out,” a familiar voice said from behind me.

Gideon and Jensen had joined us.

The officer frowned. “And you are?”

“Gideon Noble. I am a partner at a local law firm, and I assure you, I am very knowledgeable in this matter. Now, unless there is an order signed by a judge, Bethany cannot be removed from our house against her will.”

The officer stumbled over his words. “W-well, the family…”

“Is estranged from their daughter because they’ve been behaving abhorrently,” Gideon said.

Bethany nodded, crossing her arms over her belly. “Exactly. They’ve been treating me as a glorified housekeeper for years, and I refuse to do that anymore.”

We were at an impasse. I got the impression that her brothers were biting their tongues because the officer was next to them.

“They are your family, and we have the legal power to remove an omega from a situation that may be dangerous,” the officer argued, though he appeared less sure than he’d been moments ago.

Gideon nodded. “That you do, but you do not have any evidence to justify removing Bethany from this house. You only have the word of her family, who have been mistreating her for years. Now, you could remove her from this house today, but I assure you, if you do, your department will be buried under so many lawsuits, your grandchildren will still be paying off the debts.”

Jensen snorted. “I can just see it now. Department pulls pregnant omega away from loving pack, causing emotional harm and distress. I’m assuming the NHL lawyers would also get involved because I am the team doctor for the Chargers. Imagine the press!” He chuckled, wrapping his arm around Bethany from behind and kissing the top of her head as she bit back a smile.

One of her brothers—the more hostile -looking one—was turning red in the face. “This is such bullshit. Bethany, you’re coming home. These guys only want you to play nanny to their bastard brat. They should have fucking aborted her if they didn’t want to parent her themselves.”

I took a step forward. I was going to annihilate that asshole, police officers be damned.

Only, Bethany got there first.

The resounding slap she gave her brother could probably be heard from our neighbors’ houses. Her face was full of righteous fury, and I could smell the anger rolling off her in waves.

“You do not get to talk about Joey. I love that child more than I love all four of you idiots combined. She is my child, and I will protect her, just as I will this one.” She gestured to her stomach. “You have some fucking nerve turning up here, considering we are suing you for stealing my identity to fund a lavish vacation. Clearly, I put up with your bullshit for far too long if you think that this is in any way, shape, or form okay.”

The lawsuit was still somewhat up in the air, thanks to Heather ensuring Bethany was refunded, but I was still leaning towards trying to nail her brother to the wall for his asshole behavior legally. She had tried to give Jensen the money back as he had paid off the balance, but he had refused, telling her to use it on baby supplies.

The shocked look on her brother’s face was almost enough to make me laugh. The officer just looked startled, like he was unsure what to do.

“Officers, I think you should escort these unwelcome visitors back to their hotel room,” Gideon said. “If they manage to come back with a written warrant from a judge, stating that Bethany is to be removed from the home, then we will cooperate and countersue. Until then, you are not removing my pregnant omega from her home. Is that clear?” His voice was firm, leaving no room for disagreement.

“Bethy, we just want to talk!” one of the dads said.

Bethany snorted. “If you just wanted to talk, you wouldn’t have brought the police with you. I’ve always made excuses for you, but you really are crappy parents, aren’t you? Maybe it’s partially my fault for not setting boundaries, but I was nine years old when you dumped me into this mess—and don’t you fucking dare use your grief over the loss of Mom to justify it. I was a child, and my mother had died as well.” She turned to the officer. “I’m going to take my leave now. If you have any other business, please discuss it with my pack mates. I’m feeling nauseated. This stress isn’t good for the baby, and I’m going to lie down. Thank you.” She turned and stormed back into the house.

I wanted to keep her near me, but I much preferred her getting as far away from her family as possible.

Bethany was up in the nest, angrily throwing pillows around, grunting in anger as she did so.

“Those fucking self-righteous pigs!” she screamed. “You know, every time I think they can’t sink any lower, they somehow manage to.”

I pulled her into my arms, and she hugged me tightly, but only for a second before she was pulling away to angrily throw more pillows around the nest.

“I’m going to call in my partners at the firm. We are going to file a countersuit that will bury anything they throw at us, I promise,” Gideon said. “I need to go now and get the ball rolling.”

“You’re not going anywhere!” Bethany growled, running a hand through her hair and looking between us. “How long do we have to go get Joey?”

Jensen cocked his head to the side, checking his watch. “About two hours? Why?”

She nodded thoughtfully to herself. I could almost see the cogs turning in her brain. “We can do it in two hours,” she muttered.

“Do what?” I asked.

She grinned at me.

“We are going to fuck, and then we are going to bond. Right now.”

Chapter 47

Beth

The guys all looked at me like I had grown a third head.

“What?” I growled, picking up another pillow and throwing it. Cushion carnage was a good way to work out some of the anger coursing through my system, but fucking would also work nicely.

“Bonding?” Jensen asked.

I huffed. “You guys said you were all in. You could file a lawsuit to end all lawsuits, or we could nip this in the bud right now by biting one another.”

“Didn’t we say⁠—”

“That we would wait until after I gave birth? Jensen and I have both looked into it. The risks of bonding while pregnant are minimal, aren’t they?” I asked, looking pointedly at Jensen.

He nodded. “There’s hardly any risk. Sometimes the bond can take longer to take hold, and they recommend avoiding it in your third trimester because all the orgasms can potentially cause early labor, but even that risk is small.”

“And if the bond isn’t that strong, we can just bite each other again once I’ve given birth!” I exclaimed.

“Are you saying this because you want it or because you just don’t want to go back to Nebraska?” Gideon asked. “As much as I want you tied to us in every way possible, I don’t want to do it if you’re not sure.”

I shot him an exasperated look. “I told you I was sure when we had the conversation about Joey’s egg donor.”

I wanted their bites more than anything, I had been dreaming about it since the last time we had discussed it. They would belong to me and I would belong to them.

“This isn’t exactly the most romantic way to bond.” Jensen frowned as I padded over to him, wrapping my arms around his waist, rubbing my face in his chest, coating him in my scent and also getting some of his crisp salty scent on myself.

“It’s to protect our little family,” I said, looking up at him with a grin.

“Last chance to back out,” Cullen said, his gaze hungry, desperate. It was clearly taking great restraint to hold himself back.

I didn’t want restraint.

I wanted knots and bites.

Beaming at him, I met his gaze. “The only place I’m going is into that nest to get fucked within an inch of my life.”

For a second, we all looked at one another. Those quick glances of confirmation were all we needed, and then it was like a rubber band snapped and we all moved at once.

Jensen scooped me up, striding over to the nest and lightly tossing me onto it. It was already a mess, thanks to my little rampage, but now I had a much better way to work out my anger.

Sex.

Quick, hot, dirty sex.

“I wish we could take our time with you,” he said as he climbed onto the nest. I darted up, pouncing so I was on top of him.

A giggle escaped my chest. “Blame our first child.”

Jensen’s eyes lit up at my words.

“Luckily, we love her,” Cullen muttered as he and Gideon joined us on the nest.

Everything smelled perfect. All their scents together—they just worked. They were all so different, but together, they curled my toes. Salt air from Jensen, the smoky bourbon of Cullen, and the blackcurrant, bookish scent of Gideon.

My pack.

“You’re much too dressed,” I muttered, pulling at Jensen’s sweatpants. He beamed up at me as I straddled him, his clothed cock in the perfect place to make some delicious friction against my clit.

“I could say the same thing about you,” he said as I leaned down to kiss him. His taste was fresh, crisp, and clear. It was invigorating.

I wanted to taste him everywhere.

My hands tugged at his shirt, and Jensen, ever the gentleman, assisted me in getting his clothing off. Every inch of my skin was starting to burn, and I needed to feel him pressed against me.

The bed dipped behind me, and a new set of hands settled on my waist.

“I think it only fair that you get undressed too,” Cullen muttered in my ear.

My mind was overwhelmed simply from having the two of them near me, so all I could do was nod. Cullen had my shirt off in one swift movement, humming appreciatively when he saw my braless state.

“No bra?” Cullen asked as he gently cupped my breasts.

“They’re sore. Bras are the devil,” I muttered.

Jensen chuckled. “Then I guess Cullen needs to be gentle with them.”

As he spoke, Cullen gently started brushing his fingers against my nipples, sending sparks through my veins.

Despite having me sitting on top of him, Jensen somehow managed to maneuver until all his clothing was off. I still had my shorts on but paused to appreciate the sight of a very naked Jensen under me.

“Your turn,” he said, grasping at the waistband of my shorts.

Between the two alphas holding me, they managed to remove my shorts in record time and had me sitting in Jensen’s lap once again.

Cullen’s fingers found my folds, and he hummed appreciatively. “Looks like someone is more than ready,” he muttered as he started lightly rubbing my clit.

“Someone hurry up and fuck me already,” I whined.

The combinations of hormones and having three hot-as-fuck alphas in the room with me had me ready to go so darn fast, it was amazing.

The two of them moved me so I was lined up with Jensen’s cock. I didn’t want to take it slow or wait; I wanted to be filled. So I sank right down on him, reveling in his groan of delight.

“Fuck, still fucking perfect,” Jensen muttered, throwing his head back as his hands tightened on my hips.

Cullen, on the other hand, lightly pinched my nipples at the same moment he nipped my neck. “Naughty omega,” he chided.

“Worth it,” I muttered as I started moving my hips.

Even though I wasn’t huge yet, I still had a considerable bump, so being on top was ideal. Also, it turned out, I quite liked being able to control the pace.

He filled me just right, my walls stretching around him just enough for that delicious burn that ramped up my pleasure but at the same time didn’t hurt. Thanks to the angle I was at, he bumped against my cervix with each thrust.

For some reason, I had imagined that would be painful.

Nope. It just made me even more frantic and needy.

“Bite?” I whined, looking down at Jensen, his face clouded with pleasure.

“Just as soon as you come, sweet girl,” he said, while Cullen rubbed my clit even faster.

My legs trembled around Jensen’s hips, and I knew it was only going to be a matter of seconds before I came. It was overwhelming in the best way, and I only had two of my alphas touching me.

Each bounce threw me closer and closer to the edge, my toes curling as I panted desperately. Jensen wasn’t faring much better; his cock was starting to throb with his imminent release, and he was gazing at me like a starving man.

The scent of salted apple, our two scents combined, was a heady mix.

Knowing that Gideon was sitting to the side, watching us, waiting for his turn, only excited me further.

Right as the moment hit, I lunged forward, breaking out of Cullen’s grasp. My mouth found Jensen’s neck, and I bit down.

Hard.

Probably a lot harder than I should have, judging by Jensen’s groan, but his knot inflated almost instantly, stretching me impossibly full and making my own release last a scary long time.

When his teeth sank into my shoulder, and we both bit each other, it was game over.

I had read plenty of books about bonding and heard about it from my friends, but experiencing it was something entirely different. It’s hard to explain how your very being changes. Before, there was just you in your chest, but afterward, there was you and the alpha you bit.

Jensen was now a part of me, and nothing was going to change that.

After a few moments, we extracted our teeth and grinned gleefully at each other.

Locked on his knot, which I suspected wasn’t going down anytime soon, I was content to snuggle him while my walls fluttered with aftershocks from such an intense orgasm.

“Hello, mate,” Jensen panted.

“Hello, mate,” I parroted. “Mine.”

Chapter 48

Gideon

Well, fuck.

Jensen and Bethany were bonded, staring at each other with those dopey-ass grins.

It had taken everything in me to stay seated as they fucked, because I was damn jealous and wanted to be right there, touching her, feeling her inside and out.

My time would come.

For a brief moment, I was concerned that Jensen’s knot was going to take ages to go down, and we only had a limited amount of time before Joey would be home from school.

Thankfully, it only took twenty minutes, and for the first few moments, they simply snuggled and murmured how much they loved each other. It was adorable, really.

As soon as Jensen’s knot deflated enough that Bethany could slide off him, Cullen was right there, scooping her up and kissing her.

“Present,” he growled, and Bethany obliged him with a smile on her face. Turning, she bent over, looking me dead in the eye as she presented her pussy to Cullen. Her devilish smirk was beautiful, and I was hard as a rock waiting for my turn.

The grin dropped and her mouth fell open with Cullen’s first thrust. It wasn’t slow or romantic; it was fast, hot, and feral.

He grasped her hips for dear life as he repeatedly pounded into her, and all she could do was cling to the sheets as she mewled in pleasure.

“Good girl, taking my cock so well,” Cullen cooed as Jensen sat up to watch the show, his cock already hardening again.

I doubted any of us could stay soft with Bethany around.

We may have been older than she was, but fuck, she made us as horny as a pack of teenagers—it was a skill, really.

Just like before, it didn’t take long until Bethany was screaming in pleasure. Her face was flushed and her eyes glazed over.

She was beautiful.

And she was ours.

Unable to wait any longer, I made my way to her. At my approach, she beamed at me, Cullen still drilling into her pussy nonstop.

I pulled my slacks down, and my cock bobbed free.

The omega goddamned licked her lips at the sight. The expression on her face was so hungry, it made my cock twitch.

“Want a taste?” I asked gruffly.

When she nodded eagerly, I about came right then and there.

Resting on her elbows, she leaned forward greedily.

The moment she wrapped her lips around my cock, all thoughts escaped me. Warm, wet perfection. My hand tangled in her hair as she moaned around my length, the added vibration a pleasant sensation.

Bethany bounced between the two of us, gleeful, for a few moments, the bite mark on her neck a stark reminder of what we were about to do to her. The need to mark her was primal and irrational, but I was beyond giving a fuck.

Bethany was ours, and we were hers.

A family, and nothing would be able to change that.

Everything we had wanted for so long was becoming a reality.

When Cullen’s thrusts started to reach a peak, I backed off, ignoring the adorable pout Bethany gave me at the loss of my cock in her mouth.

Her mouth was going to be needed for something else very shortly.

With a roar, Cullen came, his knot no doubt expanding as he hunched over Bethany, his hand resting on the sheets in front of her face as he leaned down and bit into her shoulder. She could have waited and turned around to bite him on the neck, but Bethany was impatient and launched at the first piece of skin she could see, which just happened to be his wrist.

Even though I hadn’t bitten her yet, I could feel the smallest echo of her through my pack mates. Bonds were peculiar things, but once we bonded to an omega, we would all be that much more connected.

“Jesus Christ, I thought you guys were deadly on a normal day. I swear, your knots have doubled in size,” Bethany muttered as she pressed her face into the sheets.

Cullen chuckled, kissing her new bite mark. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Shush.” Bethany chuckled, and then groaned as she shifted. “Hurry up and deflate, goddamn it,. I have another alpha to bite,” she mumbled, throwing me a smile.

“Kind of hard to do when you feel so good.” Cullen shrugged.

Bethany wiggled her hips playfully, and Cullen’s hand cracked against her ass lightly.

“How long do we have?” Bethany asked me.

“About forty minutes.”

She nodded, a firm look of resolve in her face. The little omega was determined and was going to get what she wanted.

It turned out, Bethany Noble’s stubbornness knew no bounds. Within ten minutes, she had pulled herself off Cullen’s cock and was crawling toward me.

He gave her one quick, bruising kiss before lounging in the nest with Jensen to watch the show.

“My turn,” I growled, grabbing her ankle and dragging her so she was flat on the bed as I crawled over her. I kept my body weight off her so she could easily move if she was uncomfortable thanks to her little bump.

There was no hesitation in her eyes, just sparkling joy. Without any instruction, she opened her legs and lined herself up with my cock.

“You sure you can handle me after already taking two other knots?” I asked softly, leaning down to kiss her.

She smirked. “Bring it on.”

Well, who was I to deny her?

Her pussy was already slick with the cum of my pack mates, so I slid into the hilt with no resistance.

“So ready for me. Aren’t you a greedy little omega?” I cooed, resting my hands on either side of her head.

It was obvious she was tired, but still she wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me down to press against her.

“Will you hurry up and knot me so we can pick up our daughter from school?” she asked, the sass in her tone making me far happier than it should have.

She’d had enough adjustment time.

Rearing back, I thrust deeply.

Sheer perfection, and all mine.

She was squeezing my cock so tightly with her walls, I was a little afraid I was going to lose all blood flow.

“Oh, fuck,” Bethany muttered, her eyes rolling back into her head as my pace slowly increased. Her arms tightened around my neck, pulling us together.

One hand rested on the bed above her, keeping myself from squishing her, and the other grasped at the flesh just under her ass, opening her even wider for me.

“I fucking love you, Bethany Noble,” I growled.

The use of her mated name made her eyes widen and set her off like a bomb. A strangled cry escaped her lips, and her walls clamped down on me.

“Mine,” Bethany snarled, resting her forehead against mine, her hips moving to meet me thrust for thrust. I knew our pack mates were watching, but in this moment, it felt like it was just the two of us.

Me and my omega.

Cullen’s bite was low on her shoulder, so when I bit her, I would aim high.

Did the bossy, domineering part of me love the idea of my bite mark being visible in almost all clothing? Absolutely. I wanted the whole fucking world to know that Bethany Noble was my omega.

It felt like I had her in my arms, savoring her for ages, when it was probably only a few minutes. We didn’t exactly have much stamina when it came to her, but that just meant we had to practice.

I was more than happy to practice again and again…

My knot started to swell, and I tried to distract myself somewhat. She had to come first; I refused to embarrass myself. Her walls were bearing down on me so tightly, though, I doubted I would have to wait for long.

“I’m going to bite you and make you mine, omega,” I growled. “I want the whole world to see that you chose us, and we chose you.”

“Mine,” Bethany growled, breaking off in a whine as her walls started to flutter, her own orgasm taking over.

“Bite high, omega. Show the world who I belong to,” I instructed right before I sank my teeth into that sweet spot just under her ear.

Her own mouth found a similarly high spot on my neck, and my chest was ready to burst with pride. Yes, I wanted the whole world to know she was mine, but fuck, I also wanted her bite on me to be obvious. I wore suits, and the collar could get high at times, but Bethany had ensured that, no matter what I wore, people would see her mark.

My knot was impossibly hard, and I was surprised I had any blood flow left to my brain. Bethany had an uncanny habit of making me lose all rational thought, but looking down at my blissed-out omega, I couldn’t find it in me to care.

“Pack Noble!” Cullen shouted playfully as we came down from our high, making us all break into laughter.

Bethany craned her neck, kissing both of our pack mates briefly. “Pack,” she whispered, her eyelids drifting closed lazily.

Jensen slid off the nest, a shit-eating grin on his face. “I think I’ll need to go pick up the munchkin, because we don’t have much time left and I doubt Gideon is deflating anytime soon.”

I groaned, resting my forehead on Bethany’s shoulder as she giggled, her hand coming up to gently brush through my hair.

Who knew head scratches could feel so goddamned fucking good?

I didn’t, but I would offer Bethany anything she wanted if she kept doing that.

After I flipped us over, so I was lying on my back with my mate splayed out on my chest, she hummed happily, nuzzling into my chest.

“Thank you,” I muttered to Jensen as he waved goodbye, swaggering out of the nest with the biggest grin known to man.

Cullen threw a blanket over us and we lay back, happy to just bask in one another’s presence for a while.

Chapter 49

Beth

“I’m a whale!” I groaned as I rolled out of my nest.

I was officially eight months pregnant. Life had been shockingly wonderful since we had bonded. We had our little family and routine, and for the first time ever, I was truly happy.

My credit card had been fully refunded, so I had dropped the lawsuit against my brother. Part of me had wanted to keep pushing forward because I knew full well it was Heather who was responsible for the refund and not him. Sadly, Gideon had let me know that actually pursuing legal action now that all the money was back could prove to be difficult, and I had far more important things to be focusing on.

Though, the lawsuit had clearly done something because my family had left me the hell alone for a few months, and I was enjoying the peace and quiet. I didn’t even miss them—how insane was that?

Now I was even more in tune with the guys, and I honestly couldn’t remember what life was like before we bonded. Waking up with them near, the cuddles, the constant companionship. It was bliss.

Well, other than the discomfort, lower back pain, and sore chest, but hopefully those were just short-term things until our child was evicted from my body.

“You are not a whale,” Cullen insisted from where he was sprawled out next to me, pulling me in for a hug.

“Whatever you are, you are downright adorable,” Jensen said as he walked into the room, a cup of tea in hand for me. He was wearing his scrubs, scheduled to do another shift at the hospital. I had intended to ask him a question about something trivial, but that quickly went to the recesses of my mind when I took in the sight of him.

There was something about when Gideon wore a well-tailored suit and when Jensen wore his scrubs. It made my lady bits weep, and my ability to think rationally turned to goo.

It didn’t help that the pregnancy hormones were making me so goddamn needy.

Not that the guys were complaining.

“Why are you looking at me like that, sweetheart?” Jensen asked, cocking an eyebrow. The handsome jerk knew exactly what I was thinking.

Instead of replying, I simply stuck my tongue out, making him laugh. “For that, you don’t get to join me in the shower,” I said primly.

Cullen chuckled from behind me as he dragged me fully back into the nest for a hug, my back plastered to his front.

Jensen’s eyes widened. “Can I take a rain check? I have to go to the hospital, but…”—his gaze raked hungrily over me—“then again, I could be late.”

“Nope, she’s all mine,” Cullen declared, kissing the back of my neck.

The nest was now a permanent culmination of our scents. It was amazing. There was also an abundance of bedding. As an omega, I was a big fan of throw pillows and blankets, but I had gone a little overboard in this nest. Sometimes one of the guys would crawl into the pillow mountain and I would lose them entirely to the squish.

“Sorry, maybe next time.” I smiled at Jensen.

I was exhausted, the size of a whale, and wearing one of their T-shirts and a pair of underwear. I looked far from sexy, yet they looked at me like I was the best thing they had ever seen. One of Cullen’s hands rested on my belly. He, and the others, took every opportunity to touch my stomach because every now and then, our little baby decided to kick or move.

The first time she had rolled over in my stomach, I was so confused. The sensation had been so different from what I was used to.

Now I was very used to it. My baby was a wriggle pants.

Jensen sighed, a long-suffering sound. “Why do I have to be responsible?”

I shrugged, while Cullen responded, “See, you should have gone into the restaurant business. Late starts mean morning fun.”

“I should get up. I’m seeing Kennedy today,” I mumbled as I tried futilely to get out of Cullen’s grasp.

Jensen frowned. “Is she going to terrify you with more horror stories about pregnancy?”

“Hey, her information on lightning crotch was very informative.”

“You were terrified for weeks that your vagina was going to feel like it had been hit by a thunderbolt.”

I pouted. “It was a genuine concern! Now, go do doctor things.”

Jensen strode over to the bed, leaning down to give me a quick kiss goodbye. “Be good, sweet girl.”

“I’ll try.” I beamed as Cullen started kissing my neck.

Once Jensen was out of the room, I turned to face him. “And what are your plans for the day?”

Cullen cocked his head to the side in thought. “I suppose I am going to spend the morning with my beautiful omega before she decides to go be a social butterfly.”

I nodded, wrapping my arms around his neck. My belly was squished between the two of us, and the baby kicked in response.

“It feels like someone wants breakfast.” Cullen laughed, looking down at my stomach.

I groaned. “I always want food. It’s a problem. I’m going to be the size of a house before I give birth.”

Cullen kissed my nose in an annoyingly cute gesture. “But a very cute house.”

I glowered at him. “Just for that, I’m going to shower alone.”

Cullen’s face dropped. “Cruel!”

“Don’t you have something else to do, maybe play golf?”

“Golf?”

I nodded. “It’s an old man sport, so I assume you play.”

Cullen’s eyes widened as he spluttered. “I mean. I—well, I do, but I am not old!”

“There’s no shame in it. When you get more advanced in age, you need a slower sport…” It was impossible to keep the grin off my face. Messing with him was too fun. There had been a great many old jokes made. Usually, they ended in orgasms for me, which was hardly a deterrent.

I smirked, leaning over to give him a quick peck on the lips. “You’re about to turn forty,” I whispered.

“Right. I’ll show you who’s old!” he declared, pulling me into bed and spending the next hour showing just how energetic he could be.

Even though I said I was going to shower alone, Cullen still followed me. Now that my center of gravity had changed so much, I was a little wobbly on my feet. The overprotective butthead insisted on being near in case I fell in the shower.

“Hey, Bethany…” Joey clambered into the nest.

“Hello! How was school?” I asked as I pulled her into my arms for a hug. Her scent was getting more and more defined by the day. It was hard to discern exactly what it was, but it was sweet, that’s for sure.

I would bet my entire bank balance that she was going to be an omega.

“School was good. We made cards for Mother’s Day and planted some strawberry plants in the greenhouse. Can we get strawberry plants?”

The mention of Mother’s Day made my heart rate stutter, but I kept my face neutral. “We can get some strawberry plants this weekend if you want.”

Joey nodded. “That sounds good. Do you know what’s for dinner?”

“Daddy C brought some chicken from the restaurant. The one that you like.”

Joey smiled, nuzzling into my side. “That’s yummy.”

It was. In fact, that particular dish was quickly becoming one of my favorites.

“How much longer until my little sister is here?” she asked.

“A few weeks now. They’re getting wriggly!” I scrunched my nose playfully.

Joey giggled. “It’s small in there.” She touched my belly lightly. “They must be squished.”

“But remember, the baby is small as well. You saw the little pajamas Daddy Jensen got the baby last week.”

Joey’s eyes widened. “Those were teeny-tiny!”

“They were, but they’re teeny-tiny because they’re inside me!”

Joey nodded, leaning over and putting her head on my belly. “I wanna meet you, baby!” she said to my stomach.

My heart turned to pure goo.

“How did I know I would find you two cuddled up in the nest?” Gideon asked as he entered the room.

“It’s the best room in the house.” I shrugged and Joey nodded emphatically.

“It is, Daddy. If you get me a ball pit room, that may be the best room, but for now, this room is comfy, and it smells nice.”

“Well, how about we grab our dinners, then make a nest in the living room to watch movies?”

Joey sat up straight. “I want to build the nest!” she declared, scrambling out of the nest surprisingly fast and darting out of the room, no doubt to start her little project.

“You’d better have plenty of nesting supplies, or that little omega may turn vicious.” I giggled, holding out my hands. “You’re going to have to help me out of here. I’m stuck!”

Gideon smiled indulgently at me, taking a few steps forward and grabbing my hands. In one swift but soft movement, he had me on my feet.

“I came prepared. We’ve been ordering a lot of the things you guys have been buying for your nests in duplicate for this very scenario—also, in case Joey spilled ketchup on anything. I’ll warn you now, the sofa nest will be filled with dinosaurs…”

My smile was warm, if a little tired. “That sounds perfect. Those squishy dinosaurs make excellent pillows.”

He hadn’t let go of my hands yet, opting to hold them between us. The contact was nice; any way I could touch my guys made me happier.

Going up on my tiptoes, I rubbed my face in his neck, scenting him.

Frantic little footsteps thundered into the room as Joey reappeared. “Oh, before I forget, this is for you! Now, blankies!”

She shoved some sort of paper into my hands before scampering off as quickly as she came, a little whirlwind of excitement and giddiness.

“What you got there?” Gideon asked. “Usually, she gives me the boring school permission slips.”

I chuckled. “She only gives them to you because she knows you’ll tell Cullen or Jensen off if they sign anything without you looking over it, even a permission slip.”

He smiled indulgently at me. “Rightly so. Never sign anything without letting your lawyer look at it. I’ll protect my family, no matter what.”

“Those pesky PTA moms.” I giggled. “Such a threat.”

“Well, Jennifer Lowe wasn’t harmless…”

“But after you filed a complaint, she moved to another school district, so she’s not my problem anymore. Do you still have that appointment tomorrow?”

“I do, but I can cancel. It’s just a check to see if I’m at all dilated now that I’m looking my due date in the face…” Turning my attention to the paper in hand, my words trailed off.

It was a Mother’s Day card.

Addressed to me.

Instantly, tears welled up in my eyes, and Gideon looked between the card and me with surprise.

“You’re crying?” he asked, a panicked hint to his voice.

“Good tears!” I insisted. “This baby is making me cry at the drop of a hat, but I’m so happy that Joey gave me a card. Are you okay with that?”

Gideon pulled me in for a hug. “You, Bethany Noble, are the only mother that child has ever had, and she is damn lucky to have you.”

That just made me cry harder.

I was so lost in my tears that, at first, I didn’t feel the trickle of water running down my leg.

“Uhh…Gideon?” I asked breathlessly.

He furrowed his brow. “Yeah?”

Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself.

“I’m pretty sure my water just broke.”

Chapter 50

Beth

Gideon had us at the hospital in record time.

He held my hand the entire drive there, and I squeezed the living crap out of his fingers every time a contraction hit.

And oh, did they hit. A few minutes after my water broke, they came fast.

“Fuck. Why did no one warn me that contractions felt this bad?”

Gideon had the nerve to chuckle. “Then no one would have babies.”

“Oh, they would,” I grumbled. “I would happily do it for Joey, if it had been up to me, and for this munchkin—but I reserve the right to complain while it’s happening,” I said through gritted teeth.

Gideon smiled softly at me. “I know you would.”

“Eyes on the road!” I hissed, making him laugh.

We drove in silence for a few minutes, Gideon focusing on weaving in and out of traffic, and me focusing on getting through the hellish contractions every time they hit.

“Jensen is already in labor and delivery, waiting for us,” my mate said as the text notification popped up on his phone.

I guess there were a few perks to being with a doctor. There were also downsides, thanks to their workaholic nature, but I was a fan overall.

“He’d better have picked out a nice room for me,” I grumbled.

Gideon’s thumb rubbed circles on the palm of my hand in a soothing gesture I was thankful for. I needed cuddles, but considering the only alpha in my vicinity was driving, that wasn’t really an option. “I’m sure he did,” he said as we pulled into the hospital parking lot.

Jensen was waiting for us in the parking lot, a wheelchair ready for me.

“Oh, thank you.” I sighed, sitting my butt in the chair. “I think I leaked on your car.” I winced, looking at Gideon.

He waved off my concern. “Cars can be cleaned. Cullen will be here in just a moment. He’s dropping Joey off with a friend.”

Silently I prayed for a quick labor. I wanted to be back home with my baby and my daughter. Also, a shorter labor meant less pain.

In theory.

They wheeled me up to labor and delivery while I was examined and immediately admitted.

“You’re already seven centimeters dilated,” the nurse chirped.

“Seven?” I exclaimed. How on earth could I be so dilated? Sure, the contractions were hurting, but not that much.

The nurse nodded, taking off her gloves. “Let’s get you in a labor gown and into a delivery room. It won’t be long until you’re meeting your baby.”

Cullen came sprinting into the room, his hair a mess. “Did I miss it?”

Gideon shook his head. “Not yet. Get your ass in here.”

Cullen strode over to me, pulling me in and kissing the top of my head. “How are you feeling?”

I bit my lip. “I’ve felt better, but evicting a baby isn’t exactly a walk in the park.”

All three of my alphas settled around my bed, Gideon sitting behind me, lightly massaging my back while Cullen sat at the foot of my bed, rubbing my feet periodically. Jensen sat next to me, holding my hand, reassuring me that everything was going amazingly.

“We still haven’t decided on names!” I groaned.

“That’s something we can worry about once the baby is here safely,” Gideon assured me. “I still love the name Ethel.”

“I vetoed that one!” Cullen cried. “It sounds like an old lady.”

I happened to disagree and quite liked the name, but I wasn’t going to choose a name that any of my alphas didn’t like. I was gaining a newfound appreciation for packs that named children because it wasn’t just two people with opinions trying to name a child.

Still, I couldn’t help proclaiming, “It’s a beautiful name!”

“It sounds like a grandma. I want my child to have a name that works for both a baby and an adult.”

I couldn’t help but giggle at that. “Cullen, you named your daughter Joey. Your daughter.”

Cullen grinned. “And it’s an adorable name! She can go by Josephine when she’s an adult.”

Shaking my head, I cocked an eyebrow at him. “If you think that little girl is ever going from Joey to Josephine, then you need your head examined.”

“I still think classic is best,” Jensen said.

Right as I opened my mouth to answer, a particularly violent contraction hit, making me bend with the sheer pain of it.

“Holy fuck! How do women go through this multiple times?”

“We are suffering right here with you,” Jensen assured me.

My head whipped around to meet his eyes, and my anger at his words must have been evident because he shrank back a bit, a sheepish smile on his face. “I just mean, through the bond…”

Gideon laughed, still massaging my lower back. “We can feel the tiniest fraction of her pain. You are a doctor and should know that.”

Jensen grimaced. “Yeah, my bad. You can punch Cullen in the balls, if that helps?”

“Hey, why are my balls being volunteered when you’re the one being an idiot?” Cullen asked.

“I think we all need to stop bickering and focus on Bethany,” Gideon said.

“It’s a nice distraction, actually,” I admitted.

Gideon wrapped his arm around me, pulling my back flush with his chest. I instinctually snuggled into him, letting his familiar papery scent wash over me. There was something about huffing his scent that made the pain a little less intense.

“I swear your scent is crack,” I muttered, craning my head to get a better sniff.

“Alpha biology—our scents can help lessen the pain,” Gideon murmured, resting his chin on top of my head.

The nurse came in, beaming at us. “Well, I think it’s about time for you to have a baby!”

It took almost an hour of pushing for my daughter to enter the world.

I didn’t know why I’d believed pushing would only take a few minutes. Maybe it was because all the TV shows made it seem so quick.

Agonizing pain, mess, and a lot of stress, but she was out.

The moment the doctor placed her on my chest, my heart almost exploded with emotion. This little creature, who was all wrinkly and screaming, had been inside me for months, wriggling around and kicking me in the ribs.

The first little cry that escaped her chest had me sobbing with overwhelming emotions I couldn’t put my finger on.

The entire delivery, my guys had been there for me—Gideon behind me, Jensen and Cullen on each side, holding back my legs.

“She’s perfect,” I whispered as I handed her to Jensen. The nurses had whisked her away to clean her off and swaddle her, so now she smelled like new baby and had a cap on her head.

It was so cute, I had started to tear up again when the nurse handed her back.

“We are so fucked.” Cullen laughed. When I turned to look at him questioningly, he explained, “Two daughters. Joey is cute as a button, and if this little girl looks anything like her mama…well, just imagine how many boys are going to be sniffing around them when they’re teenagers.”

A grumpy growl emanated from Gideon as I giggled. “We’ll get better security,” he said, dead serious.

“She’s not even three hours old yet!” I exclaimed.

“Better to be prepared.” Jensen nodded.

“Are you hungry? I can get the guys from the restaurant to deliver some food,” Cullen offered.

“I wouldn’t mind some chicken pasta. I’m not sure what the hospital food is like.”

Jensen grimaced, not looking away from our daughter, staring with rapt attention. “It’s healthy, but bland. Take Cullen’s offer. I’ll have a burger.”

There was something about watching my large, domineering alphas hold our tiny baby with such gentle concern that turned my brain to mush. How was I supposed to think clearly when Jensen was rocking and saying sweet nothings to our tiny nugget?

They sent us home the next day. The doctor had offered to keep me an extra night, but I was feeling good and wanted to be back in my own nest. I had managed to stand, shower, and even shuffle around the room a bit.

My body felt a special kind of bruised and broken. Everything was swollen, and I did mean everything. Even my eyes were puffy. My stomach had gone from being heavily pregnant to looking as if I was still four or five months pregnant, even though there was no baby in there anymore.

My ankles were holding so much water, but Cullen had slipped some compression socks on me after I delivered, and they were helping me feel just a little less like a dough ball.

My breasts—holy fuck, my breasts. I’d known breastfeeding was going to hurt, but I hadn’t even started yet, and my boobs felt like they were engorged.

As soon as we got home, the guys settled me and our little girl in the nest. Her bassinet was right on the edge so I could easily reach her.

Gideon crawled onto the nest, pulling me into his arms. “I really don’t want to go, but I should get Joey. You and the nugget okay?”

I smiled lazily into his chest. I was exhausted. “I’ve got two other manservants to attend to my every need. I’ll manage for an hour.”

He smirked. “But I’m the best manservant.”

I pecked him on the lips, resisting the urge to pull him closer. “Go get our daughter.”

“Mom!” Joey squealed as she ran into the nest. “I washed my hands!” she declared, crawling onto the nest. She had scampered straight into her bedroom to change out of her uniform and into a soft T-shirt and leggings.

Gideon must have told her she needed to keep her hands clean when touching her little sister. He followed her into the room. He had dark circles under his eyes—we all did.

“You want to hold her?” I asked.

“Yes!” Joey squealed softly, crawling next to me so she could get a better look. The dads were all on the edges of the nest, content with watching.

I gently talked her through sitting down and holding out our hands so she could support the baby’s head. Joey listened to me with rapt attention, her eyes never leaving her baby sister.

The moment I handed her the baby, my chest almost exploded with emotion, and I had to do my best to avoid crying. Joey was a smart kid, but I wasn’t sure she would believe me when I told her I was crying because I loved the two little girls in front of me so damn much.

It didn’t matter that my nipples were on fire, or that my organs still didn’t feel in the right place. All that mattered were my two girls.

So much had changed in just a year. I had gone from single, with no children, to happily bonded with two children.

How had I gotten so lucky?

“She’s so little,” Joey whispered in awe. “When will she get bigger?”

“She’ll start growing soon enough, munchkin,” Jensen said, grinning at them.

Cullen already had his phone out and was snapping photos of them together.

“You’d better send me those pictures,” I muttered.

“Of course.”

Joey looked up at me, still perfectly supporting the baby’s little head. “Did you come up with a name?”

I glanced between the guys. We had one idea, but we had been mulling it over and weren’t sure.

“What do you think of the name Zoey?” I asked.

“Zoey and Joey!” she cried excitedly. Thankfully, the baby was a good sleeper and didn’t even stir at her outburst. “I like it!”

Well, I was pretty sure that settled it. Glancing at my three alphas, they all wore matching dopey grins.

“I think we have a name,” I whispered, unable to wipe my own cheesy smile off my face.

Chapter 51

Cullen

Bethany took to motherhood like a duck to water.

She and Zoey fell into an easy routine quickly. The first few days, we had pretty much just followed her lead and let her decide what to do and when. We were her helping hands, who took the baby when needed or just fetched whatever she needed for herself.

The night times were always tiring, but they were also lovely. Zoey started fussing in her crib, and because I was the closest, I was the one who crawled over to her little bassinet.

“Hey, little madam,” I cooed, scooping the baby up out of her bassinet. Her tiny mouth was opening and closing repeatedly, like she was looking for a nipple.

Cuddling her close, I knee-walked across the nest to where Bethany was half-asleep.

“Feeding time already?” she mumbled, sitting up, her eyes still clouded with sleep.

“She’s a hungry girl,” I whispered, passing the fussing baby to her.

“We could all use a solid five hours of sleep, but who can be mad at this cute face?” She rocked her for a moment before pulling up the pajama top she was wearing so Zoey could feed.

When Joey had been a baby, my pack mates and I had done the night feeds. Her mother had never even considered breastfeeding because she thought it was gross and would ruin her expensive boob job. So, we had formula fed—not that there was anything wrong with that, but Bella refused to disrupt her beauty sleep, leaving it to the dads.

Bethany, on the other hand, had opted to breastfeed. We had left it to her to decide how she wanted to feed our daughter, but I kind of hated how little sleep she was getting.

Zoey latched on and started suckling as her mother gently ran a hand over her head.

“Maybe you should try pumping before bed so we can take at least one of the night feeds?” I suggested.

Bethany nodded sleepily. “That would be nice. The pumps are so fancy, though. Every time I think about setting one up, I end up just wanting to nap.” Her face was tight with exhaustion, and we were doing everything we could to mitigate that, but with her waking up every two to three hours to feed, it was kind of unavoidable.

“We’ll do it together tomorrow while the little madam is asleep,” I assured her. Now that the baby was latched, I crawled out of the nest, grabbing Bethany’s gigantic water bottle off the bedside table. “Fill it up?” I asked, holding it aloft.

Bethany always got thirsty when she breastfed, so we kept the water bottle nearby. It was almost four a.m., though, and the water was dwindling, so the least I could do was top it off while she fed our daughter.

“Thank you, and maybe some sort of salty snack?”

“Your wish is my command,” I whispered, leaning over to kiss her softly before climbing out of the nest to get her goodies.

When I padded back into the nest a few minutes later, Bethany’s eyes were already starting to droop.

“Drink,” I commanded lightly, holding out her water bottle so she could drink from the attached straw.

There was always at least one alpha in the nest with Bethany at night. Ideally, we all wanted to be there, helping with the baby, but realistically, we all had jobs and we had Joey to think about. So we were trading off.

“I think she’s done,” Bethany mumbled, gently stroking the fussing baby’s head.

I made a grabbing motion. “Gimme my daughter. I’ll diaper and burp her.”

As she handed me Zoey, I couldn’t help but smirk. The sweet little nugget was still a blob, for all intents and purposes, but I could have sworn she was smiling.

I was a pro at diapers at this point. Bethany was in charge of all the baby input, so the others and I dealt with all the output. It was the least we could do, when she was using her own body to feed Zoey.

As soon as the baby was in my arms, Bethany sank down into the sheets, already half-asleep, leaving me with the baby.

Changing and burping didn’t take long, and even though I was quiet, I didn’t need to be. Bethany was so tired, she could sleep through anything, yet somehow always woke when the baby fussed. Apparently, it was some sort of mothering instinct kicking in, but it seemed like witchcraft to me.

Awesome witchcraft I was very thankful for, but witchcraft, nonetheless.

“Would it be rude to ask when we can have another?” I chuckled as I rocked Zoey. It was the middle of the day, and I was looking after Zoey while Bethany took a nap. It was a weekend, so we were all home.

Gideon laughed. “I think you’d better at least wait until she’s healed before you ask that. Otherwise she may throw a dinner plate at you.”

“As she should,” Jensen agreed, nearing to coo over the baby. “Give me my daughter for a few minutes. I need to snuggle.”

“Fine,” I huffed, handing over the baby before turning to Joey, who was watching TV. “I guess I’ll go get snuggles from this baby,” I declared loudly, pouncing on the sofa and pulling Joey in for a hug.

Squealing excitedly, she did her best to shove me away while I tickled her sides. “Daddy! That tickles!” she screeched.

“Duh!” I laughed. “That’s the point!”

We rolled around the couch for a few moments until Joey finally admitted defeat. She was stubborn, just like Bethany, and fought like hell.

My girls were the best.

“What’s for dinner?” Joey asked.

I cocked my head to the side, thinking. “Do you want to help me make spaghetti and meatballs with salad?”

“Chicken nuggets are better, but I know we aren’t allowed to eat them right now…so, yeah!”

Every adult in the room laughed at her pout. If Joey really wanted chicken nuggets, we were going to get them for her, but we had informed her that Bethany had to eat really healthy meals for a while because she was recovering from having her baby sister. Joey had decided that she would eat exactly like Bethany and wouldn’t have any chicken nuggets until Bethany could have them.

I honestly don’t know if Joey had ever eaten so healthy in her life.

Having two daughters was a balancing act, but putting Sally in charge of the restaurant had been the best decision I could have made. That woman ruled the place with an iron fist, and things had never run so smoothly. Gideon had dramatically lowered his workload temporarily, but there were some time-sensitive things he still had to do. Jensen had handed a lot of his work to the physician’s assistants as well while he was on paternity leave. So, between the three of us, we were handling the change shockingly well.

We had been prepared for Joey to potentially be a little bit jealous of the new baby. In fact, we had looked into child therapy just to help her deal with her emotions if that did happen.

Only, it turned out Joey was obsessed with her new baby sister. She’d declared many times how happy she was to have more girls in the house.

Our house that had once been oddly empty felt ready to burst now, and it was as close to perfect as it could be.

“Daddy!” Joey shouted as she opened the fridge to help me cook. “Why do you have mushrooms?” she asked, staring at me with wide eyes.

“Oh, that must be an accident!” I gasped, refusing to admit I had purchased them for my own dinner. If I admitted to her that I was planning to cook with mushrooms, she would have scampered out of the kitchen so damn fast, and I wouldn’t have seen her for the rest of the night.

I could survive without them.

More than anything, I wanted my little girl next to me as she stood on her step stool, spending some quality time with her as we made dinner for her and Zoey’s mother.

Chapter 52

Beth

It was a calm and easy morning. Jensen was back at work, and Cullen was overseeing things at the restaurant while Joey was at school.

Gideon needed to go to the office, but he refused to leave me at home with Zoey on my own. Even though I was perfectly capable of handling a few hours, it comforted me to know he was near.

After a lot of debate, we had come to the compromise that he would work in his home office while Zoey and I relaxed in the living room, wrapped up in a pile of blankets and watching trashy TV with a snack plate.

Actually, my amazing, intellectual mate had been adamant that documentaries were the best thing for my daughter’s squishy little brain, but I wanted some cheap drama. Surely the baby wasn’t old enough to really hear and understand what I was watching?

Maybe a nature documentary or two wouldn’t hurt.

We were twenty minutes into a show about the rainforest, and I was about thirty seconds away from falling asleep, when a knock on the door jolted me to reality. Blinking, I checked on Zoey, who was fast asleep in her bassinet. I knew that Gideon had a work call, and it was likely just a delivery driver with even more baby items, so, getting up and stretching, I padded toward the door.

Unfortunately for me, instead of a delivery driver with presents, my fathers stood on my doorstep.

Thankfully, there were no brothers this time, and the pair of them looked more sedate than usual, but I wasn’t happy to see them in the slightest.

“What do you want?” I snarled, standing in the doorway and refusing to let them come in. “I see you opted to forgo the police escort this time.”

“Beth…” Richard frowned. “This is so unlike you.”

“We want you to come home,” Frank, said, crossing his arms.

“Yeah, that’s not happening.”

“I know the way we went about it last time was a bit extreme, but we were just worried…Did you have the baby?” he asked, furrowing his brow as he took in my drastically decreased bump.

I couldn’t help the loud snort that escaped my chest. “I did. You have a granddaughter. Congratulations. Now get the hell away from my house.”

“Can’t we see her?” my pa asked.

Shaking my head, I planted myself firmly in the doorway so they couldn’t get past. “You are not allowed near my daughter.”

Both their faces fell. What did they expect—that they would try to forcefully remove me from my pack by bringing the police to my door, and I would just let them in for a snuggle session with my baby?

“This is insane, Beth. What would your mother say? You ruined Hayden’s relationship with that call. Tearing down your family isn’t like you.”

Those words stung, deep and painful. Normally, my reaction would be sadness, tears, but instead, what rose in me was pure, unbridled rage.

“You want to know the truth, Dads?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. “The truth is, I hated coming home. Hated it with a vengeance. Do you know why? Since the moment Mom died, I became the catchall for everything in our house—the cleaning, the cooking, the emotional labor. I was a fucking child who lost my mother, and you turned me into the surrogate mother of our household. Even now, my brothers are grown-ass adults, yet when I come home, I have to cook for them and do their laundry?”

Both my fathers appeared startled at my outburst.

“Beth, you can’t mean that. I thought you liked helping…”

“Liked helping?” A laugh escaped my chest. “No one likes being a domestic slave for their family. You pay for my brothers to have anything they want. But you wouldn’t pay for me to go to school because you couldn’t stand the thought of losing your housekeeper!”

Frank opened his mouth to say something, but I held out my hand. I was on a roll, and nothing was going to stop me. “No, you don’t get to speak right now. I am speaking. For years, I have put up with your mistreatment. I have been killing myself, working two jobs so I can get my degree. I’ve been doing everything on my own, with no support from any of you! Fuck—do you know, the entire time I’ve been at college, I’ve only ever dated betas? Because I took one look at the way you guys treated the women in your life, and I never wanted that for me.”

“We don’t…” Richard said, but he had a shell-shocked look on his face.

“But you do, and you raised my brothers to be exactly the same. You want to know why I talked to Hayden’s girlfriend? Because I didn’t want that poor, sweet girl to be subjected to a life with an alpha who is pathetic and can’t even wash his own underwear! You have coddled my brothers, to the degree that you let one of them commit a felony and steal my identity. Do you not see how fucked up that is? Do you really just view me as something to be used for your own benefit?”

“The vacation wasn’t like that. He was going to pay you back…”

Another cackle released from me. It was like something inside me had snapped, and I was losing all my sanity. “He can’t keep a job for longer than three months. He can’t save up fifty bucks for minor repairs to his truck. How the hell was he going to pay me back for maxing out my credit card while I accrued a bunch of interest? My god, you are fucking stupid or just willfully vicious. So, which is it?”

Taking a deep breath, I looked at each of my dads in turn.

“Do you want to know the truth? If Mom could see us now, she would be goddamn ashamed of you two. The way you let my brothers degrade me and say vile things about my child, your first grandchild? I found a pack, a good pack of men who take care of me. They don’t run me ragged doing their errands, and we are going to raise this baby together with love and respect, which is more than I ever got at home! I will never, never allow anyone to treat my daughter that way.”

A hand touched my lower back, and I didn’t have to look to know it was Gideon standing by my side. His scent was a dead giveaway, and I leaned into his touch.

“I think Bethany has said all she needs to say. Are you okay, my love?” he asked gently.

“I’m good,” I grumbled, deflating slightly.

Gideon chuckled. “You’re supposed to be healing. Stress isn’t good for you.”

“My family isn’t good for me.”

Gideon broke into laughter, kissing the top of my head before turning to my fathers. “It’s not my place to talk about how Beth feels. She is a strong, amazing woman with her own mind, but I think it’s time for you to leave our property.”

“You don’t understand, Beth. It was so hard raising you alone. We didn’t know what to do…”

Gideon held up a hand, a warning growl escaping his throat. “I’m going to stop you right there. As the father of a little girl who is likely an omega with no mother…I can never imagine not paying for her college and supporting her in every single one of her dreams. I don’t know how you justified doing it, but don’t you dare put the blame on Beth. She is brilliant, stunning, hardworking, and caring, despite everything. She deserves to have alphas around her who will care for her and love her unconditionally—I know I sure as hell do.”

I leaned into Gideon, my body humming with joy as he spoke.

“We will never stop trying to convince you to come home.”

I shrugged. “I am home. You can’t even pull a pathetic attempt at a legal case again, because we are officially bonded. No court is going to separate us.”

My fathers’ faces dropped. “What have you done?”

I smiled. “I chose myself for once. To be happy, be loved, and live the life I want to live. I wish you the best, but I don’t want you in my life right now.”

“But we’re family…”

“Family cares for each other. I think you stopped seeing me a long time ago. Honestly, I wish you and my brothers the best, but I won’t be setting myself on fire to keep them warm anymore. Maybe in the distant future, if you can pull your heads out of your asses, you can have a relationship with your granddaughter, but as things stand right now, I don’t see that happening.”

My words were final, and the devastation in my fathers’ eyes almost made me cave.

Almost.

It wasn’t only myself I had to look out for now; it was Zoey and Joey too.

My babies, who deserved the world and a family who would do anything to ensure they were safe, happy, and loved.

“We won’t leave,” my pa said, shaking his head.

I sighed. “Pa, I don’t want you here. I know this may be difficult, but for once in your life, can you listen to what I, your daughter, actually want?”

Gideon growled softly next to me. “And if you won’t listen to your daughter, I will sue you into the ground so fast, your grandchildren will still be feeling the legal repercussions. Not Zoey—we will ensure she’s safe and well—I mean the child of whatever poor omegas your dumbass sons knock up.”

I bit my lip, but I couldn’t help it. A snort escaped my chest.

For a moment, my fathers looked like they wanted to say something before they looked at each other, desolate, and turned to leave without another word.

I watched as the car disappeared down the driveway.

“I thought seeing them would hurt more,” I admitted.

Gideon turned me so he could give me a full-on hug. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired…maybe hungry. Zoey is going to need to eat soon, so maybe we should get some snacks and feed the little milk monster?” I asked, cocking my head up at him. “Mostly, I’m just excited to spend time with my real family.”

“I must say, I feel quite the same.”

Chapter 53

Gideon

How things could change in the blink of an eye.

My daughters were eight years old and four weeks old. I had been a bit concerned about the girls having such a large age gap, but Joey was loving every minute of being around her baby sister.

I was half expecting her to ask Bethany for another one soon. The poor woman was going to be inundated with more baby requests—her fault for making such an adorable daughter, in my opinion.

If the requests did become too much, I would call a family meeting to ensure that Bethany wasn’t pestered beyond what she was comfortable with. But given her grin of delight every time someone asked, I didn’t think she was that upset about it.

“You know, your daughter has some impressive spit-up skills,” a soft voice said from the doorway with a laugh.

Looking up from my boring legal paperwork, I smiled at my omega leaning against the doorframe. Her scent now infiltrated every part of our home, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Crisp sweet apple was my favorite smell, and nothing was ever going to change that.

“Oh, I see. When she’s good, she’s your daughter, but when she’s being a pain, she’s mine?”

Her grin widened as she pushed off the doorframe, padding into the room. Her head tilted to the side. “That’s the gist of it. Sometimes she’s Cullen’s daughter, but that’s reserved for when she’s being extra grumpy.”

“Ahh, makes sense.” I nodded as I pushed back my chair and opened my arms so she could sit in my lap.

Bethany had been extra cuddly since childbirth, and I loved it. Her face was so radiant, it was like she was glowing from the inside out. I thought women were supposed to glow while pregnant, but Bethany just seemed to be constantly happy now. Blissfully so.

I kissed her cheek, rubbing against her, scenting her. The fact that I could rub my cheek against hers whenever I wanted, and she was open to it, gave me the kind of joy I never thought I would have. Bethany was so open and loving. It was strange in the best way.

“Do you ever regret bonding with such old men? You’re so young and could be free.”

Bethany laughed, sitting in my lap and wrapping her arms around my neck. “Oh, yes, I would totally much rather be out partying in uncomfortable heels and going home on my own to a lonely apartment,” she said, her tone dripping with playful sarcasm.

“Brat.” I laughed.

She cocked her head at me, a serene smile on her face. “I love my life right now. Did I expect to be a mother of a baby and an eight-year-old at my age? No, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Our little family is perfect—and, hey, you’re not that old.” She grinned. “You are merely more experienced in certain areas of life, and I greatly enjoy that.”

I shook my head. Her words rang with sincerity, but I still found it hard to believe.

Maybe she would just have to show me, every day for the rest of our lives.

“Did you know Cullen wants to make a chicken and mushroom risotto for dinner tonight?” I asked, unable to help myself. Her reaction to the idea of eating fungus was just too cute.

Instead of recoiling, though, she beamed at me, kissing my cheek. “I assure you, I already know. Joey and I will be going and getting chicken nuggets just as soon as he starts cooking. We planned it and everything. We are going to dive into the car the moment he mentions mushrooms and flee without a word.”

“And where will our youngest daughter be during this escapade?”

“Either in Daddy Gideon’s or Daddy Jensen’s arms—though I’m not opposed to taking her in the car seat, but that will slow down our escape efforts.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I can’t wait until she’s toddling around. It’s going to be so much easier to plot and plan.”

I bit back a smile. “If Zoey is anything like her sister, she will be plotting plenty all by herself. As soon as she could crawl, if we took our eyes off her for a second, she was gone—under the bed, down the hall, even into the washing machine. It gave me nightmares. We may need to put a bell on Zoey if she’s the same. I don’t think my heart could take it otherwise.”

Bethany chuckled, brushing some hair off my forehead. “Well, you are getting old now. Your heart can’t take as much…”

My mouth dropped in faux outrage.

“You’re not wrong, but it’s rude to say it,” I scolded lightly.

Bethany burst into laughter, a beautiful sound. “Rude? I think we are past rude, Gideon Noble, considering the things you did to me to make Zoey!”

“The next few weeks can’t pass soon enough!” I groaned. “I love all the cuddling. Fuck, I adore it—I never thought I was a cuddler, but I digress. But you, Bethany Noble, turn me into a horny teenage boy.”

She kissed my cheek playfully. “If it’s any consolation, the wait is just as horrible for me as it is for you!”

“I doubt it,” I grumbled. “You’re going to regret bonding a bunch of old men when our cocks shrivel up.”

Her giggles were probably heard throughout the house.

“Well, I happen to love my old men and my girls, and I think it’s going to be a long time before your…appendage is out of commission!”

This woman. Strong, powerful, sweet, and all mine.

Standing, I swept her up into my arms. “I think we need nest cuddles,” I said, striding out of the room with ease. Thankfully my back didn’t twinge, because that would make me seem like even more of an old man than I felt.

Bethany wrapped her arms around me, snuggling deeper into my chest as I strode into the nest room, knee-walking across the nest, omega still in my arms.

The nest was one of my favorite places in the house, and I would take any opportunity for a little cozy time with my omega. Every surface of my home had apple or bubble gum scent on them—my omega and my daughter.

We were just snuggling down happily when the door burst open, and Jensen came ambling in, his hair sticking up in different directions, clearly having just woke from a nap.

“You sneaking in some cuddles without me?” He pouted playfully.

“You were busy.” Bethany snorted, her lips pressed against my neck, unwilling to move from her position tangled around me.

Jensen turned to the open nest door. “Hey, Cullen! Pack cuddle puddle!” he shouted.

I glowered at him over the top of Bethany’s head, but I couldn’t stay mad at him as he dove into the nest, pressing against her back. He was pack.

We were family.

“Mom!” Joey shouted, dashing into the room and climbing into the nest, Cullen hot on her heels. She wasted no time sliding between Bethany and me. My omega pulled away from me the instant our daughter was near, dragging her into an embrace.

“Come here, baby,” she muttered, kissing the top of Joey’s curls.

“I heard there was a cuddle puddle,” Cullen said, kicking off his shoes and joining us.

“This nest is getting rather full,” I commented.

“You’re welcome to leave.” Cullen laughed as he joined the party.

I may have sounded like a grouch, but I was blissfully happy. Life had taken some rather unexpected turns, but fuck if I didn’t love it.

“No, we just need a bigger nest,” I said.

“We can go shopping!” Joey whispered excitedly to Bethany, beaming up at her as they cuddled.

“That sounds like a perfect idea,” she agreed with a sleepy, loving smile. “I love you, baby.”

“I love you too, Mom.” I could hear the joy in my daughter’s voice as she said those words.

“We are going to need a nest the size of this room if we keep having kids,” Cullen said lightly after a moment.

Bethany chuckled. “I mean, give me a few weeks to recover. Then we can revisit that topic.”

“But I only want girls!” Joey said.

“Unfortunately, we can’t control that, munchkin,” Jensen said.

“I have faith in you,” Joey said, her voice so serious, we all descended into fits of laughter as we basked in the presence of our pack.

“A boy may not be the worst,” Joey admitted quietly after a few moments.

“Sometimes, trying new things is good for us, kiddo,” Cullen murmured.

“Unless it’s mushrooms,” Joey said solemnly.

“Unless it’s mushrooms,” Bethany agreed.

I shook my head.

Mushrooms.

The argument we would never win.

If the universe had a sense of humor, Joey would one day scent match with an alpha who stank like a damn mushroom.