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Dominic glanced at him over my head. “Nothing, Aiden. Just clarifying her thoughts. Apparently, she’s not a fan of pack life.” I cringed at his words.
“I didn’t - I just -” I was rocked out of my daze as I tried to get a handle on the situation. I had no idea how to salvage this. I was speaking honestly to Bella on the phone, that much was true. But seeing, and furthermore,smellingDeclan and Dominic’s scents in person shifted my entire world on its axis. I didn’t know up from down. And now, I really, really wanted to explore how courting, dating, and yes -mating- would work with a whole pack.
I could feel Aiden behind me, his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. “Dominic, she’s new to this world. You can’t expect her to understand how things work when she’s never experienced it before.” He turned, his hands now bracing my shoulders as he looked me in the eye. His touch was electric, and for the first time, I wondered what it might feel like to have more than one man touching me like this. “Piper, excuse him. I don’t want this date to end on an awkward note. You’ll have to spend more time with us to get the real pack experience.”
Dominic rolled his eyes and moved away from the door, turning just as Declan came back with a few bottles of water. He looked between all of us, trying to figure out what had happened. He said his goodbyes and Aiden ushered me back to the car to take me home. He made conversation with me on the drive, but I could barely think straight. Between all three of them, surrounded by their scents and how they all complemented each other, I knew I could never look at another man. They were perfect. A perfect pack, and perfect for me. And somehow I had already ruined everything.
Chapter 14
Dominic
I knew it. I fucking knew it. It had been so long without an omega in our lives that the guys had started to go feral. Now the first little damsel in distress that came along had Aiden head over heels and Declan acting like a kid with a crush. But I knew better. I remembered what happened last time we let an omega get in our heads like that.
I wanted to believe she was different. Aiden had been struggling with the lack of intimacy that an omega could provide along with the balance one should be able to bring to a pack. He didn’t have the type of relationship Declan and I had, and we’d watched him try to date betas and even other alphas with no success. I thought that perhaps this omega would be the one to heal him, to healus.After all, Aiden wasn’t the only one who had his heart ripped out.
And now, Declan had fallen for this new girl before he even knew she was an omega. Apparently, she’d had quite an impression on him when he met her at her workplace. So I wanted to believe she was going to work out. But then I heard what she said when she thought no one was listening.
I’d been rushing back home with Declan, eager to finally meet the woman who had charmed my packmates. I’d run around the corner and reached the house just a bit sooner - I was always a bit quicker than Declan. I heard her before I spotted her - alphas had decent hearing, our senses sometimes more sensitive than other designations. Then I spotted her, strolling in the moonlight of our garden just by the front door. She was a vision. Gorgeous, perfect, and unassuming. But I heard her words. She’d been talking about Aiden, thenus. The ones she didn’t want. Declan and I - apparently the idea of us disgusted her. She kept going as I stood there, rooted to the ground as my stomach twisted at each word.
“He’s perfect - except for the fact that he has a pack! I don’t want to deal with two other men!”
She didn’t want a pack. She wanted to pick and choose who she was with. Divide us.
“I mean, I could always just try to date Aiden up until my heat passes and then explore other options. I really could care less about his pack.”
She wanted to use him!
“I just want Aiden for myself, screw the other two.”
Her words cut through me like a knife. I felt my hopes for an omega to round out our pack fall apart. She wasn’t different. She was out for herself, like most people. Our pack had a lot to offer, but she didn’t want a pack. Luckily Declan didn’t hear most of it. He had caught up to me and was immediately smitten when he met her. I could sense her unease at meeting us - she wasn’t sure if I had heard. But I had, and I wasn’t going to let her hurt what was mine.
Aiden had returned from dropping the omega off, stars still in his eyes over the whole night. But when he saw Declan and I sitting in the living room, he sensed the tension and his dreamy look faded away. “What’s going on?” He asked, making his way toward us. Declan answered for me.
“Dominic has reservations about her - he thinks she might not be ready to be courting us.” He rolled his eyes as if the idea was absurd. I could already see Aiden getting defensive.
“She’s new to her designation - it’s natural she might have some growing pains. But didn’t you see it? There’s something about her! Just give it some time.” He was already thinking about her again, his face going dreamy as a smile broke out on his face. I ground my teeth in frustration.
“Don't you see? We’re going down the same path as before! Falling too fast too quickly! It’s exactly what happened with Alexis!” The mood in the room changed when I mentioned the name of the omega who had nearly shattered us.
Aiden’s low growl flooded the living room. “Don’t compare Piper to Alexis. They are universes apart.” Declan, as usual, tried to ease the tension.
“Quite literally according to Piper!” I shot him a look, but he kept going. “Let’s at least keep an open mind. I’m telling you Dom, I saw her before, there is something about her.” I shook my head.
“Don’t blame me when it all goes to shit.” I couldn’t sit here and listen to them blather on about the omega again. I didn’t have the heart to tell Declan she was disgusted by us. But I also didn’t think she could keep the charade going in front of him. He had already told me he wanted to be next to take her on a private date. I got up and went to my room. They might find out the hard way - but I wasn’t going to let her hurt our pack again. No matter what it took.
Chapter 15
Declan
Tonight had been an unexpected dream. Dominic and I got the call that Piper wanted to meet us - a welcoming sign, considering that she had requested a private date with Aiden first. That was almost unheard of when packs were courting, but I tried to be understanding as she came from a different “culture,” so to speak. Or a different universe, if all was to be believed. I had my own theories on where she came from, mainly that the girl had suffered some type of trauma to the head and memory loss, but that was a mystery I could solve later. And to do that, I needed to spend time with her. A lot of time. Not to mention, she had been featuring in my fantasies almost every night since I saw her at my Physical Therapist’s office. Something about her was calling out to me. And tonight, I finally had my chance to see her up close, talk to her, and impress her. My dream was coming true. Only now, Dominic was ruining it by running his big growly mouth.
“I swear, if Aiden doesn’t get his head out of his ass, we’ll just have a repeat of what happened last time! Why can’t he see it!” Dominic had paced across his room after Aiden came back. He needed time to decompress after whatever had him riled up. I followed him to his room to hear him out so we could move forward. If Dominic blew this for us, it would probably be another seven years before we ever considered courting an omega again, if ever.
“Dom, give her a chance! You didn’t even get to spend time with her! What’s going on with you?” I knew she was a good fit. From the first time I grasped her hand, the way she looked at me… She would love us, eventually. She had to.
“You didn’t hear what I heard, Declan!” Dominic raked his hands through his dark mess of waves. “She doesn’t want a pack. She doesn’t want…” He stopped and sighed. “I won’t have her causing any more hurt.” I reached for him, sensing his deep-seated anxiety.
“I get it. But the thing is, she’s also been traumatized. She either doesn't know or can’t remember how this society works. There are bound to be hiccups in any relationship. And you know we haven’t found anyone close to her in years, not one who makes us feel this way.” His head whipped over as he looked at me.
