Charlie shrugs helplessly. “I don’t know. It’s probably political—some way to control the demand or keep lower-tier alphas from making deals.” He shakes his head. “Whatever it is, it’s bullshit.”
“So Oli’s just… a random stranger?” I pull away from Myrick, standing up straighter. I don’t want him to think I’m the kind of omega who falls apart at the drop of a hat. “You found him at the Morder?”
“He’s not a stranger,” Myrick says, nudging my teacup closer. I glance at it but don’t touch it. My stomach is too tight for anything right now. “He’s kind of a family friend. He’s very close with Rhett’s brother, Brock.”
That makes me feel a little better, but not much.
Shame still swells in my chest as I lower my eyes. “I spoke to him so informally. I can’t believe I acted like that.” I turn to Charlie, searching his face for any sign of judgment. “I—I flirted with him.”
Charlie blinks. “You literally asked him if he slept well,” he says, deadpan.
“Pack alphas don’t care.” My voice pitches high, giving away how scared I am. “Rhett might see that kind of…” I hesitate, trying to find the right word, “friendlinessas a challenge to his authority. He might think I’m rejecting him or that I prefer Oli, or?—”
“He doesn’t think that,” Myrick cuts in. He takes my hand, holding it firmly. It feels good. “This is a simple misunderstanding. Rhett knows that.” His voice is calm, but there’s an edge of nerves under the surface—like he’s tryingto soothe himself as much as me. “And honestly… it might all work out. If Oli is willing to go to a few dinners and rub elbows with a few very stuffy alphas, then Rhett can finally get out from under his family’s business.”
“What kind of business?” Charlie asks, and I nearly melt with relief at the change of subject.
“Textiles,” Myrick says.
Charlie frowns, then looks at me, clearly hoping I know what that means. I don’t.
“He trades and sells fabric,” Myrick explains. “Cloth, yarn, silk, that kind of thing.”
Charlie makes a face. “That sounds really boring.”
“It is,” Myrick laughs, and the sound lifts a bit of the tension from the room.
I smile, then glance up at him. With his tousled hair, broad shoulders, and that boyish grin…he looks effortlessly charming. It makes my heart flutter in a different way. Safe. Warm. Sweet.
“The company belonged to Rhett’s two fathers,” Myrick continues. “He inherited it when his last alpha father passed away.” He sighs long and hard, telling me that there’s a much longer story there. “Textiles aren’t exactly his passion.”
“That’s understandable.” Charlie gives Myrick a lopsided grin, lifting the last of my nerves.What is it about handsome betas with sexy smiles?
“Is it just Rhett and his brother?” I ask, eager to learn more about my pack alpha.
“Yeah. They’re the last of his immediate family.” Myrick leans back against the counter, arms crossed. “Brock doesn’t care about the business, and Rhett doesn’t want to hand over something that meant so much to his parents to just anyone. He wants to make them proud.”
“I get that,” Charlie says softly. “My dad died when I was a kid. It’s hard—feeling like a ghost is watching you.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, reaching out to trace my fingers down his arm. His skin is warm. Solid. His fingers twitch like he wants to hold mine, but doesn’t.
I wonder if Rhett told him not to touch me. It wouldn’t surprise me.
“That’s okay,” Charlie murmurs. “It’s been just me and my mom for a long time now.”
They keep talking—Myrick asks about Charlie’s mom, and they fall into this easy, comfortable conversation about childhood and broken families.
Charlie talks about his mom and how she moved in with her new girlfriend a few years back. She now lives halfway across the world, eating dumplings and learning Mandarin. He talks to her at least once a week.
Myrick, on the other hand, hasn’t spoken to his parents in almost a year. They had a pretty bad falling out sometime last year, but he stays purposefully vague about it, and Charlie is too polite to ask.
I stand quietly, curling my fingers around my wrist. I feel my puffy, thin scar, tracing it over and over again. I’m scared they’ll ask about my family.
What would I even say?
It’s not like I can tell them the truth.
“Well.” A loud clap cracks from the hallway right as Oli strolls back in with the biggest grin plastered on his face. He looks like he won the lottery. “Looks like I’m the newest member of your pack.”
