Page 25 of An Alpha’s Guide to Finding the One

What does that mean?

Rhys kisses the side of my head and pulls up the camera, snapping a photo of my flushed, slightly sweaty face and his smug smirk.

Rhys

Exhibit A:

*image attached*

Wyatt

I miss all the good stuff with this insane course load

Lucky

Looks like you’re not the only one who had an insane load today ;)

I choke on a laugh and grab my own phone, which slipped out of my pocket and onto the bench at some point.

Lainey

Unfortunately he is :(

Lucky

What does THAT mean??

Lainey

Lets just say I didn’t need to return the favor after Rhys spent god knows how long going down on me :)

Rhys growls playfully and nips at my neck. “You’re such a little troublemaker. I love it.”

And these men are trouble for my heart. So much more than I ever expected.

“It is colder than a witches tit in a brass bra out there, darlin’. Go put on a coat before I spank your ass.” I walk upstairs to find Rhys and Lainey locked in a heated standoff. She’s been living with us for almost a month now, and other than some sharp barbs thrown at a smiling Lucky and my persistent blue balls, it’s going really well.

“What’s going on in here?” I ask curiously as I lean my side against the door frame. Lainey’s emotions are a riot in the bond, and I find myself grateful once again that she hasn’t shut down her side. Keeping my side of the bond locked down has been hell, but I don’t want to influence her feelings about us in any way when I’m sure the baby is doing enough of that for me.

There’s also the little thing about my alpha being an obsessive feral psycho, but that’s neither here nor there.

Rhys rolls his eyes at me while our omega continues to shoot daggers at him with her eyes. “Lainey is refusing to wear a coat to her appointment. Even though it’s thirty-two degrees and snowing.”

I raise an eyebrow at our omega, surprised she’s being so adamant about this. The stubbornness doesn’t surprise me. No, what surprises me is that she’s being irrational about something so practical when she’s normally very careful with her body. I poke at her mind with mine, letting my wall down just enough to get a read on what she’s feeling and allowing her to feel my concern in return.

I can’t read her mind or anything like that, it’s more of a feeling, but supposedly the stronger the bond is, the more clearly you are able to read your partner. Some say it is as close to mind reading as you can get. Bonds are weird, but I kind of love it.

Lainey’s mind is a riot of emotions, as it has been every day since we first bonded, but the one eclipsing all the other in this moment is embarrassment. I’m across the room in two steps, my hand on the side of her neck in a grip that is just firm enough to hold her attention. “Angel, what are you embarrassed about?” I ask gently.

She lets out a squeak. “It’s nothing!”

Rhys sighs, earning himself a mean side-eye.

I keep one hand on her neck but take one of hers in the other, pulling her close so my body shields her from the rest of the room. I read that omegas tend to handle negative emotions better in confined spaces and this is the best I can do when we’re short on time. “Tell me.” The command is soft, but it is still a command and she knows it, if I go by the narrowing of her eyes. But then she releases a huge sigh, her body sagging into mine.

My purr comes easier this time since for once my alpha and I are in complete agreement that this is what she needs. His solution to everything so far has been nest and knots, but I think the bond has softened his crazy. Just a little bit.

Lainey’s face is buried in my chest, making her next words harder to understand but not impossible. “None of my coats fit right now.”