Page 46 of Bonds and Beasts

Easton slips the paper out from under my plate and starts reading through it. "This is obviously garbage, but there are some details about your designation party and your previous living situation that can't be random guesses."

The table stills.

"You think someone's feeding the tabloids information?" I ask. Easton isn't infallible, but he looks at everything through a logical eye, and it tends to make him right. Or close to right.

"I don't see how they could get this tidbit about her courting date with us." He points to a piece of the article that nagged at me too. Only a handful of people knew about it.

Adison turns in Dean's lap and his mouth goes to the side of her throat. "You believe someone we know is selling information to the tabloids?" she asks, and damn that little crack in her voice that tells me the thought guts her.

"Maybe, Sweetheart," Easton says, putting down the paper and reaching across to take her hand.

My hackles rise. This is my pack. This is our omega. It's my job to make sure they always feel safe and protected from things like this. "Who knew about this stuff?"

There's a pause as everyone thinks.

"There's Lisa," Dean points out. Adison gasps and pulls back in his lap to stare at him.

"Lisa would never," she insists. Easton, Dean, and I glance at each other. "What?"

"When our fame took off, there were a lot of people in our lives we thought would never sell pieces of us," Dean says softly, rubbing a hand along her back to comfort because he knows his words sting. Instead of sulking or pulling further away, our Beauty leans down and gently kisses Dean before looking around at us with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry about your experiences, but I really don't believe Lisa would do that," she insists quietly. I hate this.

Easton, however, continues with his very logical list. "Mrs. Portridge has been here for everything. She was at your designation party. She's continued to work in the manor. She even works on set."

"But she didn't even know I was still in the manor," Adison pushes back.

"So she says," Easton replies, his tone darkening as though he's already decided that Mrs. Portridge is the source.

Adison's fingers go to her temples, like processing this much potential betrayal is giving her a migraine. I don't blame her.

"Who are you going to blame next? Little Colt? No." Her hands fly away from her face and a look of pure determination crosses it. "I cannot live like that."

The tension tightening my chest sinks straight to my stomach. This might be the time when she decides that courting a famous pack isn't all it's cracked up to be. God knows we've been through it before. No matter who we dated, the public eye always became a spotlight of a different kind, one meant to harm instead of shine.

But of course, Adison doesn't break our courting off. She leads with kindness, as always.

"I can't suspect everyone we know. The stories are unfortunate. The scrutiny chafes. But I won't lose relationships over it. If someone is proven without a doubt to be the person feeding the media these stories, then we can deal with it, but I'm going to assume my friends are still my friends until I can't."

Dean kisses her temple tenderly. "Okay, Sweet Girl."

All three of our eyes meet while she starts in on breakfast again. We will be watching.

Adison

I’m hot, and it’s not just because there are three sleeping alphas around me. Easton’s on my right, Dean’s on my left, and Bello’s claimed the spot between my legs. That’s the spot they fight over each night. Bello, as the lead alpha, often wins, but then one of the others will accuse him of being an omega hog and he’ll share… for a little bit. The edges of my vision feel fuzzy, and even with scent suppressants, I know I’ve perfumed several times in my sleep.

A high whine rips from my throat.

The alphas are awake instantly. Easton grabs his glasses from the side table, Dean has a hand in my hair automatically, smoothing it back to comfort me. Bello looks up at me from between my legs. His white teeth gleam in the most wolfish grin I’ve ever seen on his face.

Slick has absolutely soaked through my panties. He leans forward and places a messy open-mouthed kiss to the lacy fabric. My core clenches on nothing. I need to be filled, need them to fill me, now.

Bello pulls my lace to the side. “You’re so slick, baby. Is this all for us?”

I nod and open my mouth to say something, but it comes out as a gasp when his thick long finger slides up and down my slit, circling my clit before sliding in. It soothes my arousal, my inner muscles clenching around the digit desperately. Still, it doesn’t satisfy me. Dean’s hand slides under my tank top, squeezing my breast in his big palm and rolling my nipples until they’re hard, needy peaks.

Easton strips down, his erection heavy and leaking between his legs. I whine high and he crawls back onto the bed. Bello sits up, stripping away his boxers. I let Bello pull off my panties and then my tank top.