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“He looked me right in the eye and said, ‘That dress is too bright and too tight. Makeup’s loud. And I know you young girls like this these days, but your ass is just too big.’”

The laughter dies instantly. The table goes dead silent for half a second. Then we all start growling. And not some coordinated show of support. Real fucking growls.

Leith’s is the loudest, a rumbling threat that makes the waitress passing by nearly drop her tray. Piers’ jaw is locked so tight I’m surprised it doesn’t crack. Finn looks ready to find the man and have a very quiet, very intense conversation with him.

Cammie sits there with a satisfied little smirk, like she knew exactly what she was doing. “See?” she says sweetly, taking a sip of her wine. “And they were a thousand times better than the Pissant Pack.”

I pull her tighter against my side, still growling under my breath. “Good. Because that ass is fucking perfect, and anyone who says otherwise deserves to meet my scalpel.”

thirty-seven

Finn

“You’re going to make yourself dizzy going back and forth like that.” Leith is sprawled on my bed like he owns it, one arm behind his head, watching me pace.

Cammie has been in the new nest room for hours. She kicked all of us out earlier, declaring she needed a night or two alone to make sure it was “just right.” The door has been closed ever since. I stood in the hall for a long while, listening to her movements, the shifting of furniture, her muttering to herself about color. Finally, I couldn’t take any more and I escaped to my room. But the distance hasn’t made anything better.

I stop and lean against the dresser, arms crossed. “She’s being so omega about this. I only want to be in there with her. Helping. Making sure she doesn’t, you know, pull something.”

Leith makes a low, amused sound. “I think you like Cammie’s omega tendencies more than you let on. I didn’t see you complain about them when she was grinding against your face this afternoon.”

I straighten my shoulders, trying to look less embarrassed than I feel. It happened. I’m not ashamed of it. But talking about it out loud still makes my ears burn. “That’s different,” I mutter, turning to tidy a stack of books on the dresser. “She needed me then.”

Leith’s chuckle tells me he knows that’s only partially true.

“I know. I just miss her already. And it’s only been a few hours.” My teeth tug at my bottom lip. “I’m being ridiculous.”

Leith shrugs, but there’s something almost soft in his expression. “Not ridiculous. She’s hard to stay away from.”

I sigh and drop onto the edge of the bed, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. The silence stretches for a moment before I finally say what’s been weighing on me. “Where are you with this? With her?” I ask quietly. “Because I’m all in. I told her that. But I can’t tell where you are. You agreed to court her. And I know you want her. Anyone with eyes can see that.”

Leith is quiet for a long time, staring at the ceiling. When he finally speaks, his voice is low. “She’s impossible not to want.”

I nod, pulse jumping. “Does that mean you want to bond her? Because she wants you. I’m sure of it.”

Leith doesn’t answer right away. He looks thoughtful, almost distant, like he’s turning the question carefully in his head. Eventually he exhales slowly. “I think so,” he says. “I can’t imagine life without her. Without you. But…”

He trails off, leaving the word hanging in the air between us. I wait, but he doesn’t finish the thought. Instead, he stares at the ceiling again, jaw tight, like there’s something heavy he’s not ready to say out loud yet.

I slide onto the bed next to him, our bodies pressing close. He turns his head, dark eyes meeting mine with that quiet intensity that always makes my pulse jump. I slip my hands under the hem of his t-shirt, sliding them slowly up the warm, solid planes of his chest, then back down again, savoring the feel of his skin.

“I can’t imagine life without you, either. I love you, Leith. But I love her, too.”

He looks at me with his serious brown eyes. For a moment I’m afraid I’ve said too much. Pushed him too far. He works his teeth over his bottom lip. “I love you, too. And her. It’s…” He's quiet for a long moment. "I don't know how to do this and not lose everything if it goes wrong."

I nod once. It’s scary. Terrifying, actually. Leith and I don’t have the same protections that Beck and Piers have. We’re not her scent matches. But that no longer matters to me. She’s mine and I’m hers. And from the look of absolute dread on his face, it seems Leith belongs to her as much as I do. I know he hates uncertainty. Hates committing to something that isn’t guaranteed. But this is right. What our pack has with Cammie is real and perfect in its own imperfect way.

“You need to tell her,” I say, my fingers drifting lower. They brush over the button of his pants. “But first, because I love you and because I know it was difficult for you to admit that. And because I think you’re very, very hot…”

My hand begins to work at the buttons on his fly, but before I can undo it, Leith’s hand shoots out and grabs my wrist. For a second I think I’ve gone too far. He doesn’t like giving up control. Ever. But then he unbuttons his own pants with his other hand and guides mine lower, pressing my palm against the hard, heated length of his cock.

I wrap my fingers around him, stroking slowly, and Leith lets out a low, rough sound that goes straight to my own aching cock. I stroke him slowly at first, feeling him throb hot and heavy in my hand. Leith’s breath hitches, but he doesn’t say anything. He never does.

I slide further down the bed, tugging his pants lower until they’re bunched around his thighs, effectively trapping him under my weight. Then I lean in and take him into my mouth. I try to tease him by licking slow stripes up the underside, swirling my tongue around the head, and savoring the taste of him. But Leith has never been patient. His hips buck up hard, pushing deeper into my throat. I moan around him and take it the way he likes. Rough and deep, with nothing held back.

Leith’s hand fists in my hair, gripping tight, guiding me exactly how he wants. I let him. I love it when he takes control like this. I grind my own aching cock against his shin, desperate for friction as I suck him harder, hollowing my cheeks and working him with my tongue. The low, guttural grunts he makes go straight to my cock. I can feel him getting closer, thighs tensing under me, hand tightening in my hair.

Leith growls low in his throat, the sound vibrating through me. “I want to fuck you.”