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“You’re also with a pack that isn’t yours,” she said, that note of condescension fully coming out now. She might as well be talking to a child. “They may be giving you a place to stay right now, but eventually, there will be things that they can’t provide you. You know omegas have needs, and there will come a time when yours rear their head. This pack will not be able to give you what you’ll require when that time comes around. You will choose a pack or be placed with one by law.” And there it was, the ultimatum I’d been waiting for.
“And if I find a pack on my own?” The words came out quicker than I would have liked, telegraphing too much about how this line of conversation was bothering me.
“Then I’ll need proof they are actually your pack. Once I have that, your case would be closed in that regard,” she said.
“Proof?” I asked, eyebrows raised. What the fuck did she expect, a sex tape to show I was actually with this pack?
“We’d need to know it was permanent—either a formal ceremony or something like your name on the lease for their home. Co-ownership is an easy tell that this isn’t a fleeting whim or something to distract us from the truth. You’d be surprised how many try to hide their packless status like we’re the enemy.” She laughed flippantly, but I completely understood why they’d do it. This is insanity. She closed her portfolio, and her gaze softened when she looked back at me. “Look, you have two weeks until I’m required to check back in. Glance over the profiles and give them a chance, Briar. You don’t have to face this time alone, and if you go into this with an open mind, you could find the people missing from your life.”
I sighed and took the folder, setting it on top of the other papers she’d given me. “Alright, I will.” It was a lie, but I made the promise anyway. She hadn’t said I had no choice outright, but I read between the lines. I chose a pack, or I’d be assigned one for my protection. My stomach churned as I escorted her to the elevator. Not wanting to look at the information, I rushed to my room and threw it on my desk.
My shoulders ached with tension, and my stomach was not happy. I didn’t want to stress out my poor baby, so I opted to take a soothing bath. In the steamy, bath-bomb-scented bathroom, I could at least pretend this wasn’t happening to me. The last thing I wanted was a pity pack or to be shoved into a life I didn’t want.
Fuck. What am I going to do?!
* * *
Tallon
“She’s out there talkingto some bitch from Omega Services. The lady said she’s brought pack options for Briar to choose from,” I bit out the moment Beckham and I slipped into Ellis’ office.
“Well, she deserves options,” he said stubbornly. Growling, I grabbed a book from his shelf and launched it at the wall. It hit with a clatter that had him raising an eyebrow. Fuck, Ellis could be so pragmatic sometimes—too pragmatic. This wasn’t the time to let some kind of logic get in the way. He needed to let his heart do the thinking, not his head, because his heart had to know that this wasn’t right. She didn’t deserve options. She deserved us.
“No, this isn’t okay. We’re her pack!” Beckham argued. “I’m not going to sit here and fucking pretend she doesn’t matter to us.”
Ellis stood up and gave him what he probably thought was a soothing smile. “It’s not up to us, Beck. She’s planning for this to be temporary. She’s mentioned that more than a few times.”
“But Wells kissed her,” I countered. He’d admitted it last night, and it was all I could fucking think about. I had been so jealous it was all I could do to keep from bursting into her room so I could do the same. Since our first night gaming together, it had become our routine, something I treasured and was tortured by in equal measure since I just wanted to be closer to her.
“What?” Ellis growled. “What the fuck?”
“You can’t tell me you don’t see this!” Beckham yelled back. I was suddenly glad that these rooms were soundproof, knowing that lady would drag Briar out of here if she heard us. Poor Beckham was now pacing, hands flailing wildly as he ripped into Ellis. “I love you, but this is insane! Barring this new information about Wells, we’ve kept our distance like you asked. We’ve all gotten to know her as a friend. Now is the time to move past that.”
“She’s pregnant with another alpha’s baby.” Beckham groaned at the weak argument, and I refused to look at Ellis. That was a cheap shot that he knew didn’t matter to us.
“I don’t give a flying fuck if she’s pregnant. I’m excited about that baby now. We’re all fucking adults here. Why is your head up your ass over this?”
“She’s my friend’s sister,” he defended. We both stopped and gaped at him.
“And Liam would approve of her picking strangers?” I challenged. Ellis winced. It was almost imperceptible, but we didn’t miss it. He turned away from us and stared out his floor-to-ceiling window like the bustling city below would give him the answers he needed.
“Just talk to us,” Beckham pleaded. Ellis sighed and turned around. For a moment, he let a hint of vulnerability slip free.
“It’s not her,” he promised as he took his seat again. “She’s great, and I’d have to be an idiot to not see how much she’s already changed us. Wells is out here every day, openly chatting. Tallon, you’re less angry—today being the exception. Beckham and Miles took to her right away. I can’t deny all of those things, but she’s vulnerable and alone. What happens when she gets her feet beneath her and the world is less overwhelming? When she has a completely clear head and looks back at her choices? I don’t want us all diving into something that makes her feel like we’ve taken advantage of her. At that point, we’ll all be too far gone.”
His words were like a bucket of ice on our heads.
“You’re wrong. She’s not as vulnerable as you think,” Beckham said evenly, shaking off the idea. “Briar is a strong omega who wouldn’t take anyone else’s shit. She’s not just a roommate, but our friend, and now she’s pack. You’re wrong, Ellis, and if you keep hiding, you’ll fuck it up for all of us.” Beckham turned and walked out, leaving the alpha in stunned silence.
“I’ve spent every night with her until she goes to bed, Ellis. She’s not a broken doll. She’s a person. Sure, she has some cracks in her foundation right now, but she’s standing strong despite them. You can’t make these decisions for all of us, just so you don’t get hurt in the end. Can packs fail? Sure. But it’s rare when they choose their mates like we have. It’s different with her, Ellis. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted anyone other than Wells. He feels it, I feel it, and our omegas feel it. Hell, even your uncle is taken with her. Look around, Ellis. Open your eyes. Otherwise, she’ll start looking for fucking packs that will.”
I left the ‘and we’ll never forgive you’ unsaid as I walked out and went to my room. If he didn’t feel it, it’d be different. We wouldn’t force him to be with a mate he didn’t want for himself, but we could see the stolen glances and chemistry. She fit with us perfectly.
Flopping on my couch, I breathed in the mix of my and Briar’s scents. It calmed my jagged edges, telling my body what I already knew—she was mine. I just had to get the rest of the pack on board… or rather, one stubborn alpha. Because I had a feeling Graham wasn’t hiding from her either.
I’d be damned if she left us, thinking we wanted nothing to do with her. It couldn’t be further from the truth.
She belongs with our pack.
* * *
