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“I’m always sure. I don’t say something if I don’t mean it,” he countered as he slid over a mug of tea, then a small jar of honey and lemon wedges.
“Thanks,” I said as I doctored up the cup. When I was done, I took a sip, letting the warmth fill me.
“You’re welcome,” Yuri said in a low voice before addressing King again. “Look, we’re all adults. We work together, and we’re forming a pack. This arrangement makes sense.”
“It does,” River agreed with a huff of laughter. “But your insane need for a perfect house is going to fall away fast.”
Yuri glanced around and grimaced. “I’ll handle it.”
“Sure, sure,” River said knowingly. “Continue, dear cousin.”
“How about a tour? That makes more sense,” Yuri offered. I set my tea cup on the counter and stood, letting him lead us around. To the left of the kitchen was a dining room and den. To the right was a hall with several doors. My space was at the end of the hall, with the others each receiving a room somewhere along the way. We simply took a peek into each of their assigned spaces along the way.
“And your room?” I asked. His heated eyes stared down at me. Being the curious sort of person, I definitely wasn’t suggesting anything, but now that he was looking at me like that…
“Downstairs is mine.” He gestured to a staircase off of the kitchen. “I’ve got my room and my ‘man cave’ I guess you could call it. It’s my little sanctuary.”
“If it wasn’t dark, I’d show you the backyard. It’s what wet dreams are made of,” River said as he waved a hand to indicate the windows lining the kitchen area. I couldn’t make anything out except the glow from the windows of a smaller house out back—River’s house, apparently. “I think I’m the smallest of us, so I’ll grab some clothes for Sienna to sleep in tonight. We can go shopping tomorrow if you need us to.”
“Thank you,” I told them gratefully. “A shower sounds phenomenal, so I appreciate the fresh clothes.” In fact, any kind of alone time sounded phenomenal. I had so much to process and no time to actually do it.
As River left to do what they’d said, Yuri brought me back to the rooms he’d given me.
“We’ll get some dinner started.” Nash nudged King, who nodded in agreement, and both alphas hurried off to get something together.
“Take your time, Sienna. What happened tonight was awful.” Yuri stared at me for a moment, hesitating, before he gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “You don’t have to be strong. We’re here to help.”
I swallowed hard, not quite sure what to say, but I found myself unable to deny the relief that filled me. How could I feel so at ease around someone I barely knew? I’d had people in my life that cared, my parents and my besties, but this felt different. It was a more intimate connection that was building, and I didn’t know if I was quite ready for the emotional side of things.
Lust stirred inside of me as I recalled his reaction to my innocent question about his bedroom. Fuck, now wasnotthe time to be thinking about that.
“Thank you,” I choked out before trying to smile. “I think the shower will help for now.”
I let myself into the room, leaning against the door as my heart pounded in my chest. I had absolutely no business being with these men, these alphas… Hell, I’d just lost my virginity to King during my last heat. I had no idea what I was doing, especially since dating had never really been a priority for me.
For the past few months, all my focus had been on working and sending money to help my mom out.
Ring.
Ring.
Fuck… speaking of my mom.
Sam’s name flashed on the screen, and I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy phone call.
“Sam,” I tried to greet her with an upbeat tone, but it was instantly doused.
“Sienna! What the fuck is wrong with you?! I’ve been calling for hours!”
“Sam…” I sighed, my voice cracking with exhaustion. “Sorry, I’ve been at work, then there was a fire—”
“I don’t care about that.” Sam sharply cut me off, her irritation palpable. “Momdoesn’t care about any of that either. I was calling so you two could catch up, but she’s out again. Don’t say I didn’t try to get a hold of you.”
Guilt took my breath away, and a sob broke free as I slid down the door to collapse on the floor. Outside of a few emails here and there, where she always reassured me that she was in good enough hands that I shouldn’t fly home, I hadn’t talked to my mom in months. Missing my chance because I was too selfish and wrapped up in my own head to answer the damn phone was downright painful.
“Look, Sienna…” Sam sighed heavily. “That wasn’t fair of me to say. It’s been really hard here. She was actually up, and I know you’ve been wanting to talk to her. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I’ll text you next time you miss a call, just so you know what’s going on.”
“Thank you,” I managed roughly, not bothering to wipe at the tears running down my face. “It’s been a bad day here, too.”
