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“We’ll see how the date goes. Ben doesn’t seem too macho.” West grumbled, but Ember smirked at him.

I was reading West’s mood enough to know despite his tone, he liked the pair too.

We’d have our date and see what happened, but I was hopeful we could make this pack work. I hoped my crazy work schedule wouldn’t add to the stress of dating two other people and then decided not to borrow trouble. So far, Ember and West hadn’t pouted or given me grief over working long days.

Maybe my luck would last.

Chapter 24

Ember

Afew days later, we managed to have our date over at Ben and Rian’s house.

I had barely spoken to Ben or Rian in the meantime and I was crawling out of my skin. Work progressed, some of the bugs were fixed, and I had intakes. I went home and fucked Alejandro and West senseless. But it felt like I couldn’t sit still for long, like I was thirsty and couldn’t find a drop of water. I needed, craved, and it wasn’t only sexual.

I heard a song on the radio and wanted to know what Ben thought about it. I saw a guitar and wanted to know what sort Rian played.

If I had those thoughts about Alejandro, I could text him in the middle of the day and ask. I went back to the cottage and scented his tropical citrus everywhere.

If I wanted to rub my face on West’s shoulder, I could drive down to San Francisco or go home for lunch when he worked remotely.

My omega did not have open access to Ben or Rian yet, and apparently that was not acceptable to my instincts. I told myself to calm down; we were going on a date.

By the time the date night came, I was climbing the walls. My skin flushed at the idea of being near them, like I was in withdrawal. West and Alejandro were anxious too, but I wasn’t sure if that was my fault. I was a bad influence.

I’d hoped that Ben or Rian would randomly appear in my office, but they didn’t. I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed and then chastised myself. They had jobs. They knew I worked, and probably didn’t want to bother me. I knew where they worked, but if they were recording, they’d be busy for long hours.

Sunday night came, and I was ready to spend the evening touching them as much as I could. I would try to contain myself since West for sure would need time, and I wasn’t sure how Ben or Rian felt about my two.

This was complicated. I never understood how an omega walked into a completed pack, like they were just the missing piece and things clicked together. I always wanted to do the picking myself, even if that was selfish.

But now that we were dating as a group, suddenly everything got difficult. What if Alejandro didn’t like Rian? What if Ben didn’t care for West’s scent? What if, gasp, theyallthought I was too high-maintenance?

I liked all of them, but I was the only common denominator at this point. I’d have to wait and see how the men got along, which was why a date at their place was a great idea.

Their house was located along the coast, between Half Moon Bay and San Francisco. We pulled up a long driveway and Alejandro let out a low whistle. “Looks like the music industry has been good to them.”

I kissed Alejandro on the cheek. He wasn’t wrong. The house was secluded and the grounds sprawling. Cosmic Bonds was on a massive amount of land, and we’d be millionaires if we ever sold it, but we couldn’t personally afford to buy that sort of landthese days. My grandparents had bought it in the 1970s when land in middle California hadn’t been quite so dear.

The house was long, with wooden walls and stacked stone pillars on the side. It felt like we were at a mountain retreat, and I liked the aesthetic right away. The glass windows were paneled with black metal, feeling modern but still warm and cozy. Rian texted us the guest code to the security gate earlier in the day.

Alejandro drove up the smooth pavement and stopped at the front door. Rian opened the double doors right away. “You made it.”

He was smiling and it took my breath away. I’d never seen him smile like that before, catching mostly moody or grumpy expressions. But his eyes lit up and he looked genuinely happy.

I got out of the car. “I love the house.”

“Wait until you see in the inside,” Rian looked at West and then Alejandro. “We’ve got snacks waiting.”

He almost seemed…bouncy. Excited to have us here.

“After you,” Alejandro said. West stayed close by the alpha’s side, so I stepped forward.

An unexpected blessing of having a third person around. West was the exact opposite of extroverted, so I could run ahead without feeling like I was leaving him behind.

Inside was a tall cactus in a gray pot, and some other succulents were potted to the left. The foyer was expansive, with warm inlaid stone.

Ben waited to the side, smiling. “Welcome, welcome. I was beginning to think we’d have to close the studio for the night just to get an evening free.”