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I’ve missed you.

Just like that, the tendrils of anxiety winding themselves around my chest loosen. She missed me.

Daphne Barnes, the prettiest omega I’ve ever met, missed me.Thank fuck.

Me

Just need to see you. Been too long.

Does tomorrow work? I’ll be home earlier than the others if you want to come over.

Daphne

Can’t wait. Text me when you’re back and I’ll be there.

A calendar invite pings in the newly updated Pack Morgan group chat—now including one delicious omega—titled,Dez and Daphne Time. Do Not Disturb.It blocks off the entire secondhalf of the day from noon to midnight. As if she wants to be sure nothing interrupts us, not even sleep.

I smile as I add it to my personal calendar.This fucking woman.

Nate’s smirking when I finally look up from my phone. “Feel better?”

“Shut up,” I mutter.

But I really do. Just need to keep reminding myself that Daphne’s worth the discomfort that comes with healing.

Sawyer knocks, slipping inside the conference room when Connor waves him in. “Hey, bosses. You wanted to see me?”

Black, bald, and barely younger than us, Sawyer looks every inch the alpha he’s not. Not that he cares. The beta is the first to jump in and fix things, never scared to point out a flaw regardless of whose idea it is. He’s not the type to take shit from anyone, either.

After checking that the door’s latched, he relaxes in his chair. If I were him, I’d be shitting myself, but Sawyer’s the type of man who accepts whatever life delivers. There’s this peace inside him that makes everything easier, one he’s kept despite a gnarly breakup he hasn’t recovered from a year later.

“I hope it’s obvious by now that what we say is confidential until we announce it.” Connor clasps his hands on the table as our employee nods. “We’ve recently found our omega.”

Sawyer looks at all three of us slowly, like he’s waiting for the punch line. When it doesn’t come, I get the barest hint of pain across his face before it disappears behind a blinding grin. “Holy shit, that’s amazing! Congratulations.”

“Thank you. Obviously, this means some things are going to change around here. With our priorities shifting, we need someone to ensure things are running smoothly when we’re not around.”

Sawyer sits taller, eyes sharp. “You know I’ll help with whatever you need.”

“Good, because we’d like to promote you to general manager.”

Daphne’s reaction to Connor’s phone—and the fact that she considers herself an inconvenience at all—was a wakeup call for us. If we want her to take us seriously, we need to make her the priority and this promotion is the first step. We love our jobs, but she’s worth so much more than money or prestige and there’s no one better suited to be general manager than Sawyer.

He moves from front office to garage work easily and keeps communication between the two sides clear and open. We love all our employees like family, but Sawyer’s the bedrock of our business and we’re not ashamed to say it.

He looks at each of us, then swallows. “I don’t—really?”

Connor’s lips twitch as he slides the paperwork across the table. “Really. In fact, it’s ages overdue. I apologize for making you wait.”

Sawyer’s still gaping as he reads over the responsibilities. Everything seems fine until he hits a page and freezes.

“It’s too much. We should negotiate.” The hope in his eyes is easy to read, but he’s tempering it. He doesn’t want to believe that he’s earned this fair and square.

“Not going to happen.” I reach over and tap the number. His compensation package is no joke. “With you taking over a lot of the day-to-day responsibilities on top of what you already do, it’s a fair salary.”

“Don’t forget the benefits,” Nate says helpfully. “You’ll need the extra vacation days to maintain an appropriate work-life balance.”

Sawyer smooths the pages absently. “I don’t know what to say.”