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“We don’t even know her.” He’s trying to play it cool, but I see the fear. The remnants of a past he can’t forget. The way his thumb trails across his ring finger.

When I respond, I’m as gentle as I can be. “This is a good thing, Connor. A fucking miracle.”

Because I know in my gut that Daphne’s scent-sympathetic to all three of us. That means DezandConnor are getting a second chance at the future they almost had.

“We’ll see about that.” Connor rocks forward, but I stop him before he can go far.

“You don’t have to do this. Dez and I can handle the heat without you. She was thinking about a heat clinic, so we could add some extra alphas if need be.” He doesn’t need to help Daphne if he’s not ready, and I won’t let him hurt her because of his issues.

“No.” For a moment, Con looks lost. Like he doesn’t know why he said it. Finally, he breaks, anxiety hovering between us like an unfixable wound. “What if she doesn’t like all of us?”

“Then we’ll deal, but I don’t think that’s a problem.” Daphne’s been skirting looks at him since they interrupted. She’s interested, even if Connor doesn’t realize it.

“You really think she’s ours?”

“I know it.”

“Then I can’t let her hurt because of me.” He steps closer, gaining Daphne’s attention with startling speed. “What was your plan before…?”

“Before your packmate rutted me into the stacks?” she quips, grinning. “Revelry has on-hand alphas”

“We’ll help.” She doesn’t know what saying that costs Connor, but I know the demons he’s fighting. The same ones that twisted Dez up for years. But he’s doing this, putting his heart on the line even if he doesn’t realize it, for her.

“Absolutely,” Dez says.

She gives my brothers this blinding smile, and I watch as them break into a million pieces for her.

“We need to call Sawyer on the way. Someone has to cover the garage.” Connor looks at us, still absolutely terrified even if he’s hiding it well.

“Sure. We just need to buy a few things first.”

I haul every bolt of fabric Daphne touched into my arms and head to the checkout counter. Our bill’s going to be obscene, and I don’t even care. She can have my entire bank account right here, right now.

We came to Diamond’s for inspiration and we’re leaving with our fucking dream. What could be better than that?

PRETTY BOYS AND INSTINCT BULLSHIT

DAPHNE

Lettinga literal stranger fuck me in public, then hand me off to his packmate is probably the wildest thing I’ve ever done. Only second to agreeing to let said rando help me through my heat.

The wary part of me is screaming about hasty decisions and consequences, but damn, being reckless feels incredible. I blame the orgasm. Or maybe it’s me finally growing into myself and realizing what I want.

Like more fabric gags, because that was hot.

Sex with Nate wasn’t just him getting off with my body. He was with me the whole time, making me feel good. Caring about my needs, my pleasure. Honestly, that was the best sex I’ve ever had and not just because he’s the only person I’ve been with besides my exes. I felt seen and heard and desired in a way that goes beyond the physical. It’s unsettling.

That these men are beautiful doesn’t help, either.

Dez is nearly as tall as Nate, with these well-defined muscles that screamI hit the gym regularly. Cropped, coarse black hair sits tight against his scalp, with flecks of vibrant color splashed across his athletic tank and brown skin.Is that paint?It looks stunning next to those soft, knowing eyes. There’s this sereneenergy to him that feels so comforting. I can already picture us in my nest, twisted together through deep, sleepy conversation.

Shorter and leaner than his packmates, Connor’s sporting pale blue eyes, a natural tan and nearly black hair that waves around his face. Tattoos crawl up his defined forearms under rolled-up sleeves and something tells me he has more underneath. He may not be imposing, but this alpha exudes power. Dominance. Like he’ll make the world bend however he pleases. What will it feel like to have all that attention trained on me?

Then there’s Nate.

I’ve never met a man as big as him. Tall and broad, he gives the impression of a sturdy oak even in jeans and a t-shirt. Hair shaved at the sides but still long enough on top to push back, he and Dez have the most delicious scruff. Not full beards, but that five o’clock stubble that looks so sexy. Nate’s rounder than the others, muscles built from daily life, belly firm but curved. Despite his size, there’s a youthful joy to Nate that has me leaning in while my fight-or-flight is reminding me that handsome alphas who smell good are hazardous to my mental health.

His big hands wrap around the bolts I shredded, and I get a visceral reminder of that calloused skin rasping against me. I look away, ignoring the way my body heats with the urgent desire to be filled by him again.