Page 44 of Ashley & the A-Listers (Sweetverse)

44. RUSHED

ASHLEY

Ashley caught her breath, hyperaware of the extra set of emotions bouncing around her chest.

But as she stared down at Cameron, his face flushed and skin sheened with sweat, a circular marking of teeth in his shoulder…

Mine.

Ashley purred at the sight of him, a rumble that filled the trailer.

His elation and disbelief and excitement and… relief mirrored her own.

Through her bond with Dylan, a mix of amusement and worry and arousal and… smugness.

She turned her head to meet his gaze and found him leaned back in the chair, book held open with one hand, but his attention on them instead of the pages.

“Satisfied?” Dylan drawled.

Ashley shrugged and turned back to Cameron, who studied her with half-lidded eyes. Bitten, bonded. Mine.

“Never been more so,” Ashley admitted, and leaned down to nuzzle Cameron’s bite mark, to nurse it some more.

She wished they were already home, in the nest, so she could nurse it all night, heal it until it was perfect.

“Ouch,” Dylan grouched, but she felt the teasing affection in their connection.

Ashley finally found someone she’d stop comparing to Dylan.

Because Cameron was her omega. Dylan was her alpha. Two completely different people, both belonging to her.

Ashley paused, the haze of pleasure and a fresh bond lessening as reality crashed in.

She stiffened and sat up.

“River,” she said at the same time Cameron did.

His brows furrowed, mouth flattening into a thin line.

“We fucked up,” Ashley said, placing a hand on Cameron’s chest.

All I ask is that… I don’t get left out.

Sometimes, I'm afraid Cameron will turn out the same way.

Ashley’s heart lurched as she recalled the secrets she and River had shared. His insecurities.

After all that, Ashley had done exactly what he’d feared. Left him out.

She’d rushed yet another bonding. If she’d paused for one second to think, instead of running off her stupid hindbrain, she would’ve thought about the consequences.

What kind of alpha neglects a member of her pack like that? Guilt filled her, and in the bond, Cameron echoed her emotions.

“How can we make it up to him?” he asked.

Ashley winced.

There was only so much making up you could do before it didn’t matter anymore. At some point, you’d have to stop acting so carelessly; at some point, you’d have to start prioritizing the person who never felt prioritized.

“ Fuck, ” Cameron groaned, and let his head slam into the thin mattress. “The interview, and now this? ” He ran a hand through his messy hair. “I’m not being a very good partner to him.”

“We fucked it,” she said softly. “I’m sorry. I should’ve been thinking like a pack alpha and not with my hindbrain.”

“I should’ve been thinking with my heart and not my dick.”

Dylan snorted, and they heard the slap of a book. “I could’ve told you idiots that. What are you going to do now?”

Ashley eyed the fresh bite on Cam’s shoulder, scented their mixed pheromones.

River needed to feel like a part of this pack. They needed to show him he belonged.

He needed a bond of his own, but if it was too soon… he needed to be able to lay a claim of his own.

Ashley knew just how to give him that. “Maybe we give him a chance to feel like an alpha.”

Cam’s eyes went dark. “Like during the heat?”

Ashley leaned down, brushing her mouth against Cameron’s bond mark. She felt the shiver run through his body and smiled. “And more.”