Page 12

twelve

HENRY

T he look on Josie’s face when I gave her that blanket will live in my mind for the rest of my life.

She looked at me like I was the most special Alpha on the planet.

I felt ten feet tall for making her so happy.

Then we had that charged moment, and I had to lock down tight on my instincts.

My Alpha was pushing for me to take her, then and there, and bond her as ours.

I’m pretty sure we’re at Match, but I don’t really know who else she might have.

She might already have a full Pack courting her.

Plus, I have a Pack Pull to a couple of other guys that I need to work through.

So that’s what I’m doing today. I’ve been texting with Victor and Simon a bit, and we made plans to go get some beers at a local brewery.

They have a nice outdoor space, so we can talk without yelling to be heard.

I arrive first, which gives me the chance to pick seats that I prefer.

I order a beer at the bar and take it to a round table, a little bit set apart from the rest of the outdoor area.

I position myself so I can see the entrance and enjoy the sunshine while I wait.

I get the sense that Simon is a little twitchy about all of this, so I make sure that there’s plenty of open space, hoping it will help him feel at ease.

I’m looking forward to getting to know him better, and I hope that he’s willing to open up more.

I’m not sure if today is the right time to bring up my interest in Josie, but I’ll play it by ear and see.

Maybe they’re not even ready for an Omega. Shit, what if they have their own Omega? Vic said they aren’t Pack, but that doesn’t mean they’re without an Omega they want. About five minutes after I sit, I see them heading my way, a beer each in their hands. I grin and stand up to greet them.

I extend my hand out to Victor first, “Hey, glad you guys could make it.”

“Us too, I’m excited to talk through this Pack Pull with you,” Victor replies.

Simon gives me a “Hey” as he shakes my hand briefly.

When we sit, he chooses the spot where he can see the rest of the outdoor area but isn’t caged in by the fence, and I’m pleased with myself for getting that right.

My instincts haven’t failed me yet. I settle back in and we each take a few sips of our beers, letting the atmosphere settle a bit.

I can still feel that tug in my chest, drawing me to these two.

Their scents smell right like I was always meant to smell them.

“So, anyone want to volunteer to go first? Bare all our secrets?” Vic says in a teasing tone.

“I don’t think you have any secrets,” Simon teases back quietly, a small smile on his face.

“Well, not from you at least,” Vic quips back.

“Tell me more about you two. You seem really tight,” I throw out to keep the conversation moving.

Vic raises an eyebrow at Simon, who gestures for him to take point.

“Well, we met in college. I needed a roommate for my rental house, and Simon needed to find off-campus housing. When he walked in the door of the small home I was renting, I knew he was meant to be there.”

A smile appears on my face. “Sounds like destiny.”

Simon huffs a small laugh, “Yeah, I think it was.”

“Since then, we’ve been pretty inseparable. He’s the Alpha to my Beta. The wind to my sails. The chocolate to my peanut butter.” Vic waxes on poetically.

“Oh my god, stop.” Simon grins at him.

“Well, you know the basics about us, how about you? What are your basics?” Vic turns to me.

I shrug, “Not much to tell, honestly. I’m the youngest sibling in my family, and I live farthest away from them.

I needed to be able to go out on my own, so when my parents declared they were moving across the country to be closer to my scattered siblings, they said I could keep the house and stay here.

So, I did. My siblings are all Alphas and Betas, but my mom is an Omega, so I know a little about their designation.

She did have a Pack and seemed incredibly happy.

I’m excited to talk with you guys about being Pack, hopefully we feel like a cohesive group, you know? ”

Vic nods, “Well, it sounds like we just need time to get to know each other then.”

“Yeah, don’t want to Pack up with a serial killer,” Simon mutters with a small smirk.

“Is that the standard? I think I should be okay then. Unless you count tastebuds because I can’t cook,” I quip.

Simon chuckles, and we talk about our adult lives, what we each do for a living, and touch on families.

Turns out that they just moved to town a month or two ago, and Simon opened the coffee shop where I met them.

He’s the owner of a really successful shop back where they moved from, so he decided to open another one here in Blackford.

I love hearing about his passion for coffee and his vision for the new cafe.

Victor works for a business with several buildings in the country.

So when an opening came up to move here, he jumped at it.

He’s been enjoying the city so far, even if his job isn’t his passion.

He’s just happy it pays the bills. I work as a CEO for a larger corporation, and while I don’t always love my job, I do enjoy working with people on business needs.

Being the CEO enabled me to be able to take Ray in.

I hired another person to help with in-person office needs while I work mostly remotely.

“Why did you jump at the chance to move here? There had to be better locations offered,” I ask.

Victor blushes a little, and a smile comes over his face. “Uh, my other best friend lives in the city. We met in high school, and even though she moved around a lot, we kept in touch. The opportunity to move here, where she is, came up and I grabbed it immediately.”

My mind latches onto what Victor’s saying and connects a dot. I’m not sure if it’s right, but what if… “What’s your friend’s name?”

“Josie,” Vic says, looking a bit confused.

I smile a little, “I just had an Omega, I’m interested in, tell me her friend moved to town. Her name is also Josie.”

Vic looks excited, “What are the odds? Does she have red hair, tall, smells like a cinnamon dessert?”

“Man, I have spent weeks hunting for cinnamon desserts just to try and recreate that scent,” I confess.

Vic and Simon look at each other for a moment. Vic is smiling and hopeful, but Simon seems doubtful. Vic bites his lip and looks back at me.

“She’s actually my Match.”

That was the last thing I expected him to say. My mind grinds to a halt for a moment before it gets moving again, and I laugh loudly, causing other tables to look at us. My hands slap down on the table, giddiness running through me.

“Are you serious ?” I ask.

Vic and Simon just look at me as if I’ve lost my mind. I’m pretty sure I have. This significantly increases my chances with Josie. My suspicion that she could be my Match is all but confirmed now. Clearly, I’d need to touch her to confirm, but it’s like a weight is off my shoulders.

“Sorry,” I say, calming myself, “Sorry, I just… I’m so fucking relieved to hear that.”

Simon frowns, “What do you mean?”

“Do you remember when we met? I told you I had been shopping? I was buying her a blanket from a local Omega store. I’ve been hoping we were a Match, her scent almost brings me to my knees. If you’re a Match and we have a Pack Pull, then that just increases my chances with her,” I explain.

“What do you mean by that?” Simon asks, surprisingly aggressive.

I hold my hands up, “Just that I hope she takes a chance on me, and accepts me. If she’s Matched to you guys and we’re Pack, she could be my Match as well.”

Simon eyes me up and down for a moment before relaxing back in his seat, satisfied that I’m not planning anything creepy or nefarious.

“How do you even know her?” Vic asks.

“She comes to my home for work, I have a friend of a friend who needs her and lives with me.”

“You just took in some random Omega?” Simon asks, his deep voice full of confusion.

“She needed help,” I answer.

His eyes study me, almost calculating in their intensity. Like he’s trying to put puzzle pieces together so he can understand me. I find myself wondering what he’s thinking, and I want to ask, but I can tell he’s not ready to be that open with me. I’ll just have to wait and be patient.

“Okay, I think this is good,” Vic says, taking a thoughtful sip of his drink.

“If you and Josie have met, she seems to like you, I assume? Right, so I think we should tell her and see what she says. If she’s not ready to find out if you two are Matches, then at least the three of us can get to know each other.

Hopefully, she is at least willing to get to know you two. ”

“I think she will be, she was happy with my gift and was interested in talking more. She seems really sweet, I can’t imagine she’ll say ‘no’ if we do it on her terms.” I add.

Simon is quiet, but sips at his beer as he listens to the conversation.

I quietly observe him from my peripheral, noting that he’s not shutting us out, he’s just not engaging either.

It tugs at my chest, and I’m finding that I want his input more and more.

Something about him just draws me in. I’ve always been a sucker for curly hair, and his is gorgeous.

Down the road, I’d be interested in a romantic relationship, but we need to get to the friendship stage before anything else.

We spend another hour or two drinking beers and chatting, deciding that the three of us will get together again soon.

Vic will also work on scheduling a group dinner, so we can subtly figure out how our dynamics will work together.

I notice that both Vic and Simon are deferring to me, but I don’t want to be Lead Alpha unless everyone is good with it.

While I can be dominant, I don’t enjoy using that to call the shots on my own.

I’m sure we’ll talk about it next time. I can’t just assume they’re okay with it.

We stand to leave after we pay our tabs, and I hold out my hand again. Vic takes it and we move for a quick hug, one pat on the back, and separate. My hand goes out again for Simon, and he shakes it but doesn’t move for a hug, so I don’t push.

“I just want you guys to know that I’m really excited to get to know you. I’ve always wanted a Pack, and now there’s a chance. I’m grateful for it.” I tell them before we part ways.

The guys both give a nod of acknowledgement, Vic with a nice smile in addition. Back in my car, I let my head flop back on the headrest for a moment. A massive smile spreads across my face, and my heart feels settled for the first time in a long time.