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thirty-three

JOSIE

R econnecting with Jesse is everything I hoped for.

I was fully prepared to go nuclear on his ass, but, to my surprise, he just took my anger and held it.

He didn’t interrupt, he didn’t try to deny anything.

Did he already know how badly he’d fucked up?

It sure seems like it. His forehead is on mine, and I draw comfort from the physical touch we have.

I may not be able to feel the Match we have, but being able to freely touch him is healing for me.

“What now?” I ask him, “As sweet as this is, I need to know you plan to step up. I need you to tell me what you’re going to do to fix this.”

I feel a tad guilty putting it all on Jesse, but then I hear Ray in my head reminding me that he’s the one who fucked up, not me. I get to be angry and make him work for it. Romance novel level groveling.

“Did you move in with Henry?” he asks softly.

He pulls back, helping me to stand and get more comfortable on the couch as we talk.

“A little. It was only going to be for a few days, but I want to make it permanent, just need to talk to him about it. I can’t imagine he’ll mind,” I confess.

Jesse hums, “Okay then, I’ll ask him if there’s a place for me there. I don’t think I’m ready to fully move in or bond yet, but you need to know I’m in this. So, I’m going to physically be in this.”

“Really?” I ask, feeling more tears building in my eyes. I’m not sure how I have any left.

“Yes, I want to prove to you that I’m here, and I’m in this. Am I terrified? Yes. Am I going to let it hold me back? Not anymore.”

I grin, “Okay.”

“Let me text Henry and see about logistics,” he offers.

“I should probably talk to Vic and let him know we talked. Henry knew we were going to talk, but I should probably update Vic,” I say.

“Yeah, go for it, if you want to call, then you can do it here or go to another room, whichever you’re more comfortable with,” he offers.

I lean over and surprise him with a kiss on the cheek before pulling out my phone. When I glance up, Jesse is staring at me, slack-jawed and awestruck.

“Careful, you might catch a fly like that,” I giggle.

He grins in response and grabs his own phone to start texting Henry. I pull up Vic’s contact and hit the “call” button. While I won’t put him on speakerphone, I also don’t feel the need to go to a different room.

“Josie Girl!” he greets me.

“Hey you, how are you?” I can feel my grin stretching across my face.

“I’m better now that I get to hear your voice,” he teases.

I giggle, “Such a charmer.”

“What’s up?”

“I wanted to check in with you and let you know Jesse and I talked,” I tell him.

“Oh? Did it go well?” Vic asks gently.

“Yeah! I’m at his place now. He’s actually texting Henry about moving in a little bit.”

“That’s awesome! I’m so glad he was willing to hear you and fix it. You’ll have to let me know when he is thinking of moving in.”

“Absolutely!” I reply, “Have you thought more about moving in, too? I know it’s tricky with Si.”

Vic grunts, “Hopefully soon, I might at least pick a day or two per week to stay there to start. I, uh, I don’t want to leave Si right now, but I don’t want to be away from you either.”

“What’s up with Si?” I ask, frowning at the tone of his voice.

Vic hesitates for a moment before responding, “He… he went into rut and while he’s out of it, he’s feeling pretty shitty about it.”

“Is he there now?” Panic starts to settle in at the idea of Si suffering.

Vic hesitates, “Yeah, he took a couple of days off.”

“I’m coming over,” I tell him, hanging up before he can respond.

Jesse looks at me with concern, “Everything okay?”

I gather my phone and purse before sliding my shoes on.

“Si went into rut, and Vic said he’s fine, but Vic sounded off, and I need to see him.”

“Do you want me to come?” Jesse offers.

I shake my head, “No, I don’t want to set him off more with another Alpha present. It means a lot, though, that you’re willing to come help.”

“May I hug you?” he asks, coming closer.

I hold my arms out, and he sweeps me up in his arms and we nuzzle each other for a moment before letting go. We’re both smiling as we let go, and Jesse reaches up to caress my cheek.

“Good luck, call me if you need me, okay? Even if you just need something sugary to eat,” he says.

My smile is stuck in place as I reply, “I will, promise.”

Part of the reason I had Henry drop me off is so I can retrieve my own car.

My keys are already in my purse, so I hop in the driver’s seat and take off for Vic and Simon’s house as quickly as I can.

There’s a distinct possibility that I push past the speed limit, but I admit to nothing.

Quicker than usual, I pull into their driveway and park.

I want to just barge in and see what the hell is making Vic so nervous and on edge, but I pull the desire back and knock instead. Nobody answers in the first five seconds, so of course, I knock a second time, and harder than the first. The door opens, and my eyes land on Vic’s face.

He looks like shit, a bruise showing on his cheekbone, one eye is black, and his lip is split and swollen. His eyes meet mine, sheepishly.

“Hey,” he greets me.

“Vic! You said he went into rut not that he beat the shit out of you!” I cry, “Let me in.”

He steps aside, hesitantly, and I glare at him, daring him to prevent me from checking on one of my Alphas.

Is he officially my Alpha? Well, no, and I’m supposed to be mad at him.

I’m still claiming him for the moment, though, until one of us formally rejects the other.

My nostrils flare wide as I try to scent where he is, but I find him as soon as I turn the corner.

Simon is sitting on the couch, leaning forward with his head in his hands.

I stride over to him and sink down to my knees in front of him.

I need to see how bad off he is. He was the one in rut, but I’m sure Vic held his own.

He would have wanted to end the fight as quickly as he could.

Simon stays in his position, head down, hands covering his face.

I can tell by the deep inhalation he takes that he’s well aware I’m the one who rang the doorbell.

“Let me see,” I say gently, grabbing his wrists.

He refuses to move, “No, I did this to myself, it’s not your problem to deal with.”

Now that pisses me off.

“Are you fucking kidding me, right now?” I seethe at him.

He tenses but doesn’t move or speak.

“You know what, Simon? Fuck you. Fuck you for introducing yourself to me, fuck you for showing me your soft side, fuck you for making me think that you could be rational and discuss things with me, and fuck you for loving Vic ,” the amount of venom in my voice surprises me, and I realize this is the anger that Ray was talking about.

Yeah, Jesse needed some sense talked into him, but he’s shown me time and time again that he’s willing to try. He owned his fuck up, and now he’s taking immediate steps to show me he’s trying.

Simon? He’s sitting here wallowing in his own damn self-pity like he’s a goddamn martyr. I fell for his fucking act too. He came in shy and reserved, Matched me, kissed me like I was his air, but didn’t do anything more. We never went past kissing, and we never had individual time together.

Now, he’s put Vic in between a rock and a hard place.

He clearly loves Vic, and whatever he’s done has made Vic love him too.

I won’t make Vic choose, he’s bonded to me, and I can feel his turmoil.

If he wants to split his time half and half, he can do that.

I won’t stop him. I won’t allow Simon to play this game, though.

I stand and step away, glaring at Simon.

“I’m not going to beg you, I don’t even want to. You don’t consider anyone but yourself and Vic. That’s fine, be with Vic. Know that you’re putting him between a rock and a hard place, though, because I’m not going to make him choose. I’ll just refuse to see you,” I tell him.

Simon still hides his face when he clears his throat, “Are you rejecting me?”

His voice is tight, and I’m not sure if he’s resisting tears or anger.

“No, Simon, I won’t do that to you. If you want out, you have to make that choice. However, I don’t have to see you or talk to you unless you’re going to own your shit.”

I pivot on my heel, not wanting to see if Simon finally looks up or not.

My anger fades, giving way to a deep sorrow that I didn’t know I was capable of.

I want to mate bond him, so I won’t reject him.

Even now, in my anger, I know that we would be great together.

I’ve done enough chasing him, though. He can choose to chase me and show me he wants this, or he can live in misery.

I have two bonds who love me and a third who wants to show me.

As I storm out of the room, I run straight into Vic, who looks like he’s going to murder Simon.

I grab his hand and pull him out of the house with me.

When we’re outside, I turn and bury my face into his chest. Vic’s arms immediately come around me, and my tears come fast and furious.

I can feel his hand stroking my hair back as I cry out my frustration, my anger, and my sorrow.

Vic leads me to my car and bundles me into the passenger seat before walking around and settling in behind the wheel.

He pulls out of the driveway and starts toward Henry’s house.

I stare out the window, my tears still going, my fingers interlocked with Vic’s as he drives.

I hadn’t expected Simon to shut me out so thoroughly, and I responded with a vehemence that surprises even me.

Once Vic parks my car, he ushers me out of the passenger seat and into the house. It’s quiet, and I’m sure Henry is in his office working. I turn to Vic once we step further into the house.

“Thanks for driving me to Henry’s. I, uh, I can call you an Uber if you want. Or you can take my car and I’ll pick it up later,” I say through a stuffy nose.

Vic looks at me with fire in his eyes, “I’m not leaving you right now, Josie Girl. You need your mates to look after you, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Si and I had a breakthrough when his rut broke yesterday, so I have no idea what the fuck his problem is. You deserve better.”

His hand cups my cheek, and our lips meet tenderly, Vic’s reassurance flooding down our bond and my own desire threading through his.

I send a tendril of desire through Henry’s bond too, but based on the distant groan of “Fuck,” I might have sent too much.

My hands reach up and thread through Vic’s hair, messing it up quite thoroughly.

I moan in pleasure as Vic nips at my lips before moving down my chin to my neck, licking, sucking, biting any skin he can find.

Henry’s scent hits me before I hear his footsteps.

When he’s close enough, I hear a pleased rumble come from his chest. His hands land on my hips and he pulls them back, my ass landing on his already hard cock.

Henry dips his head to lick and nibble the other side of my neck before moving up to take my lips.

“What’s the occasion for such a sweet return home?” he asks.

“Simon’s being an asshole,” Vic grumbles against my neck before he pulls back.

I can’t see the look that passes between them, but I feel the tension between the three of us ramp up higher.

“I guess we’d better assure our Omega that her bonded mates are going to put her first,” Henry suggests.

Vic hums in agreement, and I nod frantically, wanting their reassurance and love.

“Let’s give our Omega the pleasure she deserves,” Vic agrees.