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Kendall scoffs at us, pointing an accusing finger. “There was a motive? That’s diabolical!”

“Or was it strategic ?” Ciro laughs.

They continue to banter when I feel a gentle presence lean into me. His quiet rasp against the shell of my ear sends goosebumps down my neck. “Truth or dare, baby girl?”

I turn my head and lock eyes with Uriah, who hasn’t been drinking as much as I thought because there’s no sign of it in the air. Only the palo santo breezing through me in a relaxing lullaby.

“We’re not playing that.” His proximity causes the words to come out huskier than expected.

“Humor me.”

I see the hesitant mischief in his gaze, and it’s that hesitation that makes me whisper back, “Dare.”

The next thing I know, I’m being whisked out of my seat and settled onto his lap. He angles my legs away and balances me with an arm behind my back. “I dare you to sit here until you don’t want to anymore.”

His boldness captivates me. I adjusted slightly, wiggling to get comfortable. He groans as hushed as he can under his breath while letting me get comfortable. I stop and meet his eyes once more. “That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Oi, what is this?” Ciro asks with a cheeky smirk.

“Just a bit of humoring,” I say before giving Uriah a wink. He responds with a look of wanting that causes me to lose my train of thought. I turn back to the others to gather my bearings. “Will this be a drinking game?”

“Let’s just use our fingers.” Atlas puts up all ten fingers, which causes me to notice how large his hands are. I really try not to picture them in an inappropriate light.

Fisting my hair… running over my body… other things. You know, the usual.

I put my own hands up and clear my throat. “Never have I ever… played hockey.”

The three obvious hockey players each put down a finger. Uriah is using one hand, his wrist resting on my nearly naked thigh.

“My little doe came to play,” Ciro beams, all ten of his fingers still on display. “Never have I ever sent a nude photo.”

“That’s a fucking lie,” Kendall mutters before putting another one of his fingers down. I notice Atlas puts one down too, while Uriah, Ciro, and I all keep ours up.

“I swear! Nobody wants to see my boney ass mixed with my lack of photography skills, seriously,” Ciro responds, which causes me to giggle at him.

Kendall accepts his answer and sits up taller in his seat. “Never have I ever”—he pauses and thinks for a moment, his head pointed to the ceiling—“been intimate outside.”

The use of the word ‘intimate’ makes me both sheepish and vexed. My omega deep inside me shakes furiously at that word, and at the idea that her scent matches have ever been with someone else. The picture of it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

“Your smell tells us everything, Omega,” Uriah whispers, pushing his smell out to calm me. I blink away the jealousy, leaving behind only embarrassment.

“I’m sorry,” I tell him, looking at the others to see that Ciro is complaining about leaves in places no one needs.

“Don’t apologize. I guarantee every single one of us here would be enamored with the idea of your possessiveness over us. I certainly am.”

I fight it but ultimately a blush rises to my cheeks. I look around and notice that no one put down a finger. Looks like no one here is an exhibitionist.

At least, not yet .

“Never have I ever skinny dipped,” Atlas says, which causes Ciro and Kendall to both put down a finger. I’m still looking at my ten fingers, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Surely I’m not that innocent? There’s no way.

“It wasn’t as fun as people say it is.” Ciro shivers at the thought. “Too cold in all the wrong places.”

“I had a lot of fun. Until something touched my ass, then I ran out. To this day, I still have no idea what it was.”

The laughter in the room is contagious. Their camaraderie is a beautiful thing to witness. No judgment, only genuine love between pack mates.

It’s Uriah’s turn and he thinks long and hard about it. “Never have I ever given a blowjob.”

My entire body shrivels. Well, there goes one finger.

“Why did you just get tense, baby?” Uriah says, just loud enough for the others to hear.

“It just wasn’t very enjoyable for me.” I admit, “Made me feel a bit… dirty, I guess.”

A few growls meet my ears, but they’re snuffed out before they get too loud.

“Did someone make you feel that way, Stacia?” Atlas asks.

My shrug is less than convincing. “I wasn’t very clear on what I didn’t want. That’s on me.”

“I see how you could see it that way, but did the person ask you what your limits were?”

“Not really. It was the first time so I didn’t know how to communicate properly about it.”

They all give understanding nods, but I feel Uriah’s hand making circles on my back. “Let me know if I need to hurt someone.”

I playfully roll my eyes at him but then see the serious look on his face. “In due time.”

I feel slightly embarrassed, like I over-shared. But then I look over to see that Ciro also put down a finger in the last round. I widen my eyes at him, my expression brightening. “Ciro?”

He gives me a cheeky wink. “It’s not something I normally lead with, but I’m bisexual.

” Then there’s a slight discomfort in his eyes, one that I haven’t seen from him yet.

It looks so foreign on his face, and it makes me want to do everything in my power so that he never feels what he’s feeling right now ever again. “Are you… okay with that?” he asks.

I blink at him in confusion. “With you being bisexual?” He gives me a meek nod, and I suddenly understand. “Of course I’m okay with it! More than okay, I think that’s incredible.”

The uncertainty fades away and the jolly beta I know is back in seconds. His wide smile brightens up the entire room. “Cool,” he says, trying to shrug very casually. “Your turn now, pick something great.”

“Never have I ever…” I put my finger to my chin and squint like the answer will come to me faster. “Hm… never have I ever… had a three way kiss!”

No one puts down a finger, but it feels like all the air has been sucked from the room. Each pack mate is looking at me, gazing upon my lips like they’d like to volunteer.

“Really, no one here? Have you guys never… courted someone together?” I feel a bit awkward asking, but it’s the best attempt I have in gathering information.

“We’ve never shared someone before, no,” Atlas responds, still watching me with determined eyes. “We were waiting.”

I hold in the panting gasp that wants to escape. I return the warmth in his gaze before taking a small breath. “Waiting for?” I ask, although I’m sure I already know the answer.

“For you, Stacia,” Kendall says, and I notice his eyes are just as warm, just as full of longing as mine. The seriousness on his face is beautiful, and I am basking in it.

I try not to gulp as I look at each of their faces. “Whose turn is it?”

“Mine, sweetheart.” I turn to Kendall, the mischief in his expression apparent. “Never have I ever been with a pack before.”

I feel myself clam up. The declaration takes me back to that night, the night when I finally discovered the person I was with wasn’t who I thought he was; he was mean, and jaded, and trying to force me under his control.

And I continued to let him so I didn’t have to deal with the fact that I was wrong and naive. A naive little omega.

I keep my fingers up. “You know I haven’t.”

“Why not?” he asks, and the sentiment sounds so genuine, I answer honestly. The others watch me with curious eyes.

“I thought it was considered selfish for omegas to seek out packs,” I say softly. “I always wanted one, but then… I was told I wanted too much, that it was unrealistic.”

The growls from before return, this time more prominent. I hear anger in them, which makes something shift inside my chest.

At first, I think they might be angry at me, but then I realize their anger is for me.

“Do we even need to ask who told you this?” Atlas asks.

I shake my head timidly.

The prime sighs after taking a deep breath. The others follow suit, like they were unaware that their faces were riddled with rage.

“Stacia,” Atlas states, pulling my eyes to his.

“I know you’ve probably been doing the work and realizing that Derek is a prejudiced piece of shit, but I want you to know that you’re not selfish in any way for wanting a pack.

When people say you’re selfish—or any other negative word—for wanting one, they are projecting.

Not everyone gets a pack. You have to be willing to work on your pride in order to join one, and most people don’t want to do that.

” His expression softens considerably, enough that I can see the human underneath the alpha.

“You are magnificent, and that type of beauty deserves to be cherished by any number of lovers you choose.”

When I think about pack life, there’s normally a hollowness sitting inside my chest. Because of his words, that space begins to fill as a rebellion takes over the cavity where the hopeless sorrow usually resides.

His eyes are watching me, his intent clear and powerful.

I feel myself nod despite my worries and fears that still linger and cling.

“Doe,” Ciro hums, and I’ll never tire from hearing it. “He tried to make you feel like less, but you are meant for more . He recognized that, so he tried to cage your light. Do you understand?”

I do. Consciously, I’ve always understood. I can’t tell them yet, but it’s less about Derek’s stupid words and more about the people who were meant to love me unconditionally. My parents’ words hurt more than anyone else’s. Derek just made me relive them.

But I don’t divulge that. Not yet. I don’t want them to see how broken I am. I don’t want them to realize it’s deeper than just Derek.

I like how they look at me and I don’t want it to stop.

“I appreciate your words,” I begin, feeling rather stiff now on Uriah’s lap. “It’s just… it’ll take some time, I think. If you could be a bit… patient with me while I figure it out, I would really appreciate it.”

They all give me beautiful smiles, but it’s Atlas who speaks for the group. “Of course. Like I said, we will follow your lead.”

The air around us turns soft and tactile. Their scents flourish once more. I give a small laugh. “I’m guessing this isn’t usually how game night ends.”

To my surprise, they return my laughter. “It happens more often than you’d think. If any of us are having a problem, we don’t cancel game night. It normally forces us to deal with it.”

“You guys fight?” The curious question comes out before I can stop it.

“Not very often, but it’s happened. That’s why working on your own individual stuff is important when it comes to being in a pack.

If there’s too much ego, things can get muddled.

” Atlas picks up the uno cards and starts to shuffle them.

“The general rule when there’s a scuffle is to see it from the other person’s perspective.

We try to practice mindfulness around it as much as we can. ”

My body rears back at those words.

You’re already airheaded enough, don’t you think?

She’s careless and unmindful, Robert. It’s who she is.

I shake away the thoughts before it can translate to my scent. “I think that’s really lovely,” I tell them before grabbing another individual shot bottle off the table. I lean my head back and take it down in one gulp before meeting their gazes once more. “What are we playing next?”

They let me redirect them into the next game and don’t question my sense of urgency. I’m grateful for that, because this is one of the best nights of my life, and I refuse to let it be ruined by hurtful things in my past.

I refuse to let it ruin any night I get to spend with this pack.

I can be more mindful, I can be more present.

If it means I want this pack, I have to be.