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TWENTY-FIVE

There’s a bunch of noise as Kendall and Ciro battle each other on Mario Kart. Atlas is reading something in the recliner. His scent is elevated as his eyes dart between each word. He’s always reading in his free time, but I don’t recognize the book in his hands. It makes me pause.

“What are you reading?” I ask, trying to get a better look at the cover.

Atlas sends me a subtle glare to shut up. Ciro looks over to inspect him despite being mid-game and huffs a laugh.

“Why is there a shirtless guy on your book cover?”

I slant my head. That’s exactly what it is.

Atlas’ cheeks turn a pink hue. He’s blushing.

“Oh my god, you’re blushing ,” Kendall jeers at him, taking the words right from my brain. He puts his controller down and puts his hand out. “Let’s see it then.”

Our prime gives us a look that could kill. His hand tightens slightly on the spine of the book before he puts it protectively to his chest.

“Your alpha becoming possessive over a book lets us know that it has something to do with Stacia, so just spit it out,” Ciro says, his own controller now lazily hanging from his fingers. “She’s into reading, I’m guessing you got that from her?”

The hue on his cheeks darken even further. “Not exactly.”

“What did you do, Atlas?” I ask. He’s normally not so tight-lipped with us. His demeanor screams of his self-consciousness.

“I bought it.” He pulls it away from his chest and looks at the cover.

“It’s stupid, but I saw her carrying this the last couple days and I wanted to…

I don’t know, feel closer to her when she’s not around.

” He finally hands the book to Kendall, looking at the ground in shame.

Kendall opens up to his bookmarked page and starts to read its contents.

“Why are you embarrassed about that?” Ciro’s sincere question lingers in the air as Atlas thinks of a response.

“I’ve been feeling… unsettled when she’s not around.

” He swallows audibly. “My instincts have been going haywire. My alpha needs to know where she is and what she’s doing, and it’s been utter torture to rein him in.

I thought maybe if I read the book she’s reading right now, it would feel like we’re in the same place, and that it would maybe abate my alpha and give him some peace. ”

I look at him, seeing the anguish in his face.

I understand it, too. It’s been absolute torture for me.

I’ve felt like an animal for having such primal instincts when it came to her.

She doesn’t deserve that type of possessiveness after what she went through with her ex, and here we are, acting like cavemen who can’t be away from her for a few hours.

“And is it helping?” I ask him, now eyeing the book in Kendall’s hands.

Atlas gives an amused chuckle. “Sort of. It works for different reasons. It’s also utter torture for other reasons?—”

“Oh, shit!” Kendall interrupts, his intent look scouring the page. “This is awesome! And not discreet at all. This is what she’s been reading?”

Ciro and I raise our brows in confusion while Atlas smiles guiltily. “Yeah, it is. It’s been very educational, too. I think we would all benefit from reading it.”

I’m still confused when Kendall points to a certain section. “Do you think this is what she’s into?”

Atlas shrugs casually. “I’m not sure. From what I’ve heard, you don’t have to be into it in real life in order to appreciate it on the page. That’s something to ask her.”

“For fuck’s sake, give it here,” Ciro says, snatching it from Kendall’s hold. He opens it to the same page and angles it so we can both read.

My eyes widen and I feel a flush all over my body.

“What position are they in?” I hear Ciro ask himself quietly, which amuses me through the shock of the words I’m reading.

Atlas crosses his arms. “We’ve never been with someone together. She deserves the best first time with all of us. So, even though it was an accident, I think we should all read that. Figure out how to coordinate together for her. Sound like a plan?”

I put a hand over my mouth and nod, unfocused on the others’ replies as I continue to read.

We have a lot of homework to do.