Page 18

Jensen

“ I know we made an agreement, but we’re all attracted to Bethany, aren’t we?” I asked as I took a swig of my beer. We were sitting around the kitchen table, each with a drink in hand. It had been one day since Bethany had gone home, and the house felt oddly empty without her.

I’d been lost in my own thoughts for the last two days and had decided to call a pack meeting. We needed to discuss what was happening as a pack. As a family.

“We’ve said that before,” Gideon pointed out, rubbing his temple. True, it felt like we were constantly having the same conversation—we liked Bethany and we wanted her, but we had to put our daughter first.

We knew that Cullen was obsessed with her. He was the one who hadn’t been able to resist kissing her at the restaurant. We teased him about it on occasion, but if I was honest with myself, I likely would have done the exact same thing in his shoes.

“Are we really going to be okay with watching Bethany date other alphas?” I asked. “Cullen lost his shit when he saw it. Let’s be honest with ourselves—she isn’t going to stay single for long. She’s stunning, she’s sweet, and there’s no way in hell that people aren’t taking notice of her.”

Gideon looked a little green. None of us liked that idea, but if they thought she was going to remain single, they were being delusional.

“It’s not a good idea, though,” Gideon said. “Think of Joey.”

“Joey adores Bethany,” Cullen replied. “We can’t keep using her as an excuse.”

“But what if she leaves her? I don’t want to risk our daughter being heartbroken again.” Gideon growled.

That was the last thing I wanted as well. Joey was the light of our lives, and we had to do anything we could to protect her.

“Do you really think Bethany would just leave and never look back?” I asked. “It’s not fair to compare her to Joey’s mother. Bella was a monster.”

Cullen grunted. “That’s an understatement…You guys know I’m attracted to Bethany. It’s not just her scent or her looks. She’s generally so sweet and kind and warm and everything that Bella wasn’t.”

I nodded.

“At the same time, she’s fiercely independent and takes care of herself. Unlike Bella, Bethany doesn’t demand or even want the princess treatment.”

Joey’s mother had wanted us to wait on her hand and foot. While we’d treated her amazingly, gotten her gifts, and taken her on vacations, nothing was ever good enough for her.

At first, we’d bent over backwards for her, doing everything in our power to make her happy. But over time, we realized that there was no limit. Nothing would ever be enough for her. Eventually, she decided to chase richer alphas who could give her more.

“Something tells me that Bethany would be fun to spoil,” Gideon admitted with a small smile. “It would certainly be a battle. Did you know, she’s insisting on picking Joey up from school tomorrow?”

“She’s supposed to be resting. Doctor’s orders!” I huffed. I would know, considering I was the doctor!

“You try telling her that.” Gideon smirked.

Cullen shook his head, though he was wearing what I could only describe as a fond expression. “I will get plenty of food from the restaurant and make sure she’s got anything she could need here.”

“That’s a good idea,” Gideon said.

Everything in me wanted to grab the omega and lock her in a room so I could take care of her and let her heal in peace.

There was no way I was actually going to do that, because that was mildly psychotic, but alpha instincts were a bitch.

It was in our nature to care for omegas.

And caring for Bethany was quickly becoming my obsession.

We were all quiet for a moment.

“I want to ask her on a date,” I admitted.

I was sick of waiting, of trying to restrain myself. I couldn’t remember the last time I wanted anything as much as I wanted her, and I didn’t want to hold myself back anymore.

Both my pack mates sat up straighter. “You mean…” Cullen trailed off.

“I’m curious about what this is. I know we agreed it was a bad idea, but are we kidding ourselves? All of us are crazy protective over her?—”

“We are also very protective of Joey,” Gideon pointed out.

I glowered at him. “That’s different and you know it. Care to explain why you came back stinking of arousal last night after taking her home?”

Gideon growled, roughly running a hand through his hair. “Because she’s stunning! There’s no question about that. I’m not blind.”

“She’s also good for Joey,” I argued.

Cullen sighed. “So, you want to go for it?” His expression was anxious, but there was a hint of something else…maybe hope?

I nodded. “I do. I really fucking do, but I don’t want to do it without you guys. We do it as a pack or not at all.”

Cullen thought for a moment, downing his glass of whiskey. “Well, considering I can’t control myself around her, you know I’m in. This may be a terrible idea, but I can’t see us resisting for much longer.”

“Gideon?” I asked, turning to him. My heart was in my throat. If he agreed, then all bets were off, and we would do our damn best to woo the omega many years younger than us. Maybe we were thinking with our cocks, but there was something magnetic about Bethany that I couldn’t ignore anymore.

Gideon sighed. “Give me a few days to think about it.”

That wasn’t a no.

He was going to break.

I just knew it. It was only a question of when.