Page 32 of They Love Me Knot (Starsfalls Omegaverse #2)
I never expected them to be packmates with the way they’re acting.
Not to mention, their vibes seem totally different.
It’s not that packmates can’t be dissimilar, but Alister and Ciro don’t seem to mesh at all.
Plus, they were almost fighting over me, and if they’re packmates, they wouldn’t need to do that.
I don’t want to get stuck in the middle of a jealous pack, but maybe I caught them on a bad day.
I glance at Ciro. And caught Ciro on a bad week.
Alister smiles gently at my confusion.
“We’ve been packmates for about ten years now. I thought Ciro had mentioned that, otherwise, I would have introduced us. We also have three other packmates,” Alister explains.
“Oh, I didn’t realize,” I say faintly.
How many alphas are interested in me? It was one thing to be asked out by Alister, but if he already has a big pack, plus there’s Sterling and Kieran, who I don’t even know if they have packmates.
I’m not sure how I’m going to manage all of this. A girl only has so many holes and hands. I’ll be bringing Feliks too, of course, so that’s one more to the mix.
“Would you like to go out on a single date with me to start, and Ciro can take you on a separate date, or would you like to go out with both of us from the start?” Alister asks.
I glance at Ciro again. He’s looking to the side like he’s not paying much attention to our conversation, but he’s tense, so I assume he’s listening.
What Alister hasn’t considered is that maybe Ciro thinks I’m not good enough for his pack. Sure, he’s felt me up a bit and helped me out, but that could all be the alpha urges, and Ciro thinks I’m not right for them.
Before I spiral too much into low self-esteem land, Ciro uses a finger to smooth out the line between my eyebrows, trying to wipe away my frown.
I guess he was paying more attention than I thought.
His touch calms my thoughts, and I answer Alister on instinct, “Both.”
Alister smiles, pleased with my answer, and my omega perks up, happy that we made him happy (and that we’re going out with two more alphas).
“You’re so sweet, Daphne. Isn’t she kind to go out with both of us even after your strong concerns about dating business associates, Ciro?” Alister strokes my cheek.
If he’s going to praise me, I’ll do whatever he wants.
“Yes,” Ciro says in a tight voice, not the sound of someone excited that I just agreed to go on a date with them.
I barely notice though, too busy smiling giddily at Alister.
“I’ll be working late to celebrate the end of our project, otherwise, we would take you out tonight,” Alister says. “Can we take you out tomorrow evening instead?”
“Yes!” I agree almost before he’s finished asking.
Alister smiles again and arranges our date, texting the details to my phone so I don’t have to memorize it. That’s probably for the best because I’m still so flustered around these alphas, hardly able to concentrate on anything except for what I want to do to their bodies and have them do to mine.
“It’s rare that I have to work this late, so I’ll have plenty of time to spend caring for and cherishing my mate,” Alister reassures me after working out our plans.
My heart thumps erratically, and my omega is thrilled to hear him talk about the future, indicating he’s serious about being with me for the long term. If I hadn’t already accepted this date, I think that would have tipped me over the edge.
“We’ll walk you out. I’m sure you’re eager to get home and relax after all your hard work,” Alister says, guiding me toward the exit.
“She didn’t unload everything. I took the bigger arrangements and let her carry the smaller ones. The princess can’t be that tired,” Ciro grumbles, finally speaking after staying silent while Alister planned our date.
Alister laughs, a low, throaty sound almost like a purr. It makes my pussy flutter and knees weak, so I stumble a bit, but Alister is quick to hold me steady, pulling me into his side and wrapping his arm around my waist. I lean against him gleefully, my head not even up to his shoulder.
“Was Ciro a big help, Daphne? Did he handle everything just the way you wanted it?” Alister asks as Ciro holds the door open for us.
Ciro makes a choked growling sound, and I blush, my breath coming out in a stutter.
Is Alister trying to make that sound dirty on purpose?
They are packmates, so it would make sense for Alister to hype Ciro up. I just didn’t picture Alister as much of a dirty talker, at least not like that. I wonder what other kinds of things he’ll say…
They walk me to the van, and Ciro opens the door for me after I unlock it.
Alister helps me into the driver’s seat and buckles me in.
I almost hyperventilate when he reaches across me, caging me into the seat.
The seatbelt clicks, and Alister pauses when he sees my face, eyes dilating, but after a tense moment he steps back.
I guess being old-fashioned means no kissing before the first date.
That’s usually how I am too (except for Feliks of course, but that was a unique experience). This building anticipation with Alister has me almost excited as I was to fuck Feliks. Not as exciting as actually fucking Feliks, but I’m sure this buildup with Alister will be worth the payoff.
“We’ll see you tomorrow, Daphne,” Alister says, and kisses the back of my hand.
I nod, not sure I can speak without sounding whiny or begging them to fuck me here in the alley.
Alister turns to Ciro, who’s been lingering behind him.
Ciro shifts around, and I can’t tell what he’s thinking. His jaw is clenched, but his face is otherwise unreadable, though he’s not making eye contact with either of us.
“Ciro, say goodbye to Daphne so she can go home and cozy up in her nest,” Alister says.
His words make me picture what it would be like if they came home with me and we all got cozy in my nest.
Ciro’s eyes flash, and he looks at Alister, so I wonder if he had a similar thought.
Ciro finally looks me in the eyes, which I don’t think he’s done since Alister joined us.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, princess,” he says simply.
I nod again, unsure where we stand.
Ciro’s response satisfies Alister, and he says goodbye before shutting the car door, watching as I drive off.
Their alpha pheromones or presence or whatever it is wears off on the ride back to Queen of Hearts, and I wonder how I got conned into saying I’d date Alister and Ciro.
Was it that trick where you get someone to agree to doing something for you by offering two options, so they feel like they have a choice when they pick one?
Also, should I be insulted that Alister thought I’d be staying home alone on a Friday night? I guess I could have mentioned that I have dates planned, but I can’t think clearly when they’re around, so I didn’t even consider it.
And normally I would be home alone on a Friday night, so….
I’ll give us both a pass on this one. I’ll tell Alister and Ciro on our date that I’m seeing other people, and they can decide what they want to do from there.