14. Levi #2
I move until I’m sitting right beside her, close enough that our thighs press together. Her scent wraps around me, making my head spin with want.
“My turn,” she says, settling more fully against Reid. “Caleb. Truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
“What do you think about when you can’t sleep?”
Caleb’s smile turns soft. “Lately? You. Working with your hands, the way you hum when you’re concentrating. The way you smell like home.”
Her scent sweetens, and she reaches for his hand. “That’s beautiful.”
“Reid,” I say, taking my turn. “Truth or dare?”
“Dare.”
“Tell Sadie something you’ve never told anyone else.”
Reid is quiet for a moment, then his arms tighten around her slightly. “I used to think small towns were places people got stuck when they couldn’t make it anywhere else. But being here, seeing how you all take care of each other... I’ve never lived anywhere that felt like home before.”
She twists in his arms to look at him. “Really?”
“Really. I’ve spent my whole life moving between cities for work, staying in hotels, never putting down roots. This is the first place I’ve ever wanted to stay.”
She’s quiet for a moment, processing his words, then reaches up to touch his cheek gently. “I’m glad you want to stay.”
“Worth it though,” he says, nuzzling her hair.
The game continues, each round getting slightly more intimate.
She dares Caleb to massage her shoulders, so she turns around in Reid’s arms to face him, settling between his legs while Caleb’s strong hands work magic on her tension from behind.
Reid’s hands rest on her thighs, and she practically melts between them.
Reid dares me to trace patterns on her arms, which makes her shiver and her scent spike with interest.
“I can’t believe this is real,” she giggles, looking between the three of us with wonder in her eyes. “Three months ago I couldn’t get a date, and now I have three gorgeous alphas in my living room wanting to take care of me.”
“We do want to take care of you,” Reid murmurs against her ear.
“I know!” She beams at him, then at all of us. “It’s like a fairy tale, except better because you’re all real and you smell amazing and you’re here.” Her voice gets slightly emotional. “You actually stayed. Even when I was a mess this morning, you all stayed and helped.”
“Of course we stayed,” Caleb says softly.
“I want to dare myself,” she announces after several more rounds, wine making her bolder, though she hesitates slightly. “That’s... that’s allowed, right?”
“That’s not how it works,” I point out gently.
“My apartment, my rules.” She grins, then bites her lip uncertainly. “I dare myself to kiss each of you. Just once. To see how it feels with all of us here together.” She pauses, looking around at us. “If that’s... if you all want that? We don’t have to if it’s weird.”
The room goes completely still.
“Are you sure?” Caleb asks quietly, recognizing her uncertainty beneath the alcohol-fueled bravado.
“I think so. I mean, I’ve kissed two of you already, but this feels different. More... complete.” She takes a steadying breath. “But maybe we should start slow?”
“Only what feels right to you,” Reid assures her.
She turns to him first, pressing a soft, sweet kiss to his lips that makes him inhale sharply. “There. Now I’ve kissed all my alphas.”
Then she moves to Caleb, and their kiss is familiar, comfortable—building on the connection they established in her shop just days ago. There’s recognition in the way they fit together, muscle memory of previous passion.
“Still perfect,” she murmurs against his lips.
When she turns to me, there’s heat in her eyes that makes my pulse race. “Hi,” she whispers.
“Hi,” I whisper back, remembering the way she tasted when I kissed her at the bookstore just days ago. But this feels different—more open, more certain.
I lean down to capture her lips with mine, and it’s even better than our first kiss. She’s relaxed now, wine-warm and willing, no hesitation as she melts into me. The kiss starts gentle but deepens when she sighs into my mouth, her hand fisting in my shirt.
When we break apart, we’re both breathing hard.
“Still as good as I remembered,” she breathes, settling back against Reid.
“Better,” I say honestly, the tequila making my words more honest than usual. “Because now I know you want this too.”
“You taste like wine and possibility,” I add without thinking. “Like every good thing I never thought I’d get to have.”
“More wine?” Reid suggests, his voice strained.
“Yes. And...” She looks at the tequila bottle with interest, then hesitates. “Maybe it’s time to be brave? Just... a little brave?”
The tequila burns going down, loosening the last of our inhibitions. The dares become more intimate—she dares me to kiss her neck, which makes her arch and moan softly. Caleb dares her to let him trace patterns on her back under her sweater, which has her shivering and pressing closer to all of us.
“This sweater is getting warm,” she says after another shot, tugging at the hem nervously. Then she pauses, looking around at all of us uncertainly. “Is it... would it be weird if I took this off? It’s really warm in here, but I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.”
“Only if you want to,” Reid says gently. “We’re comfortable with whatever makes you comfortable.”
She hesitates for another moment, the alcohol making her braver but not completely overriding her natural caution. “Okay. Just... the sweater though.” She pulls it over her head, revealing a soft cotton tank top underneath. “There. That’s better.”
“Your turn,” she says, pointing at me with a slightly unsteady finger, then adds more quietly, “If you want to. No pressure.”
The compliment hits me harder than it should, and the tequila makes my response more honest than usual. “I’ve been thinking about this moment for months. You looking at me like that. Like I’m something worth wanting.”
“You are,” she says immediately, reaching out to trace a pattern on my chest that makes me shiver. “You’re like... like finding the perfect book when you weren’t even looking for one. Unexpected and beautiful and exactly what you needed.”
Her words make my chest tight with emotion, and I have to clear my throat. “That might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
“You’re all so beautiful,” she sighs happily, settling back against Reid’s chest. “Like, stupidly beautiful. It’s not fair how beautiful you all are.”
She pauses, then gets that emotional look again. “And you’re all here. In my apartment. Wanting to be here with me.” Her voice catches slightly. “I’ve never felt this wanted before. This... chosen.”
“You are chosen,” Reid says softly. “By all of us.”
“I know!” She beams again, the emotion passing as quickly as it came. “It’s the best thing ever. Are you comfortable? Do you need more pillows? I have more wine if anyone wants it. Or water! You should probably have water.”
Even drunk, she’s trying to take care of us. It’s so perfectly Sadie that my chest aches with affection.
“We’re perfect right here,” I assure her.
“Good,” she says, then giggles again. “This is definitely the best truth or dare game in the history of truth or dare games.”
But the combination of wine and tequila is hitting her hard now. Her movements are becoming less coordinated, her words more slurred.
“Another shot,” she declares, reaching for the bottle with unsteady hands, then pauses. “Wait, should I? I feel a little spinny.”
“Sadie,” Caleb says gently, “maybe we should slow down.”
“Don’t want to slow down,” she protests, but her protests are getting weaker. “Want to keep playing. Want to keep feeling this good.” Her eyelids are getting heavy. “Just... maybe sit for a minute...”
She tries to pour another shot and nearly misses the glass entirely. Reid steadies her hand, concern clear in his eyes.
“I think you’ve had enough for tonight,” I say softly.
“Have not,” she mumbles, but her eyes are starting to flutter closed. “Just getting started... with my alphas...”
Her head lolls against Reid’s shoulder, and within moments she’s fast asleep, breathing deeply and evenly.
“Well,” Reid says quietly. “That escalated quickly.”
“Too much too fast,” Caleb agrees, stroking her hair gently. “Poor thing.”
“She’s going to feel terrible tomorrow,” I observe, though my voice is fond rather than critical.
We sit there for a few minutes, just watching her sleep. Even unconscious, she’s beautiful, and something fiercely protective surges through me.
“We should get her to bed,” Reid says finally.
“Agreed.”
I carefully lift her from Reid’s arms, and she stirs just enough to mumble something unintelligible before settling against my chest. She’s warm and soft and trusting, and carrying her feels like the most natural thing in the world.
In her bedroom, we work together to get her settled. Reid finds her blanket while Caleb gets water from the kitchen. She’s barely conscious as we tuck her under the covers.
“Don’t go,” she whispers as I’m pulling the blankets up to her chin.
“We’re not going anywhere,” I promise, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
Her bedroom is small, with barely enough space for the bed and a dresser. After making sure she’s comfortable and covered with a soft blanket, we quietly step back into the hallway.
“We should leave her door open a little,” Reid says softly, “in case she needs anything.”
I pull the door mostly closed, leaving it ajar just enough that we’d hear if she called for us.
“The couch pulls out,” Reid says quietly as we move back to the living room. “It’s not big enough for all of us, but...”
“We’re not leaving her alone,” Caleb says firmly. “Not after she specifically asked us to stay.”
“Agreed.” I settle into the small armchair, angling it so I can see down the hallway toward her room. “We’ll make it work.”
Reid takes the pull-out couch, and Caleb grabs pillows and a blanket to make himself as comfortable as possible on the floor. None of it’s particularly comfortable, but as Sadie’s breathing evens out into deep sleep in the next room, I realize comfort isn’t the point.
We’re here because she needs us to be here. Because pack means showing up, even when it’s inconvenient.
Especially when it’s inconvenient.
“Think she’ll remember much of this tomorrow?” Reid asks softly.
“Probably not all of it,” I admit. “But she’ll remember that we stayed.”
“Good,” Caleb says from his spot on the floor. “That’s what matters.”
As the night deepens around us, I listen to the sound of her peaceful breathing drifting from the bedroom and feel something settle into place in my chest. The alcohol has made me sentimental, made it easier to admit truths I usually keep carefully guarded.
“You know what’s funny?” I say quietly to Reid and Caleb. “I used to think I was looking for one perfect person. Like books that have one perfect ending. But this... this feels like we’re all writing the same story together.”
“That’s the tequila talking,” Reid says, but his voice is fond.
“Maybe. But some of the best truths come out when you’re not trying so hard to sound smart.” I shift in the uncomfortable chair, glancing toward her room. “I pressed flowers in a notebook for her before I even knew if she’d want them. That’s not smart. That’s just... hoping.”
“Hoping worked out,” Caleb observes quietly.
This is what I’ve been searching for without knowing it. Not just an omega to care for, but a pack to belong to. Alphas I can trust to put her needs first, to work together instead of competing.
We’re hers now. All of us.
And she’s ours to keep safe.