Chapter 11
11
DEVYN
Everything is going better than I expected!
Connor is sweet and polite, like he always is, so to watch him come out of his shell is exhilarating.
Ace is up for anything, and I’ve been laughing longer and louder than I have in a long time.
The date is going perfectly, actually.
Now it will be even better that Ben is here.
I’m so excited for him to meet Ace. Ace is fun and flirty, and I just have a genuinely good feeling about him.
I’m also experiencing some cramping, but I popped my emergency suppressants when Connor and Ace weren’t looking.
My Heat isn’t due for a while. This is just because I’m around so many Alphas at once.
Ben’s clean, subtle scent fills my senses as he wraps his arms around me, and I relax into his hold.
Ace looks at me, then to Ben, and raises an eyebrow.
Ben’s grip on me tightens, and suddenly, there’s tension in the air.
Connor looks at me quickly, then turns to Ben. “Nice to see you again, Ben,” he says evenly.
“ You .” Ben’s voice is low, and I move out of his hold to look at him, my mouth parted.
He’s livid . He glares daggers at Ace, who just crosses his arms and looks unimpressed.
“Me,” Ace croons. “Long time no see, detective. Congrats on the promotion, by the way.”
Ace’s lavender scent grows spicy as Ben wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me close to him. My eyes widen and I turn to look incredulously at my boyfriend.
“Do you know him?” I ask.
Ben rarely wears that look on his face. His lips are pulled into a thin line as he steps in front of me, shielding me from Ace. “So, you go by Ace now, huh?” He turns to Connor. “Do you know what this guy has done? Did you bother to tell her?”
I hate fighting. I hate conflict more than anything, to the point where I will run away and cover my ears.
Something awful is happening, and I don’t want to be here to witness it.
“Tell me what?” I ask, the frightening urge to cry building in my chest.
Connor glares at Ben, stepping in front of Ace. “There’s nothing to tell,” he says. “I’d watch how you talk about my boyfriend, Ben.”
Ben pulls me tighter to him while I gape at the three of them in shock.
“Aw, babe,” Ace says. “You don’t have to hide my past.” Then he looks to Ben. “Don’t worry, detective , I was going to tell her in time. It’s not exactly first-date material, you know?”
“You know each other?” I demand, turning to Ben. “ How ?”
Please don’t tell me it’s something awful, I think.
Ben has told me horrific stories from his job, but only after I encouraged him to open up to me about them.
He can’t carry all that weight by himself, and I’m happy to lend an ear if it helps.
But he’s seen some terrible things, and I start to assume the worst by the way he looks at Ace.
“I’ve been an upstanding citizen for more than five years, babe,” Ace tells me. “But I’m sure Ben would love to tell you about how horrible I am.”
“She’s not your babe ,” Ben snarls.
People are starting to watch us, and I grow restless. I shake out of Ben’s grip, furious tears in my eyes.
“What is going on?” I demand, first to Ben, then to Connor and Ace. “How do you know Ben?”
“You didn’t even research Connor before you let her go on this date?” Ace laughs. “I thought you were a detective .”
“And how long have you gone by Ace?!” Ben booms. “We have you under Ansel in our system.”
Ace makes a face. “I fucking hate that name,” he mutters.
My head spins.
Ben turns to me, fire in his amber eyes. “Dev, this guy is a criminal,” he states. “I’m sorry I didn’t catch it before, but Ansel ?—”
“Ace,” both Ace and Connor correct him.
Ben shakes his head. “ Ace ,” he says, “has a long enough record that I don’t think you should continue this date.”
I blink, disappointment filling my gut.
I was having fun.
But if Ace is dangerous…
“You can’t tell her what to do,” Connor growls, and Ben looks back at him.
“I’m not . It is always up to her,” he snaps.
Ace shrugs and leans against the seat of the racing game, crossing his arms. “I’ll tell her every single thing I’ve done,” he says. “Then we will see what she says.”
All three of them look at me expectantly, and I turn to Ace.
“What’s on your record?” I ask in a small voice.
“Keep in mind, her best friends were kidnapped ,” Ben spits. “So, I doubt she wants to spend any time with a convict .”
I flinch at the mention of Skylar and April.
Ace sees my expression and shakes his head. “I didn’t know that,” he says, softening his tone. “But since you know so much about me, Benjamin , you should know that I have never done something like that, and I never fucking would.”
I hate the tension between everyone. This was supposed to be something fun, and when I was starting to feel comfortable, Ben, of all people, ruined it.
“What is on your record?” I demand, and Ace turns to me.
“Forgery and burglary.” His blue eyes burn as he regards me, no ounce of shame in his expression.
I turn to Connor. “You knew about this?” I ask him, and he nods.
“Yes. That’s part of how Con Coffee was named,” he says. “Connor and convict.” Then, he looks to Ben. “I’m being polite because of Devyn, but I won’t tolerate you talking to Ace like he’s a piece of shit. He’s not. He’s a good person, and I suggest you choose your next words carefully.”
Ben’s jaw flexes, but he nods curtly.
The sound of the arcade games blare around us as I take everything in.
“Forgery and burglary?” I repeat, and Ace nods.
“No violence?” I ask.
I won’t do violence. I can’t do violence.
He shakes his head. “Only did it when no one was home. I had a system.”
Ben groans. “I shouldn’t be hearing this,” he murmurs, running a hand through his hair.
“What?” Ace says. “I served my time, did my community service and all that. Like I said, I’m an upstanding citizen.” He grins wickedly. “You can’t charge someone twice.”
“It was more than five years ago,” Connor adds.
“I don’t fucking care if it was five years or a hundred years ago!” Ben snaps. “She doesn’t need an ex-convict in her pack.”
I jump, startled at Ben’s outburst, and Connor walks up to him until their chests are almost touching.
“Talk about him one more time like that,” he snarls, “and see what happens. I don’t care if you’re a detective. Just say one more thing about him.”
Ace looks delighted at Connor’s protective streak, but a tear falls down my cheek.
I hate fighting.
Worst of all, they’re fighting because of me.
I remember when potential foster parents would fight because of me.
I remember curling into a ball and hiding under the blankets, trying to drown out the shouts as they decided what to do with me.
My head spins as fear squeezes my chest, making it hard to breathe.
I knew this was a bad idea.
I knew I should have never tried to find a pack.
Their scents are too harsh, and the lights are too bright in the arcade.
I need to get out.
I hurry outside before I can hear anything else, my throat tightening up while more tears spill.
This was a stupid idea.
Why did I think I could have this?
I head behind the building of the arcade, lean against the brick wall, and put my face in my hands and weep.
April and Skylar wouldn’t get it. They wouldn’t understand why I’m having this intense of a reaction.
Maybe Tammy would, but my vision is too blurry with tears to text her.
All it takes is for Connor or Ace to come out here and find me crying to decide I’m too emotional for them.
What Alpha wants a crybaby Omega in their pack?
Also, despite his criminal record, I like Ace.
Besides, it’s not like I haven’t done some things in my past.
Did I get arrested for them?
No, but only because I didn’t get caught!
“Babe?”
I wipe my tears away right as Ace and Ben round the corner. Ben frowns when he sees me; then he pulls me into a hug.
“I’m sorry, Dev,” he says softly. “I’m really sorry.”
Ace stands next to us while I sniffle into Ben’s chest. When I finally pull away from him, I look at both of them.
“No fighting because of me,” I tell them. “I can’t handle it. No violence at all.”
Ace nods. “No violence,” he repeats. “Ever.”
Connor rounds the corner next, his face etched with concern. “We acted like assholes,” he says. “Devyn, I’m sorry for our behavior. You don’t deserve that.”
He extends his hand, and I see that he has handed me a new glass of my favorite lemonade.
“Thank you,” I murmur. “But I’m just warning you now. I cry a lot, and easily. So, if this is something you don’t want?—”
“We want it,” Ace interrupts. “We want you , babe.”
Ben quirks his lip. “I told you, you’re likable, Dev. Anyone would be lucky to date you.”
It seems a little awkward to be standing with all three of them after everything that happened, but their scents swirl around me in a soothing aroma.
“I’ve learned that making you cry is something I never want to experience again,” Connor states. “I don’t ever want to be the source of your tears.”
“So, what,” I sniffle, “you just miraculously decided you would all be best friends now?”
Ace shrugs. “We have a…truce. We all care about you; we all want what’s best for you.”
I narrow my eyes at Ben. “I want you to get along with Ace.”
Ben quirks his lip. “For you, I’ll try.”
Ace sighs. “For fuck’s sake, man. It was more than five years?—”
“You know, I’ve committed burglary too,” I interrupt.
All three of them look at me in shock.
“Dev?” Ben asks.
I shrug. “I mean, I never thought of it that way, but that’s exactly what it was. I would sneak into houses in the rich areas, because a lot of times they kept their doors unlocked. I would take random stuff and sell it at swap meets on the weekends.”
Ben’s eyes grow wide while Connor and Ace gape at me.
“I mean, that’s burglary, right?” I look at Ace. “Breaking in somewhere and stealing?”
He nods slowly. “It is.”
I look back to Ben. “But I was nice about it! And I didn’t leave a mess or anything. I only did it until I was like, thirteen. And less than ten times altogether.”
There’s a long moment of silence as the three of them stare at me.
“Oh,” Connor finally says.
Yeah, technically, I was a burglar.
And?
“So, if you judge Ace, you have to judge me too,” I tell Ben, who looks like he wants to argue with me.
Ben would never judge me for anything, though, so I know I have him there.
“Is she always this interesting?” Ace asks, amused.
“She drops random information about her life sometimes that I don’t know what to do with,” Ben admits. “So, it’s nice to know that I’m not the only one she leaves flabbergasted.”
I smile at him, and he wipes away the remaining tear on my cheek. “There’s no crying in arcades,” he tells me gently. “Unless it’s because you’re losing.”
“Then I should be sobbing on the floor,” Connor says.
Ace laughs.
“I want to go back in there and act like the last thirty minutes didn’t happen,” I declare.
Connor nods. “Then let’s do it,” he says. “Besides, you still have to teach how me how to be better at pinball.”
I inhale his rich coffee scent, and my inner Omega calms.
Despite the hiccup, I have a feeling that the rest of the evening will go well.
They’re on the same page now.
And that page is me.