Chapter 12
Seth
Ihaven't slept.
Every time I close my eyes, I see her. Bea in that booth at Millie's, sitting across from Grayson Cole like it was the most natural thing in the world. Laughing. Talking. Her scent mixing with his in a way that made my instincts scream.
And the worst part? She looked comfortable. Relaxed. Like Grayson was exactly the kind of alpha she needed.
Not me. Never me.
I roll out of bed at five-thirty, even though my shift doesn't start until eight. Sleep's pointless anyway. Might as well make myself useful.
The station's quiet when I arrive, just the night shift wrapping up. I grab coffee—terrible station coffee that tastes like burnt rubber—and start working through paperwork. Incident reports. Traffic citations. The mindless bureaucracy of small-town law enforcement.
It's not helping. Nothing helps when my brain keeps replaying last night on an endless loop.
"You look like hell."
I jerk upright so fast I nearly spill my coffee. Nate Thorn stands in the doorway, arms crossed, wearing that expression that means he's noticed something's off. My partner and mentor—six years older, infinitely more confident, and currently studying me like I'm a suspect he's trying to read.
"Couldn't sleep," I manage.
"No shit." He doesn't wait for an invitation, just walks in and shuts the door behind him. "Want to talk about it, or should I guess? Because I'm pretty good at guessing, and right now I'm guessing it has something to do with Bea Wilson."
Heat crawls up my neck. "I don't know what you're—"
"Seth." His voice is patient. "You've been useless for three days. You nearly filed a noise complaint under 'assault with a deadly weapon' yesterday. And you smell like an alpha who's about thirty seconds away from either fighting someone or having a breakdown."
I slump in my chair. "She was with Grayson Cole. At Millie's. Having dinner."
"And?"
"And she looked happy. Comfortable. Like he's exactly the kind of alpha she needs." The words taste bitter. "Confident. Cool. Everything I'm not."
Nate's quiet for a moment. Then he sits down across from me, and I know I'm about to get the lecture. The one about how I need to stop comparing myself to other alphas, how my particular strengths matter too.
I've heard it before. It's never helped.
"You know what I see when I look at you?
" Nate's voice is firm. "I see an alpha who shows up every single day.
Who treats people with respect even when they're treating him like shit.
Who remembers Mrs. Henderson's cat's name and brings coffee to victims at accident scenes and stays late to finish paperwork so the next shift has it easy. "
"That's not—"
"That's everything." He leans forward. "Seth, you're twenty-seven.
You've spent your whole life thinking you're not enough because you're not loud or aggressive or traditionally 'alpha.
' But you know what? There are plenty of different ways to be a good alpha.
The world needs more deputies who give a damn.
More alphas who lead with kindness instead of dominance. "
My throat tightens. "She was with Grayson."
"One dinner doesn't mean anything." Nate's eyes are serious. "And even if it does—even if she's interested in him—that doesn't automatically mean she's not interested in you too. From what I hear, River Brooks is also in the mix."
I blink. "How do you—"
"Small town, Seth. Everyone knows everything." He grins. "And between you and me? I think you're all idiots if you're competing instead of cooperating."
The words hang in the air.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean multi-alpha packs exist for a reason." Nate's tone is matter-of-fact. "Three alphas, three different strengths, one omega who clearly needs more support than any single alpha can provide. Why compete when you could all win?"
A pack. With River and Grayson.
It sounds insane.
"She just got out of a bad relationship," I point out. "She's not looking for three alphas."
"Maybe not." Nate stands up. "But maybe that's exactly what she needs. And the only way to find out is to ask. Together."
He heads for the door, then pauses. "And Seth? Stop selling yourself short. Any omega would be lucky to have you in their pack. Including Bea Wilson."
The door closes behind him, and I sit there, staring at my terrible coffee.
A pack. With River and Grayson. Courting Bea together.
My phone buzzes.
River Brooks: Hey, you at the station? Grayson and I are grabbing coffee at Maeve's. You should join us. We need to talk.
My heart starts hammering.
This is it.
This is where River tells me to back off. Where Grayson makes it clear I don't stand a chance. Where I find out that dinner last night meant everything.
I should ignore it. Go on patrol. Avoid the whole situation.
Instead, I text back: On my way.
Maeve's bakery is starting its morning rush when I arrive. The smell hits me first—fresh bread, cinnamon, coffee—and for a moment I'm transported back to simpler times. Before Bea Wilson walked back into town and turned my world sideways.
River and Grayson are already at a corner table. River spots me first, waves me over with that easy confidence that comes so naturally to him. Grayson just watches, those dark eyes assessing everything.
I feel like I'm walking to my own execution.
"Seth." River stands, shakes my hand like we're about to conduct business. "Thanks for coming. You want coffee?"
"I'm fine."
"You look terrible," Grayson observes. Not mean, just factual. "Did you sleep at all last night? After you saw us at Millie's?"
"Yesterday. Maybe." I sit down, already defensive. "Look, if this is about Bea—"
"It is," River interrupts. His voice is calm. Direct. "We all want her. And unless I'm completely wrong, she's interested in all three of us."
The words land like a punch.
"She told you that?" My voice comes out strangled.
"Didn't have to." Grayson's leaning back, arms crossed. "I've got eyes. You looked like someone kicked your dog when you saw us at Millie's. Brooks here isn't subtle either. And Bea? She's spiraling so hard she can barely think straight. Three alphas, three panic attacks. Do the math."
"So what?" I can feel my defenses going up. "We're supposed to just... what? Draw straws? Let her pick? Compete for her like she's a prize?"
"No." River's voice is firm. "We form a pack."
Silence.
"You're serious." I look between them. "You want the three of us to court her. Together."
"Why not?" River leans forward. "Think about it, Seth. We're all interested. She's clearly interested in all of us—even if she's terrified to admit it. We all bring different things to the table. Why compete when we could support her together?"
"That's not—" I struggle for words. "We barely know each other. The three of us haven't even spent time together."
"Not yet." Grayson's dark eyes are steady. "But we can fix that. And from what I've seen, Bea Wilson doesn't need us to have it all figured out first. She needs to know we're willing to try."
"She might not want any of us," I point out. "Let alone all three."
"She might not." River's voice is gentle. "But she deserves the choice. And Seth? You need to stop deciding for her."
The words hit hard.
"I'm not—"
"You are." Grayson's voice is calm but firm. "You saw us together last night and decided you lost before the game even started. That's not her choosing someone else—that's you choosing to give up." His dark eyes pin me. "Stop making decisions for her and let her actually decide."
"He's right," River adds. "I saw her kiss you at that festival, Seth. That wasn't nothing. That wasn't some desperate ploy. She wanted to kiss you."
My chest tightens. "But she's interested in you. In Grayson. I saw her at the Tree Lighting—the way she looked at both of you..."
"Yeah, there's something there," River admits.
"I kissed her yesterday at the store. And you know what she did?
Ran. Just like she ran after kissing you at the festival.
She keeps running. Something about her ex really messed her up—I don't know the details, but I can see it.
She's scared, and she doesn't trust easily. "
"She's not broken," I say automatically. Fiercely.
"No, she's not." Grayson's almost smiling, but there's an edge to it. "She's an omega who got burned by some asshole and now thinks wanting things makes her weak. She needs three alphas who'll prove her wrong. So—you in, or are you going to keep playing the martyr?"
I look between them.
River Brooks—steady, successful, the kind of alpha who builds things that last.
Grayson Cole—intense, perceptive, the kind of alpha who sees through everyone's walls.
And me. Seth Monroe. The anxious deputy who overthinks everything and has never felt alpha enough for anyone.
But maybe—maybe—together we could be enough. For her.
"Okay." The word comes out rough. "Okay. I'm in. God, this is terrifying." I run a hand through my hair. "But if we're doing this, then we do it right. No games. No competing. We approach her together and let her decide."
"Agreed." River extends his hand. I shake it.
Grayson nods once. "Then we're doing this."
"We should probably talk logistics," River starts. "How we approach her, what we say—"
"No." I stand up, already moving. "I need to see her first. Alone. I need to tell her how I feel before we do this as a group. She deserves that honesty from each of us."
"Seth—" River starts.
"I'm not cutting you out." I'm already heading for the door. "But I've been hiding behind my anxiety and my fear for too long. If we're doing this—if we're really doing this—then I need to stop being a coward."
I make it three steps before Maeve appears, blocking my path. She's holding a paper bag and a to-go cup.
"Going somewhere, Deputy?"
"I need to—" I stop. "How did you—"
"Hazelnut latte, extra shot, oat milk." She hands me the cup. "And a blueberry muffin. Her favorites."
I stare at her. "You knew?"