Chapter 18
Hayes
Ican’t believe what I’m seeing.
Someone might as well have hit the pause button on my life, because I am in shock.
Lo.
Sitting there, gorgeous, clearly dressed up for a date. This isn’t casual. And she’s at dinner with him.
Ford.
My packmate.
How the hell did I not know about this?
Does my pack just not talk about anything any longer?
Wow. I’m speechless. I’ve heard rumors, sure, but I’ve also heard a million other things about Lo since she’s been back. Who knows what to believe when it comes to town rumors.
I just hadn’t quite gotten around to speaking to Ford yet. We’ve been passing ships at home, working different hours… life has been crazy for us. Beck included, with his wild shifts.
But it seems this particular rumor is true.
A rush of adrenaline washes over me. Hope, possibly. I mean, this couldn’t be better, right? Me and Ford both want Lo, and I’m sure Beck does too. I just know it. The type of fiery connection they had together back in high school doesn’t just dwindle like that.
We’re all drawn to her. It’s like fate’s pushing us in this direction, and personally? I’m excited about it. There’s something natural about all of it, like this was always meant to happen.
Lo is our Omega. I know it in my gut.
I take another step, my heart pounding with excitement. It’s like everything is finally falling into place, and I’m not going to hold back. I don’t care if this is Ford’s night. This feels too good and too right, and I want to be part of it. If we’re going to be a pack, why not start now?
Ford looks like he’s about to say something, but I’m already walking toward the table. I can feel my grin spreading wider with every step.
This is happening. This is real.
Lo’s eyes widen as I approach, and I catch the flash of surprise before she masks it. A little flush colors her cheeks. She doesn’t look upset, though. Just… uncertain. But her scent is shifting, and it makes my pulse quicken.
“Hey, guys. What’s up?” I say, forcing the excitement in my voice to stay casual, though I can’t hide the enthusiasm bubbling up inside me. Time for me to lead this pack a bit. “Didn’t know we were having a party tonight.”
Lo’s gaze flicks between Ford and me, clearly trying to figure out what’s going on. I can see the confusion in her eyes, and I can almost hear the questions running through her mind. But I’m not giving her any space to figure this out on her own.
She doesn’t need to.
We’re right here, all of us.
Ford leans back in his seat, watching me carefully, as if waiting for me to make my move. But he’s not backing away. He’s just as sure of this as I am. I can see it in the flash of his eyes.
It’s been a while since his Alpha has come to the surface like this. It’s a good look on him.
“We’re kind of… on a date.” Lo finally says awkwardly.
I laugh and pull up a chair, not waiting for an invitation. “You didn’t tell me you were having a date. Besides, we’re pack. If Ford is on a date with you, it hardly seems fair that I can’t join in.”
Lo stares at me, blinking a few times as if she’s processing the words. A flash of something, maybe disbelief, crosses her face.
“Pack?” Her voice wavers slightly, like she can’t believe what I just said. “What are you talking about? You and Ford are a pack? I had no idea. When did that happen?”
“Last year,” Ford jumps in. “Beck, too.”
Lo’s head jerks toward him, her confusion deepening. “Beck?”
I nod, the excitement in my chest still humming. “Yeah, Lo. We’re a pack. Isn’t this just perfect?”
Ford leans in slightly, clearly as invested in this conversation as I am. “It’s like we were all meant to come together. And now I think I know why. Because of you.”
Lo’s face falls a little, a deep furrow appearing between her brows. She looks like she’s trying to process this, but everything seems so overwhelming.
“Wait…” She looks between the two of us again, clearly processing. “So, you two—” She gestures between Ford and me. “And Beck? You’re all… drawn to me?”
Ford chuckles softly, and I can’t help but join him. There’s something so natural about it, so easy. She looks so adorable when she’s clueless. “Well, we haven’t actually talked about it yet, but I am, Hayes clearly is, and we just know Beck is into you. Always has been.”
Her gaze flickers back to me, then Ford, then down to the table, her lips pressed together tightly.
“You’re telling me,” she says, her voice shaky now, “that I’m the one who fits with you guys? Like I’m your… what? Your pack Omega?”
The statement lands heavily in the air, but it makes everything in me settle. Yes, that’s exactly what she is. My Omega. Ford’s Omega. Beck’s Omega.
Our Omega.
I feel my smile widen, maybe a little too much, but I can’t help it. This is happening. I can feel it. “Yeah, Lo. You are. It feels… natural, doesn’t it?”
“Oh, this date will be the first of many.” Ford chuckles as he runs his hand through his hair. “We’re going to court you, Lo, and show you that we’re the pack for you.”
“I already have so many ideas,” I jump in. “I was thinking we could…”
But my words trail off as I notice something new. A bitterness to Lo’s scent that matches her expression. Why isn’t she happier about this?
Oh, right.
It hits me like a tidal wave. I have been getting way too carried away. The only reason I’ve been holding back is because I know Lo doesn’t want to stay here. The town isn’t for her… which means she might not see us as real potential.
Shit.
And there we are, blathering like idiots as if we have a future with her.
Lo’s hand tightens on her glass, her knuckles white, and she looks up at us with wide eyes, her face pale. The confusion and anxiety in her scent are thick now. It’s almost overwhelming.
“Wait, wait.” Her voice trembles as she stands abruptly. “This… this isn’t—” Her breath catches, and she glances between Ford and me, clearly panicking. “You’re not… You’re not listening. I… I can’t just… You all can’t just decide this for me.”
Her words hit me like a slap in the face, and I feel the sudden shift in her energy. Her scent goes from confusion to something else. Fear, anxiety, and a deep unease. I’m about to speak, to apologize, but Lo is already backing away from the table, her hands shaking as she gathers her things.
“Lo, wait,” Ford says, standing up too, his tone shifting to one of concern. “Lo, just stop—”
But she doesn’t stop. Her eyes are wide, darting between the two of us, like we’ve become something terrifying. I can see it now. She’s overwhelmed, feeling cornered. It’s too much, too fast. And I didn’t notice how much I was pushing her.
We’re about to lose her again.
I move quickly, stepping toward her, but she raises her hand in a silent plea for space, her eyes frantic now.
“No.” Her voice cracks, and she takes another step back. “I… I need air. I need to think. I can’t… I can’t do this.”
She spins on her heel, her movements frantic as she walks toward the door, but she’s clearly struggling to control the chaos inside her.
“Lo!” Ford calls after her, but she doesn’t turn back.
She’s out the door in a heartbeat.
I stare at the door for a moment, my chest tight.
A wave of frustration rolls over me, but it’s not directed at her.
It’s directed at myself. I should’ve known better.
I should’ve seen how much she was struggling, how much she was not ready for this.
But I got too caught up in the excitement, in the idea of us, once I stepped through those diner doors with nothing but fate intervening when I laid eyes on her and Ford.
And now, I’ve scared her off.
I hear Ford’s heavy breath behind me. He’s visibly agitated now, his Alpha instincts pushing him into a protective frenzy. His muscles are tense, his jaw clenched. He looks like he’s about to follow her out the door, but something inside me stops him before he can take another step.
“Ford,” I say, my voice sharp enough to get his attention. “Don’t. She needs space.”
Ford turns to me, the frustration clear in his eyes. “She can’t just run off like that, Hayes! We’re her pack! We’re supposed to be together—”
“We can’t force her into anything,” I say, stepping closer to him. “We’re not going to corner her. Not like this. We want her to want this, but not because we’re pushing her. That’s how it’s going to work. She needs to come to us when she’s ready.”
If that ever happens.
Ford’s hands ball up into fists, and the air around us crackles with his need to do something to fix this. He growls under his breath, a primal sound that only an Alpha could make when their instincts are screaming at them to act.
“I know,” Ford mutters, his shoulders sagging as he continues looking at the door Lo escaped through. “I just… it’s hard. It’s her, Hayes. It’s always been her. Even when I was jealous of Beck in high school. Even when I got jealous of the rumors of the two of you around town—”
I smile. “There are rumors of her and me around town? Do tell.”
That pulls his attention back to me. He shoots me a look. “Focus.”
I lift my nose and square my shoulders. “Calm down, and I will. But your Alpha is raging, and we’re in public.”
He draws in a few deep breaths. “It took me so long to come to terms with it. Part of me wants her all to myself because I know she’s mine.
But deep down, I know she’s ours. Our pack Omega, no matter what this town believes about her.
Hearing the rumors circulating around? Thinking back on things while in the shop? She’s always been ours, Hayes.”
I’ve never heard him speak so much in one go in all the years I’ve known him. “Is that why you’ve been working so much in the shop lately?”
He sighs heavily, a sound I don’t usually hear from him. “Helps me with my thoughts.”
“Oh, Ford. We will figure this out. We’ll find a way to make this work, you know we will.” I pause as a grin slides across my face. “You know, once all of us can settle in the same space for more than a few seconds.”
His gaze focuses as his instincts retreat, and I can see the ache. The longing. “It’s her, Hayes. I want to go after her so badly. She deserves someone who goes after her.”
“I know,” I say softly as I reach out and squeeze his shoulder. “I know it’s her. And we’re not going to screw this up. We just need to let her breathe. She’s been through a lot, and she’s processing even more. We have to be courteous of that.”
Ford exhales loudly, his gaze flicking toward the door, but he doesn’t move.
He knows I’m right. In a way, with my pack, I’m always right.
Despite Ford’s quiet demeanor and Beck’s charismatic strength, the one thing I’ve always brought to my pack is the emotional stability of a Beta.
I’ve never been governed by emotions and instincts the way the two of them can be.
If it’s crushing me not to go after Lo, I can only imagine how Beck and Ford feel.
But despite everything, I know one thing for certain: None of this can be rushed, no matter how badly we want it to be.
Still, it’s wonderful to hear that this has been on Ford’s mind.
After a few long moments, he heaves another heavy sigh, and I already know he has resigned to the fact that I’m right.
Because I’m always right when it comes to my pack.
“We wait,” he finally says, understanding me.
“Yeah,” I answer with another squeeze to his shoulder. “We wait.”
It’s not the way I imagined this night going. But I won’t let it be the last time I get to show Lo that she belongs with us.
Not if I can help it.