Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Belle
“This really isn’t necessary...” The spread on the table looks more appropriate for a mid-sized house party than snacks for one person, and Percy keeps adding more.
He raises an eyebrow at me as he scoots a container of blueberries in between a dish of trail mix and a cheese plate. I ate a few crackers with cheese when I first sat down, but twenty minutes later, the options are still growing, and I’m entirely too overwhelmed to even choose what to eat next.
“In hindsight, I may have gone a little overboard,” Percy admits as he steps back and surveys the mini-feast he’s set up in lieu of a normal bedtime snack.
“Maybe a little.”
I’m flattered by his dedication to feeding me, even if I’m not all that hungry right now. I reach for a handful of blueberries and pop one into my mouth, moaning slightly when I bite down and the fresh fruit explodes in my mouth.
Percy sputters out an uncomfortable cough.
My eyes fly open, and I ask, “Are you okay?”
“Uh-huh.” His gaze is completely zeroed in on me as he takes the seat across from me.
I shrug off my concern and reach for the salted cashews in the dish closest to me, startling when the front door jerks open and Knox stomps in with Rhys cheerfully following behind him. They both have arms full of groceries.
“I’m not sure why you couldn’t have brought all of this in yourself,” Knox grumbles. “You’re the one who was adamant about going to the grocery early despite having enough food to last another week or two.”
Rhys grins over at me and winks. “Aren’t you glad I went ahead and stocked up now that we have an extra mouth to feed, though?”
I fight off the urge to blush, dropping my gaze to pretend to examine the nuts in my hand. I don’t want Rhys to know how giddy I feel that he’s in no rush to hurry me out of their house. Maybe I’m getting caught up in wishful thinking, but I know we all recognize the scent-match lingering in the air even if we aren’t talking about it directly.
Knox grumbles a non-answer, and that deflates some of my excitement. Even if we all feel the scent-match, I guess we aren’t all equally excited about the possibilities. Knox doesn’t seem very happy that I’m here. If he were the one to find me on the side of the road rather than Rhys, I have a feeling I wouldn’t be here right now.
“Hey.” Percy nudges my leg with his foot under the table. “Don’t mind him.”
I nod absently. Percy and Rhys don’t seem nearly as concerned about Knox’s disdain for me as I am.
That’s odd.
Choosing an omega isn’t just up to one or two of them. All of them have to agree. So even if I am their scent match, if Knox doesn’t like me, none of them will keep me.
“Can you tell me what kind of music you like?” Percy draws my focus back to him.
“Hmm...” After thinking for a moment, I think I have a solid answer. “Definitely pop music, at least. I’m a Swiftie.”
Percy’s grin widens, and he leans closer to whisper. “Don’t tell them I told you this, but we have Swiftie dance parties sometimes when we tackle deep cleaning days around the house.”
“Really?”
He nods solemnly.
Picturing these three masculine men in the mountains shaking it off to Taylor Swift makes me snicker under my breath. Somehow, I can definitely picture it, though. Especially from Rhys, who doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously. Knox is a little harder to picture grooving, but I know sometimes the most gruff guys can be cinnamon rolls down deep. Maybe, just maybe, that’s the type of guy Knox is.
There might be hope for Knox and me yet.
“What about your favorite movie?” Percy rests his chin on his hand, admiring me while I search the depths of my available memories–limited as they currently are–for an answer.
“I can’t quite put my finger on it,” I admit, “but I think there’s a series of movies I love. Something with a lot of fantastical action, maybe?” I can almost picture the actors, but my brain can’t seem to make a complete memory for me.
“Star Wars? Lord of the Rings? Pirates of the Caribbean?” Percy squints as he tries to come up with more options while I shake my head hopelessly. “Maybe if I describe the plots to you a little...” He launches into a description of one of the movies that doesn’t sound very familiar.
My eyelids are growing heavy. I do my best not to nod off while I listen to Percy, but his voice is so soothing...
“Are you still listening?” Percy asks abruptly, still smiling, so I don’t think he’s too offended.
“Mhm.” I blink myself back awake and try to remember the last thing I heard him say. Even straightening in my chair doesn’t do much to shake off the sleepiness that is continuing to descend over me with a vengeance. “Something about–uh...” A yawn overtakes me, forcing me to trail off.
Percy chuckles. “Alright, that’s enough of that.” He leans forward and plucks the half-eaten cracker from between my fingers. “How about I read to you instead of peppering you with questions?”
My exhaustion-soaked brain takes a moment to process his offer. Has anyone read to me since I was a little girl? Not that I can recall, though that doesn’t carry much weight at the moment.
“I would like that,” I tell him.
As much as I’m enjoying his attention, there’s a stab in my stomach warning me to be cautious here. This might feel like a romantic movie where the heroine is swept off her feet by the pack of her dreams, but I’m sitting here unable to remember the most basic details about myself.
How can we get to know each other as potential mates when I don’t even know who I really am?
He smiles warmly and stands up, leaving me briefly to grab an e-reader from the kitchen counter. When he returns to the table, he offers me his hand and pulls me up out of my seat.
“Let’s sit more comfortably.” He guides me over to the couch and pulls me onto his lap sideways so that my legs are over his and my back rests against the armrest of the couch.
“What about the snacks?” I gesture to the abandoned spread.
“I’ll clean that up after you’ve gone to bed, princess.” He wraps an arm around my waist and squeezes me close. My eyes flutter closed as I lean my shoulder into him, taking comfort in his embrace. Maybe for tonight, I can ignore that warning and focus on how right it feels to be with him like this. He props his other arm up with his e-reader in front of his face, and he uses his thumb to scroll until he seems to find the book he’s looking for. “I started this one this morning,” he explains. “I’m not too far in yet.”
As the two of us settle in for a grown-up bedtime story, Rhys and Knox quiet down as they work side-by-side to put the massive amount of groceries away. Even with three grown men in the house, I have a hard time imagining them needing so much food.
They must really avoid the long drive into town at all costs!
Percy clears his throat and begins reading where he left off.
“ She wasn’t expecting to be tackled into a grocery store shelf on a Tuesday afternoon, but life had a way of keeping her on her toes. One second, she was reaching for a jar of pasta sauce at the grocery store. The next, a human missile in the form of a very attractive, very flustered man, crashed into her, sending both of them and about fifteen jars of marinara tumbling to the ground.”
Percy pauses reading when I inhale sharply.
“Everything okay?” he asks, eyes skimming over me to look for any signs of woe.
“I’m not sure.” I rub at the weird ache developing in the center of my chest. “Something about that scene feels familiar. Do you think I’ve read this book before?”
His expression turns worried. “This hasn’t been released yet...”
“Oh.”
“I’ve edited several times for this author. I really don’t think she would plagiarize anything.” He furrows his brows as he stares intently down at the screen of his e-reader, making me think he’s not so sure about that. I’m more focused on what he’s just revealed about being an editor.
“I love books,” I blurt out, my eyes going wide as I surprise myself with the ferocity of my words.
“Me too.” His arm squeezes me even tighter. “Something we have in common.”
My chest feels all warm and fuzzy. I like the idea of having something in common with Percy. He’s being so sweet, feeding and reading to me. An omega could really get used to this, so long as the three alphas prove to want the same thing.
A cozy cabin in the woods wouldn’t be such a bad place to nest. After all, I love the outdoors.
Wait!
I straighten on Percy’s lap with excitement as I realize I’m starting to recall more of my interests. I like reading and the outdoors and reading outdoors . Bits of my memory are coming back, which seems like reassurance that my identity isn’t lost forever.
Percy tilts his head, his lips pursing to question my sudden change, but Rhys interrupts before he can.
“If you’re sure you don’t want any more snacks tonight, we should get you to bed, Belle.” Rhys wanders closer while Knox stays back near the kitchen island, hands buried deep in his pockets and a scowl fixed on his face.
“She’s definitely sleepy.” Percy nods his agreement with a teasing smile.
“You can stay in my bed tonight,” Rhys offers.
“No fucking way!” Knox roars, crossing the floor quickly to edge Rhys out of the way. His tone is the commanding voice of a pack leader, leaving no room to argue as he barks, “You’ll sleep in my bed tonight.”