Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Siobhan
“I should probably head back to my place today,” Aury says while we’re eating breakfast at the nook in my kitchen.
“Oh,” I reply, trying not to let the disappointment show.
“I’m sorry,” Aury says, and I shake my head too quickly, jarring my injured head and neck. “I’d love to stay, but I don’t have many vacation hours left at work, and I need to get back to my cat.”
“Yeah, no. I understand. Of course,” I say, this time speaking too quickly. I stand and grab our plates, walking them over to the sink. “Thank you for everything these last few days.”
“You’re welcome,” Aury says, having followed me. “But really, it was my pleasure.”
I bite my lip, unsure where to go from here.
I have a scent match, an alpha who is interested in me, but I wonder if Aury is my scent match too.
If not, he’s as close as you can get without being one.
I don’t know how to tell with a beta, though.
We didn’t have that instant, mouth-watering connection that Sage described with each of hers—including Riley, her beta.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Aury cups one hand on my jaw, being careful to avoid my healing bruises. “You still have those library books due, right?”
I chuckle. “Probably past due now. Bea is going to think I stole them.”
“Do you do that often?” Aury asks, an amused glint in his eyes.
I shrug. “Only the really good ones.”
Aury’s grin lights me up inside, and my omega preens under his appreciation. I want him to stay. I want to go with him. I want his hands on me at all times.
But that’s absolutely insane, and not how strong, independent women act, so I don’t say any of it.
“How about I pick you up tomorrow, then? We can return your books and run any other errands you’d like. No driving yet, okay?” he says, the last sentence stern in a way that has me wanting to tip my chin up in defiance while my core clenches at the same time.
So confusing, these omega instincts.
“That sounds great,” I say instead.
Aury opens the door and steps out, and I wait with baited breath to see if this time, he’ll finally kiss me. He hesitates, licks his lips, then drops his eyes to the ground between us and takes a slow step back. He glances back up at me, a sad-looking smile on his face.
“Let me know how it goes with Hayden?”
I can’t tell what the odd tone of his voice means, but my inner omega takes it as rejection. I nod once, forcing a smile to my lips. “Yeah, of course.”
“See you tomorrow, Moonbeam,” he murmurs. Then he turns and strides away, taking my good mood with him.
I’m stress cleaning my bookshelves and crystals when my phone buzzes on the coffee table behind me.
Hayden: Hey Siobhan, it’s Hayden. How are you feeling today?
I smile and snatch my phone up, quickly opening the message to reply.
Me: Not bad, just a small headache still. I’m feeling a lot better today than the last couple days.
Hayden: I’m really glad to hear that. Are you taking any painkillers? Other medications?
I huff. The alpha has barely met me twice and he’s already fussing.
Me: Only Tylenol sometimes, mostly before bed so I can sleep.
Hayden: Good. Hey, I wanted to ask you something.
Hayden: Or I guess let you know of something. I should have mentioned it the other night
My heart starts racing. It’s like when your parents text you ‘call me’ with no further explanation. Am I in trouble? Did I do something wrong already? Does he already have an omega?
Me: What’s up?
Hayden: So, I have a pack mate. An alpha, his name is Jayce. I should have mentioned him before and I’m so sorry to you both that I didn’t. Would it be okay if I sent you his information? Or maybe made a group chat for us?
I breathe out a sigh of relief. One alpha isn’t bad. I do wish they’d told me sooner, but I guess the opportunity didn’t come up. Will he be a scent match too?
Jayce.
The name alone sends a shiver down my spine.
Me: What does he look like?
I hit send without thought, and then my eyes bug out when I realize what I just did.
“Oh, fuck,” I yell, tempted to throw my phone out the window and never look at it again.
He asks if we can chat, and I act like an absolute moron, asking what the man looks like before knowing anything else about him.
What the hell is wrong with me? I scramble to send another message before he replies.
Me: I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry. I blame the concussion.
Only, as soon as it sends, my phone vibrates with an incoming message. It’s a photo—a selfie of him and Jayce.
Hayden: You can blame the concussion. I’m happy to send more photos as needed [cheeky smile emoji]
I stare at the picture. Goddess, they’re both gorgeous.
A contrast of skin tones between Hayden’s warm bronze and Jayce’s light tan.
Hayden with dark eyes and dark hair, curly on top, while Jayce has neatly trimmed blond hair, a myriad of freckles covering his face and neck, and glowing hazel eyes.
I wonder if he has sparks of green or gold in them, to give them such a unique color.
And good gracious. I thought Hayden was strong, but Jayce’s arms bulge obscenely in the tight tee he’s wearing.
Hayden: You still there?
Aaaaand I’m officially mortified. I’ve been staring at the photo, fingers hovering without typing anything for literal minutes now. I clear my throat, as though that matters when texting, and my mind races as I try to figure out how to reply.
Me: Yep.
Fuck. I’m going to die of humiliation.
Hayden: I’ll take that as appreciation. So, what do you think, can I start a group chat?
Me: Yeah, of course. That sounds great.
Siobhan has been added to the chat.
Hayden: Jayce, meet Siobhan. Siobhan, meet Jayce.
Unknown number: Hi Siobhan, would it be too much to ask for a picture in return? Hayden might have described you to me, but a picture speaks a thousand words, as the saying goes.
Okay, that’s kinda cute. I pinch my lips together and debate taking a selfie like they did. My phone camera shows a still-bruised lump on my temple with a scabbed over gash, and another yellowing bruise on my jaw.
So that’s a solid hell no. Instead, I find a recent photo from a shoot I did the other week and send it through. Then I update his contact information.
Jayce: More stunning than I could have imagined.
I flush and swallow hard, my entire face and neck heating. He’s going to be disappointed if we go on a date. I won’t look nearly that good for a couple more weeks at least.
Me: Thank you.
Hayden: Siobhan, would it be okay with you if all three of us went on a date? I understand if that’s too overwhelming - if you’d like, we can plan separate dates. We’re both happy with either, whatever you prefer. We want you to be comfortable.
Look at the cute alpha overcompensating. I think that was the texting version of a ramble.
Me: I’m happy to meet up with both of you, so long as it’s somewhere here in town. A public place.
Jayce: And you’ve got a solid head on your shoulders, too. That sounds great to me.
Hayden: How about brunch this weekend? We have both mornings open.
Me: Brunch is good! My Sundays tend to be pretty busy, but Saturday is open. I love brunch.
Jayce: Perfect. How about the bakery? Do you have a sweet tooth, or would you prefer someplace with more savory options?
Me: Yes, much as I hate to admit to the omega stereotype. The bakery would be amazing. Is 10am okay?
Hayden: 10 is perfect. Can we pick you up?
Me: I should be cleared to drive by then. If not, I’ll let you know.
Hayden: Sounds good, see you in a couple days. In the meantime, if you need anything or want to chat, we’re both happy to.
Jayce: Would love to get to know you better, whichever way you prefer that to happen.
Me: Thanks. I try not to be on my phone more than I need to, but a little texting here and there is okay. I look forward to Saturday [smile emoji]
Hayden: Noted, thanks for letting us know, Siobhan
Jayce: Sounds good, pretty omega. See you soon.
I flop onto the couch behind me with a sigh, only now realizing I’d been pacing circles around the reading room for that entire text conversation.
I clutch my phone to my chest, a giddy smile on my face.
There’s one thing gnawing at me, though.
Neither of them said anything about Aury, and I kind of hate that I didn’t either.
Because I want him.
No matter what happens with these alphas, I want to be with Aury. But can I resist my scent matches if they don’t want him, too?
My smile drops as I slump into the plush cushions for a different reason now. I’ve been dreaming of a pack for most of my life. Ever since it became clear that my parents were more of the ‘look like good parents’ type rather than ‘be good parents’ type.
Maybe the meddling garden club will be helpful for once…
Me: Hey so, I have a bit of a conundrum.
Bea: Is it about how obsessed with you Aury is? I’m guessing the fact none of us has heard from you in days is because you were holed up with him.
Me: No… I mean. Not exactly.
Claire: Oh my gosh what happened
Me: Nothing!
Bea: … [sideways eyes emoji]
Me: Unfortunately, for real nothing. But uh… I kind of met a scent match.
Sage: Well we kind of already knew that with Aury
Me: No. An alpha. I still don’t know if Aury is or not.
Bea: Sorry WHAT
Claire: Do we know him/her/them?
Wren: No way that’s amazing!
Me: Okay yeah so the paramedic who came in the ambulance, turns out they’re my scent match. They stopped by my place and asked if they could take me on a date. They live with another alpha, Jayce. Anyways, they both want to take me to brunch on Saturday.
Claire: And the conundrum is…
Me: They didn’t say anything about Aury
Me: And Aury didn’t say anything about being interested in them
Me: But…
Sage: You want Aury
Me: Yeah.
Sage: Did you tell him that?
Me: Not exactly? I mean we kinda almost kissed a couple times. But he kept pulling away. And then he could have kissed me before he left earlier, but he didn’t so… idk
Wren: Coming from someone who has seen the two of you together, the man is gone for you. He definitely cares about you, and as more than just a friend.
Sage: I think you should tell him.
Me: What if he doesn’t want me though? There’s a big difference between having a crush from a distance, and wanting to be with an omega. We’re needy and annoying.
Claire: Hey now! You’re not annoying and you’re only sometimes needy, which isn’t a bad thing.
My eyes turn glassy and I have to tip my chin up to avoid them spilling over. I’ve literally never been told that before, and even though it’s mother-hen Claire who doesn’t have a bad bone in her body, it still means something to hear those words.
Claire: But I agree with Sage. And Wren. You need to tell him, otherwise you’ll be stuck wondering.
Me: He’s picking me up tomorrow to return my library books. I guess I could try to talk to him then.
Bea: Thank goodness, I was about to come over and hunt them down myself. I know you have a secret bookshelf somewhere…
I laugh, grateful for their humorous interruption.
Me: I do not! I swear!
Me: But yeah, I’ll tell him. I’d rather know either way.
Bea: He wouldn’t have stayed so long with you if he didn’t feel the same way, babe. You’re overthinking it. Just let your instincts guide you.
Me: Okay, thanks friends.
A chorus of “we got you” and “love you” flood my phone, and I set it back down, sick of texting. Telling him how I feel—that I think I’m falling for him—sounds terrifying. I honestly don’t know if I’m brave enough.
The reality is that he’s such a nice guy, he would have helped out anyone who needed it. I’m not special. I sigh and turn to my most trusty tarot deck, seeking guidance and reassurance before I crack my heart open and spill it into his hands tomorrow.