Page 127 of The Beta's Bargain

“How do you know that?” I ask to buy time. I swallow hard as he tosses his mask in the dumpster and moves closer.

“Trade secrets,” Grayson shouts. He pauses on the edge of the alley mouth, whoops loudly, then jogs towards me. He picks me up and spins me around. “You're ours now.”

I can’t help but smile down at Gray. He’s lost his mask, too, I note. Good, I want to see their faces. I need to. Everything depends on their answers.

“Almost,” Silas says. “Gray, put her down.” The command sinks into my skin and leaves me painfully aware of my alphas. Yes, Silas is right, we need to finish this.

The alpha sets me down and steps back. My attention slides to Silas as he stalks towards me. His expression is predatory, and when he smiles, he smirks.

“We found you,” Silas says and circles around me. “We brought you wings, and,” he glances at Falcon, who pulls out a sandwich and a drink, “It’s the same drink and sandwich you gave Dylan on the last day before you came to work for us.”

I stare at them and feel tears burning.

“We also bought the convenience store, just in case,” Falcon shrugs. “I'm taking no chances. So, help yourself.”

I splutter a laugh.

Silas reaches out with one finger, stealing my attention back. “You want words? We’re sorry. More than sorry, we will regret it for our dying days. We are in love with you. We can’t live our lives without you. There is a hole inside our pack that only you can fill. So know that our words are heartfelt, honest, and true, and we will prove them with actions every day.”

“And the offer?” This is the one I'm most concerned about. I don’t want their money, I don’t want their things. I'm betting on them knowing me enough to know that.

Grayson clears his throat. “I'm offering you life.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Pretty sure I have that one already, Gray,” I tease.

He snorts a laugh and circles behind me, hugging me and pointing his hand out to the street. “I’ll give you a life of fun, of experiences, good and bad, because I'm Gray, after all. A life that’s lived not survived.”

I don’t know why his words reach deep down into me and twist. But they make it really hard to see. He hugs me tight and kisses my neck before he moves away.

“My offer is for safety,” Falcon says. “I will keep you safe in this world by protecting your body, providing you a safe place to sleep. I’ll keep your nightmares from you, and I’ll be the ear to listen. In this world, when you are afraid, know that I will always be at your side, fighting for you, from this day on.”

A tear slips down my cheek, and he thumbs it aside and presses his lips to mine in a chaste kiss.

“Good offer,” I whisper.

“I thought so,” Falcon murmurs back. He reluctantly lets me go and steps away.

“I’m offering you my trust,” Dylan says. “I haven’t told you the truth, not about everything, and it’s the reason why I got so scared and withdrew when things went wrong.”

I peer at him anxiously.

“You see, I, uh,” Dylan scratches the back of his head. “Fuck! My name is Griffin Dylan Wryven Donahue. I'm the lost heir to the Donahue fortune. I took off when all that happened. I wanted nothing to do with that world, with money. With anyone.”

I stare at him, stunned into silence.

“You saved me when I had nothing. I was probably going to die. But you had kindness, mercy, for a no one. You didn’t see money when you looked at me, you didn’t see power. That’s why I loved you, because you saw me when I thought no one else could.”

“I never cared about your money,” I say to all of them.

“We know,” Falcon says in amusement. “We know what you did for your sister. With all the wages you’d earned.”

Dylan clears his throat. “So, my truth is that I was scared. You were my hero, you saved me. My happy ending isn’t going to be complete without you.”

“So, you’re, like, really, really, uh, well off, then?”

Dylan laughs. “Just a bit.”

I swallow, but my stomach’s jumping, full of nerves. I close my eyes and have to squash the familiar feelings of inferiority.

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