Page 47 of Wanted Beta

I smile at him. “Sounds great. What time are we leaving?”

“It’s at ten, but I’ll be over there a little bit early to get set up.”

“Perfect,” I murmur.

I lean in and kiss him, realizing it’s been days since we connected physically.

I’ve been too caught up in other things, and he’s been busy looking after our Omega.

He lets out a soft moan when I move back.

I can tell from the look in his vibrant blue eyes that he’s missed my touch.

Tonight, I promise myself.

“I should … check on Arrow,” Jack says, pressing his lips together and giving me one last needy glance before he leaves the kitchen.

I lean back against the front of the counter as he goes.

Bad, bad Alpha. Your mates have been missing you as if you’re not around.

It’s worse than if I’d been gone somewhere.

At least then I’d have an excuse for not giving them what they need.

I’ll make sure I’m fully present for them tonight.

That'll be a good start.

Fixing the problem to keep from neglecting my mates longer term might not be so easy, but I know now I have to resolve the issues with the restaurant, and the sooner I can manage that, the better.

Once everything is running smoothly, and we have a regular stream of customers coming through the doors, we’ll be in a position to hire extra staff and I won’t need to worry about how we’re going to manage to keep on top of the rent.

Jack and Arrow won’t need to be here all the time once we have other employees.

They’ll probably still hang around when they’re not busy with other things, but I’d much rather have them back here with me, than out front where the only eye I have on them is via the small security camera feed at the front desk.

I glance at it now as I start to fill the sink to do the dishes.

Arrow’s slouched forward, leaning over the desk and staring out the window.

He’s bored and daydreaming, most likely. It’s not the most stimulating job, especially when there are no customers to interact with.

My Omega mate straightens slowly as Jack arrives at his side.

They stand close to each other as they start to talk.

The image is too small to see their expressions, but I know Arrow’s happier than he was before Jack went out there, and that’s all that really matters.

I tear my gaze away from the feed to start washing up the dishes.

I’m done in moments, and I’m left with not much else to occupy myself.

Checking the time, I find out it’s almost five p.m.

I know we could close right now if I made the decision.

We’ve been closed by eight or nine every night since we opened.

---