Page 18 of Faith and Fury

“I hope the bath was an okay temperature last night,” I tell her, walking us into the guest bathroom. “Of course, you’re welcome to run it yourself. The cold-water tap gets a little stiff, but—” I yank on it, demonstrating, “—you just need to give it some muscle.”

She chuffs in acknowledgment.

Jaxon pipes up, “Or, if you’re more into showers, I think it’s that lever up there.”

“Right.” I point. “Sorry. Should’ve mentioned.”

Next we show her the living room, offering her the TV remote. She’s more interested than I expected, surfing the channels with rapt attention. I guess three years is a long time to go without entertainment.

Jaxon and I hover, exchanging glances. Should we leave her be? Give her a chance to catch up on the world?

Suddenly she pulls out her notepad, leaning against the coffee table to write. Jaxon and I lean forward curiously.

THERE ARE ONLY 2 BEDROOMS.

I blush. Jaxon clears his throat.

“Good observation,” he says.

She writes something else. ARE YOU ALL MATES?

I cough into my coffee cup. The words seem blunt, but there’s no judgement on her fine, scarred face.

“Would it bother you,” I find myself asking, “if we were?”

Jaxon snaps his head at me. I ignore him. Though we’re living in a major city, there are still plenty of people who don’t approve of alpha-alpha relationships—especially between males.

Faith considers for a moment, then writes, NO. SAFER THAT WAY.

I frown. “How’s that?”

She flips the page over. BECAUSE I ALREADY HAVE A MATE.

It’s Jaxon’s turn to choke. “We’re not going force ourselves on you, omega,” he growls. “Christ, who do you think we are?”

She stares up at him blankly. Those beautiful blue eyes become so cold I can hardly bear to look.

Finally, she writes, SO YOU’RE NOT MATES.

I smile sheepishly. “Just packmates.”

Jaxon scoffs. “Don’t have to look so disappointed.”

With that, he storms off, muttering something about grabbing a snack.

I sit down on the couch, leaving a cushion between me and Faith. “Sorry about that,” I tell her. “It must be weird, staying in a den with three unmated alphas. If there’s anything we can do to make you feel safer, just let me know.”

She bristles, but doesn’t move. Just when it seems like she’s back to watching TV, she uncaps her marker again.

STILL DOESN’T ANSWER MY QUESTION.

I raise my eyebrows. “What question?”

2 BEDROOMS.

“Oh.” I smile. “Well … to be totally honest, we didn’t always share. I used to have the guest room, and Jaxon would normally crash on the couch.”

BUT SOMETHING CHANGED.

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