Page 63 of Talk About… Rivalry

Taylor shrugged when I looked to him for answers.

“You got what I got,” he said. “Figured you would need food as well.”

My smile grew wider at the thoughtful gesture. I’d have eaten it even if I hated it at this point.

“Thank you, Taylor,” I said, voice a low rumble that had him swallowing hard and looking away.

Oh, now he was shy?

Interesting. I might have a switch on my hands.

“We have a few things to discuss, gentleman,” I said, glancing around at the three men at the table with me.

My pack.

Another surprise. Especially since this pack was more than a little messed up at the moment.

“What stake do you have here?” Maverick scoffed. As if he had a leg to stand on with our omega. He couldn’t even tell her that he wanted her and accepted a date right in front of her.

“More than you, seeing as I've fucked her,” I said evenly. Something he already suspected.

Maverick stood up, ready to lunge across the table at me while I sat there, unbothered and slightly amused.

Taylor growled, shoving him back.

“This is my family business. If you can’t control yourself then you can leave, Maverick Whitaker. You may be some social media royalty these days, but you’re no king here,” he bit out. “Either sit your ass down, or go.”

Leo looked up at Taylor, shock on his face. I wasn’t sure of their connection, only that it was platonic.

“Damn, Taylor,” Leo said, a slight chuckle escaping. “What the hell is going on here?”

“I’d love to know how you fit in,” I admitted, gesturing to Leo.

“We’re pack,” he said, hand pointing to Taylor and himself. “He’s my best friend and I was trying to get a read on this omega he found.”

“The same one you bullied relentlessly in middle school and sent home crying far too many times to fucking count,” Maverick accused.

Anger flared in my chest until guilt flashed across Leo’s face.

“Something I intend to talk to her about,” the beta admitted. His calm fell away as he slumped against the table, hands gripping at his short, brown hair. “It was a misunderstanding held by a young kid. I’ll fix it, because I’m fairly certain she’s mine, too.”

“What?” Taylor asked, stunned. “What do you mean?”

His voice held hope. Clearly, my omega wanted this man as his pack and was grasping at ways to make it happen.

“I swear I scented her. It was so quick, there then not, but it cut straight through me.”

The same as it had that night with her. She wasn’t relaxed and letting her guard down here, so maybe it was being close to true scent matched mates that did it.

Or stress. There was enough of that tonight to fill a therapist’s appointment book for several years out.

“I haven’t,” Maverick said. His tone held so much defeat that the rest of us fell silent. The alpha’s face was a picture of pure, raw devastation.

If he cared for her that deeply, was fighting this hard, then I had a feeling he’d eventually come to the conclusion we did.

“You know not all mates are scent matched,” Taylor said gently.

“Sidney wants you,” I agreed. “The look on her face last night at the bar, the one where you accepted a date right in front of her, matches this one.”

---