Page 197 of Ashley & the A-Listers

Ashley paused, the haze of pleasure and a fresh bond lessening as reality crashed in.

She stiffened and sat up.

“River,” she said at the same time Cameron did.

His brows furrowed, mouth flattening into a thin line.

“We fucked up,” Ashley said, placing a hand on Cameron’s chest.

All I ask is that… I don’t get left out.

Sometimes, I'm afraid Cameron will turn out the same way.

Ashley’s heart lurched as she recalled the secrets she and River had shared. His insecurities.

After all that, Ashley had done exactly what he’d feared. Left him out.

She’d rushed yet another bonding. If she’d paused for one second to think, instead of running off her stupid hindbrain, she would’ve thought about the consequences.

What kind of alpha neglects a member of her pack like that? Guilt filled her, and in the bond, Cameron echoed her emotions.

“How can we make it up to him?” he asked.

Ashley winced.

There was only so much making up you could do before it didn’t matter anymore. At some point, you’d have to stop acting so carelessly; at some point, you’d have to start prioritizing the person who never felt prioritized.

“Fuck,” Cameron groaned, and let his head slam into the thin mattress. “The interview, and nowthis?” He ran a hand through his messy hair. “I’m not being a very good partner to him.”

“We fucked it,” she said softly. “I’m sorry. I should’ve been thinking like a pack alpha and not with my hindbrain.”

“I should’ve been thinking with my heart and not my dick.”

Dylan snorted, and they heard the slap of a book. “I could’ve told you idiots that. What are you going to do now?”

Ashley eyed the fresh bite on Cam’s shoulder, scented their mixed pheromones.

River needed to feel like a part of this pack. They needed to show him he belonged.

He needed a bond of his own, but if it was too soon… he needed to be able to lay a claim of his own.

Ashley knew just how to give him that. “Maybe we give him a chance to feel like an alpha.”

Cam’s eyes went dark. “Like during the heat?”

Ashley leaned down, brushing her mouth against Cameron’s bond mark. She felt the shiver run through his body and smiled. “And more.”

45. LEFT OUT

RIVER

They know.

Somehow, they figured it out, what he’d done. That’s why they were all waiting on him.

River entered the apartment and overheard the pack’s quiet voices from the living room.

He swallowed, a familiar nausea swirling in his stomach as he prepared to face them. There were no more meetings to hide in, no more excuses to make.

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