Page 64 of Consider The Lilies

Warmth spreads across my chest, followed by hope. “So we’re keeping him?” I need to hear Stanley say it out loud.

He shoves my cock back into my pants, wiping his hands on my briefs. He loves it when he makes a mess of me or Yuki, forcing us to walk around with a reminder of him all over us.

“I have to talk to Yuki first,” Stanley says. “She’s been a little weird about Stefan. The she-alpha is so hard to read sometimes.”

Shock hits me, followed by sharp frustration. “You haven’t talked to her yet?” I ask, struggling to keep my attitude in check. “She doesn’t know you were going to mark him?”

“It wasn’t a planned decision,” Stanley says with a pointed look.

Images of last night slam into me: Yuki and Lucy completely naked and wrapped around one another. Yuki’s desire to keep her beta and my hope to keep our omega.The five of us would be such a wonderful pack.

“I think she’ll be okay,” I finally say, truly believing that. After all, Yuki would love Stefan if she’d just give him a chance.

Stanley frowns, clearly confused. “What on earth makes you think that?” he asks. “Last I checked, Yuki was worried Stefan’s mere presence was going to destroy everything we built.”

I shrug, but I can tell Stanley knows something is off. This is why I don’t like to say too much. You don’t have to worry about saying the wrong thing if you keep your mouth shut.

When I don’t answer, Stanley’s dark eyes narrow at me. “What aren’t you telling me?”

I pull in a deep breath then jump into my prepared speech. “The other day with Romner.” I glance at the door, making sure no one is walking in the hallway. “Things fell apart so quickly, and right in front of Stefan.”

Stanley’s expression doesn’t change; he stares at me as if trying to figure out what the fuck I’m trying to say. “What does this have to do with Yuki suddenly accepting the omega?”

I drop my voice to a whisper then jump into it. “I think Yuki was impressed by the way Stef handled himself.” Stanley nods as if understanding that. “The way he tried to shield Lucy during the fight was very unexpected. While it’s clear Stefan has a bond with the beta and wanted to protect her. I think Yuki saw his actions as selfless. Even admirable.”

Stanley lets out a single chuckle. “I think Stefan has a crush on Lucy.”

My brows shoot up. “On Lucy?” I’m not really surprised when Stanley nods. After all, Lucy is gorgeous, but it’s a littlebizarre that my pack alpha would notice something like a crush. Stan is a commanding leader and a vicious businessman, but—just like Yuki—noticing little things like this isn’t his strong suit.

“I told Stefan I needed to reassign Lucy.” Stanley tugs on his belt, making sure the buckle is dead center. “He wasn't pleased.”

I nod, pretending to listen, but, in reality, I’m waiting for my turn to speak.

“Stefan actually snapped at me that he wanted to keep the beta.” Stanley snorts at the memory. “I almost had to put him in his place for speaking to me like that.”

“Omegas bond very quickly with their betas,” I say.

“Their betas?” Stanley’s brows rise at my choice of words. “Is Lucyhisbeta?”

“Isn’t she?” I ask. “They spend a lot of time together, and he protected her with his life against several dangerous alphas. Omegas aren’t known for their self-sacrificing nature.” I keep my tone light as if this is all just something I’ve noticed. “The fact that Stefan was willing to put himself in harm's way for her is pretty significant.” I place my hand on the side of Stan’s neck, looking deep into his eyes. “I know you don’t like us mixing with the staff, but it might be too late. If Stefan has feelings for the beta, we won’t be able to separate them without destroying the omega.”

Stanley’s mouth pulls into a tight line as he thinks that over. “Yuki mentioned that adding Stefan to our pack would mean having to add a beta as well.” He scratches under his chin. “I don’t know how Yuki would feel about adding Lucy to our pack. Hell, she might not even like the beta.” He crosses his arms, and it takes everything in me not to smile. “She’s struggled with Stefan’s presence. Irefuseto force add someone else to our pack without her approval.”

Warm love blooms in my chest for my pack alpha. While he is shit at expressing himself, it’s moments like these that remindme how much he cares for us. Hell, any other pack alpha would have disposed of Stefan at the Morder just to maintain order. But Jack loves me and Yuki too much to hurt either one of us like that.

The outside world might not see it, but he’s a good man.

“Do you want me to talk to Yuki?” I offer, wanting to ease some of his worry.

“No.” Stanley lets out a heavy sigh. “I’ll do it. Then I guess I’ll have to talk to Lucy. For all I know, she doesn’t even like the rest of us. It’ll complicate things if she only likes Stefan, but it’s better to know these things up front.”

I understand what he’s saying. While a sexual relationship isn’t required to be a part of a pack, it helps strengthen the bond. And I pray Lucy wants that. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the beta’s tight little ass lifted into the air while she was face down in Yuki’s pussy. I’d love nothing more than to bury my cock deep inside her the next time she eats Yuki out, but there’s a real possibility that Lucy doesn’t want me or Stanley.

Fuck, I hope that’s not the case.

“What time is Rossi getting here?” Stanley asks as he moves to the door.

“He’ll be here this evening.” I adjust my pants, making sure my shirt is tucked in and my fly is up.