Page 4 of Accidentally Forever

I’ve noticed the changes in her emotions and the way her entire existence revolves around me because it’s the same for me. I don’t claim to understand it but knowing that I’m not enough for the woman who has my heart just makes it worse.

We keep working, a quiet rhythm forming between us. We’re down to the last one when Sofie suddenly stops, fingers hesitating on the corner of the cloth. She doesn’t look at me right away, her gaze flickering between the canvas and the floor, like she’s debating something.

“Vi,” she starts softly, almost unsure. “Do you…” Her voice trails off and she exhales sharply before trying again. “Do you like me like this?”

I blink, the question catching me off guard. “Like what?”

Sofie shifts her weight, her eyes flicking up to meet mine.“Like this. Being an Omega.” Her throat bobs as she swallows. “Does it make me… more desirable? Or less? I always feel needy and irritable and I snap a lot or get scared. You always have to step in. Fuck, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Every once and a while, Sofie asks but there’s never been tears glazing over her eyes as she asks. It’s always just a soft check in, a bit of curiosity. Today, it feels like the wrong words will tear her entire world down. I don’t know why she thinks it even matters but then I remember just how lost she is in this new designation and the constant reassurance she seeks.

I set down the last painting, leaning one hip against the cart as I really look at her—dark brown hair a little messy from work, those big, expressive eyes searching mine, fingers twitching like she’s afraid of the answer.

“Baby,” I murmur, stepping closer. I reach out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, letting my fingers linger at the side of her face. “My feelings for you haven’t changed. Not once.” I hold her gaze, making sure she hears every word. “I’ve always loved you in some part, even when we were just stupid kids sneaking out past curfew. Even when we were Betas together and you were trying to teach me how to braid hair and I was fucking terrible at it.”

Sofie lets out a small, watery laugh, her lips twitching.

I keep going, my thumb tracing a slow, lazy circle against her cheek. “But now? Now, it’s just stronger. Deeper. Not because of what you are, but because you’reyou.You could be anything, baby, and I’d still be here. Being your Beta? It’s the best thing in the entire world.”

Sofie’s smile blooms, her scent thickening in the air—warm and sweet andhers.It wraps around me, fills my lungs, makes my stomach twist in that way it always does when she’s close. For a second, I almost pull her closer, almost let my hands slip lower, let my mouth find hers. But the staunch smell of fresh paint tears me from the fantasy.

I clear my throat and tap the tip of her nose, forcing myself to step back. “Go on, baby,” I murmur, nodding toward the front. “Back behind the desk with you.”

She pouts dramatically, but there’s still that radiant smile beneath it. “You’re no fun.”

I chuckle, shaking my head. “Shift’s over in an hour, sweetheart. Then we’re outta here.”

Sofie sighs, but she listens, trailing toward the front of the gallery with a satisfied hum. My shoulders sag the moment she turns around and my gaze drops to the smudged paint on my fingers. I might not be well versed in art theory but I’m pretty sure it’s not supposed to be that fresh. Turning to face the picture in question, I hate that it’s such a magnificent piece. Something that I might even stare at a little bit longer than the others, admiring a vision that I don’t understand.

Don’t worry about it,I tell myself, even as I move toward the little kiosk to find the display cards that go with each of these new paintings. I’ll focus on memorizing the artist, a little of their history, and what the art represents. Past that, I’ll feign innocence and everything will bejustfine.

Except, I don’t have a good poker face.

Chapter three

LANCE

I tap my fingers against the steering wheel, exhaling slow, dragging the moment out as if I can force something interesting to happen just by willing it into existence. Anything to break the monotony, anything to keep my mind from circling back to the thing I’ve been trying to ignore for months.

Sofie and Violet.

The thought alone is enough to drag my mood straight through the fucking dirt, yanking me back to the last time I had my hands on them, the last time their warmth had curled against mine like they belonged there.

The Omega and Beta duo working atAsh & Ivoryhave been the kind of distraction that gets under my skin, sticking to me long after I’ve left their presence. All soft curves and sharp tongues, two sides of the same coin, sweetness and bite tangled together in a way that’s been impossible to forget. I still remember the exact moment Violet caught me watching Sofie, how her lips had curved into that wicked little smirk, like she already knew exactly where things would end up. And she had been right.

One night, one invitation for drinks that turned into something else entirely. Sheets twisted around us, Sofie’s breathless little whimpers still burned into my memory, the way her wide eyes had flickered between hesitation and need. Violet had been a steady heat against me, guiding her, guiding us, her grip firm, her words just as sharp even as she unraveled beneath me. It happened again. And again. And then—nothing.

No calls. No messages. No hints of them waiting for me to find them again. The silence stretches on, each day chipping away at the patience I barely have to begin with. We weren’t a ‘thing’, there had been no discussion for permanence, and even if there had been, I’d have had to run it past my pack. There wouldn’t be any pushback, I’m sure, but it would have added to the strange dynamic we already have.

I glance at Hawk, silent beside me, eyes scanning the storefronts as the Jeep rolls to a slow stop near the gallery. He’s been watching me the entire drive, saying nothing, but that smirk playing at the corner of his mouth tells me everything I need to know. He doesn’t have to voice the thought—I can feel the amusement simmering beneath his skin, the barely restrained teasing he’s just waiting to unleash the second I give him an opening.

I swing the door open, albeit a little too roughly, and step out onto the pavement, stretching out my shoulders and shaking off the tension winding through my muscles. Hawk follows, leaning lazily against the Jeep, arms crossed, that same smug expression still plastered on his face.

“So,” he drawls, voice dripping with amusement, “you volunteering to come along today wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain cute little Omega at the front desk, would it?”

He’s never really met Sofie, not the way I have. I’ve always been the one dealing with Xavier and his sorry ass but today, our main Alpha—Puma—mentioned that Hawk should take the lead. Of course, I still offered to come and it was very much because of the beautiful Omega at the front desk. I shoot him a glare, already regretting that Puma gave him this task. “Fuck off.”

His shoulders shake with laughter, the kind that grates just enough to make me want to knock that smirk clean off his face. Staring at my own face, though, just makes it worse. Having a twin is all fun and games until it feels like my mirror image is laughing at me. Hawk shoves his hands into his pockets, falling into step beside me as we approach the gallery. “You’re not denying it.”

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