Page 10 of This Pack of Ours

“I want everyone on their best behavior,” Jhin continued. Ez nodded again, bouncing on his feet.

“Vander,” Jhin said, and I glared at him. He was taller than all of us, and though he was strong, his muscles were more lean. He had shoulder-length black hair and a pointed face that kind of made him look like an elven king. Not that I’deversay that out loud.

“I’m always on my best behavior,” I said flatly.

Jhin rubbed his eyes, sighing again. “That means you’ll be polite. No ignoring her. No snapping. No glaring.”

I glared. “I’m not a child.”

“I know you’re not a child. However, you do have a tendency to rub people the wrong way.”

My mood darkened. I was finally going to see Jhin naked, see what he looked like when he fucked, when he came….

“I worked very hard to get us this chance. Don’t mess it up,” Jhin said simply.

“I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t even want to come here.” I folded my arms.

“We are here for you, Vander. I’ve respected your wishes to avoid this as long as possible, but as you continue to keep your bond closed down… The doctor said a release of sexual energy would be therapeutic.”

“Youalways have your bond locked down,” I shot back. I ignored the other point. Jhin’s lips thinned. We’d already had this argument multiple times.

“Iam not going into frequent ruts and straining our pack bond," he replied. I suppressed a flinch. That’s what it came down to, really. Our pack bond had been getting more and more unstable since it had formed, and it was all because of me. It was getting so much worse lately, and this was likely one of Jhin’s last-ditch efforts to stabilize it.

“I’m allowed my privacy,” I said. I couldn’t tell them why.Oh yes, I’m miserable and I’m destroying the bond because I’m fucking obsessed with you, Jhin.It was fucking torture, living life so close to him. We shared a room, for fuck’s sake.

“Yes. I’m not going to force you to open up. However, none of this is the fault of the omega we’re about to meet. So just… do your best to not offend her.”

“Fine,” I spat. I’d just keep my mouth shut.

“So, we good? We can go in now?” Ez asked, trying to catch Jhin’s eye.

“Very well," he replied, and Ez practically sprinted back to the house.

The alpha who was watching us knocked on the door, and a pretty, dark-skinned omega opened it.

“Hi. I’m, um,Lila. I’m the host of the Safe House. Bella will be along shortly," she said, ushering us in. She had the clinical, sharp smell of scent dampeners.

She turned and called out towards the kitchen and then started running us through the rules. Jhin had already gone through them three times with us on the way over. Ez was nodding absently and craning his neck trying to catch a glimpse of thisBella. Probably wasn’t even her real name. We were deep in the Gritch here, and this didn’t look like a sanctioned program.

There were some gentle footsteps as she came in from the kitchen, her feet bare and a silky dress wrapped around her tall frame.

She was beautiful, of fucking course, with pale, delicate skin and rosy cheeks. Her black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she was looking at us with wide, suspicious eyes.

Surprisingly, she looked just as pissed as I felt, and for a second, I wondered if this was the right omega after all. But then her perfume wafted close enough for us to scent.

Cherrieshad been written on her profile, but that description was lacking.

It was a sour, tangy scent that filled my nose. Omega scents soured often with their moods, making them smell off, but hers was nicely balanced with the sweetness. There were traces of something else too, some kind of candied nut, almost indetectable.

It was heavy, thick, and for a moment the world seemed to shift. The only thing I could focus on was her. Everything else became background noise. I hadn’t been prepared towanther this much, but I did. I wanted to take her and rip off that dress, to hold her down as she panted beneath me and see if I could shatter that icy glare of hers. My heart was pounding, my brain on alert, and I feltalivefor the first time in forever. Like I’d woken up.

I wasn’t the only one affected; all of our scents sharpened in the air in response to her.

Her nostrils flared as she scented us, hands gripping the silky dress as her mouth parted slightly. Then her expression shifted, darkening into a glower.

There was a moment of silence as she stared—glared at us. The omega who had greeted us stepped back, her intro speech finished. Despite Bella’s murderous look, Lila didn’t appear disturbed.

“Good evening,” Jhin said smoothly. “You must be Bella.”

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