Page 10 of Pack Down Bad

“Once you get used to the distance, the drive feels like it could be thirty minutes.” He shrugs one shoulder playfully and winks at me while ignoring the stares from his packmates.

Carefully, I push up to a seated position on the couch, and the three of them take half-steps backward to give me room to sit up.

While I should be grateful they seem to observe personal space, I kind of hate it at the same time. I’m longing to be close to them, as unfamiliar as they are to me.

“Do all of you work from home?” They have to make money somehow because their home looks like it was decorated by an interior designer–between the high-end looking leather furniture, curated matching art hanging on the walls, and perfect accents of plants and books everywhere.

“Pretty much,” Rhys answers slowly.

“Are you single?” I look around wildly between the three of them.What if they aren’t?“Are you looking? Is there space for a nest here?” They live in the middle of nowhere... “Does your pack already have an omega?”

I guess being chill has flown right out the window and under a pile of snow. But I need to know. My omega needs to make sure there’s no threat waiting around.

“Woah.” Percy puts his hands up to calm me like a wild animal. “The only omega our pack has eyes for is you, Belle, and you seem like you’ve had enough excitement for one night. There will be plenty of time for us to answer your questions tomorrow.”

“And for the next few days,” Rhys adds, “since we won’t be able to get you back to town for at least a few days.”

Percy frowns at him. “Are you sure? Because–”

“I’m sure,” Rhys cuts him off. “You know how icy the main road is out here after a big snow. I’m sure we’ll need to wait at least three or four days before we can safely drive hours to take Belle back to town.”

The two men pause, studying each other intensely for a moment.

“Right, yeah, of course.” Percy nods. For my benefit, he adds, “Rhys here is the only one of us three who makes the drive into town regularly. Knox and I don’t need nearly as much social interaction as our Golden Retriever alpha here.” He pats Rhys affectionately on the back.

Golden Retriever? I feel like I’ve heard that description before, but my mind is still too cloudy to connect the dots.

So, the third guy’s name is Knox. He hasn’t spoken a word, and his face seems fixed in a permanent frown. I guess he isn’t as ready to welcome an unexpected house guest as his two pack mates.

Does he not care that we’re a scent-match? That part of me longs to launch myself at them so that I can rub all over them and carry their three scents around with me? How does he seem so unfazed? He must have the willpower of a god... or he’s just a special kind of asshole that doesn’t care.

The thought must have my scent changing, alerting the guys to my internal thoughts. Percy and Rhys look over at Knox, who is staring at me with his eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

Surely, he doesn’t hate me already? Maybe I came on too strong. What if he doesn’t want me? What if these alphas who are supposed to beminedecide they want nothing to do with me?

Well, sounds like I have a few days to make them change their minds.

“Are you sure you don’t mind that I’m stuck here?” I ask mostly for Knox’s benefit. I feel guilty that he clearly doesn’t want me here while I might be stranded here for days. “Maybe if I can borrow someone’s phone, I might be able to come up with a phone number I remember.” Even with my spotty memory, I must have muscle memory for at least one or two phone numbers I’ve memorized at some point in my life. A family member or a best friend.

Rhys shakes his head. “We don’t have a phone. Or a computer. No internet or cell signal at all, actually. Not even cable.”

They have a huge television hanging on their wall...

“We only use the TV for video games and DVDs,” Percy explains as he follows my gaze.

“Oh.” I don’t know what to say. Their house must be even more secluded than I realized if they don’t even keep cell phones. “What do you do if there’s an emergency?”

“Rhys has experience as an emergency responder,” Percy says.

The alpha nods proudly at the mention of his skills. “I also once binge-watched an entire medical drama series, so at this point, I’m practically a surgeon.”

I giggle at his sense of humor. Except his face looks pretty serious. Maybe he isn’t joking?

“And there’s an older couple down the road who have a landline if there’s ever an emergency we can’t handle. We wouldneverlet anything happen to you, Belle. You’re safe here with us.” Rhys puts his hand over his heart like the very idea of me feeling endangered hurts him.

Knox scoffs.

Rhys and Percy both look over at him with guilty, slightly downcast expressions. Clearly, Knox doesn’t want me here, so I guess the guys feel guilty for trying to reassure me and make me feel welcome.

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