Page 59 of Pack Down Bad

Percy walks around the table to examine his bowl and murmurs faintly, “Looks great, Rhys,” while he shoots me a look that nearly makes me giggle.

Despite the confusing dish in front of me, my stomach growls to alert me to my near-starving status. I pick up my fork and take my first bite, which turns out to be as weird as expected. The combination is sweet and savory in a way that isn’t great.

I wouldn’t say Rhys’s special hash is theworstthing I’ve ever eaten.

Close, though.

Rhys sits down across from me and dives into his bowl with vigor. He only pauses to take a breath long enough to ask, “Good, right? I worked in peanut butter, cottage cheese, and the eggs for protein. Oh! I also added a scoop of crushed walnuts for texture.”

What the heck? Is he trying to kill us all?

Nothing about that combination sounds appealing. I glance down at my bowl and try to forget the ingredients he listed. I can’t taste half of them, so that helps.

“Thank you so much for cooking us such a great breakfast. The texture is certainly... unique,” I manage to choke out with a smile so that Rhys doesn’t think I hate his meal. I can’t bear to hurt his feelings any more than Percy or Knox can.

Rhys beams as if I’ve given him a five-star review and bestowed upon him a Michelin star.

Knox eats in silence, falling back on his usual stoicism to get away with not commenting as enthusiastically on the meal. I note that he’s avoiding the pineapple chunks as much as possible, which are certainly the most off-putting part of this dish, considering how mushy the pieces are.

Percy sips from his coffee mug to wash down a full mouthful of breakfast.

Oh, coffee!

There’s a mug in front of me, and a quick sniff confirms the concoction Percy has perfected for me is inside. I take a hearty sip to cleanse my palate.

The coffee is breakfast’s saving grace. I carefully take several quick bites, followed by a sip of coffee, and manage to choke down most of my breakfast that way before leaning back in my seat.

“I’m full,” I announce with a genuine groan.

All that protein is genuinely filling, so I don’t even have to lie to get out of finishing my dish.

Rhys’s smile grows impossibly wider. “I’m so glad everyone liked this so much. We have lots of leftovers!”

I fight back my natural reaction, smiling and nodding until Rhys stands and carries my plate and his to the sink. Someone better find a moment to secretly doctor those leftovers up somehow or something. At first, I think of ways I could get away with doing so, but then my mind starts to wander.

Now that I’ve been satiated, I’m hit with a stroke of post-heat clarity.

There are so many things left unresolved. While I can tell the guys are keen for me to make my place here permanent, we haven’t had a real conversation about what the future looks like. And I’m not sure if I’m ready to. Things have changed so fast that I can’t help but feel my heartstrings tugging, reminding me I walked away from my whole life a few days ago, and it’s still waiting for me back at my apartment.

What would it look like to fuse my old life with a new life with the alphas?

I can’t wrap my mind around the concept with them sitting around the table with me, distracting me with their yummy scents and sexy bodies.

A little space to think wouldn’t hurt...

An idea is starting to develop in the back of my mind. One that I know they’re not going to like very much.

“Hey,” I try to keep my voice light to avoid alarming them, “Could I borrow someone’s phone?”

Three sets of eyes turn to stare at me with startled expressions. Despite my attempt to play it casual, I’m sure they can tell something is up. We’ve bonded a lot in the short time since we met. We know each other surprisingly well at this point, despite our less-than-truthful beginnings.

After they lied to keep me here, I worry they won’t make it easy to leave now, either. But after a moment, Percy slips a phone out of his pocket and slides it across the dining room table to me. He looks like he might throw up as he does so, and I don’t think it’s all because of Rhys’s breakfast.

“I want to talk to Mia after we sent her away so abruptly the other day,” I explain myself partially so they don’t worry too much. I have to make sure I don’t give them a chance to do anything else shady to extend my stay here without my express permission.

Deep down, I don’t think they would do anything crazy, but...

Alphas can be unpredictable when their omega is involved, and they certainly think of me astheirs.

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