Page 41 of Follow Your Instincts

I couldn’t have been the only asexual Alpha in the world, but god, it sure felt that way. My family always knew I’d probablypresent as an Alpha, and my dads had done their best to instill the right ideals in me: Protect those you love and control the baser instincts that lesser Alphas can’t.

Those baser instincts seemed to have passed me by entirely. Sure, Maggie smelled incredible, but I didn’t want toruther like an animal.

Lachlan was so sure he was the reason Omegas never stuck around with our pack, but I had a suspicion they could sense something off about me.

How long until Maggie sensed it too?

Ben arrived home to freshly-baked cookies. We’d followed an easy recipe and made a huge mess along the way, but Maggie seemed to enjoy herself.

“Honey, I’m home,” Ben called as he burst in from the garage door. He made a beeline for Maggie and dipped her into a kiss like a ’50s sitcom. Soren rolled his eyes at me, but he was smiling.

“I’d ask if you died of boredom here without me, but you smell like Soren, so… did I miss anything good?” Ben asked while Maggie blushed.

“Theydiddisappear upstairs for a while,” I teased.

“Traitor!” Maggie said in mock outrage.

“You naughty girl,” Ben said while he slid his hand up her ribs. “I want to be present for all future shenanigans.”

“We just kissed!” Maggie blurted. “But wait… You want to watch? Me and Soren?”

“You and Soren, you and Lucas. You and Lachlan. You and Soren and Lachlan,” he said, pulling her in close.

“Oh my gosh,” Maggie said. Her scent flooded the room. “You can’t just say stuff like that!”

“Why not?” Ben asked innocently. He had pressed her against the kitchen island, one of his legs between hers.

Maggie looked like she couldn’t come up with an answer.

“It’s part of the pack dynamic, sugar,” I said. She turned tolook at me. “When an Omega joins the right pack, there’s no jealousy. Usually the opposite.”

“But I’m not part of the pack,” Maggie said, her eyes wide.

“Notyet,” Ben said.

Maggie looked a little terrified.

“Quit stressing her out,” Soren said.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” Ben said, pulling back a little and looking genuinely sorry.

“It’s okay,” she said with a shaky smile. Her scent was definitely a little stressed, the peach notes going a bit sour.

“Oh god, I’m an idiot,” Ben said and pulled her into another hug, this one softer. “I’m sorry, they always tell me I push too hard.”

“No, it’s fine,” Maggie said, her voice muffled in his shoulder. “It’s just… a lot.”

And then, suddenly, she was crying, sobbing really, into Ben’s chest. He met my eye over her shoulder and mouthed, “Help!”

It would have been funny if I didn’t feel so bad for Maggie. She was clearly overwhelmed.

Before I could take more than two steps towards them, Ben started up a rattling purr that smoothed out into a deep rumble. Maggie’s sobs slowly eased as he held her.

My relief that she was feeling calmer warred with a sudden burst of jealousy.

Alphas didn’t purr for just anyone. It was a sign of their strong protective instincts for an Omega, or sometimes a Beta if there was a deep connection. I had never purred for anyone. I wasn’t even sure if I could.

“Sorry,” Maggie said when she’d calmed down, pulling away from Ben to lean against the kitchen island. She wiped her tears angrily away. “It’s these fucking Omega hormones they’re making me act insane.”

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