Page 57 of Mating With My Grumpy Alphas
We made our way back to the bike in comfortable silence, her hand in mine as I guided her through the darker sections of trail. She climbed on behind me with more confidence this time, settling against my back like she belonged there.
The ride back to town felt different. More intimate, somehow. She'd seen something I'd never shared with anyone, and instead of dismissing it or trying to change it, she'd understood. Had seen the same beauty in it that I did.
Her arms around my waist felt less like necessity and more like choice now. When she rested her helmet against my shoulder on a straight stretch of highway, I had to focus hard on keeping my speed steady. When her hands moved slightly against my stomach, just a small shift that could have been accidental but felt deliberate, heat shot through me like lightning.
By the time I pulled up outside her rental house, I was already planning our next ride. Maybe the old mining roads up toward Copper Peak, or the trail that led to the abandoned fire tower where you could see three states on a clear day.
"Thank you," she said as I helped her off the bike, her hands lingering on my arms longer than necessary. "For trusting me with your place. For sharing something so special with me."
"Thank you for seeing it the way I do. For understanding why it matters."
She stood on her front porch steps, looking down at me with an expression that was soft and wondering and full of promise. "I had the most wonderful time tonight, Rhett."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." She smiled, and it was radiant and genuine and made my chest feel tight with something that might have been love. "I can't wait to do it again."
"Tomorrow?" I asked, the word coming out before I could stop it.
"I have to work tomorrow. But maybe this weekend?"
"It's a date."
She laughed, a sound of pure joy that made me grin like an idiot. "It's a date."
She kissed me again, soft and lingering, before disappearing inside. I waited until she was safely in the house, lights coming on in her living room, before starting the bike again.
As I rode home through the dark streets, I couldn't stop thinking about everything we'd shared tonight. Not just the kisses, though those had been incredible, but the promises we'd made sitting by the water. The way she'd talked about building something that lasts, about wanting to really live instead of just survive. The way she'd made me believe that I could be part of that future she was dreaming of.
I'd brought her to my most secret place, and instead of just sharing the waterfall with her, I'd ended up sharing pieces of myself I'd never given anyone. Dreams I hadn't even known I had about morning coffee and late-night conversations and dogs that were too big for the house.
For the first time in longer than I could remember, alone didn't feel like the safest option anymore. For the first time inmy life, I was looking forward to sharing my world with someone else.
And that someone else was Willa and the pack she was building around her.
Chapter 23
Wes
Iwas overthinking the picnic.
Standing in my kitchen at six in the morning, staring at an array of food options that would have been more appropriate for feeding a pack of hungry hikers than one omega who probably ate normal-sized portions, I realized I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.
This wasn't just about sharing my conservation work anymore. After talking to Willa on the phone last night, hearing the joy in her voice as she told me about her afternoon with Rhett, I could feel us all moving closer to something bigger. Something that felt like the pack bond we'd talked about at The Tumble Mug but hadn't quite dared to believe was really possible.
She'd described the hidden waterfall with such wonder, talked about Rhett's vulnerability and gentleness in a way that made something warm settle in my chest. This was what we'd hoped for. All of us growing closer to her, building the foundation for the kind of relationship none of us had experienced before. Theway her voice went soft when she mentioned their kiss wasn't a threat to what I wanted with her. It was proof that what we were building together was working.
I should have felt competitive about it. Instead, I found myself genuinely happy that she was experiencing the kind of romance she deserved, and that Rhett was opening up in ways that would strengthen whatever pack bond we were all moving toward. He needed her just as much as the rest of us did. It was a feeling I'd never expected to have, but with Willa at the center of it, sharing her affections felt like the most natural thing in the world.
Still, that didn't mean I had any clue how to follow up a motorcycle ride to a secret waterfall. What did I have to offer this growing connection between us? Bird watching and environmental data? A thermos of coffee and some sandwiches?
Sandwiches seemed too basic. The pasta salad I'd made seemed too complicated. The fresh fruit looked like I was trying too hard, and the cheese and crackers looked like I wasn't trying hard enough. I'd been planning this photography hike for two days, and somehow the food had become the thing I was most worried about.
Which was ridiculous. I'd guided dozens of wildlife photography groups through these mountains. I knew every trail, every good vantage point, every spot where the light hit just right at different times of day. I could pick out individual bird species from the morning chorus and predict weather patterns based on cloud formations.
But none of those skills seemed relevant when it came to planning a romantic afternoon with an omega who was quickly becoming the center of my universe.
Because that's what this was, even if I'd been too nervous to call it that when I'd asked her yesterday. I'd couched it in terms of "good photography opportunities" and "documenting the conservation work," but the truth was simpler and moreterrifying. I wanted to spend time alone with her. I wanted to watch her work with that camera, see her face light up when she captured something beautiful. I wanted to share the places that mattered to me and hope she'd find them meaningful too.
