Page 9 of Mating With My Grumpy Alphas
“You know her well?” I asked, trying to sound casual and probably failing.
“We’ve talked a few times. She seems to have some background in wildlife photography, though she’s reluctant to discuss it.”
Of course she’d talked to him about photography. The environmentalist and the omega with artistic interests. It made perfect sense, and I hated how much that bothered me.
“She’s had some challenges adjusting to the new environment,” Elias added. “Mentioned some wellness concerns during our conversation yesterday.”
I looked at him sharply. “You had a wellness consultation with her?”
“She accepted some scent tea for anxiety management,” Elias said carefully. “Nothing invasive or presumptuous. Just basic omega support.”
Scent tea. Personal, intimate, the kind of thing that required trust and comfort. The kind of thing I definitely shouldn’t be jealous about but absolutely was.
“Must be nice,” I muttered, then immediately regretted how petty that sounded.
“Is there something you want to say, Rhett?” Wes asked, his voice carrying a warning edge.
“Just that it’s interesting how everyone seems to be finding reasons to spend time with the new omega in town.”
“And you haven’t?” Elias asked mildly.
I thought about the heating repair I’d volunteered for, the way I’d brought pastries and lingered longer than necessary, the coffee mug incident that I’d replayed in my head a dozen times.
“I fixed her workplace heating system,” I admitted grudgingly.
“How generous of you,” Wes said dryly.
We glared at each other across the table, territorial instincts starting to surface despite our attempts at civilized conversation. This was exactly why I preferred working alone, why I’d avoided pack dynamics and multiple alpha complications my entire adult life.
“Gentlemen,” Elias said, his healer’s voice cutting through the tension. “I think we need to address what’s actually happening here.”
“Which is?” I asked, though I knew exactly what he meant.
“We’re all interested in the same omega. We’re all circling around her like territorial animals. And Hollis clearly thinks we need to discuss how we’re going to handle that without being complete disasters.”
Hearing it said out loud made it impossible to pretend this was just friendly community concern or professional courtesy.
“Maybe we should establish some ground rules,” Wes suggested. “Make sure we’re not making her uncomfortable by competing for her attention.”
“What kind of rules?” I asked suspiciously.
“No undermining each other. No trying to sabotage someone else’s interactions with her. Basic respect for whatever connections she chooses to build.”
“And if she chooses one of us over the others?” The question came out more vulnerable than I’d intended.
Elias and Wes exchanged a look that I couldn’t quite read.
“Then we respect her choice,” Elias said finally. “But maybe we don’t assume it has to be either-or.”
Pack dynamics.The thing I’d been avoiding thinking about since the moment I’d caught her scent and felt my world shift sideways.
“You’re talking about sharing,” I said bluntly.
“I’m talking about letting her decide what she wants instead of forcing her to choose between us,” Elias corrected. “Some omegas prefer multiple alpha support. Others don’t. It’s not our decision to make.”
“And you’d be okay with that? Sharing?”
Wes was quiet for a long moment, staring at his beer bottle. “I’ve never considered it before,” he said finally. “But I’vealso never met an omega who made me question everything I thought I wanted.”
