Page 64 of Begrudgingly Yours
Yes, please.I don’t need anyone here knowing it was my fault this started. This is my favorite place to eat and I’d hate to get banned.
I let them take my hands and then we’re making our way out of the restaurant as quickly as we can. When I look back for a split second, I find the alpha passed out on the floor. His date is nowhere to be found.
The observation makes me smile, because that means it was all worth it.
We make it outside and it takes us a second to get our bearings, especially when a service worker starts to charge after us. “Run!”
I’m not sure which one of them says it, but we all take off like there’s fire under our feet. The rush is instant, and I start laughing. It’s a breath of fresh air as the brisk northern wind sweeps through my hair.
When there’s no more commotion behind us, we all slow to a stop, all laughing. “Fuck,” Jett says, bending over to hold his knees. “I can’t remember the last time I ran like that.”
“Have you ever ran at all?” Dax asks, panting as well. “You look like you’re dying.”
We all start laughing again, even Jett despite the fact he’s coughing up a lung.
“Did we pay our tab?” I ask as we all start walking in the direction of Dax’s car.
“I put enough money on the table to pay someone’s mortgage,” Dax exaggerates. Or at least, I hope he’s exaggerating.
Everett looks over at me with a big grin on his face. “Damn. We knew you were tough, but that was wild.”
“Stacia once told us that you went after Derek with a bat but I don’t think I fully understood that story until just now,” Dax adds, an exasperated laugh falling from his lips.
I smile, but feel a bit sad from the memory as the adrenaline starts to wear off. “I was scared for Stacia. One of us had to take charge of that situation. It only made sense that it would be me.” At the time, at least. I have no doubt that Stacia could kick some ass now that she’s the healthiest she’s ever been.
“Is that why you did what you did back there?” Jett asks.
I shrug. “I’ve never been one for the bystander effect.”
They nod in agreement, but Everett is the one that cuts into the silence. “You looked really terrified for a second, Rory. If you didn’t cause a scene, I certainly would have.”
“Yeah,” Dax adds. “I didn’t like seeing you like that.”
We round Dax’s car soon after and when we’re all piled in, I turn to look at them. Everett and Jett watch me from the back seat, and Dax waits to turn the car on.
“My mother is an alpha,” I tell them but then hesitate. Jett catches my eye and gives me the most subtle nod, knowing that I’m about to elaborate on something we once talked about in my living room. “She used her bark all the time. Toward me, toward my dad. So, I do get a bit flustered when someone does it. But being scared doesn’t feel natural, it feels like taking steps backwards… so I get angry instead, even if it’s not the smartest way to respond.”
There’s a low growl in someone’s chest, and I realize it’s coming from Dax beside me. “She would bark at you?”
“Yeah.” I hang my head, feeling ashamed. My mother made me feel weak. No matter how many bats I wield or heaps of kimchi I throw, that feeling will always be there, haunting me. “I know this might seem like a big thing to ask, but would youguys mindnotbarking? At least not towards me. I feel like that’s a tough thing to ask because it’s a part of your biology, but still.”
They all become a bit shell-shocked. “Of course you can ask that,” Everett starts. “Just because it’s something we can do doesn’t mean it’s something weshoulddo. Or something weneedto do to live.”
“I’ve never barked at anyone before,” Jett says. “It doesn’t feel right. So, I promise I won’t do it.Ever.”
I look over at Dax, and his eyes are shining with something I can’t decipher. He cradles my face in his hands. “I’m so sorry that you went through that, Rory. I vow to you that I willneverbark at you. Or anyone else for that matter. But if someone else did, and we were both witness to it, I promise to help. Whether that includes weapons we have handy or leftover food, I promise to make that fuckerpay.”
I give a sincere laugh, but it comes out a little bit wet. I didn’t even realize I was choked up. He wipes the tears away and kisses my forehead. His cherry scent makes me feel lightheaded in the best way. “Do you guys want to take me home?” I ask, and by the looks on their face, they think that’s all it is.
But I have plans for these alphas, so the night doesn’t end here.
THIRTY-ONE
Playing: Someone to Stay by Vancouver Sleep Clinic
I amover the moon as we drive back to my place.
The entire date went way better than I expected. I think a tiny part of me hoped the date would go down the toilet so that I had an excuse to never do it again. But they were attentive, detail-oriented, and they let me take control for the majority of the evening, which isn’t a small feat for alphas. Especially three of them that want to prove themselves to my omega.
