Page 13 of For the First Time
“Still, he’s her boss.Do you feel uncomfortable?Like you have to respond.”
“No,” I almost shouted the word.Forcing myself to repeat it at a normal volume, I said, “No.I—I liked his messages.Maybe I should tell him it’s not appropriate, though.”
Just the thought made my heart feel like it was breaking, which felt like even more reason that I needed to do it.Oaks’s intentions were just friendly and here I was becoming enamored with him.I was the one making our conversations inappropriate with my responses.
I dropped my phone in my lap, picking up my horse that was basically done and flipping through the little booklet of instructions to see how I should finish it.
“Eve, we didn’t mean to upset you,” Hannah said.
“You didn’t.”My response was immediate.I didn’t look up, my attention fully on the horse.“I just won’t respond.When I see him in person, I can inform him that our conversations should remain professional.”
“If you like him—”
“I don’t.He’s an alpha.”
“What’s wrong with alphas?”
“Yeah,” Zeke said.“What’s wrong with alphas?We’re the best.”
My head snapped up, eyes widening as the shock of what I’d said hit me.I was just messing up over and over again.“I am so sorry.I didn’t mean it like that.”What had gotten into me?I was usually much more careful of my words.“There’s nothing wrong with alphas, of course not, but I’m a beta.”
A hand touched my wrist, and I flinched away.
“Wow, okay, sorry, Eve.I shouldn’t have touched you.”Hannah sounded apologetic which only made me feel worse.Omegas were tactile, I knew that.But they were usually only so with their mates, not with strangers.Definitely not with betas.Still, if she wanted to touch me, I shouldn’t have pulled away.
“I’m sorry.I’m not sure what’s wrong with me.”
“We hadn’t meant to offend you,” Hannah said.“If you want to be friends with your bosses, that’s fine.”
“No, I shouldn’t.You were right.”
“Eve, honestly, I have no idea what I’m talking about.I’ve literally never had a boss before.”
“Let me see the messages.”Zeke leaned forward, his hand already out with the expectation that I’d simply hand over my phone.
I did.
Hannah scrambled up to the couch in order to look over Zeke’s shoulder while Han peered over his other, the three of them reading my messages.I hated it.Which was exactly why I’d allowed it.Those messages were not intimate.They weren’t special or private.
If I kept telling myself that, I was going to believe it.At some point.
It felt like I was betraying Oaks by letting other people see what he’d been saying, which was absolutely ridiculous.That didn’t stop my stomach from churning or the guilt from settling heavy in my chest.
I wanted to reach for my phone back, but I forced myself to ignore the trio while I finished my horse.
“What are you three reading?”Sebastian came in from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a decorative towel before tossing it over his shoulder like an actual chef.He only spared me a quick glance before leaning over the back of the couch to see what the commotion was.Immediately, his gaze snapped back to me.“Are you comfortable with this?”
“They’re just texts from my boss.”I couldn’t get myself to say yes, because I wasn’t.
“Your boss texts you like this?”
“He’s just being nice.He’s an alpha.With an omega.”I felt like I had to keep reminding people of that.I guessed, technically, it was possible for an alpha to cheat on their bondmate, but it was rare.When it did happen, it most certainly didn’t with a beta.
“You keep saying that,” Hannah pointed out.“About his designation.”
“Well, he is an alpha.And I’m a beta.”
“So?Only designation elitists think alphas and omegas shouldn’t pack with betas.”
