Page 37 of In Control

“I wouldn’t bother. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”

“Which bit?” Rosie asks seriously.

I sigh again. “The dating. The hooking up.”

“Oh, come on, Soph. You love that.” When I fail to smile back, she swipes damp hair from my forehead and rests her palm against my skin.

“I don’t think you’re sick …”

“No, I’m not. But, maybe, I don’t know, tired of it all now. At least tired of being messed about by wankers,” I add with venom.

“Is a wanker the reason for your sudden appearance?”

“Two actually.”

Rosie’s eyes widen. “Two?”

I shake my head. “Seems I’ve got myself tangled up with a pack. Well, maybe not tangled. Maybe stung by one.”

“A pack?” Rosie sits up straight, pulling our hands into her lap and smiling. “Tell me everything.”

But before I can answer, the door creaks open and another of Rosie’s alphas squeezes through the frame carrying a tray with cups of tea and a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

My stomach rumbles. I never did get my piece of toast.

“Ladies.”

“Hi Zane,” I say as he rests the tray on a table then passes us both mugs of tea and places the plate of cookies on the carpet in front of us. Then he drops down next to Rosie and tugs her into his lap.

“What’s going on?”

“I was just about to find out,” Rosie says, jabbing her alpha on the bicep. “Hush up, it’s something to do with a pack of wankers.”

“A pack?” Zane’s eyes flick between me and his omega.

“A pack of wankers,” Rosie corrects.

“Why are they wankers?” Zane’s eyes grow darker.

“I left two of them about to pound each other’s brains out.” I take a long slurp of my hot tea and then break off a big piece of cookie.

Zane and Rosie glance at each other and Rosie giggles.

“What?” I ask, dipping my cookie into my tea and sucking the soggy biscuit into my mouth. My mother would’ve forbidden me to ever dip my biscuit in my tea which is why I relish doing it even more.

Rosie tugs on my hair. “Why am I not surprised you had two men fighting over you, Soph? You’re like a walking, living, breathing siren.”

“Humph,” I say, “it wasn’t exactly like that.”

“No? Then how was it?”

“I hooked up with this man a few weeks ago.”

“Uh-huh.”

“It was just a one-night kind of thing and I didn’t even catch his name.”

“Hot!” Rosie says, peering up at her alpha who nods.

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