Page 12 of Accidentally Forever

My breath catches in my chest as I continue to inspect the image. Flipping the page, my eyes scan the text, barely absorbing the words, moving too fast to process until—The Ashford Pack. “Wait, baby, The Ashford Pack?”

The name pulses through my head, through my chest, like an alarm I should’ve heard ringing a long time ago. Flipping back to the picture, my stomach twists even tighter as my gaze catches on the twins standing beside Puma.Fuck.

My fingers grip the edge of the magazine, knuckles whitening as I force myself to look at the last man in the photo. The younger-looking Alpha with easy charm. Everyone in this business knows his name. The designer. The socialite. The one who turns million-dollar houses into art. A man I spent a passionate-fueled weekend with years ago. A man who filled too many fantasies for me to count.

This has to be a fucking joke. The Ashford Pack that trades art all the time, the pack that owns half the collections we’ve displayed over the years… the very same Alphas I’ve had thoughts about or had in my bed over the years without even fucking knowing who they were.

Sofie’s watching, waiting for me to say something, to react, but all I can do is stare down at the page, my pulse a hammering, uneven mess. “How did we not know who they were?” The question slips out, a little bit of anger simmering beneath the surface. I’ve been trying to remain unattached, untangled from packs in general because it’s whatwewanted.

Sofie gently reaches for my hand and then flips it over, tracing the lines there. “Vi, we never looked at pictures. But… it’s weird that they’re everywhere, right? Like first Lance…”

“Gray,” I mutter, not wanting to lie to my Omega. “Baby, Gray was first. Remember the guy I told you about years ago?”

Her eyes light up, a wild smile spreading across her face. “Wait? The guy you disappeared with for a weekend? Camila and I were terrified! You didn’t even answer your phone. I almost called the goddamn police.” Her brows furrow as she glances back down at the page again. “That Gray? God, Vi, this is really complicated.”

Don’t I know. Because the things Gray did to me that weekend still make me blush. He worshipped my body like nobody ever has. I thought for a brief moment that there could be something there but that conversation never happened. And then the weekend ended. Neither of us shared numbers or anything that would have helped us find the other. I was content to let it be a dream.

But now? Things are all fucked up.

Because it’s not just about Lance and Gray. It’s the fact that Sofie reacted to Hawk and I’m having thoughts about Puma. There’s no fucking way we can insert our way into their lives. Then it dawns on me that she didn’t react at all to Puma. “Baby, what about Puma?”

She shakes her head, a soft giggle falling from her lips. “He’s all yours, Vi. What? We’re talking about fantasies, right? If that’s the case, I want to be stuffed between the twins.” She points at the image. “Lance’s hands are magical and two pairs of them? Yes please.”

“Is that what you want, baby?” I denied her Lance yesterday. I won’t do that again. Whatever the fallout is afterward, I’ll deal with. It doesn’t matter that Puma would never go for a Beta like me or that Lance can’t be her Alpha for real. I’ll do anything Sofie needs.

She shakes her head as she steals back the magazine. “Vi, I only want you. It was a joke. I don’t need… I’m sorry. It was a bad joke.”

“No, it wasn’t. We both know that when your heat starts, you’ll need an Alpha. I won’t deny you that or anything else you need. Baby, look at me. What do you need?”

She hesitates before looking up at me, tears glazing those beautiful eyes of hers. “I just want us both to be happy. No, you don’t understand. Vi, the way you lit up when Puma came here. The way you used to talk about Gray. I miss that. I don’t get to see you smile a lot but moments like those are so precious.”

“You’re my priority. Your happiness means everything to me.”

“Good, because I’m happy when you’re happy. And I love that you’re taking care of me and that you love me with your entire soul. I feel safe in your arms but what happens when you’re protecting me? Who protects you? Because it can’t be me anymore. I’m an Omega now.”

I swallow, nervous, guilt settling in the pit of my belly. “What are you saying?” My voice wavers, thick with regret. Is she about to tell me that I’m not enough for her?

“Vi, no. I know what you’re thinking. You are everything that I need. But… I don’t think I’m enough for you.” Sofie leans forward, cupping my face in her hands, a gesture she rarely gives. “I love you so damn much because I know that when I fall you’ll be right there. But I need to know that when you fall, someone will be there to catch you.”

“You need an Alpha,” I whisper, a tear slipping down my cheek.

“No, Vi.Youdo. Biologically, yes, I need one. But god, you need the same comfort that I need from you. I don’t know why I never saw it. Maybe I’ve been too selfish to figure out what you need but Vi,pleasejust be a little selfish, okay?”

“The Ashford pack isn’t an option, Sofie.” Her shoulders fall and I silently curse myself again. “Fuck, that’s not what I meant. I’ll call Lance if that’s what you need. I just…I’m not sure…”

Sofie releases me and walks around the counter before pressing herself into my chest. “Stop thinking about me for one second. What doyouwant?”

She wants me to be selfish but I can’t do that. Not at the expense of her well-being. So, I’ll force a tougher smile onto my face and make sure she knows that I’m happy right where I am. Because I am. Even if some part of me longs for just a little bit more—and feeling the way I felt today with Puma in my space, makes me want it more. But that’s not an option.

“I want you,” I finally say, pressing my face into the curve of her neck. “Nothing but you, baby.” The way she tenses in my arms tells me she sees past the bullshit.

Chapter seven

SOFIE

Violet moves through the gallery seamlessly, the way she always does. She knows this gallery like the back of her hands, the woman having studied every little placard she can so that she’s become one of Xavier’s best employees. He still treats my Beta like shit and it pisses me off but my soft voice just makes him give me those uneasy smiles that curl in my gut.

I’m still mad that she’s so selfless. She’s given up everything for me—her life, her dreams, even her home. The moment I rejected the packs my parents offered, Violet took me in. There was no hesitation, no extra conversations needed,nothing.And I hate it. I hate that I need that. I hate that we can’t just be the Betas that we used to be where I wasn’t so unsure of myself, scared of the world I was thrust into.

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