Page 45 of Accidentally Forever

Gray’s head snaps up immediately, his expression flickering between disbelief and exasperation. “Yeah, definitely neither of you.” He gestures between me and Hawk, eyes narrowed. “You’re both wonderful Alphas, really, but also a little terrifying when people first meet you.”

Hawk scoffs, crossing his arms. “We’re not that bad.”

Gray doesn’t even blink. “Hawk, you growled at a waitress last week because she forgot your extra fries.”

“That was different.”

“It really wasn’t.” A smirk takes over my face as Hawk’s scowl deepens, looking more like an offended child than a dangerous Alpha.

“Okay, so if not us, who?” My smirk widens. “You volunteering, Gray?”

“No one is talking to anyone,” Puma repeats, his words edged with a growl. “Our job isn’t to make the whispers go away—it’s to set the record straight. Banks will figure out the best course of action and we’ll handle it how we do everything else.” His green eyes scan the room, daring anyone to challenge him.

“And if that doesn’t work?” I’m itching for some damage, someone to turn my irritability on because waiting feels like a terrible game that we’re going to lose.

A muscle ticks in Puma’s jaw before he exhales. “We’ll figure it out.”

That’s always his answer. A solid rock while the rest of us bristle and seethe, looking for a fight, for an outlet, for something to take the edge off. But that’s why we’ve survived this long. Puma doesn’t panic. Doesn’t lose sight of the bigger picture. And when the rest of us start spiraling, he’s the tether that keeps us from unraveling completely.

“For now,” Puma continues, leveling us all with a look, “don’t worry Violet and Sofie with this.”

I breathe out a quiet sigh. Of course. It’s honestly not a bad reason to hold back. We’ve never truly had anyone we’ve had to protect. No one we’ve had to shield from the weight of our job or keep out of the limelight. Now that Sofie and Violet are here, everything has shifted and the last thing I want to do is throw them into a situation we can’t get them out of.

“We’re just supposed to pretend our livelihoods aren’t about to fall apart?” Hawk mutters, tone edged with frustration. Of course my brother is the one that doesn’t quite get it.

“Yes.” Puma nods once, unflinching. “Because we have two precious packages in that room that deserve all of our attention, regardless of what shit is going on in the world. They deserve a place to be safe. You in?”

It’s not a question. Not really. I glance at Hawk, then at Gray, and we all nod, because it’s not even a debate. Our women come first. Puma smirks, satisfied, but his focus shifts almost immediately to Gray, who’s been uncharacteristically quiet. And that’s never a good sign. The moment stretches as Puma moves without warning, reaching across the table. His fingers wrap around the front of Gray’s throat—not rough, not threatening, just firm enough to command attention. Gray blinks, lips parting slightly, surprise flickering in his sharp blue eyes.

“And while we’re on the subject of being safe…” Puma’s voice dips with a kind of controlled tone that carries the promise of consequence. “If you don’t cut down your goddamn hours, I will let Violet strangle you. And not in the way you’re thinking.”

I stifle a laugh as Gray’s gaze darkens, something dangerous sparking behind his smirk. His tongue swipes over his bottom lip, but for once, he doesn’t argue. “I get it,” Gray murmurs, voice a little rougher, a little lower, like the way Puma is holding him like this does something to him.

Puma’s fingers tighten just a fraction before he leans in and presses a kiss to Gray’s mouth—a possessive, claiming kiss that tells all of us that Puma isn’t playing around.

Gray exhales against Puma’s lips, his smirk curving lazily when Puma pulls back, his voice gravel-rough. “You’re a hot commodity,” Puma mutters, fingers brushing over Gray’s jaw before finally releasing him. “But you’re not irreplaceable. Someone else can do the jobs that fall through the cracks, or they can wait for you.”

Gray drags a hand through his hair, lips curling up. “Knew you loved me.”

Puma huffs, eyes narrowing. “Don’t push your luck. I’m serious Gray. I’ve been worried about you for longer than you realize. Burning yourself out isn’t the answer.” What he says next isn’t what I expect. “I wasn’t sure why you thought tiring yourself out was a good thing. And maybe I was selfish the few times you stumbled into my room, silently asking me for comfort. I didn’t want to understand. I loved that you liked to lean. I love that you all do. But I understand now.”

“Understand what?” Hawk cuts in but I’m still looking at Gray’s expression, a sort of hopeful despair that doesn’t make any sense. He’s the most lighthearted out of all of us. But the look in his eyes right now is one of longing.

And then it clicks.

“Violet,” I push out. “You’ve been searching for her ever since that weekend. I think we all figured you were mates but then nothing came of it so we never brought it up. And in a wonderful sense of fate, she was brought right back to us. You’ve been trying to fill the void she left, haven’t you?”

Gray’s brows furrow as he seems to curl into himself, the Alpha nervously chewing on his lip ring. “How would you know that?”

“Because I’ve been doing the same thing with the both of them. Why the fuck did you think I’d so eagerly go over to Ash & Ivory? It wasn’t for Xavier, Gray. The few times I had them in my bed waseverything. I can only imagine the tug on your instincts for how long you’ve been separated. It must have been torture.” I’m seeing Gray through an entirely different lens now.

He manages a small frustrated sigh, flopping back in his seat. “I didn’t even know why I was so goddamn interested or why she was in every one of my thoughts. I hadn’t had a mate and I didn’t know what a scent match felt like. But Jesus, yeah, it’s been a bit of torture.” He faces Puma, squeezing the Alpha’s arm. “I’ll cut down my hours, promise. The most important part of our pack is in that room. Those women will take precedence over everything else.”

I snort. “Well, they better but we’re going to have to make some kind of damn schedule when they aren’t actively shutting us out of the nest.” Gray frowns so I explain it a little better. “I have a feeling that all of us, at least once, are going to suffer their wrath and get kicked out. I’m banking that it’s either Gray or Hawk first.”

“My bet’s on Gray,” Hawk adds.

Gray sticks his tongue out at us and points to me. “Definitely going to be you.”

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