Page 47 of Accidentally Forever

Sofie stiffens against me, breath catching in her throat, the scent of her unease curling around. I tighten my arms around her and place a kiss to her temple, murmuring that it’ll be alright.

"As for the women at this table?" Puma continues, his voice deceptively casual, laced with the kind of authority that makes men fold. "That’s none of your fucking business. But if you must know, they’re our mates." His head tilts slightly, lips curling in something that isn’t quite a smile. "And as for your little ‘newest bunch’ theory?" His voice dips lower, a razor’s edge. "We’ve never operated like that and you fucking know it."

Jana’s nostrils flare, arms crossing over her chest like she’s trying to armor herself against his words. Puma isn’t finished.

"Open relationships are one thing," he continues, stepping toward her, each movement precise, controlled. "But we don’t work on a revolving basis. Just because Gray denied you a few times doesn’t give you permission to come over here and ruin a perfectly good night."

Jana’s expression darkens, her lips pressing into a thin line. "Oh, so now you’re mates?" she scoffs, gaze flicking between Sofie and me like she’s trying to find the cracks in the foundation. "You expect me to believe that you’ve suddenly changed your ways? Please."

Puma doesn’t blink, doesn’t even look amused anymore. "I don’t give a fuck what you believe."

Jana exhales sharply, then shifts, attention narrowing in on me, and for the first time since she opened her mouth, I feel a very specific kind of rage settle into my bones. "You won’t last long," she murmurs, voice sticky-sweet, sick with condescension. "None of them do."

This feels like high school where we had to deal with so much bullshit regarding the popular crowd. But we’re not kids anymore and I don’t take kindly to lies being spouted. So, I focus on making it seem like none of this shit bothers me, forcing ease into my posture. If she wants a rise out of me, she’s going to have to work a hell of a lot harder than that. "At least I’ve had all the men at this table," I say smoothly, flashing her a slow, deliberate smile.

Her brows furrow before she turns her attention to Puma, laying a soft hand to his shoulder. She opens her mouth to say something as fury curls in my gut, my teeth bared as jealousy takes over. Sofie leans forward before any of us can react, her voice slicing through the tension like a blade. "Back off, bitch."

Jana yanks her hand back as if she’s been burned, eyes wide, disbelief flashing across her face. She blinks, stunned, mouth parting like she might actually try to argue, but nothing comes out. I’m sure this is the wrong time to laugh but Sofie is vibrating on my lap, her body now facing Jana, her cute nose scrunched up in anger.

The Beta stays a few seconds more before stalking off, Sofie letting out a slow breath and sinking back against my side, her scent settling again. But everyone is still looking at her now, and I don’t miss the way Hawk’s lips twitch with something close to pride.

I nudge her lightly, smirking. "Are you jealous, baby?"

She makes a tiny sound of frustration, burying her face against my shoulder. "I didn’t like that." The words come out muffled, laced with something deeper than just irritation.

Hawk and Lance exchange a glance, something silent passing between them before Lance leans forward. "Sofie, Violet, we’ve had past relationships, yeah, but that doesn’t mean we were just running through them. We’ve never done something like this before."

Sofie lifts her head, studying him. "You mean the whole pack thing?"

"Yeah." Lance nods, eyes locked onto hers. "This isn’t just some fling. We’re all in. For you. For Violet. For all of us."

Sofie relaxes and it’s the same words I needed to hear from them as Puma takes his seat again. He seems a little too smug at how we handled ourselves and I’m sure he didn’t immediately push Jana away because he wanted to see what happened. I’ll get him for that later. Right now, though, I focus on Sofie. "We get it, baby. We’ve had past men too. It doesn’t mean anything."

And the second those words leave my mouth, I realize my mistake. Gray, who’s been sitting comfortably against my side, suddenly goes rigid. His arm tightens around my waist—not enough to hurt, just enough to remind me he’s there, that he heard every single word. His voice is low, rough, vibrating through his chest. "Who?"

I groan, already exhausted, throwing my head back against the chair. "Gray, don’t—"

"Who?" he repeats, slower this time, darker, more insistent.

My fingers trail up his arm, pressing gently against the tension there. "Calm down, tiger."

Gray scoffs, exhaling through his nose. "I’m no tiger, princess. I’m a wolf."

Laughter erupts around the table, Puma taking full advantage of the moment. He reaches over, gripping the front of Gray’s shirt with one strong hand, dragging him into his side with absurd ease.

His smirk is slow, a dangerous edge to it. "When it comes to me, you’re a goddamn puppy."

Gray growls, trying to shove him off, but Puma doesn’t budge, effortlessly keeping him pinned like he’s nothing more than an unruly pet. Lance, barely keeping it together, nearly chokes on his drink. "Fuck, Puma, let the man have some dignity."

Puma shrugs, releasing Gray with a rough pat on the chest. "What dignity?"

That just adds more laughter to the table, Sofie giggling in my arms, bringing back the warmth from earlier. Puma drags Gray into a fierce, claiming kiss that has the rest of us groaning but I’m really fucking happy for once. I’m not sure how I survived this long thinking that we were better off alone. And maybe I’m a little selfish for being glad that my plans fell apart.

Chapter thirty-seven

VIOLET

The night ends in a walk across the pier, a small piece of land that hits one of the lakes at the very edge of Ansdale. The distant lull of waves crashes against the docks, filling the space between footsteps and hushed voices. Somewhere nearby, laughter spills from late-night strollers, a moment that doesn’t belong to us. Further down the wharf, a street musician plucks out a slow tune, the melody weaving through the salty air like something half-forgotten.

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