Page 44 of Pack Plus One

A laugh bubbles up, escaping from my throat. “Yeah, well. You still caught me trying to bolt at dawn.”

The corner of his mouth twitches. “I know.” He pauses, then adds quietly, “But I’d hoped you would stay until morning.”

“I did stay until morning,” I point out. “Technically.”

“You know what I mean.”

I do. He wanted me to wake up surrounded by them, to share breakfast without the awkwardness, to ease into the day together like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Like it wasn’t just a one-night stand.

A stoplight turns red. Caleb brakes, finally turning to look at me. The morning sun catches the gold in his green eyes, turning them translucent.

“Why?” I ask before I can stop myself.

His fingers flex on the wheel. “Because I wanted you to see that it wasn’t just about last night.”

“Then what was it about?” I ask, my voice barely audible over the engine.

He glances at me, his green eyes intense. “I think you know.”

I do. And that’s what terrifies me.

The light changes. Caleb accelerates, his attention back on the road. But I can still feel the weight of that look, the promise in it.

Two days ago, I was just Leah Carter, bakery owner, single omega.

Now?

Now I don’t know what I am.

And Caleb Le Roux is driving me home like none of that matters.

Like I’m already his.

“Which building?” he asks as we turn onto my street.

“The red brick one,” I tell him, pointing. “With the fire escape on the side.”

He pulls into a parking spot and cuts the engine but doesn’t immediately unlock the doors. For a moment, we sit in silence, the air between us thick with all the things we’re not saying.

“This is ridiculous,” I blurt out suddenly, unable to bear the tension a second longer.

Caleb’s eyebrows rise. “What is?”

“This,” I gesture vaguely between us. “All of it. This whole situation. I mean, what are we even doing? I barely know you! I barely know any of you!”

“You could get to know us,” he says simply.

“That’s not the point!” My voice rises with my frustration. “The point is that this isn’t normal. None of this is normal. We met two days ago under completely false pretenses, and now?—”

“False pretenses?” he interrupts, his expression sharpening.

Oh. Oh no.

I swallow hard, realizing what I’ve let slip. This is not how I wanted to do this. Not in his car, not while wearing Liam’s sweatpants and Mason’s shirt, not with the scent of his pack still clinging to my skin.

But it’s too late now.

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