Page 61 of Pack Plus One

Is that... are those... my underwear? WHAT THE HELL, JUDE?

The resulting silence ispriceless.

Then—

“Jude.” Three voices snarl in unison, each syllable dripping with promised retribution.

My phone pings again.

Leah

I cannot believe this. You four are UNBELIEVABLE. First the vegetables, then the ambush, and now THIS?

And again.

Leah

You know what? I’ve had it. This is ridiculous. All of you. My apartment. Tomorrow. 7 pm. We’re settling this once and for all.

I slowly turn to face my packmates, their expressions ranging from murderous (Caleb) to mortified (Liam) to strangely calculating (Mason).

“Well,” I announce with a grin that’s only slightly terrified, “looks like we have a date.”

Caleb’s growl vibrates through the stairwell. “Worth it?” he demands through clenched teeth.

I consider our current situation: Leah furious, my packmates plotting my imminent demise, and the very real possibility that I’ve ruined everything.

Then I think about her message.All of you. My apartment. Tomorrow.

“Absolutely worth it,” I declare, dodging Caleb’s grab and sprinting for the safety of my room.

Because angry or not, Leah wants to see us. All of us. Tomorrow.

Mission fucking accomplished.

15

LEAH

My apartment has never felt smaller.

I shove my coffee table against the wall with my hip, nearly upending the vase of—oh God—Jude’s ridiculous vegetable bouquets. The plants have started to wilt, the zucchini looking less “suggestive” and more “medically concerning.” The eggplants have shriveled into something that should probably be examined by a doctor.

Three alphas and a beta. One tiny studio. What could possibly go wrong?

The answer, of course, is everything. Absolutely everything.

Zoe lounges on my counter, swirling a glass of Le Roux with the smugness of someone who gets to leave whenever she wants. “You know,” she muses, examining her reflection in my microwave door, “most omegas start withonealpha. Maybe two if they’re feeling adventurous. You went straight for the full pack combo meal with extra sauce.”

I brandish a wooden spoon at her. “Not helping.”

“What? I’m just saying what we’re all thinking.” She takes a deliberate sip, leaving a perfect lipstick mark on the glass.“Besides, it’s not like you accidentally slept with four random men. You’ve been pining over them for days.”

“I have not beenpining,” I protest, aggressively fluffing a pillow. “I’ve been avoiding them. There’s a difference.”

“Right,” Zoe nods solemnly. “That’s why you sniffed Caleb’s stupid coffee cup for ten minutes before recycling it.”

My cheeks burn. “I shouldn’t have told you about that.”

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