Page 101 of Their Knotty Pack
"Oh please," Mom waves her off, "Jenna and Neal. We came because…" she turns to me. "Well, to be honest Miles, we thought maybe you and Bethany broke up and you weren't taking it well. But now I see that we were wrong?" She looks between the two of us.
"You guys didn't have to drive all the way out here," I say, pulling Bethany closer. Mostly because I want her closer, but also because when my parents inevitably hug me, I need to be able to tell them my scent is from her.
"We were worried, son," Dad says, the hard lines of his face turning down into a frown. "It's been two weeks of dodged calls and flimsy excuses. We needed to make sure you were alright."
"I know," I sigh, rubbing a hand over my face. "I know. I'm sorry. Let's…let's go inside. We can talk."
And I can figure out how to convince them to leave soon.
By the time we're settled at the breakfast nook, glasses of iced tea on the table, Mom and Dad are looking around the kitchen, their gazes wandering. At least they had believed me when I passed off my scent as Bethany's, and didn’t ask any more questions.
Mom's brow furrows. "I can't put my finger on it, but there's something…"
"Different," Dad says, frowning. "Did you redo the tiles? The house is looking good."
"No…listen, you guys, I have something to tell you." Just say it. Tell them you and Bethany found a pack and you're happily bonded.
Then, we hear the front door open.
Dad frowns. "Were you two expecting company?"
No, because nobody is supposed to be home for another hour.
"Bethany? Miles?" Brody's voice sounds from the front room, and my gaze darts to my parents in a panic. They just look confused. "Are you guys back from your day of pampering—" Brody stops short in the doorway of the kitchen, tie loosened and sleeves of his button-up shirt rolled up.
He looks between the four of us, confusion clear on his face.
"Um, hi," he rubs the back of his neck. "I'm Brody."
Fuck. What the hell do I say?
I shoot Bethany a panicked glance, and she shrugs, her eyes wide.
My parents give us questioning looks before turning back to Brody. "Hi Brody," Mom says politely. "Are you one of Miles' and Bethany's friends?"
"Brody lives here," Bethany says quickly. Then winces at the pure bewilderment in his expression.
"Brody, these are my parents." I motion to Mom and Dad. "Neal and Jenna. They popped in for a surprise visit." Brody's mouth forms an "o", before he nods.
"Gotcha. It’s great to meet you two, I'm going to run upstairs and get changed."
"Brody is an alpha." Dad states, looking between Bethany and I. Then he shakes his head. "If you needed money, son, you should have just asked, not resorted to renting one of the bedrooms. You don'tknow how dangerous it is to have an unmated alpha near your omega."
A protective growl rips out of my chest at the insinuation that Brody would be anything other than a gentleman. Luckily, Bethany covers for me, pretending to swallow her iced tea wrong and forcing herself into a coughing fit so that my parents fuss over her for a second. I take the opportunity to send out a quick text to the rest of the pack. Why didn't I think to do that sooner?
Me
Surprise visit from my parents. They don't know I'm an omega. Cover story is I'm a beta. Bethany's scent is the combination of our scents. I'll tell them the truth next time. Please don't come into the kitchen when you get home.
Hunter
I'm not a fan of lying but I'll support whatever you feel like you need to do. But I do expect a broader explanation later.
Please.
Brody
That text five minutes ago would have been super helpful
