Page 17 of Stuck with my Pack
“Shut it, Hawk,” I mutter, though my lips twitch in amusement.
Sophie bites back a laugh, her shoulders relaxing a fraction. “You’re both ridiculous.”
“And yet, you asked us both to help,” Tyler says, winking. “So, now you’re stuck with us. So, what’s next on the grand plan, boss?”
Sophie squares her shoulders, pointing back to the blueprints. “The main entrance. It’s the first thing people see when they walk in, so it needs to be perfect. I was thinking?—”
This little Omega lights up when she talks about her ideas. It’s damn alluring. Her simple magic draws me in and leaves me wanting. Tyler is just as caught up in her scent as I am. I haven’t ever seen this side of him. It fills my chest with an emotion I’m not ready to name yet.
It’s a strange dynamic—chaotic yet oddly harmonious. Their scents swirl together—Sophie’s sweet vanilla grounding the mix, Tyler’s citrus sharp and playful, and even my own earthy, sun-warmed leather adding to the blend.
My Alpha instincts don’t miss how our scents mingle naturally, complementing each other in a way that feels almost…perfect. All it’s missing is Ethan’s smoky cedar scent. I close my eyes, and I can feel it. The heat just waiting under the surface. Does she think it? Tyler’s voice brings me out of my haze.
“You do realize this roof is one gust of wind away from caving in, right?”
“Thanks for your vote of confidence,” Sophie shoots back, rolling her eyes.
“It’s not about whether I believe you can do it,” he replies, suddenly serious. “It’s about getting real.” He gestures to her phone and drawings, then the house. “Getting from here to there is going to be crazy. We probably need more help.”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “He’s not wrong, though. The roof’s priority, number one.”
Sophie sighs, her shoulders slumping as a hint of defeat slips into her posture. “I know. It’s just…EVERYTHING feels urgent,” she says, her voice tinged with frustration.
Her scent shifts, a faint bitterness creeping into the warmth of her summery sweetness, and it hits me like a punch to the chest. I can smell her anxiety, sharp and undeniable.
Her vulnerability catches me off guard, tugging at something deep and instinctual inside me.
She moves to step past me, heading toward the kitchen, but misjudges the space. She collides with me, and my hands instinctively come up to steady her, resting on her upper arms.
The warmth of her skin sears through the thin fabric of her shirt, and my Alpha is screaming at me to pull her closer, hold her, and soothe her.
It takes everything I have to fight that urge not to lean down and press my lips to hers. Her wide eyes meet mine, and for a heartbeat, the world seems to narrow to just the two of us. My thumb brushes her arm in a subtle, grounding motion before I force myself to step back.
“One thing at a time,” I say, my voice softer, steadier than I feel. “We’ll get there.”
She blinks, her lips parting as if to say something, her breath coming a little faster. Interesting. I can see the tension in her face. Does she want me to kiss her? But instead, she nods, her gaze flickering away. The electricity lingers, leaving me wondering if she would have let me.
Before I can move, Tyler clears his throat from across the table, bringing the moment back around me. The spell breaks, and Sophie pulls back, blinking as though waking from a dream. But I don’t miss how her breath quickens, her cheeks flushing a soft pink.
And I don’t miss the look in Tyler’s eyes either—the flash of longing mirrored in his gaze as it flicks between her and me. He leans casually against the table, but there’s a tightness to him that betrays him.
“Guess we’re all one big happy team now,” Tyler quips, his voice light but carrying an undercurrent of something deeper. His laugh doesn’t quite reach his eyes, and for a moment, the three of us are caught in the quiet aftermath of what almost happened.
Sophie’s laughter is nervous as she looks away, her hands fiddling with the edge of a paper on the table. But her scent lingers, and I can feel the echo of that moment settling into my chest like a brand. Her Omega is excited, and whether she knows it or not, her Omega is scenting us.
Sophie laughs, though there’s a hint of nervousness in it, and I swear I can smell her arousal.
“Something like that. Now, how about food?”
“My love language,” Tyler says as he follows her into the kitchen.
I sit down in a chair at the table, glancing after them. This is going to be complicated—I can already feel it. But damn if it isn’t going to feel good.
8
ETHAN
I’m staring at the ceiling, wide awake, my thoughts circling, caging me in. Sophie’s scent still lingers in my mind, that soft, grounding scent of her has just enough of an edge to drive me insane.
