Page 19 of Stuck with my Pack
Ethan:Can we meet about…everything that’s been going on?
It starts with them—with us. If I want to have any chance of fixing this, of figuring out what the hell to do about Sophie, it starts here.
As I head back toward my room to change, a strange sense of purpose settles over me. It’s not much, but it’s a start. And I feel like I’m moving toward something instead of running away.
The faint buzz of my phone pulls me from my thoughts, and I glance down to see Brodie’s reply.
Brodie:About damn time brother.
Ethan:Meet me at the coffee shop.
A small smile tugs at my lips.
Tyler:I already had my coffee.
Ethan:Tough luck. You can stare at us like a weirdo while we drink ours.
Meeting the other night had been nice. Catching up and getting used to one another had been a good first step, but we hadn’t magically come together again like I secretly hoped we would.
Lily is right. This doesn’t happen without me saying it’s going to happen. It’s time for me to step up.
“Is there actuallyany coffee in that?” Tyler asks me as I bring my large, sweet, delightful caramel-flavored coffee to the scuffed little table we picked out in the corner of the shop.
I wink at him. “Sugar keeps me agreeable..”
“I don’t think it’s working,” Brodie says, chuckling as he brings over his own coffee.
“Hey, I’m not the awkward one who’s just sitting here in a coffee shop, empty-handed,” I shoot back, glancing at Tyler.
Tyler rolls his eyes. “I don’t need a bunch of help to get going in the morning, dickhead,” he says to me. “So, what’s going on? Why the early meet-up?”
I sigh and take a sip of my coffee to give myself time to gather my thoughts.
“I told Sophie I’d go over to her place this morning and help her out with that staircase. But then I started thinking about how I’d need you two to help. Which made me think about how much I really need to get this shit between us sorted out.”
“By ‘this shit’, I presume that you mean our pack,” Tyler replies, leaning back in his chair. Unable to hide the insecurity he feels. Our bond is rusty but not dead and I can feel his unease in it.
I nod. “I want to bring the pack back together,” I say firmly. “But I also think that we need to figure out how to bring Sophie into it as our Omega.”
Brodie’s brows lift at this and he toys with the sleeve around his cup. “OurOmega,” he echoes. “Do you think she would actually be open to joining a pack? You guys told me she’s always wanted to hide from her Omega stuff and that she doesn’t have any interest in being officially recognized in that light.”
I nod. “Yeah, I know she said that in the past, but it was a long time ago. I have to hope things have changed…for all of us. And with her inheriting the inn, she’s going to be here all the time now, unless she decides to throw in the towel. And I wouldn’t blame her, I mean that place is falling down.”
“And you don’t want her to leave again,” Tyler says helpfully, always quick to see the truth behind people’s words.
“Yeah,” I admit. “I want a chance to make things work with her this time, but I don’t want to do it solo. I think she needs you guys too.”
Tyler and Brodie exchange a glance which speaks volumes about how quickly our pack dynamics can be brought back to life.
Tyler exhales sharply, dragging a hand through his hair before leveling a heated look at Ethan and Brodie.
“Look, I won’t lie—I’ve been holding back out of respect for you. But every damn instinct in me has been screaming to claim her since the second she walked into our lives. Having her this close, smelling that sweet… It’s been hell. So yeah, finally making this official? I’m all in.”
“Hell yes,” Brodie agrees. “Although I think I miss having a pack more than anything else. Being a stray isn’t good way to live.”
I wince. “I’m sorry I did that to you guys. I was…scared,” I admit.
“But you’re not scared now?” Tyler prompts. I feel a smile slipping over my face as I look at them across the table. “No,” I say, and I mean it this time. “I want us to be a pack again. And I want us to try and win over Sophie.”
