Page 44 of A Pack of Mistletoe
“My father was an asshole,” I say plainly. “He knew I had no interest in finding an omega—especially after what I saw growing up. But he believed a ‘real’ alphahadto have one. So he wrote it into the contract.”
She curls inward, just a little. I reach for her hand again.
“I’m not opposed,” I say quickly. “I just wasn’t seeking it. But yeah, the clause says I have to be bonded to an omega by the fifth anniversary of inheriting the business or it goes to the next beneficiary. In this case my cousin.”
“This coming year,” she says, piecing it together. Then her brows pull tight. “But Harlan can't blame you for that. He knew about that when you started doing business together, right?”
I go still.
She sees it instantly—gasps. “They didn’t know?”
I shake my head. “Not until a few months ago.”
She covers her mouth, still holding my hand. “Why?”
“I thought…” My voice drops. “I thought I could fix it before it became a problem.”
Her gaze sharpens. “Fix it how?”
“Bribes. Blackmail.” I grimace. “I figured if I told Harlan when we were just business partners, he’d back out. And when we got together, I thought I’d have time to handle it myself.”
She doesn’t recoil. If anything, she looks stunned. “Why didn’t it work?”
“My cousin. He’s the beneficiary if I fail. He found out. He’s blocked every workaround since.” I drag in a breath. “Eventually, I had to tell my pack. And Harlan… was devastated.”
Rose shifts in her seat. “You definitely should’ve told them. But that was areallyshitty position for your father to put you in.” Her voice softens. “I’m sorry you had to make those choices. They weren’t perfect, but I get why you made them. Family can back you into corners like that.”
The words hit me square in the chest. Sheknows.She took that drug because she had no other option. Just like I kept that secret because I didn’t want to lose everything.
“I appreciate that,” I say. “But I still should’ve been honest.”
She squeezes my hand.
“But maybe,” she whispers, “if you’d figured it out, we never would’ve met.”
The thought stops me cold.
If I’d succeeded in getting the clause removed, Rose might’ve gone unnoticed. Or worse, ended up trapped with that other pack.
My alpha snarls quietly at the thought.
The car slows to a stop beside the picket fence of my brothers farm house.
“Listen,” she says, turning to face me. “We all screw up. Some more than others.” I huff out a laugh. “But the only way to fix it is to do better than we did yesterday.”
I rake a hand through my hair. She’s right. I’ve been brooding instead of building bridges.
“And as far as Cole goes…” She meets my eyes. “He’s a good alpha. He loves Sunny. Helps her friends. I don’t know your history, but maybe—if you’re both ready to be who you are now instead of who you were then—you could try again.”
I close my eyes against the sudden rush of feeling. Somehow, Rose always sees right to the heart of it.
“I’m not sure we can,” I admit.
She curls her legs beneath her, rising to her knees until we’re eye to eye. My arm slides around her waist, hand settling low on her back, fingertips brushing just above the swell of her ass. Her hands glide up my chest and around my neck, fingers tangling into the hair at my nape.
“Maybe not,” she says softly and my cock aches at the sound. "But isn't it worth a try?"
I pull her in tighter, guiding her until one leg swings around and she’s straddling me, seated fully in my lap. Her fingers tighten in my hair. Then her mouth lands on mine. It's hot and urgent. I open for her, letting her tongue sweep in and tangle withmine. She tastes like heat and hope and everything I didn’t know I missed.
