Page 131 of Gigi and the Gym Rats

“Well, I’m very, very tempted too,” he says and licks his lips. “Some of you may know I had sworn off the typical alpha life, packs and omegas, and I quite like betas…” He kisses my hair, then smirks at Grey. “But the past few days have been eye-opening, to say the least. I’m…” He sighs. “I’m humbled. Yeah, I realize now how stupid I was to think that it was all instinct and trappings of my nature, because with you guys, I don’t feel that way. I like you. Hell, I more than like you, and that’s not only my dick talking.”

Grey snorts. But he only says, “I never thought I was worthy of a pack. I’m just a beta. When Ronin asked for an arrangement with me, it felt already like a dream. But being with all of you? Sign me up. It’s more than I ever dreamed of.”

“Come here, fucker.” Ronin reaches over my head to ruffle Grey’s hair. “If we don’t snap you now up for our pack, someone else will, because you rock so fucking hard. We’re just the lucky ones who got there first.”

Aw. Smiling, I lean against Ronin. My boys are so sweet, but one of them still has to reply. I glance at Casey. “And you? What do you think? Will you give this pack a chance?”

“Guys…” He chews on his lip and crap, I’m so scared he’ll decline. Despite sharing his heat with him, there is no guarantee he wants to stay.

We wait for him to say more.

Finally, he rubs his hands over his face and mumbles something.

“What?” Zayne is almost out of his armchair, trying to listen. “What did you say?”

We’re all on the edge of our seat, straining to hear.

“I said,” Casey drops his hands to his lap, “are you sure you want me? I’m just an omega from a crazy family without a cent to my name and no skills of?—”

“Fucking hell, you almost gave me a heart attack,” Zayne growls. “I thought you were saying no and although I told myself it’s your decision, I was prepared to drop to my knees and beg you.”

Casey’s eyes go comically wide. “You were?”

“Oh, fuck’s sake, what do you think?” Zayne actually gets up and drops to his knees in front of Casey. “Think my pride would stop me from begging you to stay? Think I’d ask you if I wasn’t serious enough to crawl?”

“Zayne.” Casey’s voice is hushed. “You barely know me.”

“Sometimes you know a person the moment you lay eyes on them,” Zayne says simply.

“Fuckers, come here.” Ronin gestures at the two of them to join us. “Come on, move your fine asses. Zayne get off the fucking floor, you idiot. Casey belongs with us and he knew it all along. He just wanted to see you beg.”

Casey snorts, a startled sound. “I wasn’t.”

“No? Get him on his knees any time you want, then,” Ronin says. “I’m dying to see him give you head. What? This week I discovered the joys of voyeurism.”

“Didn’t we all,” I mutter, and Grey laughs.

And then we’re all five of us on the sofa. We somehow fit, tangled together, and a knot of tension inside of me eases.

“We won’t always be so desperate to touch, you know,” Grey says as if reading my mind. He has Zayne wedged in beside him, and Casey is on both their laps.

“Relationships evolve,” Zayne says. “I’m all for giving in to the desperation right now.”

I snicker, then my breath catches. “Holy shit, we’re going to be a pack!”

“Not official yet,” Ronin says.

“Yeah, we should get to know each other first,” Grey says.

“I like the idea of getting to know you more,” Zayne mutters.

Casey sprawls more. He’s more of less lying in all our laps now, a big slinky panther of a man, and he reaches up a hand to trail over my face. “Sounds good to me.”

But it’s semi-official and sudden panic hits me. I lean into Casey’s hand as my heart starts to hammer.

“Will it work out, though?” I whisper. “I’m not good with the house. I can clean but I’m not meticulous. I can’t even cook. You saw it. I had to order pizza.”

“If we were looking for a cook,” Zayne says, “we’d have put that in the ad.”