Track 14 Little Do You Know

In the week leading up to my foray into the city with the Cordova pack, the deliveries start. Mostly clothes. Elegant pieces with labels that I've never even dreamed about owning because… well, I'm just not that fancy. Dress after dress arrives. Everything from cute flirty sundresses to sleek and sexy cocktail styles. There are also skirts and slacks, blouses and cardigans.

A lot of things that I never even thought about trying to wear, but when I gingerly slip the clothes on, they suit my body perfectly. Even the colors are complimentary to my skin tone, making my eyes pop in a way I've never seen before.

There's also an absurd amount of lingerie, everything from matching bra and panty sets to bustiers to lace nighties and teddies. A far cry from my normal mismatched cotton underwear and oversized t-shirts.

Interspersed with the clothes are perfumes, makeup, products specifically for wavy hair, meant to tame my locks.

They also send guitars. So many beautiful instruments that I can't bring myself to touch them for fear that I'll ruin them somehow with my clumsy strumming. Logically I know I won't, but that doesn't stop me from keeping my distance from the Gibson acoustic with a hummingbird and flowers inlaid on it I know goes for thirty-five hundred. To say nothing of the Martin OM 20th-century Limited Acoustic Guitar that goes for well over twenty-five thousand.

Yeah, I will not touch either of those with my grimy little fast food covered paws. I don't even know why they sent them. I haven't told them about my side gig posting videos of my songs and covers on social media.

The last thing I want is for them to think I'm using them to advance my music career. Because that couldn't be further from the truth. I love singing and playing music, but I hate being the center of attention. So much.

If anything, I would want to write songs for other musicians to sing and happily live in the liner notes.

But they don't know that about me. Not yet.

I have a feeling they'll understand a little better after I've spent a week with them in the city. If they still want to date me after I've proven just how unfit I am for public consumption, then I'll tell them about the singing, about what I went to school for, about my dreams of being a musician when I was a child, before I realized that I absolutely hated having people's eyes on me.

Telling them that now might make them second guess wanting to spend time with me. For both reasons.

"This is too much," I say, face red and sweaty from my bike ride around the lake to their house. I'm standing midway between the kitchen and the living room, hands fisted at my sides, doing my best not to glare at the prime of the Cordova pack.

"What is?" Grayson says absently, not looking up from his laptop perched on the table.

"The… Everything . Everything is too much, Gray."

At the near panic in my voice, he looks up at me. Whatever he sees has him carefully closing his laptop and pushing to his feet. He stalks around the dining room table toward me and I nearly swallow my tongue at how unfairly good he looks in his jeans and t-shirt.

"I think you'll have to be more specific than that, sweet thing." he comes to a stop in front of me and pushes a damp strand of hair out of my face. "I need to know so I can fix it."

I take a deep breath in through my nose and let it out the same way. "You can't send me guitars worth twenty-five grand, Gray. You can't… I don't need all that stuff."

His mouth tips up into a smile and he leans forward to run the tip of his nose along mine, not caring one bit that I'm a sweaty mess. I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me melt a little. Or a lot.

"Just because you don't need it doesn't mean we don't want to give it to you."

My fingers curl in the soft fabric of his t-shirt and tug the slightest bit. "But I don't want you to think I'm… spending time with you because of what you can give me, Gray. It's important that… That you know I'm here for you, not for guitars that cost a year's worth of my mortgage payments."

He frowns and pulls back. "You still have a mortgage?"

"Yes, Gray," I roll my eyes. "Like millions of Americans, I have a mortgage." He hums like he's considering this revelation, and I look up at him sharply before releasing his shirt to poke him in the chest. "No. No. You will not pay off the rest of my mortgage, Grayson Cordova. You've already done so much for me. I already owe you so much. My payments are with a bank and I have an excellent interest rate. Please. Don't."

He smirks at me before smoothing both his hands over the sides of my head, drifting down to rest his palms on either side of my neck. "Fine. You can keep your mortgage."

I blow out a breath and nod gratefully. I know it's weird to be so against it, against them helping me. Thousands of girls would jump at the chance to have this pack take care of them, and maybe in the future I will get to that point, but for now I'm trying like hell to keep my head sensible and my emotions contained.

As of right now, I'm operating under the assumption that they'll tire of me shortly. When that happens, the fewer ties I have to them, the better. I already have one loan payment that I'll be making to them. I don't need another monthly reminder of the pack that decided they didn't want to keep me.

"Thank you," I breathe out at the same time that he smirks and says, "For now."

My mouth drops open. "No! No, for now . For always , until I pay it off on my own," I say, putting my foot down. "I don't want our relationship to be you giving and giving and giving and me taking and taking and taking. You'll grow to resent it at some point. Resent me, and I hate the idea of that so fucking much."

His smirk melts and his expression softens. "Sweet thing. So fucking sweet . The amount of money we have spent on you is… nominal. A drop in the proverbial bucket. We're billionaires, Sorrel. Literal billionaires. Liam doesn't have to act, he does it because he wants to. I could step down from my company today and we still wouldn't run out of money in fifty years, even if we bought expensive guitars for pretty betas every day of those fifty years." I jerk at his revelation, my eyes growing wider. A part of me can't help but resent that the amount of money that could be life changing for someone like me is pocket change to the Cordova pack.

Yet another reason this will never actually work.

Our socio-economic differences are… frightening .

Something in my face must give away my thoughts because he sighs and brushes a kiss to the tip of my nose. "My only point is that we enjoy showering you with gifts." He pulls back to meet my eyes. "And if I'm honest, there's a selfish reason for us sending you all those clothes."

I tense as nerves tangle in my stomach. His fingers tighten on my neck the slightest bit, not letting me retreat. In response, I paste my familiar pleasant smile onto my face and pretend like I'm not dying. "What's that?"

He takes a moment to answer, his gray eyes running over my face, reading me in a way that most people don't. Another kiss to my nose. "We're still hoping we can convince you to come to the city with us for a while. A week maybe. Liam thought you might be more comfortable being seen with us if you looked the part."

Another hit of nerves in my stomach followed swiftly by disappointment so heavy it feels like it might crush me. I glance down at my cut-off shorts and my ratty t-shirt. Strands of my frizzy wavy hair are damp with sweat around my face. I didn't bother with makeup this morning. I hardly remembered to smear on SPF before I climbed on my bike to come here.

Gray inhales, and his expression becomes tense. "I've said something that upset you, didn't I?"

I don't know how he can tell. My smile is still firmly in place, so I shake my head. "No, no. Not at all."

"Sorrel," he chides. "I can smell that you're upset. Now tell me what I said that upset you."

I look down at my clothes again. "It's nothing, hardly worth mentioning."

His nose wrinkles. "It's getting worse, sweet thing. Tell me."

My converse scuffs against the genuine hardwood floor, and I don't meet his eyes. "It's nothing. Only… you make it sound like… I'm not… like you wouldn't…" I can't finish the thought. It's too embarrassing because it's true.

Gray's eyebrows jump and understanding flickers over his face. "Oh, sweet thing, no. We'd happily take you in cut-off shorts and t-shirts, anywhere you want to go. We don't find you lacking in any way. But the truth of the matter is that we're public figures and are extremely recognizable. Liam can't go anywhere without being approached by fans or paparazzi. We don't care what you wear, we only thought, under those circumstances you might feel more comfortable if you had some higher end clothing items."

I try not to frown, but don't manage it. "I have other clothes besides t-shirts and jean shorts. You just haven't seen me in any of them because… I always see you after I've been working. A sundress isn't fantastic for flipping burgers in."

He leans down and kisses my nose again. "Perfect, sweet thing. Pack all your sundresses and anything else you might want and come to the city with us. Please."

It's on the tip of my tongue to say no. I have a business to run, and I'm the only one who knows how to do that. The space is so small that there hasn't been a need for more employees than me, Annie, and Jeremy. I can't leave my parent's pride and joy in the hands of two high school seniors. They would literally never forgive me.

But then, Annie and Jeremy could handle shorter hours. Maybe just have The Shack open for the afternoon, and they could close at like six. I don't need the money so much anymore. The new loan with Grayson's company is much more favorable, and manageable. I don't feel like I'm drowning under a deluge of bills and late payment notifications.

Just today I paid off my meat supplier and I swear she nearly cried from happiness. I did too.

"If it's a matter of needing to keep the restaurant open, I'll happily buy every burger you sell for a week."

This time, I let my displeasure show. "You really need to stop doing that!"

He grins and runs his palms down my arms until he's clasping my wrists. "What's that, sweet thing?"

"Throwing money at my problems! I'm a fully grown adult woman, Gray. I'm more than capable of managing my finances and my business. I've been doing it for years before I met you. I'll be doing it for years after-"

I cut off at the low growl that erupts from his chest. I don't think I've heard that sound from him.

Gage, Rafe and even Liam have all growled at me, but Gray seems to have an immovable grip on his alpha instincts. He never reacts without thinking. In the same way, Gage never talks without thinking.

"Oh, don't stop, my sweet little beta. Please continue with what you're saying," he grumbles. "You'll be doing it for years after…"

There's no point in hiding it. We both know what I was going to say. Sighing, I focus on the fabric of his shirt, not his eyes as I mutter, "for years after you lose interest in me and all this ends."

I can feel him looking at me, but I don't meet his eyes, instead I pull away from him and look out at the view of the lake. "For your information, I was thinking of simply shortening the hours. Annie and Jeremy can handle afternoons during the week, but I'll need to be back for the weekend. Friday afternoon. It's just too busy for them to manage on their own."

He hums, still regarding me. "That sounds like a plan. It will disappoint Liam that we won't have you for the weekend, but he'll simply have to accept it." His fingers skate down my arm, wanting my attention back on him, but I stare fixedly out the window. "You know we aren't courting you with an expiration date in mind, right, Sorrel?"

I jolt at his use of the word ‘courting.' That's what a pack does when they find an omega they want to keep. They court the omega. Packs don't court betas. Why would they need to? Betas are a dime a dozen, and most of us would trip over ourselves to be included in a pack in any form. If anything, I should be the one courting them. But it's not like I can afford to.

His use of the word courting just makes our differences even more apparent.

"Just because you don't have one in mind," I say softly. "Doesn't mean there isn't one."

I can feel his frown deepen, even though I'm not looking at him.

"Are you planning on leaving us?" He asks, and that has me looking over at him. His brows are drawn low, his jaw tight. "I mean, obviously if you decide you don't want to be with us for whatever reason, let us know so we can go our separate ways, but are you approaching this relationship as a temporary situation?"

I sigh and fold my arms over my stomach as I turn my body to face him. "I don't see how I can't, Gray. I'm just not…Packs like yours don't choose girls like me, Gray."

A storm cloud appears in his eyes. "I didn't realize you thought so little of us, Sorrel."

"What!" I say louder than needed as my arms drop by my sides. "I don't." He pins me with a hard stare that says he clearly doesn't believe me. "No, really. I don't think so little of you, Gray. I think the world of you and Liam and Rafe. That's probably why I'm in this constant state of worrying that I'm going to say or do something that is going to have you looking at me like I'm not worthy of you because… I'm not. Not really."

He stares at me for a moment, silence reigning after the veritable buffet of word vomit I just spewed all over him. Then he sighs. "Sorrel, I say this with the utmost respect, but you don't have a fucking clue what you're talking about." Before I can say anything else, he steps right into my space, one of his hands lacing into my sweaty hair, the other gripping my hip to keep me where I am.

He ducks his head and kisses me. The solid, steady pressure of his mouth against mine has all thoughts of my unworthiness fading. My hands slide up his chest until I can feel his heartbeat against my palm. The thump, thump, thump, as steady as his mouth on mine.

His tongue sweeps over the seam of my lips, and I part them on instinct, letting him in. He tastes like citrus and spice, orange and clove. Divine. I want him closer, so much fucking closer, deeper.

He must feel the same because one of his hands presses into my lower back, tugging me into his body as he lets out a hungry sound. One that has my toes curling and my head spinning, because Grayson Cordova just made that noise while kissing me , Sorrel Forbes.

It doesn't seem possible.

He pulls back, nipping at my mouth with teeth gentle enough not to break skin, but sharp enough to sting. "Trust us when we say we want you, sweet thing," he murmurs against my mouth. "Trust us when we say we won't lose interest in you. You might not be the typical type we date." I tense at that and his hand smooths up my spine to grip the back of my neck, holding me steady, keeping my eyes on his. "But that means nothing. We are choosing you."

He kisses the spot between my brows. My heart settles at those words. So simple. We are choosing you.

"No one is forcing us to spend time with you, Sorrel," he says against my forehead. "We are here because we choose to be. Just as you are. Correct?"

I give a jerky nod, fingers tightening on the soft fabric of his t-shirt. "Yes."

He pulls back and smiles at me. "Good. Then spend more time with us and come to Granton. Let us take you out. Let us show you what being with us would be like."

I hesitate. Mostly because it's freaking scary…. Really freaking scary.

I've never wanted the spotlight. There's a reason any of the videos of my songs I post online don't show my face. I don't want to be recognized on the street. I don't want my image plastered across gossip sites and magazines. It's scary enough having people critique my singing on my videos, something I'm confident about. It's another entirely to have them critique everything else about me.

That's what will happen if this relationship with the Cordova pack expands beyond Lake Kilrose. If they decide they want to keep me, if they bond me and claim me. I will forever be in the public eye. Forever be looked at with disdain, because I just… don't make sense with their pack.

But what Gray says is right. If they choose me and I choose them, it's not really anyone else's business, is it?

Grayson is still waiting for my response, his gaze focused on me. I look up at him, smooth my fingers over the wrinkles I've created in his shirt. "Can Gage come?"

Gage doesn't come.

I asked. He refused. Said he had things he needed to take care of, and I got the distinct impression that he was lying. He just… didn't want to come to the city. With me. With us.

When I pressed, he said he'd come in a few days if I still wanted him too. And that made me frown at him. Because why wouldn't I want him to?

I'd thought after taking the next step in our relationship that we understood we're together . But maybe I was wrong. Maybe he was just horny and needed a willing woman to scratch and itch.

I'm not under any illusions that Gage was celibate while in the army, but maybe he'd just been alone for a while before returning home. He said it had been years, didn't he? And I was more than willing to let him use me for a release.

Maybe all of his declarations of wanting me were just words. Maybe he thought he wanted me, but after having me realized I'm not who he wants to be with. Nevermind that it was mind blowing for me, the best sex I've ever had, with Liam on the Ferris wheel coming in at a close second.

He never said he loved me, never claimed me as his in a permanent way. He didn't even scrape his teeth over my neck like he was considering biting. While we were making out, yes, he did, but during the act? He'd kept his mouth far away from any part of my body, saying he wanted to watch me when I came.

But now I wonder if he just didn't have the urge at all to bite me. If it just never occurred to him.

An alpha would do that, right? With someone they wanted to keep forever, they would consider sinking their teeth into the flesh of the person they wanted to claim. Even if… Even if it wasn't the right time, they'd be tempted.

I don't think Gage was.

In the wake of that disappointing realization, I'm secretly glad Gage doesn't come to Granton with us. It hurts, but I don't want him to force himself to be with me out of some kind of misguided loyalty to our friendship or because he thinks that's what I want.

He deserves to be happy with whoever will do that for him.

Even if it's not me.

I shove the thought and the pain it causes away and instead focus on the city growing ever closer. We're all piled into one car, my bag in the back. When they saw I'd only packed the one, I'd received some arched brows, but I've never been someone who needs a lot of extra things. I pack light, I always have. Even if I'd been tempted to bring extra clothing, some outfits the Cordova pack bought for me.

But I'd ignored them in favor of my own clothes.

If I'm doing this, I want to be me. I want to be comfortable. And I'm not sure I'll be comfortable in a thousand dollar cocktail dress. I'd be too worried I'd rip it or spill something on it and that'd be a thousand dollars wasted… on me.

I just can't bear the idea of that.

I did pack some of the bra and panty sets that they'd bought, though. They're just too pretty and fit far better than any of my worn out cotton ones. And apparently, I enjoy wearing something so pretty under my clothes. It makes me feel more confident, even if I'm just wearing jean shorts and a t-shirt over top.

Joey sighs from the front passenger seat. Rafe is driving and I'm wedged between Liam and Gray in the back seat. I feel the alpha and omega exchange a look over the top of my head. "What's up, Joe?" Gray asks, smoothing his hand over my thigh and giving it a squeeze.

Joey twists in his seat, his gaze lingering on where Gray's hand rests, the arm Liam has over my shoulder, before he meets the alpha's eyes. "I know Liam said no working this week because…" The tightness in his mouth tells me what he thinks about this pronouncement from the omega. "Well, anyway, we've just received an offer from IndulgScents. They want you to be a spokesperson for an upcoming campaign, Liam."

Liam leans forward eagerly. "No shit, really?"

Joey nods, feeding off the excitement. "Yeah! Cicely Blake herself reached out! She wants to set up a meeting for the day after tomorrow. You'll fly to meet her in Monmouth and discuss the details. I'll go with you, of course."

Liam slumps back against the seat, thumb swiping over my shoulder, back and forth. "Nah, not this week. Maybe next week."

Joey looks at him, eyes wide with disbelief. "This is IndulgScents , hon. The biggest retailer of perfumes and scented products in the country and maybe even the world. You can't just-"

"He can actually," Gray says lazily, but there's an underlying thread of warning in his tone. "It's in his contract that he can decline all requests for sponsorship. He's declining to meet with Cecily Blake this week. If she would like to meet next week, we can make that happen."

"You knew that, Joey," Rafe says, flicking on a blinker and turning off the highway. "You should have immediately responded with the option of meeting later this month. None of us are working this week."

It's unsaid that they aren't working because of me. Because I'm visiting the city with them and they want to spend as much time as they can with me. Joey's eyes flash with anger, but he quickly turns back to face the road. I wonder if Liam and Gray saw it. The resentment, the anger toward me.

"Right, of course," the assistant says, tapping on his tablet. "I'll do that right now. Do you think Tuesday of next week will work? Or will Sorrel still be with us then?" The question is polite enough, but the tone is… off. Snide.

Next to me, Liam tenses, straightening his spine a bit and his scent shifts the tiniest bit, edging into burned graham crackers and bitter lemon.

"Tuesday should be fine," Gray says, arm sliding over my shoulders to grip the back of Liam's neck. The omega immediately takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly as the tension drains from him.

Liam looks down at me and kisses my temple, nuzzling into my hair. "But you should take the rest of the week off, Joey," he says, not moving his mouth away from my skin. "Since we won't be working, there's not really anything for you to do for us. For me."

"What? No- I-I- there's plenty I can do for you!"

"I don't think you want to hang around the pack house while we fuck our girl in every room, Joe," Gray says pleasantly.

"Gray!" I shriek, my face turning bright red as I whip my head toward him.

He laughs and kisses the tip of my nose. "What? You don't think that's gonna happen?"

I shift uncomfortably, eyes flicking to Joey's tense shoulders. The last thing I want to do is admit that they brought me here to have a sex fest, but that's what this is, isn't it? A week long—five day long—sexual festival where they essentially bang me out of their system. That's why they're making plans to go back to work next week. They'll be done with me by then. No matter what Gray says.

They might be choosing me for now, but they can't know how they'll feel next week.

"I mean, I guess so, but you don't have to just announce it like that," I say, trying to hide the hurt in my heart.

"I don't see the point in being shy about it, sweet thing. We want you, you want us. And none of us want Joey around while we fuck, right?"

I look at the other beta again, but nod slowly. "Right. Yeah." I don't really want to have somebody creeping around while I'm having sex. I don't want him listening to us. The idea of that is shudder-inducing. So I nod again. "Yep, you're right. We don't want him around while we… do this." I can't bring myself to say fuck each other out of our systems, but the feeling is there, I think.

Gray frowns, opens his mouth to say something else, but Joey takes that time to break in. "I've confirmed a meeting with Miss Blake at 1:30 pm on Tuesday. I booked your pilot for Tuesday morning. Take off is at 8 am. It should give us plenty of time to land and get to the IndulgScents offices. I also made a reservation for tomorrow at The Oak at 7:30. I let them know you require a private booth. Is there anything else I can do for you before I head home for my vacation ?"

If anyone notice the way he spits that last word, they don't comment on it. I'm not sure what exactly his problem is with me specifically, but I can't possibly be the first person they've brought home like this. I'm sure they've had weeks like this before. Bring a girl home, fuck her brains out as many times as they can, send her on her way.

Do you think they bought houses in all those girls' hometowns? A quiet voice says, making my heart rate pick up. I push the thought away. It's too dangerous. Too hopeful. They bought the lake house because the area is beautiful, and they didn't want to rent a place. I'm sure in a year, the house will be on the market again.

"No, thank you, Joey," Liam says, nuzzling into my neck again, slumping most of his weight onto my shoulder, like my scent alone calms him, relaxes him. "We'll let you know if anything changes."

Gray leans forward slightly to clap him on the shoulder. "Take a break, man. Everything's going to be fine."

Rafe turns a corner and then swears. "Fuck."

I don't know what the problem is at first, but then I see it, a crowd of people—ages ranging from young to old, alpha, beta and omega, civilians and paparazzi—has formed around the underground parking garage entrance of what I can only assume is the building the Cordova pack live in. Some of them are holding signs and looking around anxiously, trying to catch a glimpse of the omega sitting next to me.

The sight of all those people makes me slightly nauseous and my shoulders curl inward. My head ducks toward my chest as if they're there to get a picture of me. I know they're not, but it doesn't help my anxiety.

Liam cuddles me closer. "How the hell did they know we were coming back today?" He murmurs as Rafe slows, honking his horn once to get them to move.

This only incites a frenzy when they recognize him. Bodies press against the car, particularly on the side where Liam's sitting. Camera's flash, trying to get a picture of him. Questions are shouted through the glass. I duck down further, turning toward Gray, who has decidedly less activity on his side of the car, but still more than I'm comfortable with. My heart thunders behind my ribs, too fast for something this small.

Gray curls an arm around my back, pulling me into his chest, letting me hide my face in his thousand dollar shirt. One big hand cups the back of my head, holding me tight as the car slowly inches forward. "It's okay, sweet thing," he murmurs into the top of my head, rubbing his cheek back and forth, making the scent of citrus and cloves bloom around me. "It's okay. We've got you. They can't get in the building, okay? Once we get through them, we'll be golden."

I nod against him, but don't lift my head. Liam's hand presses between my shoulder blades, rubbing a circular motion.

By the time the car has pulled to a stop and the engine shuts off, I'm feeling… Silly. That was such an overreaction to the situation. Unnecessary. I sniff and pull back, not meeting any of their eyes as Rafe hops out of the front seat and hurries to open Liam's door.

"I'm sorry," I say softly, gaze focused on the fingers twisted in my lap. Trying to get myself under control, I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I just wasn't… prepared, I guess."

Rafe leans into the car over Liam and nudges my chin up with his knuckle. "Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for, conejita . It can be a lot. The attention. But it gets easier."

I force a smile to my lips and nod my head. "Yeah, I know. I'll do better next time. I promise."

Joey makes a scoffing sound from the front seat before he pushes open his door. I watch as Gray's gaze narrows and then he climbs out, slamming the door behind him. He curls a hand around the beta's upper arm and says something to him I can't make out, but his expression is enough to make me hope he never looks at me like that.

"Hey," Liam says, gently drawing my attention back to him and Rafe. "You don't need to make that promise. It's okay if you never get used to it."

Right. Because this is temporary. I'm not going to be a permanent fixture in this pack. I don't need to get used to being in the spotlight, because after this week, I won't be. I'll be back in Lake Kilrose, and they'll be jetting off to a meeting with the gorgeous omega CEO, Cecily Blake.