One Pack

The Day After

Elliott's POV

"I am a big fan of you, mate," Tate said, with a tiny smile. Oliver didn't laugh, though. Oliver punched him in the shoulder.

"You already told him, idiot!" Oliver growled. He had his angry face on. "Is it gonna kill ya to say it again?"

Tate took a slow bite of his scrambled eggs and blinked at Ollie. Actually, he blinked a few times at a higher rate than normal. It was probably the laziest batting eyelashes ever.

Was this Tate trying to flirt? I had no clue.

Once the eyelash show was over, Tate put down his fork and gave me a level stare. "I enjoy your presence, mate."

"Thanks," I returned. "I think you're pretty chill, mate."

"You're someone I enjoy, mate."

"I'm enamored with you, mate."

"I am charmed by you. Mate."

"Shut UP!" Oliver yelled. He stood up from the breakfast table and glared at me and Tate. "You are so dumb! We said it already, why do ya care so much?"

Tate scoffed. "Those were sex words. Now it's different."

Oliver whirled on his heel to face me. He moved forward with complete confidence, just so he could grab my face in his hands. I looked up into adoring green eyes. "Elliott, I love you. I love you so much, ya know that? You make my heart beat quicker every time I see ya and I just can't stop smilin'. Everything ya do is perfect to me and I want to see your face every morning when I wake up and every night before I do to sleep. I love you now and I'm gonna love you forever."

This boy was going to be the death of me. He was too sweet, with his bustling energy and confidence to do anything.

I didn't realize I smiled until Ollie was smiling back at me. "I love you too, Oliver. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I'm so happy you're my mate."

Oliver leaned down, I pressed up onto my tippy toes, and we met in the middle for a sweet kiss. It was gentle and loving—everything I thought of when I thought of us.

And then it was interrupted with a sharp clap. And then another clap, followed by another.

"Woo," Tate grumbled. "You're so cute."

"Shut up, Tatey," Oliver grumbled. "You'd get to kiss Elliott if you weren't such a dummy, so I don't wanna hear you complain."

"Yeah, Tatey, don't get so jealous that Oliver's kissing me and you aren't," I teased. Tate rolled his eyes practically into the back of his head in response.

"There's only one way to fix this," Oliver hummed. "By telling him what ya wanna tell him."

"Nope," Tate said. I could see a tiny blush tinting the top of his cheeks that Oliver probably didn't notice.

Aww. Big bad Tatey was embarrassed.

Oliver rolled his eyes in return and crossed his arms. Yup, he definitely hadn't noticed. "Whatever, asshole," he snapped. "Elliott doesn't deserve this from you, especially cause we just became mates, like, yesterday. Show him some respect."

Tate made the usual deadpan expression that followed an idiotic comment made by Oliver, but this time it was directed at me. "Do you believe this guy?" Tate asked, jutting a thumb in Oliver's direction.

Yay. Day #1 of having two mates and I was already getting in the middle of their spats.

"I'm not getting involved in your sibling fight," I chimed lightheartedly, hoping my cheer would offset Oliver's growing irritation.

Tate smiled a weirdly gooey smile and batted his lashes at me. "That's why I'm so deeply in like with you."

Oliver growled, actually growled, like the dogs we were, and pushed out of his chair. I'd never really seen him get this aggressive, except...well, with that kid who'd flirted with me on our first date. Oh, and the waitress who'd flirted with Tate. Was this one of Oliver's weird protective games?

Oliver leaned one hand on the table and got up in Tate's face. Tate raised an eyebrow, 97% unfazed and 3% judgmental.

"You're insulting my mate by implyin' that he isn't worthy of love. If you aren't gonna take care of him the way a good mate should—" Tate met my eyes over Oliver's shoulder in an "is this guy serious?" way, which made Oliver wave a hand in his face. "Listen to me—"

"Oliver, calm down," Tate drawled. "I'm just teasing."

"It's love, Tate. Stop messin' around," Oliver snapped. "I gotta go to the gym."

Quicker than he'd gotten mad, he was gone, hustling up the stairs to get his workout clothes. He left Tate baffled and me amused with Tate's reaction.

"You saw that, right?" Tate asked, pointing at the stairs. "An overreaction?"

I smiled. Tate was hopeless too, sometimes.

"I think he's acting a little bit possessive of me because we're mates now. Oliver's always been more...openly attached? To me, than you are. Maybe he thinks that when you don't tell me you love me that you actually don't love me. That would piss any mate off, right? Because you're insulting me."

Duh. Tate. Goddess.

"Well...maybe." Tate sighed and looked at me, a little bit more vulnerably than I was used to. "Elliott, I love you. A lot." He blushed and cleared his throat. "I'm not good with words like Oliver is, so maybe it's not really always, um, easy, to stand next to him and try to shine. Never has been. I love the guy, obviously, but he's Mr. Golden Boy. ...You get what I'm saying?"

His confession was just as perfect as Oliver's. I stood up and walked over to him. He seemed a little bit embarrassed still, until I plopped myself in his lap.

"I'm not good with words either," I admitted. "And I love you too. I don't need any sort of eloquent expression of it. I can feel how much you mean it when you say you love me. And I can see how much you mean it in your eyes."

Tate gave me the sort of sassy look he had. "That was pretty eloquent."

I shrugged. "Maybe Oliver's rubbing off on me."

Tate smirked and grabbed my hips. "Oh, Oliver's rubbing you off one way or another."

This asshole.

Speaking of assholes, Oliver ran back down the stairs and pointed a finger at both of us. "I heard that you douchebags! Why'd it take me leavin' for you to say that to each other?"

"C'mere, Ollie," I said, patting the chair next to me. "Time for you to apologize for being mean to Tatey."

Oliver grumbled a little, but he walked over as was ordered by me, the person wearing the pants in this relationship. "I'm sorry for pressurin' you Tatey. I love you, I just didn't want Ellie to be sad."

"I get it," Tate grunted. "I forgive you if you never say Ellie again."

"Not worth it."

"Boys," I warned. Both of them instantly relented and gave each other a kiss. I smiled and wiggled with pride. "I love that I wear the pants in this relationship."

Both of my alphas stilled, and then focused an equally stern look my way, at the exact same time...twins were creepy.

"Did ya hear that, Tatey?" Oliver hummed, not looking away from me.

"Yeah, Oliver, it almost sounded like our little mate thinks he's in charge. Can't be, right?" Tate tapped his chin, deceptively contemplative.

"We better remind him just in case he really thinks that. Ya got any good ways of remindin' him?"

"I can think of a few."

"Me too, why doncha grab up that hot little piece and we bring him back to the bedroom?"

"Sounds perfect."

I was so screwed.