Bitten by the Alpha Wolf by R. E. Swanson

weird love triangle that she’d unwittingly created. She knew it was selfish, but she wanted them both.
    She shook her head, avoiding Bruce’s questioning gaze. She was a modern woman, yes, but she was just coming out of a divorce. To take on two lovers at once—it seemed a bit excessive.
    When she and Ana had said farewell to Bruce at the bottom of the stairs, Ana followed Jenny into her room. “So what’s going on?” said Ana.
    “What do you mean?” asked Jenny, surprised.
    “I mean, you’re obviously very happy with Bruce, but you’re acting like you feel guilty about something.”
    “I’m just—I thought you weren’t paying attention!” said Jenny. Her face felt hot, a dead giveaway.
    “Just because I’m looking at my phone doesn’t mean I can’t see whatever else is going on around me. So are you worried about Bruce because you hooked up with Razvan, or what?”
    “You’re not supposed to know that!”
    “I know a lot of things I’m not supposed to know,” Ana said. “Like Dad’s a complete prick but you’re hiding it from me because you don’t want me to feel as abandoned as you felt. I don’t, by the way.”
    “What—Ana! I’m so sorry!”
    “Don’t be,” she said. “Nobody’s judging you except for you, Mum. If both Razvan and Bruce want to be with you, I say you should go for it.”
    “But—but I—this is just unheard of,” Jenny spluttered. “I can’t have two men in my life. I could barely handle one.”
    “One of my favorite steampunk authors wrote this: ‘We have to seek strange and fascinating new measures in order to achieve strange and fascinating results.’ I saw what Dad did to you, Mum. There was nothing strange and fascinating about him. Our life with him was cold and sad. Wouldn’t you rather have a strange and fascinating life?”
    Jenny reached for Ana and pulled her into a hug. “Ana, dear, you are the smartest person I know.”
    She kissed her daughter’s head and released her.
    “I know,” said Ana. “Now go find your strange and fascinating men.”
    *
    Jenny paced outside the downstairs hall where Bruce’s and Razvan’s rooms were located. When she’d left Ana behind in her own room, she’d felt full of resolve and confidence. It had felt like the most natural thing in the world. Build a life for herself, with strange and fascinating men.
    But she didn’t even know how they felt about her! Bruce, she knew, wanted her to stay here in Whitby, but she didn’t know if Bruce would be enough. He was the anchor, and Razvan was the wildness. She needed them both.
    She passed by Razvan’s door one more time, and before she could change her mind, she reached out and knocked.
    The knock was quiet enough that she could still run off and pretend it had never happened. Surely he hadn’t heard such a quiet knock.
    His door opened. “Jenny,” he said, smiling widely, “I wondered if you would come back to my arms.”
    “I…I’ve been wanting to,” she said, already feeling pinned in place by his mesmerizing gaze.
    “You look troubled,” he said, touching a finger to her chin. “What’s bothering you, hm? Tell me and I’ll grant your wish.”
    She shook her head. “You can’t. I mean, you can. But I don’t think you’ll want to.”
    A few paces away, Bruce’s door opened. “Jenny, I thought I heard your voice,” said Bruce. “Is everything okay?”
    “I need you both,” said Jenny. “I mean, I need to talk to you both.”
    Bruce shook his head and smiled past her to Razvan. “No, I think the first thing she said was the right one.”
    “I agree,” said Razvan.
    “What?” asked Jenny. “Do you…do you mean…?”
    “We’ve already discussed it,” said Razvan. “We’ll only be happy with you. Of course, we thought Bruce should do the asking, given my…nature.”
    “Ask me what?”
    “We want you to stay here, with both of us,” said Bruce. “The experiences we’ve had with you are nothing short of