The three Alpha’s Who Wants me

You were somewhere amid the crowd, beneath the warm glow of the mansion's lights.

Perhaps you were standing near the drinks table. Perhaps you were talking to someone you knew, or perhaps you had found a comfortable spot from which to watch the party unfold.

Whatever you were doing, you weren't making an obvious effort to attract attention.

That, more than anything, caught Jax's interest.

He was used to people noticing him. Used to glances that lingered, nervous smiles, deliberate attempts to stand close enough to be recognized, and conversations that somehow always circled back to football, money, or his family's reputation.

But the way he looked at you now had little to do with his usual appreciation of admiration.

He was curious.

And Jax Sterling did not enjoy being curious about someone he knew nothing about.

His golden eyes followed your movements for a moment before settling on your face.

Then your gaze lifted.

Your eyes met.

Jax went completely still.

It was subtle, almost imperceptible to anyone who didn't know him well. His fingers stopped moving around his glass, and his expression shifted from bored indifference to something sharper.

Interest.

A slow, confident smile touched his mouth.

He didn't look away.

Instead, he raised his glass slightly, acknowledging you from across the room as though the two of you already shared a secret.

Beside him, Jace noticed.

Of course he did.

"What have we here?" Jace murmured.

Jax didn't respond.

Jace followed his brother's gaze.

The moment he saw you, his expression changed, too.

Not dramatically. Jace was far too controlled for that.

But the teasing smile on his lips became thoughtful, and his eyes lingered on you with a quiet intensity that contrasted with his brother's more direct stare.

"Oh," Jace said.

Jax finally glanced at him.

"Don't."

"I haven't said anything."

"You were about to."

"Maybe I was going to compliment the décor."

"Do it somewhere else."

Jace laughed softly.

Then he looked at you again.

"Interesting."

Jax's jaw tightened.

Jace noticed that, too.

And suddenly, the party had become much more entertaining.

"You're looking at them like you've already decided something," Jace observed.

"I haven't decided anything."

"Right."

"I haven't."

"Of course not."

Jax turned toward him fully.

"Jace."

His brother raised both hands in surrender, although the amusement in his eyes remained.

"Relax. I'm only saying hello."

"No, you're not."

Jace leaned closer, lowering his voice.

"Then perhaps you should get there first."

For several seconds, the twins regarded one another.

They had shared a bedroom, a school, a social circle, and nearly every important milestone of their lives. They knew how the other thought. They recognized the smallest shifts in expression and could predict each other's reactions with unsettling accuracy. They also knew that neither of them liked sharing.

Not attention.

Not victories.

And certainly not someone who had caught both their interest in the space of a few seconds.

Jace straightened his shirt.

"Race you."

Before Jax could answer, his twin began walking toward you.

Jax swore under his breath.

Then he followed.

10:26 PM — The rival captain

On the other side of the mansion, Nathan Montgomery was having a much better evening than he had expected.

He stood beside the open doors leading to the backyard, a glass of water in one hand, listening to two of his teammates argue over a questionable referee decision from their most recent game.

Nathan was dressed casually in an olive-gray shirt that emphasized his athletic build. His tousled golden-blond hair caught the light whenever he turned his head, and his green eyes possessed the calm, attentive quality of someone who rarely needed to raise his voice to be heard.

At twenty-two, Nathan was already the star captain of his college football team.

His university was one of the Diamondbacks' fiercest rivals, and the upcoming matchup between the two teams had become a subject of heated debate across both campuses.

Nathan was looking forward to it.

Not because he particularly enjoyed the attention, but because he enjoyed proving people wrong.

The Sterling brothers had beaten his team last season.

Barely.

Jax had spent the postgame interview talking about how the Diamondbacks had outworked their opponents. Jace had been considerably more diplomatic, although Nathan had caught the amused expression on his face when a reporter asked whether the opposing team had been good enough to make the game interesting.

Nathan had remembered that smile.

He remembered most things.

"Montgomery!"

Nathan turned as one of the party's hosts approached.

"Glad you made it, man."

"Wouldn't miss the opportunity to make sure the Diamondbacks haven't started believing their own press."

The host laughed.

"Careful. They're here tonight."

"Good."

Nathan took a sip of water.

"I'd hate to have to find them."

He was only half joking.

Then he noticed something happening near the kitchen.

The Sterling twins were moving through the crowd with a very specific destination in mind.

And for once, neither seemed particularly interested in the people attempting to get their attention.

Nathan followed their line of sight.

He saw you.

Then he saw the twins looking at you.

His eyebrows lifted slightly.

Well.

That was unexpected.

Nathan had seen Jax flirt before. He had also seen Jace charm his way through an entire room of people without appearing to put any effort into it.

But this was different.

Jax looked genuinely interested.

Jace looked interested in whatever had caught Jax's attention.

And the combination suggested trouble.

Nathan's mouth curved into a slow smile.

He could have stayed where he was.

He could have let the Sterling brothers enjoy their evening.

He could have done any number of sensible things.

Instead, he set his glass on a nearby table.

"Excuse me," he told his teammates.

One of them glanced toward the twins.

"You're not seriously going over there, are you?"

Nathan looked back at him.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because that's the Sterling twins."

"Yes," Nathan replied mildly. "I've met them."

"That's not what I mean."

"I know."

Nathan adjusted his sleeves and started toward you.

He had no particular plan yet.

That was fine.

He was good at improvising.

And if the Sterling brothers were interested in you, then Nathan was suddenly interested in finding out why.

10:29 PM — Three Alphas, one encounter

By the time you realized the three men were approaching, it was already too late to mistake their intentions.

Jax arrived first, naturally.

He moved through the crowd as though he had already decided that the space around you belonged to him. His eyes remained fixed on your face, and his expression held that same faintly challenging smile.

Jace appeared a second later, positioning himself beside his brother.

Nathan arrived last.

He took in the scene in a single glance: Jax standing with his shoulders squared, Jace wearing a charming smile, and the two of them looking as though they had independently reached the same conclusion. Nathan stopped beside them.

"Sterling."

Jax turned his head.

"Montgomery."

There was no warmth in the greeting.

Jace, however, looked delighted.

"Nathan. I was wondering how long it would take you to find us."

Nathan's green eyes flicked toward him.

"I wasn't looking for you."

"That hurts."

"You'll recover."

Jace laughed.

Jax looked unimpressed.

Nathan's gaze returned to you.

Up close, you could see the difference between the three men more clearly.

Jax was intense, his golden eyes direct and unyielding, his expression suggesting that he preferred getting straight to the point.

Jace was relaxed, smiling as though the entire encounter were an amusing coincidence, although his attention was far too focused to be entirely casual. Nathan was quieter. His gaze moved between your face and the twins, taking in the situation without appearing particularly threatened by it.

Three Alpha captains.

Three different personalities.

Three men who were accustomed to being the most formidable presence in any room they entered.

And all three were now standing in front of you.

Jax broke the silence first.

"I don't believe we've met."

He extended his hand.

"Jax Sterling. Diamondbacks captain."

The introduction was confident, almost challenging. He seemed to expect his name to mean something to you, but he was watching closely enough to notice if it didn't.

Jace stepped in before you could answer.

"Jace Sterling. Co-captain, younger by four minutes, and considerably more pleasant company."

"Debatable," Jax muttered.

"Only to you."

Jace offered you his hand with a warm smile.

"Don't worry. We promise we're usually less irritating when we're not together."

"Speak for yourself," Nathan said.

Both twins turned toward him.

Nathan slipped his hands into his pockets.

"Nathan Montgomery. Captain of the Ravenspeak University Wolves."

He looked at you with a calm, genuine-seeming smile.

"And the only one here who hasn't spent the last thirty seconds trying to win an argument."

Jax scoffed.

"You've been here thirty seconds."

"Long enough."

Jace tilted his head.

"You're unusually interested in our conversation, Nathan."

"Am I?"

"You walked all the way across the house to join it."

Nathan glanced at you.

"Perhaps I found the conversation interesting."

Jax's expression hardened slightly.

Nathan noticed.

And smiled.

There it was.

The first crack in the evening's carefully maintained civility.

Nathan hadn't even said anything particularly provocative, yet Jax already seemed to regard his presence as an inconvenience.

Jace, meanwhile, looked as though Christmas had arrived early.

"Oh, this is wonderful," he murmured.

Jax shot him a warning look.

Jace ignored it.

Nathan turned his attention back to you.

"So," he asked, his tone easy, "are you always surrounded by football captains, or is tonight a special occasion?"

Jace laughed.

Jax didn't.

Nathan's smile widened by a fraction.

"I only ask because I'm beginning to suspect I should introduce myself properly before these two decide they've already called dibs."

Jax stepped forward.

"We haven't called dibs on anyone."

"Of course not," Nathan replied.

His tone suggested that he believed absolutely nothing of the sort.

Jace leaned toward you, lowering his voice conspiratorially.

"He's always like this. Very competitive. Terrible habit."

Nathan looked at him.

"You once challenged me to a race across the campus because I beat you at pool."

"You cheated."

"I won."

"You distracted me."

"You were watching the ball."

"I was watching your hands."

Nathan smiled.

"That's generally how pool works."

Jace pressed a hand to his chest.

"See? Cruel."

For a moment, all three men seemed to forget the rest of the party.

Then Jax looked back at you, his expression becoming more serious.

"Ignore them."

"Both of us?" Jace asked.

"Especially you."

Nathan gave a quiet laugh.

Jax's attention remained on you.

"Tell me your name."

It wasn't quite a demand.

But it wasn't an ordinary question, either.

He asked as though he genuinely wanted to know, and as though he would remember the answer long after the party had ended.

Jace watched you with open curiosity.

Nathan waited patiently, his green eyes thoughtful.

For the first time that evening, the three Alpha captains were quiet.

Waiting for you.

And that was when the real competition began.