"And a match with an alpha in a bonded pack means a match with the rest," Plague says quietly.
Whiskey nods, still staring at me.
"So what now?" I ask, looking from one alpha to the next. "You found me. Congratulations. What exactly do you expect to happen here?"
The question seems to catch them off guard. They exchange glances, and Plague and Thane both shoot Whiskey an irritated look that says,this is your fucking fault.
Whiskey looks back to me with a heavy sigh. "To the credit of these assholes, they tried to stop me. I just wanted to meet you," he says, his husky voice softer than before. "And to make sure you were safe. When I realized Wraith was hiding you, I thought?—"
"You thought what?" I press. "That he was keeping me prisoner? That he was hurting me? Because he’s the only alpha I’ve ever met who’s safe."
“No,” Whiskey says quickly. “I mean, I’m pretty damn sure you’re the only one who feelssafearound Wraith, but no.”
Thane steps forward. “What he’s trying to say is, Wraith has... issues with trust. With letting people in. Even us, sometimes.”
“We were concerned he might not be telling you everything you needed to know,” Plague adds quietly.
"Like the fact that I'm apparently matched to all of you?" I say, my voice taking on an edge. "Because he didn't hide that. He just didn't push it on me when I was sick and vulnerable and scared."
Wraith shifts beside me, and I can almost feel his surprise at my defense of him.
"Look," I continue, running a hand through my hair, "this is a lot to process. I’ve been hiding and running under your arena for almost two months from an alpha who would hurt me if he found me. I'm sick, I'm exhausted, and I just had to break up a fucking alpha brawl that was happening because of me. So forgive me if I'm not jumping for joy at the news that I'm magically destined to be with a pack of alphas I barely know."
The room falls silent again, the only sound the soft creak of the demolished furniture settling around us and our collective breathing.
"Two months?" Plague repeats finally, his brow furrowing. "You've been living in the arena for two months?"
I nod, suddenly aware that I've revealed more than I intended. “About that.”
The admission hangs in the air between us, heavy with implications. All four alphas go still, their expressions darkening with protective rage.
"Who is he?" Thane asks, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl.
I shake my head. "That doesn't matter right now."
Whiskey makes a frustrated sound deep in his throat. "Like hell it doesn't," he argues, taking a step closer. His honey-brown eyes have darkened with rage, and I can smell the protective pheromones pouring off him in waves. "If someone is threatening you—if someonehurtyou?—"
Wraith shifts beside me, placing himself partially between me and Whiskey with a warning rumble that vibrates through the floorboards. I appreciate the gesture, but I don't need his protection for this. Not from words.
"Then it's my business," I cut Whiskey off firmly, meeting his gaze without flinching. "Not yours. Not yet, at the very least."
Whiskey looks like he wants to argue, but a sharp look from Thane silences him.
"You're right," Thane says, his tone softening. "We're strangers to you. We haven't earned your trust. Or your story."
I nod, a bit of the tension leaving my body at his words. "Exactly. And this—" I pause, gesturing to the destroyed living room around us, "—isn't exactly making a great first impression."
Wraith growls softly at my side, apologetically.
"Not you," I clarify to him.
Onlyto him.
The others notice the distinction, of course. How could they not? Plague's expression remains unreadable, but something flickers in his pale eyes that might be shame. Thane watches the interaction in stoic silence. Whiskey looks like a giant golden retriever puppy who's just been told "no" for the first time in his life.
Whiskey has the decency to look embarrassed, at least, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, about that... sorry for trying to break into the loft. And for, uh, whatever else we did to freak you out."
I’m not about to tell him I forgive him for trying to break into the freaking loft, so if that’s what he’s hoping for, he’s out of luck.I take a deep breath, weighing my next words carefully. "I need time to think about all this. To figure out what I want to do next."
