Curiosity about where he’s been and anger with him for ghosting me jump to the forefront, and my gut clenches. “Welcome home, buttercup,” I boom with syrupy sweetness, pleased when he jumps. Guilt blankets Vonn’s face, and his hazel eyes widen when he spots me. His body tenses, and his foot turns like he’s going to go back, but he squares his shoulders and closes the door behind him.
“Look… I know you’re gonna be mad.” The full force of raspberries and poppies thumps me right on the nose, and I suck in a deep breath, the fragrance slicing through my gut.Treacherous, sneaky genius.
“Were you out having fun with our omega instead of planning how to win her over with me?” I croon, advancing on him like the predator I am.
His eyes narrow at me, and his jaw locks. “Yeah, she sends her regards…”
My packmate’s fist flies toward my face, cracking me in the jaw, and the copper taste of blood bursts onto my tongue. I stumble back, smashing my back against the wall, shocked. We’ve gotten into our scuffles before, but Vonn has never once hit me. It’s an unspoken rule after all we’ve been through. Aggression is for the ice. Though I guess he doesn’t really get to blow off steam sitting on that bench.
“What the fuck was that for?” Fury hazes my vision.Attack. Beat.He’s big, but we both know I’m the more dominant Alpha. It would only take a second for me to beat that little shit down to smithereens.
“That’s for stealing her number out of my phone. You’ve been driving her crazy. Driving heraway.” His chocolate-hazelnut scent crackles with fear.Yes, you are in way over your head.Rather than launch myself at him, I step away from the door, blood dripping down my chin, and head for the kitchen. “Don’t you get that? We need to tread carefully?”
Ignoring him, I grab some ice from the refrigerator and shove it into a bag. A little part of me is proud of him for manning up. Vonn usually defers to me on everything, so the fact that he has strong feelings about all of this is a good sign. Though not so much for my damn face.
Fuck, that hurt.
“Omegas don’t need Alphas who are careful. They need an Alpha who’s ready to take control. Their dependence on us is what their whole nervous system is built on. And clearly, she’s not doing well on her own; look at the state of her—way too thin. Her clothing is old and worn. You said the car wasn’t inthe best shape. And let’s not even talk about Asher’s gear. It’s unacceptable forouromega to be running around like that. Nixie needs us. Period.” I hiss as the ice touches my face, the cold working instantly to numb the pain.
Vonn stands on the other side of our kitchen, arms crossed, jaw locked, his eyes boring holes into my soul. We’re very different Alphas, complementary in many ways, but sometimes the differences make us struggle to understand one another.
“I think you’re underestimating her. She’s proud and stubborn. A mama bear to the core. I don’t think either of us ever expected to find an omega who already had a kid. But after talking to her, it’s obvious he’s her top priority. She’s not like our mothers. Scent-match or not, if she’s worried Asher will be unhappy, she will reject us.” The comment about our mothers makes me squeeze my eyes closed. I never had the chance to know my mother. And Vonn’s was a drug addict who never paid him any attention.Maybe I’m projecting a little.
“So, I guess your Mr. Nice Guy routine didn’t you get anywhere?” Of course it didn’t.Am I going to have to kidnap this woman to get her to see reason?
Staring at me, Vonn shakes his head, then, with a reluctant sigh, allows a small smile to light up his face. My heart lifts. Maybe he has some good news after all.
“Spill it already,” I growl, impatience building under my skin. I remove the ice from my face, nose now comfortably numb, and wait for him to explain what he was doing with our omega.
“Fine… Not that you deserve to know, but I got her to agree to go on a date with me.”Maybe I’m not the only one whose nose is going to be fucked up after this conversation.Fortunately, the next words out of his mouth save him from a serious beat-down. “And even though she was pretty reluctant about it, I tried to talk her into letting you come, too. I’m pretty sure she will as long as you stop calling Asher ‘our son.’”
“Fuck that. He isourson. She should know our intentions upfront. That boy needs a father, and I’m going to step in to make sure he has everything he needs to succeed.” My own father was a downright bastard. He didn’t know the meaning of the word love. The only emotions he understood were pain and disappointment. I’ll be damned if Asher learns the same thing when his mother brings a random Alpha home one day. The thought of Nixie with any Alpha besides me or Vonn has my fists clenching. Murder would be too good for any Alpha who touches what’s mine.
Never gonna fucking happen.
“All right, well, I guess now that you’re here, princess, we might as well strategize. How are we going to make this omega realize she’s ours? Andsoon.”
Vonn smiles at me… Looks like we’re finally on the same page.
And we’ve got an omega to claim.
Chapter Eighteen
Nixie
Julius
I refuse to be left out of this date, so I’m putting my foot down.
The brutish Alpha’s text comes through just as I’m sitting down to help Asher with his homework after dinner. My son always has tons of worksheets to complete on Mondays, so I tried to stick close to support him—even if sometimes the work is more complex than I can handle. Some things these kids have to do; it’s insane. But what would I know? I didn’t finish high school.
I know I should ignore his message, but something about fighting with Julius gets under my skin, both in a good and bad way. It’s irritating, but also makes me feel seen. I’ve slowly begun to look forward to his ridiculous texts. Sometimes during the day, he sends me memes for no apparent reason. Usually, they’re pretty funny; who would guess an asshole like him has a sense of humor?
Me
I never said you couldn’t come. In order to be a part of the date, you needed to stop calling Asher your son. He’smyson. You barely know him.
Julius
