I watch them for the briefest moment and note the way his entire body melts when she sits next to him. His expression softens too, and he looks downright enamored.
I’ve never seen the guy look anything but nonplussed. He has a poker face that would withstand the fucking devil.
But Auryn is different. She’s different in so many ways, and she makes all of us different, too. I see that now.
So I head over to the counter as Diego and Gage take their seats and grab us our plates of omelets. I serve Auryn her plate first and then grab us some juice.
There’s a tense silence before Gage speaks.
“So … we need to discuss what we’re going to do about Sneed and the Orion pack.” His clear blue eyes scan the rest of us, making sure we’re all paying attention. “Em, if you’re feeling up to it, I’d like to make a strike on that house of theirs by the end of the week. We need to eliminate Sneed and his knotless assholes, but more importantly, we need to rescue the omegas they have captive there.” His gaze flits to Auryn, who breaks eye contact in favor of studying the omelet on her plate.
“Once we’ve taken out the Orions and gotten the omegas to safety–I’m thinking of taking them to the institute, if they don’t have homes of their own to go to–we should burn that fucking cursed house to the ground and dump the rubble into the basement. I don’t want even a single fucking cockroach to be left alive in that hellhole when we’re done.”
“Amen,jefe.”
“Now, we had mixed success with the full-frontal assault last time. Sure, we took a few of the bastards out, but I don’t doubt for one second that they were waiting for us, and they let us in. Next time won’t be so smooth.”
I snort and cross my arms over my chest. “Well, I don’t recommend going alone in the frontorthe back. Didn’t work out for Diego and me.”
“That’s why we’re not going in the front or the back.”
Everyone looks at Gage like he just grew a second head.
“Look, we’ve all been in there; we’ve seen how many alphas the Orion pack has. Does anyone really think Auryn could have escaped that basement and gotten out alive by exiting through the house?”
Realization hits as his words sink in, and we all look to Auryn as Gage continues.
“We’re going to find Auryn’s exit point and sneak in through there.”
We all start talking over each other in protest, but Gage holds up a hand to quiet us. “Now, I’m aware that Auryn’s a tiny thing, and we may not initially fit through whatever hole she found to escape from. I’m also fully willing to dig until that holedoesfit us. If Sneed couldn’t catch Auryn on his own, then that means he doesn’t know how or where she escaped, so we’ll have the upper hand. Also, there’s a chance we could find and rescue the omegas without Sneed being alerted to our presence. Olly, that’s your responsibility. Once we’re in, I’m counting on you to get the omegas out through our entry point. Help them get away, and get them to the academy. Steal a vehicle if you have to.
“While Olly’s getting the captive omegas to safety, the rest of us will go further into the basement. We’ll take out as many of them as we can on the way to Sneed, but I want us all to promise Auryn something: Sneed is hers.”
That’s fair. Granted, Diego and I both have reason to hate the Orions, but Sneed’s done the most harm to Auryn; she deserves her vengeance.
We spend the rest of breakfast discussing fine details of the plan. Auryn reaches up behind her neck. I can see she’s bothered, but she doesn’t say anything, which I find odd.
Olly pulls her close until she’s practically in his fucking lap, murmuring something in her ear. No one else seems to notice, because a second later, Diego gets up, offering to clean up, but Gage smacks his hand.
“Absolutely not. You cooked; you aren’t cleaning up, too.”
My gaze roves over Auryn in her stolen sweats, and I get an idea. “Auryn, how do you feel about getting out and stretching your legs?” I ask. Everyone turns to look at me.
Gage’s jaw tenses, and I shove my hands in my pockets. “What—”
“I mean, I don’t know about you, but I could use some new underwear,” I say with a smirk.
Diego chuckles, shaking his head. “Dios mío.”
“And I’m sure my girl could use some of herownclothes.” I shrug. “Not that I don’t like seeing you in Olly’s spares, but if you’re going to be a member of this pack—” I look to Gage, knowing he’ll say something if I am out of line, but he only crosses his arms and raises a brow at me, so I continue. “–we should probably get you some more comfortable clothes.”
“I think that’s a splendid idea,” Olly says, and I don’t miss the hint of sadness in his voice. I’m sure he loves seeing Auryn parading around in his clothes, even if he doesn’t say anything. He’s a beta, after all. In the hierarchy of things, the three of us pull rank over him on practically everything, and for a moment I almost reconsider. This might be one of the only places Olly feels he holds his own, and here I am trampling over the sliver of possessiveness he’s actually able to express.
But then I see Auryn’s eyes light up like fireworks, and I think Olly will have to find some other way to exert his claims.
I’m taking my girl shopping.
“It’s dangerous,” Gage says cautiously. “To leave the compound. Sneed—”
