“Sometimes,” Virgil began slowly, “Gunner has a way with words that makes us believe things that are beyond thetruth.”
My brow furrowed. What did he meanbythat?
“In other words,” the alpha behind me growled angrily, “he’saliar.”
I turned around, shocked. “I’m sorry, but who are youagain?”
“I was just thinking the same thing,” David growled suspiciously. “He smells...familiar.”
“Let’s not worry about him right now. We have a different matter at hand, one that concerns the two of you,” Virgil said. “Niko, I’m going to be honest, and I hope you trust me enough to believe me. But Gunner has not been entirely truthfulwithyou.”
“How can you say that?” I asked, my voice trembling. Hearing him say that sent a cold chill down my spine. “He’s our top alpha. If I can’t believe him, whocanIbelieve?”
I was getting increasingly agitated, and found myself nearly yelling at Virgil. When I realized what I was doing, I gasped and covered my mouth with my hands. “I’m sosorry.”
Virgil didn’t comment. “Don’t be. You have a right to be upset. And you’re right. If you can’t trust Gunner, who can you trust? Surely not me, because I justattackedyou.”
I shook my head. “But you didn’thurtme.”
He shrugged, as if this conversation just proved hispoint.
“Whydidyou attack him, by the way?” David growled. He still looked angry about that - more than I did, and I was the one who was actually attacked. But since Virgil didn’t hurt me, maybeattackedwas no longer therightword.
Virgil’s calm expression finally cracked. An almost smug smile stretched across his lips. “Why don’t you two answer thatyourselves?”
“I don’t think these two are that smart,” the hooded alpharemarked.
“Shh.”
For the first time since we first met in my cell, David and I looked at each other intheeyes.
Ishivered.
I finally got a good look at him outside the confines of the omega compound, and I felt like I wasreallyseeing him for the first time, without the lens of fear. He was tall, muscular, and radiated strength. Everything about him was pure confidence. It sent a chill down my spine, but… maybe not in abadway.
I shook my head and wrenched my gaze away. What was I thinking? This man was my enemy. Despite whatever the hell was going on right now, I couldn’t let my guard down, or I would be whisked away by thisstranger.
“Maybe we should leave them alone for a bit,” Virgilremarked.
I opened my mouth to say that I didn’t want to be alone with David, but the words shrivelled and died in my throat. For some reason, the thought of being alone with this mandidn’tgive me the same gut-wrenching horror that it did before. He had jumped into a fight with a powerful alpha wolf to defendme;surely, I thought, even if he was a stranger, he couldn’t be all that bad. Maybe Gunner was just… confusedabouthim.
Curiously, I made eye contact with David again. When our eyes met, a strange sensation that bloomed in my chest made meshudder.
Like shadows, Virgil and the hooded omega slowly melted into the background, leaving David and I byourselves.
David’s gaze flickered back and forth between my face and the ground. For the first time since meeting him, he actually looked nervous. I almost laughed. What did a strong, confident alpha have to be nervous about around a useless, small omegalikeme?
“So,” David began, licking his lips nervously, “are you sure you’renothurt?”
I brushed myself off again and shrugged. “No, I don’tthinkso.”
He scowled. “That Virgil… I don’t know what he was thinking, attacking you like that. The guy is alunatic.”
“He’s not so bad,” I said, feeling the need to defend him. “I don’t think he really wanted to hurt me in the first place.” I paused. “He asked us to figure out why he did that. What doesthatmean?”
David blinked slowly. “He attacked you, but specifically didn’t hurt you…” Realization dawned across his face. “I think I understand why, but… I don’t know if you’re going tobelieveme.”
I rubbed my arm. “Pleasetellme.”
