“Maybe we should all go for a run,” Rhodes suggests, looking from one tense alpha to the other. “There’re some treadmills in the gym.”
“I don’t want to run.” I throw a crumpled napkin at him. “I want my girl.”
“Even if she were here, she probably wouldn’t want to be comforted by you,” Tanner says, standing up.
“And whose fault is that?” I snap. “You’re the one who started it all. If you hadn’t picked on her back in high school, I never would have noticed her—or hurt her.”
It’s not true. I always noticed Raven. I just didn’t doanything about it until Tanner started in on her, and then, too eager to please him, I did the wrong thing.
She was always on my radar, though. And he probably knows it.
I’m so bottled up and angry, I shove his chest. “This is all your fault.”
He pushes back, knocking me into the table. A sports drink spills, flooding Rhodes’ lap. The beta jumps to his feet, hopping between Tanner and me. “Hey, hey, we can’t do this here.”
Orion positions himself by Rhodes, a hand on Tanner’s chest. I look around, suddenly realizing how many people are watching us. Shit. Leave it to me to fuck up and draw negative attention yet again. This is the last thing we need. Orion’s supposed to be meeting with investors this afternoon. If they get wind that we got into a pack fight in public they’ll never want us. Just like Raven won’t. Why would she ever want an alpha like me? I’m volatile, and I’ve hurt her before. Fuck!
“Let’s all go for a run,” Orion piggybacks off of Rhodes’ suggestion. “It’ll be good for us.”
I nod, unable to speak through the self-hatred swirling through my brain.
On the way out the door, a guy wearing a sweatshirt with the Greek flag on it stops Rhodes and hands him a flier. “Some of the ski team is hosting a party at Club Niente tonight,” he says in explanation. He smiles, seemingly oblivious to the tension radiating off me and my teammates. “You should come.”
The guy’s gaze lingers a beat too long on Rhodes, and something protective tightens in my chest. I throw an arm over our beta. It’s long past time we put a bite mark onhim. I think we’ve all hesitated because it’s an intimate experience—whether a bond is romantic, sexual, or just based on friendship, it’s still an extreme connection—and Rhodes has always liked his privacy. He’s a slow-moving, think-everything-through kind of guy. But I’m not. I’m the exact opposite. Impulsive. Impatient. Needy as fuck. And equally possessive. I want everyone to know he’s ours. Man, it’s hard to wait.
“We’ll think about it,” Tanner says, taking the flier from the Greek dude. He reads it silently as we all bundle back up in our coats, then step out into the biting cold. It’s snowing again, the world blanketed in a calm white that doesn’t match the swirl of emotions inside me.
I keep my arm around Rhodes as we head back to our room to change for a run, grounding myself with his warmth. He leans into me a little more than normal, and something about that calms my pulse and makes my chest glow.
“We’re not really gonna go to that thing, right?” I say, motioning toward the paper.
“Maybe we should,” Orion takes the flier from Tanner. “Could be a good distraction. Burn off some energy.”
I love dancing, but I’d rather do it with my omega. I’m not exactly in the mood for a party right now. “Who am I gonna dance with, huh? It’s not like I’ll dance with someone other than Raven—especially not now.”
“You could… dance with me,” Rhodes says quietly.
When I glance over at him, he’s looking at his feet, each step making a crunch in the snow.
“Alright, yeah.” I pull him a little closer. “Let’s get our groove on, beta.”
23
FOSTER
“You want another butterscotch?” I ask the omega across from me.
We’re in a private train car on our way to Cortina. Ana and Harriett didn’t want to be crowded with a bunch of athletes on the shuttle, so they arranged for us to take the train. They’re in the dining car right now, probably nursing their second cocktails.
Thank fuck. I’ve nearly snapped at those two more times than I can count. It’s like they don’t see Raven as a person, but a tool. One that just broke down so they have no use for her anymore. They’ve both been so disappointed since her fall this afternoon that they’ve barely talked to her. As if Raven didn’t feel bad enough.
She plucks the candy from where I hold it aloft between us. “Thanks.”
Her voice is quiet, more so than usual. The subdued timbre reveals her obvious distress, despite her trying to put on a brave face. If I could scent her, I bet she’d be sour with melancholy right now.
She pops the candy into her mouth, her pink tongue darting out to lick the sticky residue from her fingertips. I’m not sure she even realizes she’s doing it since she’s staring aimlessly out the window at the passing scenery. My cock sure as hell notices though.
The more time I spend with Raven, the stronger my instincts ride me. I know it’s in an alpha’s nature to want to protect omegas, but this feels different. Which is dangerous. Even if she wasn’t my client, I’m quite a few years older than her. From the little she’s told me about her life, she doesn’t have much experience outside of training and skating.
