“Hey, someone needed to ask.” He rubs the spot Tanner hit even though I’m sure it didn’t hurt.
“No,” I answer. “I at least kept a modicum of control.” I’m not sure that little bit of restraint counts for much when I still let a bond happen. There was time to pull backmy hand before she broke the skin. I could have stopped it. I just didn’t really want to.
“Please, Foster,” Raven says. “I can’t handle the questions right now.” There’s a spike of anxiety that follows the words, so strong it nearly bowls me over. She hasn’t figured out how to close off the connection yet.
“Damn,” Vann says.
“Fuck.” Tanner sinks against the wall.
I’m not sure what else to say about what happened. They get it. I don’t think any of them could have stopped if they’d been in my position either. And as bad as I feel that I wasn’t more careful, I can’t find it in me to regret it. Not really. It shouldn’t have happened this way, but I’m glad it did. She belongs here with us. We just need to prove it to her.
Tanner stares down the hall, rubbing his chest. “What are we gonna do?”
“Isn’t that obvious?” Vann replies. When we all look at him, he adds, “We’re gonna grovel.”
34
FOSTER
There’s a sick feeling in my gut as I knock on the apartment door and wait for Raven to answer.
When I realized she’d snuck out last night, I felt like someone had ripped my heart out of my chest. I knew she was hurt and angry after the train, but I never thought she’d run off on her own. It’s so reckless. So unlike her.
I spent the night searching every club near the Olympic Village, my panic increasing the longer I went without finding her. When she finally called, I was so angry I snapped, laying into her in a way I’m not proud of. She didn’t need that. The second I heard the tears in her voice, I knew I’d made a mistake.
Now, all I want to do is hold her and make sure she’s okay. The door swings open, and an unfamiliar alpha gives me a quick once-over. “Foster?”
I nod and cross my arms. “Where’s Raven?”
The second the question’s out of my mouth, the scent hits me. I’d caught little whiffs of her spicy, sweet scent before, always muted by scent blockers. But now, I’mstruck with the full potency and every muscle tightens, needing to get to my omega.
I shoulder past the guy. “Close the door. Fast.”
No one else should scent this.
Thankfully, the other alpha seems just as eager as I am to protect Raven’s cinnamon sugar pheromones. The door quickly slams shut, and I’m met with a wall of athletic men blocking my path to Raven, who huddles on the couch, eyes wide and red.
“Out of my way.” I don’t care that I barked the command. All that matters is getting to my girl.
They all step to the side, though one of them fights the command for a beat.
I rush to Raven, sitting and immediately pulling her into my lap. “Shhh, baby.” I comb her hair out of her face and kiss her forehead. “I’m here.”
A deep growl sounds from behind me. Three of the four guys look like they’re ready to pick a fight. Alphas, all of them. They’re giving off enough aggression to make that clear.
The one with dark skin and darker eyes is grinding his teeth so hard I can hear it.
“Let her go,” he says, the words infused with a bark.
I brush off the command easily enough. There’s no way in hell I’m letting go of my omega. Not for anyone. I snarl back at him, ready to fight if needed.
Raven clings to my neck, shaking. It’s clear something’s happened between her and these men, and I don’t like not knowing what. Every guess that flies through my mind has adrenaline surging. My alpha instincts are firing overtime, telling me there’s a threat. But right now, my omega needs mefirst.
Ignoring the bark and the guys, I focus on Raven. “What is it,principessa? What happened?”
She’s shaking too hard to answer. I want to see her face, so I gently stroke her hair back, lifting it off her cheek and settling it behind her neck. Then I see it. Fucking hell. Dark red marks mar her pale skin. A fresh bond bite.
My jaw tenses, hands curling into fists.
