“I don’t give a shit what pathetic excuse you’ve come up with.” Cass sits on the edge of the bed, his bad leg stretched out in front of him. The knee is freshly drained and wrapped tight, white bandages stark against his skin. “You crossed a line,” he snarls, his voice low and venomous. “You made a decision you had no authority to make.”
I take a deep, silent breath, trying to calm the aggression humming right beneath my skin.
The room still smells faintly of her. Sweet honey and earthy tea leaves. I focus on the intoxicating aroma, trying to force it to settle my nerves, but all it does is make me want to rut.
Cass continues to yell as memories of fucking Warren against the side of the car rush into my mind. My body hums for a whole new reason.
All I can think about is the way I pinned Warren’s strong body down with his pants around his ankles, my hand fisted in his hair as I drove into him. I kept my eyes locked on Tansy’s beautiful body the whole time. The way her breasts were pushed up and out from that tight corset, and the soft, parted pout of her lips as she slept. The mixture of her scent, Warren’s desperate groans, and the possessive rage that burned through me all at once was like a fucking drug.
I don’t remember ever coming that hard.
“Cass, please,” Warren pleads, snapping me back to the present. “You have to understand,” he says softly. “We didn’t have the luxury of waiting for you to wake up. Youneeded?—”
“You didn’t know what the fuck I needed!” Cass growls once again. His dark eyes flash as he bares his teeth. “You saw an opportunity to fuck an omega and took it.” He pauses, his gaze sweeping over us with a new kind of contempt. “And did you even think about Beck? Did you stop for one second to ask him if he even wanted an omega?”
I freeze as I realize that we didn’t.
“An omega is a massive responsibility for a beta,” Cass continues, voice cold and sharp, “Beck has never trained to care for one or expressed any interest in even having one. His whole life will change with her in the house.”
His words hit my chest like a physical blow.
We didn’t ask Beck.
We never stopped to make sure he was okay with any of this. We were so focused on the crisis breathing down our necks that we steamrolled right over the one person who would be expected to care for her.
Cass lets out a harsh breath. “Un-fucking-believable.” His dark eyes cut between the two of us, our silence answering the question for him. “I guess you decided what Beck wanted didn’t matter either.”
Guilt coils low in my gut, ugly and heavy.
“It wasn't like that at all.” A rough sound jerks from Warren’s throat, his composure finally shattering. “We were trying to save your life, you stubborn bastard!” he snaps, his voice low and dangerous. “Pace told us you were dying. What the fuck were we supposed to do?”
Cass’s jaw tightens. “You were supposed to have faith in me,” he says hoarsely. “Faith that I was strong enough to get through this.” His eyes narrow. “You had no right to claim that girl without me.”
He’s right. We had no right.
But still—Cassisbetter. He’s already stronger after one night sleeping with Tansy’s scent in the room. He’s sitting up. Yelling at us.Alive.
And Beck…
He seems happy. Or at least lighter. I hope he is. I hope we didn’t make the wrong choice for him.
“Grason?” Cass studies me for a long moment, eyes sharp and searching. “Do you have anything to say in your defense?”
I don’t.
I hold his gaze and give a slow shake of my head. No excuses. No justifications.
Whatever’s coming, I’ve earned it.
“No, sir.”
Cass nods once, like he expected that. “Fine,” he finally says, his voice calmer, ready to hand down our punishment. “You two want to make important decisions for our pack, then you’ll live with the fucking consequences.” His gaze shifts from me to Warren, pinning us both in place.
I swallow hard, bracing myself for my punishment.
“Warren,” Cass’s voice rises with authority, “you want to be a leader so badly? Fine. You get to lead.” He leans forward, hands gripping the edge of the mattress. “You’re responsible for our home. The business. Incorporating Tansy into this pack. And making damn sure Beck doesn’t feel even a second of neglect.” His eyes lock onto Warren’s. “I want you to feel exactly how hard it is to be the pack alpha.”
Then he turns his attention to me, and my stomach drops.
