“Zeke got bit, and now we’re stuck in this town. So I wouldn’t sayokay, no,” Rafe says, dry as dust. He doesn’t look as furious as Gage, but he’s not happy either. Gage just glares.
The scrambling at my center won’t be contained; an omega whine slips out, and every alpha turns to me. Corbin crouches again, and I let his big arms circle me as he pulls me in and rubs slow circles up and down my spine.
Over his shoulder, Gage meets my eyes. The conflict there is heartbreaking. I want to tell him I’m okay, that I understand, that I don’t want him to feel forced. But another whine is lodged in my throat, and if I open my mouth it’ll only be that.
Gage sighs. “I promise nothing. But trying can’t hurt if we’re stuck here anyway.”
My omega does a backflip. Her excitement and my trepidation meld into a sickening cocktail.
This should be interesting.
Eli
We watch the omega walk out the door with Corbin. He insisted on walking her to her car, and we all agreed to meet again tomorrow. One glance around the table and you can practically reach out and touch the big, gouging fractures in our pack.
Zeke looks miserable now that the little omega has left the room. Gage looks pissed, as always, and Rafe’s doing his nonchalant, jovial-idiot thing—but even I can see the smile doesn’t reach his eyes.
Meanwhile, the other omegas are gathering their things, shooting us glances like they’ve already deemed us unworthy of their friend.
After meeting her, I’d have to agree. Winnie was sweet, polite, and soft. All the things my pack has been sorely lacking—especially this past year.
I avoid the omegas’ concerned looks. I know what the mask does to people’s opinions—basically decimates any good ones from forming.
“If you’re going out with our friend, I want to be able to identify you. All of you,” one of the omegas with blonde hair demands. I can feel her eyes on me, but I don’t meet them. I can’t.
“You’ve seen us,” Gage replies. He knows what she’s asking, but he’ll try to make her back down. Normally he wouldn’t—he’d just bark anyone who confronted me about the mask away. But since she’s the soft omegas friend, he’s trying to be diplomatic.
“Not him. Wearing a mask in a restaurant is pretty tacky. You’re not on a bike,” she snaps.
“The good sheriff can identify him if he needs to. Beyond that, it’s none of your business.”
The blonde omega opens her mouth to argue further, but one of the alphas—the one who owns the hotel—comes back over.
“Problem, little one?” he asks her. She glances at him and practically preens in his presence. I wonder if Winnie could ever look at me that way. My mind snaps the thought away. I know the answer. It’s a big, hard no.
She glances at me again but must decide it’s not worth it right now. She shakes her head, and the whole group—plus alpha—walks out.
“Gonna share any insight with us about how she’s feeling?” Rafe asks Zeke.
“No,” Zeke growls back. “Her personal feelings are fucking personal. It’s bad enough I’m invading them. I’m not sharing them with you asshats unless she asks me to.”
Rafe puts his hands up in a placating, sarcastic gesture. “The big white knight. Who knew you had it in you.”
Zeke shifts uncomfortably in his chair. He’s always had the hero complex.
“What about Corbin? We really just gonna take him back as dominant alpha like that?” I ask. I glance around—no one nearby is listening. One lady’s staring at me, but I ignore her. As long as the mask’s on, I don’t care.
“No,” Gage growls.
“Gage, come on, man. You’ve done great under fucked-up circumstances, but you’re not a dominant. This shit’s been too hard on you. We can all see it. Maybe—” Rafe starts but Gage cuts him off.
“No.” Gage pounds his fist on the table. People gasp. The bang hits me like a flash grenade. My shoulders tense, heart skipping, every sound in the room sharpening until I can’t separate them anymore. Gage glances at me, an apologetic look already on his face. Between all this talking, the lights, the open space of this cavernous dining room—I’m so done with today.
An alpha with white-blond hair comes up to our table. “Since you’re Winnie’s mates, I won’t kick you out this time, but you’re going to take this conversation up to your room. Keep it down up there, too.”
If our omega doesn’t know everyone in town, it must be damn close.
We order room service when we get upstairs, since none of us ate at that crazy meeting.
