“Never did that.” I shrug, and he narrows his eyes on me over his shoulder. I catch a glimpse of Tatum’s smile, though. I hacked a lot more than his phone.Should I tell him I hacked his truck?Nah.
“Fucking lying ass,” he hisses, and I glare at the back of his head.
I could still stab him…
“Kodiak…” Tatum scolds him again, frowning up at her mate, and he huffs dramatically.
“Sorry!” he grunts, shaking his head and stomping away.
It’s busy here already, not overly crowded, but enough that my anxiety spikes. Once we’re inside the main area of the club, Tatum turns and smiles at me.
“Later tonight there’s a party. It’s a smoke screen to cover for a client, but things are going to get packed.” She glances up at her Alpha, who pulls her into his side. “Anyway, you’ll already be securely tucked away in your office by then, but I wanted to warn you in case things get crazy.”
I keep my eyes off of hers as I take in the room. It looks different at night, with the lights dimmed and the stages all lit up.
“Alright.” I nod, even though Declan already filled me in. The party is the reason he has me starting tonight. He wants me watching the floor. Given that this secret client gave them almost no information to work with, they aren’t taking any chances.They had me trace the contact, but it was a dead end. Led to a fake account.
Nothing usable.
I have to give them something tonight, or they’re going to think I’m useless. They already think I failed to recover any trace of who owned Whitehill. The kill switch was efficient, and if I didn’t know who put me in there, I would’ve found nothing.
Which means I need to prove I can supply them with intel, or I’m going to get fired. Something I can’t let happen. I need this job. I need their connections, and most of all, I need a decent hiding place. Hayes Pack has all of those things, and then some.
“Tatum!” a feminine voice squeals, her body hidden behind Kodiak as she approaches, seconds before a flash of white lace and tan legs launches at Tatum. I reach for my blade, lunging forward at the same time that Kodiak moves between me and the two women.
“Nope, chill the fuck out.” His hands fly up, but he doesn’t touch me. I pause, lifting a brow. He doesn’t know who the fuck I am, not really. Not what I had to do or what I had to endure, but he keeps his hands off me anyway.
I’ve heard Alphas are supposed to have a naturally protective instinct over their Omegas. Is that all this is? If that's true, and other Alphas are protective of Omegas, I’ve never witnessed it before Tatum’s mates. At least, not genuinely. I’m protective of anyone weaker than me, which is usually Omegas, but not exclusively. I’ve put myself between Omegas and Betas alike. Occasionally an Alpha, if they need it. If they deserve it. That’s rare.
I’ve seen other Alphas do a lot of fucked-up shit. I’ve seen them hurt Omegas, Betas, and other Alphas. Kill them. Assault them. Kidnap, drug, beat, abuse… Kodiak and his brothers are the few Alphas besides myself that I’ve seen protect an Omega. Them, and one other.
The one who saved me.
Kodiak looks ready to grab me as I twirl my blade, but he doesn’t. I assume if I pushed too close to his mate with my open blade, he’d stop me…but as long as I keep my distance, he respects my body and my boundaries, no matter how unreasonable they seem.
Suspicious.
“That’s Dream. She’s Tatum’s best friend. She’s not a threat to her. Or anyone, honestly. Think of her like a cloud of affection,” the Alpha says cautiously while the two Omegas take a few steps away from us, giggling to each other, all smiles and joy.
I tilt my head, considering the situation carefully.Would he lie? What would he gain?I nod sharply, closing the blade, but keep it in my hand.
I feel a presence at my back, and I spin quickly, ready to plunge the knife once again. The behemoth of an Alpha stands still as stone, hovering like a fucking gargoyle. He keeps his hands tucked into his pockets, even though I have a blade out and pressed against his stomach.
He didn’t hurt me last time. Will he now?
He’s huge, but at least he has no scent. No dominance. I don’t like his size. My instincts scream at me to stab him. To escape. Instead, I hold my ground, letting my threat speak for itself. I’m a large Alpha, but this one? He’s a fucking titan.
He drops his gaze to my hand and then meets my eyes, lifting one brow and holding it until I lower the weapon. I imagine myself using it to kill him in different ways, letting my thoughts calm me, before I put my blade away. Well, mostly away.
“Hello again, Apollo. I’m not sure if you remember me; I’m Ha—” He clears his throat. “Trev,” he finishes, his voice steady. Firm. He’s confident and sure of himself. I squint. I’m not sure ifit’s just that he didn’t find my threat intimidating or if he simply assumed I wouldn’t really stab him.
Now I want to stab him, if only to prove a point. Bet he wouldn’t even feel it if I jammed it into his tree-trunk thigh.
He might be an Alpha, but a metal object shoved into your muscle will still slow you down regardless. I wrinkle my nose. He’s training me, so I’ll be spending a lot of time with him. I’ll need more weapons. He’s too fucking big. It’ll take a few to take King Kong here down.
I’ll have to aim for his pretty fucking face first so he stops watching me with kind, caring green eyes.
“I remember you.” I keep my eyes trained on him. I’m used to stronger, more dominant Alphas using that dominance against me and those around me.
