The word maybe is a pulse in my throat.
Not because I want to leave.
Because I wanted the option.
I swallow hard. "I don't know."
His grip tightens, just enough to make my scalp sting.
"You're not free to 'not know.' You belong to this pack. Just because we haven't completed the bonding ritual doesn't change the fact that your name is on my paperwork. The registry gave me custody of you five years ago. You're mine to protect."
The phrasing hits wrong.
Belong to.
Notwith.
My eyes sting.
"Then maybe act like it," I mutter before my self-preservation can catch up.
His eyes flash.
For a second, I think I've just bought myself another night on hardwood. Another month of no comfort from my alphas.
Instead, he exhales through his nose, a harsh sound. "We'll discuss that later. For now, you stay with us. No more wandering off. If you want to look at penguins, you tell someone where you're going."
"I'm not a child."
"Then stop making me feel like I've lost one. Come on."
He releases my hair, but his hand doesn't leave me.
It slides down, fingers closing around the back of my neck—firm, possessive, guiding.
He steers me back toward the food court like that, palm hot against my skin, scent wrapped thick around me.
Anyone watching would see an alpha escorting an omega back to safer ground.
I feel like I'm being dragged by the scruff.
We rejoin the others at the table.
Drake jumps up when he sees my face. "Hey. What happened? You okay?"
"Another alpha decided to invite himself into our business. Vee got a sales pitch."
Marie's eyes narrow. "What kind of sales pitch?"
"The 'I'll show you what you're worth' kind."
Heat rushes back to my cheeks.
Marie's mouth tightens.
Jasper's gaze flicks over me, then the direction Chase went.
Eli stands half out of his seat. "Are you hurt?"
