"Acceptable currency." He watches me sip, eyes scanning. When he catches himself, he looks away deliberately.
"I can't decide if I hate you or if I'm starting a fan club."
"Split the difference. Hate me now, send cookies later." He pats the pad. "Set two."
I settle in again, more confident.
Then—
The air shifts.
I feel it before I see it.
Alex storms in through the entrance, his face tight, eyes locked on us. He moves fast, cutting through the space with purpose.
"What do you think you're doing?" he snaps.
Chase straightens slowly. "Helping her. Who are you?"
"You shouldn't be chasing someone else's omega," Alex says sharply.
The words hit like a slap.
Chase's gaze flicks to me, then back to Alex. "What business is it of yours when you don't have a claim on her anyway? I know you're not from her pack."
I freeze.
My heart slams against my ribs. People nearby pretend not to stare.
Alex and Chase square up, the air between them prickling and toxic. I've never seen Alex like this, sharp-edged and so suddenly, absolutelyalphathat every set of ears in the gym tunes to the confrontation.
"Step. Back," Alex bites, each word dropped with the weight of a warning.
Chase doesn't even flinch. He plants his hands on his hips. "No. I don't even know who the hell you are but I do know she doesn't need protection from me."
Alex's jaw ticks. "Hands off."
"I'm helping her with a machine, not undressing her. If you want to start measuring dicks, get in line with the rest of the city's alphas. Otherwise, back down."
Alex takes a deliberate step closer. "You don't know her. You don't know what she's been through."
Chase's mouth curls up, but it's not a smile. "I see her pretty clearly, thanks. She's not a parcel to be signed for at the desk."
"You don't own her," Alex says, the words scalding the air. “You never will.”
"I never said I did. But you're not her alpha either, unless everyone in this room missed a very sudden bonding announcement."
I shrink into myself, heat building behind my eyes. I'm suspended between the jaws of two alphas who see me as a point of pride, a territory line, a problem to be solved with force.
Alex digs his fingers into his palm, knuckles bleached white. "I'm responsible for her tonight."
"Then act like it without posturing in my gym. You want her to feel safe? Maybe start by not making a scene."
A ripple of unease passes through the room.
Alex's next words are brutal: "Touch her again and we have a problem."
Chase doesn't blink. "I don't need to touch her. She actually listens when I talk."
