I leave them both standing outside my door and walk over to the mirror. With my black eye hidden under thick concealer, I look hot as hell actually. My yellow leather mini skirt is as tiny as they come, and it makes my legs look super long. Paired with the patent red Doc Martens, and sheer white boyfriend shirt, it works, but I turn, twisting to see the back in case the zipper split, but it’s not. Which means Nance is being the weird one.
I come back to the both of them still at the door, although the Alpha is whispering at Nancy. Totally not my issue if they have a full-blown argument at my door, and in truth, I’d rather people sort shit out when they get pissed off instead of smiling and pretending nothing is wrong.
Nancy closes her eyes and instead of worry, now she stinks like regret. The pacifist in me moves closer to her with a soft smile. “Thank you for checking, I appreciate it. And for the food.”
She makes a strange grimace, which isn’t what I was expecting. “God, I totally screwed this up, and it probably seems like I’m being nasty—which is not what I want. And I am so sorry. I was worried; it’s not my business, but at the same time, I need you to know that if you need help, we could do whatever is needed.”
“Yeah, I can imagine you could. But right here, right now, I am good.” I flick my head, trying to come across as impartial and patient. “Do you want to pop that on the table.”
I guess she said what was eating at her because now the words pour out of her without snark or judgement. “He was agitated, you know, banging on our door last night until we answered. He definitely didn’t want to leave and wouldn’t go until Jonah promised he’d keep an eye on you. He was verythorough in arranging everything, so I think maybe he got pulled away on something urgent.”
“That’s what his note said too,” I answer truthfully, although I omit telling her the number he wrote down is out of service. “Did he really arrange a car for me?”
Instead of answering, she digs out the keys in her pocket and hands them over. “The room is paid until tomorrow. You can eat in the big house with me and my pack tonight.”
“Oh, thank you, but I’m actually going to eat this and leave. I’m meeting some girlfriends in the city, and then I need to get back to Unity.”
Her eyebrows fly up. “God, that place is still going?”
I laugh properly this time. “You went there?”
“I did. And I even passed the hideous art classes, thank you very much.” Nancy smiles knowingly, and she transforms into another person entirely, someone I’d probably drop in and visit again.
“Yeah, well I’m pleased to let you know I did very well on all my art projects this year. In all of them actually except for Consommés for Optimum Alpha Health which I failed spectacularly for some reason.” I smirk at her. And she gives me a knowing smirk in return.
In that one glance we bond and understand each other as Omegas. At the same time, we share a look that says loud and clearly, Alphas should be able to cook for themselves.
I move closer to her again, and before she can object, I give her a hug tight enough to cause a strained groan which makes me laugh. Heidi Ho makes the same noise. Speaking of, I need to cram Nancy’s sandwich in my mouth and get on the road to meet the girls for dinner.
Jonah helps me load everything into the carheorganised. It would be nice to have a name for the scent-matched Alpha who turned my pussy, heart, and life upside down, but all I got was aK which doesn’t match up to the name of Roland he supposedly used when checking in. Anyway, I have cried enough tears over him. Before I leave, I stick-on gold-leaf gel masks, hoping to get rid of my puffy red eyes or the girls will be out for blood. His, obviously.
The Acura RDX is fitted out with an oversized bull bar, and a note on the passenger seat highlights the safety features as requested including multi-view camera, a collision mitigation braking system, and a lane keep safety assist system—it seems my mysterious runaway Alpha has a dry sense of humour. I’m half tempted to crash the Acura to show him how funny I can be too.
The drive into the city only takes a few hours, and I spend time talking with my agent about the asshole photographer from yesterday before chatting with Mom and all my dads.
Since the traffic is a little heavy, I end up running out of time. I’m only able to touch up the makeup hiding my black eye and brush my hair.
Donning on my oversized Jacki-Ohhs, I make a dash past the paps waiting for cheap shots of half famous people. Thankfully inside the lobby, everyone is completely distracted by other guests. The lobby is full of Alphas looking like they’ve just walked off the set of a movie shoot—a weird one involving suit-wearing, mafia-looking dudes mixing it up with their poorer, meaner cousins: the bikers.
They’re obnoxiously loud too, all joking and yelling at each other. Worse than the noise is the pheromones of so many Alphas congregating in one place. Maybe because I’m still a little haunted by his scent, but I swear I get teased by it with each step I take as I go towards the bar area.
Thankfully I see my recently acquired gang of girlfriends in the far corner and get completely distracted by them. So distracted I literally have no way to stop from crashing into anAlpha. I slam so hard into him that my face gets smooshed against his chest.
And then reality hits. The tease from in the lobby wasn’t a tease, it was a warning. Because the Alpha I’m currently embed against scents like top shelf bourbon and wicked promises of filthy sex.
“Killer?” He coos down at me, his hands dropping on my hips holding me so close I can feel his belt buckle against my tummy. I go to answer, but Raney’s voice pulls my attention, or more accurately it pulls the both of us to a screeching stop.
“Dad! Holy crap, King, don’t hurt her, that’s Tris. You’re going to love her,” she gushes from the other side of the room.
Before he can say a word, because no shit what is there to say, I laugh obnoxiously loud at the way the universe works or perhaps it’s Raney’s last comment.
Raney gets stopped from closing the distance by her dangerous and dangerously good-looking Alpha, Koz. The temporary lack of people nearby gives us the chance to talk.
“And you told me not to call you Daddy,” I sass through pouty lips, rolling my eyes for extra effect and rubbing his chest, keeping up the appearance of an apology before spinning out of his possessive stranglehold on my hips.
Keeping up our guise, I ignore him and all but leap into Raney’s arms.
Raney.
