“And me,” I add quickly before they veto walking to the gate as too dangerous. “I need to get out of this house for five minutes. My head is a mess, and the fresh air will help.”
“Sounds good,” Kade interjects when both Alphas look like they’re about to prohibit my walk. “And considering the time, I’ll see what I can make for dinner.”
I give him a small smile of thanks not realising the day is over. “There’s leftover chicken in the fridge.”
I zone out while everyone readies themselves. Aleksei disappears into his suite with Nalla on his heels, while Santiago goes into the bedroom. He appears in the doorway a second later with a puffy jacket in his hand.
“Here,” he says.
“That’s not a proper jacket,” Aleksei growls from behind me, making me startle.
I don’t even get to face him before I’m all but accosted by a weighted warmth encompassed in earthy, woody, sweet, and musky notes. His jacket clearly smells like him, and it makes me weak in the knees.
“Do you have proper shoes?” he asks, and since he’s behind me, and my brain is in hyperdrive, it’s like he’s whispering wicked promises in my ear. Like a lover would. I get so lost, I can’t remember answering, so I say nothing.
“Quinn,” Santiago calls me from down the corridor, and I scurry to him.
“I need fresh air.”
“Let’s go, then.” He waves his arm towards the newly constructed door. “I’ll show you how it works after.”
Nodding because I’ve reached my emotional capacity, I hurry through the house with him leading the way, Roshka next to my legs, and Kade and Aleksei bringing up the rear.
“Someone let me know when you’re back inside,” Kade says, taking the hall toward the kitchen. “I’m just going to throw something together, but it’s not going to be gourmet.”
“Wait here,” Aleksei says abruptly, his eyes on Santiago, before he breaks into a jog to catch up with Kade.
Santiago is watching me. I know it, god, even my body knows it. His attention sends shivers down my spine. Thankfully, he doesn’t move an inch. “Do you have suppressors in your package?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you still need to see a doctor tomorrow?”
“I want to. I don’t want to go into heat. It’s so fucked up in this house, Santiago, you have no idea. I don’t feel safe, and that’s after spending like three seconds in the same room as Sergey and his posse.”
“The women threatened you?”
I pull a face, confirming they did while still not looking at him. I really am on the edge, but I want him to know more. I don’t usually share like this, but he does this to me—makes me feel like I can trust him.
“I also said to Bambi I’m happy for her to stay in Sergey’s suite.”
“She stays in there?”
“Yeah and the other women. There’s four I’ve met so far.”
I risk a look, and I’m not too surprised by his expression. When we’re alone, this Alpha wears his heart on his sleeve, and by god, it’s a beautiful thing. He’s offended to the point of bitterness on my behalf.
“Remember what I said about going if you need to,” I tell him.
Aleksei joins us, reading a message on his phone and thankfully missing our interaction. “Sergey will be here within the hour. He’s coming back early.”
“Quinn will not be seeing him tonight. I want her locked away. She’s exhausted.” Santiago arcs up, expecting a fight, but Aleksei is already agreeing before he finishes.
“We do a quick walk around. If we start now, we will pick up your package, then get you back upstairs with time to spare.”
And that’s what we do. Aleksei doesn’t talk, and neither does Santiago. I find myself again as we walk from one edge of the property to the other. In the grand scheme of things, it’s nothing. I don’t have some groundbreaking epiphany that rocks me to my core. Instead, it’s more of a resetting of my ideals.
Since I met these three men, each one has unknowingly tested my resolve. Now that we’re all together, I feel like who I am as a person is being challenged by whispers of what we could be. I know I’m acting like I’m living in a washing machine—my emotions spinning—but I am also aware that once the cycle is done, I’ll come out on the other side, the same but better. Cleaner.
