It’s the same guy we ran into after leaving the medical office, the one who tried to convince Eliano to join Last Man Standing, only this time he’s not with his Instagram-perfect beta, Shane.
"So, what about you? Want to give it a shot? Bashir’s tired, you’d have a good chance at the end."
Eliano shakes his head.
"I’m just watching for now. I only arrived on the island today. Thanks for the offer, but I need some time to look around first."
"Don’t make us wait too long. Everyone’s curious whether there’s finally someone on the island worthy of the show," Jeff grins, showing his teeth.
Something inside me overloads, maybe guilt over my own behavior? One thing’s for sure: I snap.
"The fuck?! Just leave him alone, would you? He said no. Does he have to spell it out for you?"
The whole table turns to stare at me. The silence is intense, but I feel a buzz of unhealthy excitement. The entire misfire of a conversation I had with Eliano is still bothering me, and I just let the adrenaline out. "We just got here, so leave us the fuck alone!"
Jeff’s upper lip curls slightly, and he ignores me like a typical alpha, throwing the comment at Eliano instead.
"Keep your beta in line."
That’s it. I’ve had enough.
I grab the tall glass of black currant juice Roman brought for himself and splash it all over Jeff’s white T-shirt. Some of it hits his face.
What happens next is so fast I can’t even react. An alpha’s reflexes are about four times quicker than a beta’s, so all I catch is a blur of movement.
I guess Jeff probably took a swing at me, but what I see is that he’s suddenly no longer standing straight.
He’s bent forward, his cheek pressed into the table, somewhere between the fried zucchini and the crispy golden potatoes.
His right arm is twisted behind his back and yanked up high enough that his face contorts in pain. Eliano keeps it there, pressing harder until Jeff’s wrist is almost between his shoulder blades.
Eliano leans in close to his ear. "Wanna take a swing? Take it at me. Leave the betas out of it."
Jeff lets out a low grunt.
"Got it?" Eliano whispers threateningly.
Jeff nods, a flat slice of tomato stuck to his cheek.
Eliano lets him go. Jeff curses, rolling his shoulder like he’s checking if it’s still intact, then takes a step back.
"Damn! I came here in peace and this is what I get? Shame on you," he growls, but there’s a conciliatory edge to it.
He backs off, then turns and walks away like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs.
Only then do I notice how many people are staring at us. Not just our table. The whole place.
From across the plaza, I spot Shane. His long, pale hair makes him easy to pick out. He’s standing there with his hands pressed to his chest, staring at his alpha.
When Jeff walks up to him, Shane immediately starts wiping his face with a napkin.
I turn back to Eliano.
He’s unbelievably calm. He sits down and starts gathering the potatoes off the table like nothing happened. No comment. No reaction. Like the whole thing was just… a non-issue.
Slowly, people drift back to their conversations, and the usual dinner buzz fills the space again.
Evan, Roman, and a few others at our table act like this was completely normal. Especially the alphas. For them, maybe it is? For me, someone who’s not used to being around their kind and their quick bursts of aggression and dominance, it’s something else entirely.
