Maybe, he’d misspoken.
Yeah, that had to be it. Clearly, when Joon saidbond, he meant that they’d figured out a way to relate to each other. To get along.
But even as I desperately tried to come up with an explanation that didn't make me want to explode with anger, I knew that wasn't what Joon meant. Not with the way that the omega's scent had transformed from a lovely fall orchard to the rotten tang of a bottle depository. His lips trembled as their eyes darted between mine and the stairs.
"I, uh..." he stumbled out, wringing his hands anxiously. Another time, I would’ve taken them in my own, told Joon that it was going to be okay. But not now. Not after he’d betrayed me like this. "Well... last night I got up to go to the bathroom, and I heard Marcus in his room sounding like he was in pain, so I went in…”
I wondered, briefly, if I'd fallen asleep at my desk. I’d been up late, and I’d been working myself pretty hard lately between trying to make time for Eva and making content.
Maybe, this was some kind of sick trick of the mind.
A manifestation of my worst fears come to life.
Somehow, a hyperrealistic nightmare was more believable than my skittish boyfriend deciding to create a permanent link between him and my best friend…
Already praising my own cleverness, I pinched my arm.
"And… well… he was in rut…” Joon went on, his eyes finding the floor.
Ouch. I pinched my skin again, and again. It hurt, but nowhere near as much as the fact that Joon wouldn't look at me.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" I asked, the hollow note in my voice entirely foreign to my ears. "He could’ve really hurt you."
I wasn't even sure if that was true. Marcus was pretty gentle for his size, and rut or not, I trusted him with Joon.
At least, I did.
And how fuckin' wrong I'd been.
"I should’ve," Joon admitted. "But I got caught up in the moment. And one thing led to another and… we bonded."
"Bonded," I repeated, my jaw flexing. "I see. He bit you?”
I’d kill him. I wasn’t sure how, given he was about twice my size. But Marcus Pond was dead fuckin’—
"No! No… I bit him. But Indi—" Joon said, making a step forward like they were fixing to grab onto my arm.
"Don't." I put my hand up to silence him, the sound of his voice only serving like sandpaper against the thin wall of my patience as I stepped away.
How quick had I been to believe the worst of my packmate to try and explain this away? But really… This was Joon’s choice.
Marcus hadn’t taken advantage of my boyfriend. My boyfriend decided to take a step with an alpha in a way that he’d chosen to avoid with me.
It wasn't that Joon couldn't have a bond, it was that he didn'twantone. At least not with me. And what was worse, Marcus wasn't even alpha enough to come tell me about it himself, he had his little omega liar do it for him.
“How long has this been going on, really?”
"What? Indi nothing is going on with me and Marcus, well, notnothing—I’ve been trying to get to know him for months, for you! This was all a big mistake, I–I–I didn't mean to!" He was shouting now, moving forward to make another attempt to grab at me.
I took another step backwards, and another, backing up until my heel hit the bottom stair.
"Don't fuckin’ touch me right now, Joon,” I warned, my skin feeling cold. “Don't you have an alpha youactuallywantto go celebrate with?" I turned, storming up the steps to the first floor with Joon's heavy footfalls echoing behind me, following the whole way as I bypassed the kitchen and headed for the second floor, straight into Marcus' room.
Logic had left the party sometime before I'd crossed the threshold.
Anger and hurt had tied themselves so tightly together that my hindbrain had kicked itself to life, my instincts pushing me into the alpha’s overly neat space.
Joon had often made a point to make a mess of Marcus’ kitchen, but the thing that the omega forgot was that he was used to people touching his equipment because of the restaurant.
