“What the fuck is that about?” I ask as I struggle to salvage breakfast.
“We’re good to go for the next job,” she beams, tapping away at her phone. “I just found a loophole.”
It’s too early for this. “What loophole?”
“To the bonding thing. It says right here in this article:Though bonding solely to betas is rare, alpha-beta bonds and omegaless packs are entirely natural and valid.We can still operate as a heat helper pack.”
I should’ve known it wouldn’t be long before she was back at it. “Mags, I love you, but I am not sleeping with anyone else ever again. I can’t fulfill that part of the contract. I won’t do it.”
She shakes her head and gestures with her phone. “No, of course not. But there are records of heat helper beta packs that employ an alpha security guard to protect the omega in question. We just need to bill you as a guard.”
Kip frowns. “I thought all the vetting you did for our next cons were for families that needed an alpha breeder. We’ll have to start all over, won’t we?”
Mags dismisses the question with a wave of her hand. “We’ll be fine. I have a backup list of rich bitches anyway. I’ll go through that list until I find the right mark, and we’ll be back to work in no time.”
I should’ve known Mags had a contingency plan.
“Wait, did you know you’d bond to Nik eventually?” Kaden asks.
“No. But come on … He’s an attractive alpha. There was a chance he’d bond to someone else, and I had to have a backup plan for if he bonded to another omega.”
“And what if I didn’t want to grift anymore after bonding to this fictional other omega?”
“Sure, you would have. We always do everything together. We’re a family.” A twinge of hurt shoots through the mate bond. “Didn’t you think we were a family?”
That’s playing dirty. “Mags, you’re delusional if you think I would have continued to con people if I had settled down with a mate. The only reason I’m even considering this insanity is that I love you. I’m bonded toyou, and nothing’s changing that.”
“So, it’s a moot point. Good.” She gets up and attempts to leave the kitchen. “Hold right there. I’ve got some spreadsheets to show you.”
Oh, God, if she has a slideshow presentation ready, I’m going to lose it.
Mags has a slideshow.
And graphs. Charts. Flowsheets. This woman has planned what she calls The Alpha Guard Con for years, keeping it secret until I became bonded.
“And what’s this asterisk for?”
We’ve been pouring over the plan for hours, and I just noticed some suspiciously small print.
“Oh, that. I annotated down here:Nik’s omega stays home and does omega shit.”
I grin playfully and tap the line on the screen. “So, you’ll be staying safe at home now?”
She blinks and looks at me like I just grew a second head. “Of course not. I’m still playing beta. These cons only work as well as they do because you guys have a female with you. Can you imagine trying to get some hoity-toity family to trust youwithout me there? Please. You’d be kicked to the curb every time.”
So much for that hope. I guess I’ll be doing double duty here, guarding the omega marksandmy own mate. “Fine. But you’re taking precautions. Locking up your meds, taking themas directed. I don’t want any more surprises.”
Kip and Kaden flash identical, confused glances. “As directed?”
“She’s supposed to have a real heat at least once a year. That’s why her doses aren’t lasting long enough.”
Their confusion turns to anger, and they glare at Mags. “Seriously?”
“I’m fine. It’s fine.” She turns back to her laptop and peers at the screen. “Now, let’s see … The Billingsly family has two alpha sons and a full contingent of guards already, so they’re out. Hm … The Langleys? They don’t have any sons at all, two omega daughters, and it looks like the omegas’ heats have synced up. We can do a twofer.”
I can tell that there’s no deterring her. She’s set in her ways, and she doesn’t seem to understand the higher stakes now that her status as an omega might come out again. All it would take is one missed dose, one slip of the tongue, one little flub, and her grifts would all come crashing down.
“Fine. The Langley family it is.” I push back from the table and grab a beer out of the fridge. “I’m going to watch TV. Come get me when the parents need to talk to me.”
