I watch the even rise and fall of his chest, as he lies motionless. He doesn’t speak again, and I don’t either.
My expression steels.
Tomorrow night, everything changes.
Bird desperately misses his family, and I need to rescue my brother and take my revenge on my mafia family. We can’t deal with any of that, however, before we take down the ABO Facility and stop the genocide of the Rogues.
To do that, we need to capture the Hunters.
So, for the first time in two weeks, I don’t sleep soundly in the arms of my Omega. I brutally force out his loopingI love yousfrom my mind, and instead, run through my strategy for tomorrow night.
I shift in the bed to stare out at the moon, as Bird’s breath gusts now against my neck.
Do the Hunters love the cold beauty of the moon as much as I do? Or do they prefer the darkness?
Tomorrow, I’ll find out.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Sanctum Lodge, Sanctum
Iperch at the scratched wooden counter of the bar in Sanctum Lodge. I shift on the leather stool, staring down at the amber dregs of my third whiskey, before I down it.
I deliberately slouch in my seat, as if I’m tipsy.
I’m not.
I have been drinking with the other Adonis enforcers, as well as while I’ve traveled alone on the road, long enough to be able to drink most people under the table.
But I need to set the trap.
Despite the snowstorm, which is rattling the windows, I am warm sitting at the counter of this small bar. Several Betas and Alphas are settled in booths out of my eyeline behind me.
I deliberately don’t look around.
But I am aware of them.
I am aware of everything.
The bar’s walls are covered in faded photographs of the surrounding mountains, Champion ranch, and cattle.
The Christmas decorations still haven’t been taken down. They look sadly neglected. A Christmas tree droops in the corner, shedding its dead needles. Mistletoe is pinned above the bar.
I am dressed in a violet velvet dress, which clings to my curves with a slit up my thigh.
Bird whistled, when I pulled the new dress out of the shopping bag this morning. He begged to help me both dress and to style my hair, which I have clipped back from my face with swallow clips that match my earrings.
I had seen the bird jewelry in the shop and thought of my Omega. I hadn’t been able to resist buying them.
Bird wouldn’t be with me during my mission in the evening. Yet with these clips, I would feel close to him.
“Do you know anything about styling hair?” I asked, suspiciously.
Bird laughed, tossing his own hair. “As an elite, don’t you think I had to do my own hair for dinner parties and events? My papa loved helping me to get ready, but he was never allowed to…” His expression dimmed with a sadness that hurt me. “He wasn’t permitted out of his room most of the time. Mom only saw him as thebreeder. But Papa is amazing. I hope that I can introduce you to him. He’ll be relieved to see how you treat me. It’s what he’d say to me: All that matters is that your Alpha is kind.”
My chest was tight. “Am I kind?”
That was the first time I had been accused of that.
