Syrus was leaning just inside the door. I knew I had to reassure him first, or he’d kick them out faster than anything.
“I’m okay,” I promised.
His eyes drifted down to the fresh bite marking my neck.
“My alpha from my past found me and, apparently, we’re bonded now,” I said, letting out a self-deprecating laugh that Syrus did not return.
There wasn’t a whole lot else I could say and he was still staring down at me, assessing but not saying a damn word.
“He didn’t hurt me,” I repeated. “My omega wanted it.”
“If that changes, I want to know,” he said firmly.
I could tell he didn’t trust them.
“I’m going to figure this out,” I promised, glancing over at the bar again.
The two men that came with Nikolai were watching me, and so was the alpha himself. Though he was trying to pretend he was unbothered, I could still see the glower on his face. He was pissed off and I had a feeling it was more at the situation and himself than me.
I took a deep breath, and Leon squeezed my hand twice in reassurance. Despite the urge to run riding me, I forced myself to walk toward them. I didn’t stop until I was standing in the empty space next to the curly-haired alpha.
“Hello,” he breathed out, studying my face almost like he was trying to memorize it. “I was starting to think you weren’t real.”
His scent spiked and my eyes drifted closed as I breathed him in.
Just like Nikolai predicted, his scent pulled me in, made me want to lean closer. My omega was already on the edge and she wanted nothing more than to sink her teeth into his neck and run our nose close to his scent gland so we could breathe him in.
“I want in on this little introduction,” the alpha behind him said, standing up. He shoved his rose-gold hair out of his eyes before extending a hand to me. The grin on his face was equal parts mischievous and confident.
A soft growl echoed out of Leon. The tension between them was palpable, and I gave Leon a questioning look, but he just averted his eyes. Not that he was keeping it from me, but he wasn’t bringing it up here.
Ronan wasn’t as shy. He stepped forward, running his nose along my jaw and letting out a low groan.
“The breath I got of you earlier was not enough. It didn’t do you justice. Your scent is exquisite. Classy, sweet, and tart, just as perfect as you are.”
“You know nothing about me,” I deadpanned, staring up at him with a faux-unbothered expression.
His grin only widened, especially when Leon pulled me closer to his side as if shielding me from this flirty alpha.
“The sweat on your skin only made it better,” he added.
He licked his lips as if he were dying to get a taste of it.
“That’s disgusting,” I said flatly, crossing my arms in front of me and letting go of Leon’s hand. I needed a shield, and this was as good as any.
“Well,” Ronan said, regaining his composure, eyes flickering to my mating mark. “Seeing as how there’s a fresh bite on you, yet my brother is sitting here like a kicked puppy?—”
“Brother?” I said, glancing at Nikolai in shock.
“It seems my dear old dad liked to sleep around,” Nikolai responded. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, too.”
My earlier words were thrown back at me, but I didn’t take them as personally as he did.
He was right. There was a whole fucking lot we didn’t know.
“Well, there’s no time like the present to get to know each other. Maybe we should clean up and go get some lunch.”
“I need some sleep and a shower,” Luca supplied around a yawn, even with his voice full of regret.
