Page 91 of Specter Bred

"Confidence too. She’s sharper now. More focused. Feels more like herself and more like an alpha."

"And..." Hayes hesitated.

"And what?"

He rubbed a hand over his mouth.

"She’s connected now."

My brow furrowed.

"Connected?"

“She felt isolated, sir. Didn’t trust anyone. Didn’t have anyone in her corner. Now she does.”

That sat heavy. I knew I was part of the reason she didn't have anyone in her corner.

"And what exactly are you to her, Hayes?" I asked.

He shifted in his chair.

"I don’t know."

I stepped closer.

"Bullshit."

He looked up at me.

"I give her someone to..."

He trailed off.

My patience snapped.

"Spit it out, Hayes," I barked again.

He exhaled hard.

"To dominate..."

I stared at him as heat rose somewhere low in my body.

"To take control from. To feel strong again."

Silence stretched.

Then I barked out a sharp laugh.

The image of Farm Boy trussed up like a hog at slaughter, writhing on his bunk while Maeve Archer took whatever she wanted, flashed through my mind. I knew Archer had turned Hayes into her own personal beta toy, but a nagging thought whispered it was more than that.

This wasn’t just an alpha scratching an itch. They cared about each other. It was in the way they moved around each other, the way they watched, and protected each other.‌ Even today, when I called Hayes over, Maeve had stopped cold and turned, ready to step in. Ready to bare her teeth for him.

That wasn’t lust.

That was loyalty.

And that told me whatever they were building wouldn’t weaken a pack.