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“I can’t do that, sweetheart.” Vaughn’s voice cut through the noise of the club, but not my anger. “You can’t do this.”
“Yes I fucking can. She insulted you, and shehas it coming.”
Across from me, Angela got to her feet. Blood shone on her lip in the lights from the club. Good. Fucking bitch deserved it.
Suddenly I couldn’t see her, Rowan stepping into the space between us and lifting my face, checking me. “Ellie called us. We got here as fast as we could.”
I didn’t recognize my own voice, rage building beneath my skin. “Get out of the way, Rowan.”
“No.” Alpha power rolled through the single word. “Back down, Isolde.”
My Omega retreated in the face of his Alpha, anger giving way to grief and fear. Tears burned, and the lights blurred into a kaleidoscope in front of me.
A third voice reached me. Cade, speaking in my ear. “She’s drunk and so are you, princess. She probably doesn’t know half the things she’s saying, and even if she does, they’re not true. Let’s go home, okay?”
Ellie was suddenly there, and I felt so much worse. “I’m sorry, El.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I would have let you keep going, but I can’t have my maid of honor getting arrested. But for the record, you have my permission to beat her ass at any time.”
Across from me, Beau was there too, holding back Angela, who was still trying to get to me. His eyes were only on me and not on her at all. “Run away, bitch. Just proves what I’m saying. You’re an Omega so desperate for love you’ll do whatever it takes to keep people, no matter who you hurt in the process.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Hawk growled, taking my hand and keeping it. Vaughn’s arm was still around my waist, and they walked me out of the club under the watchful eyes of the bouncers.
What she said was true. At least that part of it. I was desperate for love, because I wanted it. Did that mean I hurt people? Was I holding onto these men too tightly because I didn’t want them to leave? Was I as toxic as she claimed?
Maybe there was something I hadn’t seen when Beau tried to kick me out. Was it me?
It echoed in my head.
Was it me?
Was it me?
We were back at the estate so quickly I barely remembered getting there. Still too buzzed, I let them get me into bed and dry the tears that didn’t seem to stop coming, no matter what I did.
They spoke softly, held me tenderly, but I couldn’t stop hearing those words and feeling them cut me open.
Was it me?
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
________
ISOLDE
Pain pounded through my skull. My mouth tasted like death, and I needed water. I was hot. Hot with shivers and chills. Sure, I had stuff to drink last night, but not enough to make me feel like this.
I wasn’t perfect. I’d done my share of partying in college, before college, and even a bit after. I knew how much I had to drink to have a bad hangover, and last night I wasn’t even close.
Didn’t stop me from losing my cool though.
Fuck, I never should have gone after her like that. She was trying to piss me off, and it worked. But hearing her say things like that about them? I couldn’t let it happen. The need to defend them against what she said hadn’t been a choice. It was a necessity.
But her parting shot still stuck with me. Maybe I was someone who clung to people too hard and made them regret it. Maybe I was the one who was at fault somehow.
Maybe I was already doing it with this pack, even though they didn’t belong to me.
Fear and grief lodged in my chest, curling around my heart. I shoved my face harder into the pillow I clung to, prepared to sit in the physical and emotional pain. Because ever since Vaughn and the beach, my instincts were higher, and it was so much harder to shut things out.
