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I really, really do not want them to fight. Not in front of Phoebe, and honestly, not at all. I don’t expect the confrontation with their parents to go well, and the reunion with their aunt and uncle next month is going to go even worse… I just want this one family event to be nice.
It’s not too much to ask. Right?
“Um, it’s okay, honest, I don’t—” I start, desperate to keep the peace. Alex places his palm on my thigh, pressing down gently, as the sparks intensify.
“I’m sorry for the disrespect, Maia,” Iris bites out. Her eyes are narrowed into slits, and I can feel the venom in her words as she glares at me through her brother.
I give her a tense smile and pray that we drop the subject. I don’t know what her issue is, although she was a little hostile last time we met, too, but it’s clear that this isn't work stress.
She genuinely does not seem to like me.
And that’s okay. But I will do my best to keep the peace and cause no issues.
I’m an only child, and except for Phoebe, my family is all dead. The situation between the quads and most of their family is tense at best and downright murderous at worst.
I don’t want to be the reason that they cut off another member.
“That was not—” Topher snarls, and Iris seems to gear up for a fight. Topher’s emotions are even more negative, and it’s like the air chills.
Even Phoebe is quiet as she gazes up at us. I wish I could hear her wolf like the guys can.
“So, your mates are coming today as well?” I ask Iris, cutting off Topher’s angry words. I give him a pleading look, begging with him to drop it.
He nods once, his jaw clenched, as I turn to his sister with the biggest smile I can muster.
She nods, a sour expression on her face. “Yeah. Aaron and Brad are off for a week or so before they’re back out, so they’ll be over with Cade.”
“They’ll be done for the summer soon enough, and then you’ll be sick of them,” Alex says. I appreciate his effort to keep the peace and squeeze his thigh in thanks.
She nods but shrugs. “It’ll be nice to have them home. It’s getting longer and longer each time they’re away.”
They chat a little about football, and I’ve got nothing interesting to add, so I focus on the small circles that Alex is rubbing into my thigh and the coos from my baby on the floor.
She’s showing off her rolling skills and lavishing in the attention that Ben is showering upon her.
The conversation comes to a stop, and none of them make an effort to start it back up. I feel so uncomfortable as we sit in this tense silence, the only sounds from Phoebe and her toys.
Iris’s gaze flickers between me, Phoebe, and her brothers, and the tension just builds and builds. I’ve never felt this out of my depth before.
I look up at Alex, the pressure in my chest burning. “Where’s Seb? I didn’t realise he had left.”
“He’s been gone an hour or so,” Ben says, getting up from the floor to take the armchair for himself. He stretches out, getting comfortable, and it’s such a sharp contrast to how I’m feeling.
Phoebe is pretty happy down there, and other than the constant stares at us, she’s pretty engaged.
“He’s just finishing up patrols. We wanted to make sure things were settled before we all clocked off for the night,” Alex says, dropping a kiss to my bare shoulder. I nod.
“You’re taking this alpha thing very seriously,” Iris mentions.
“Yes. This alpha thing,” Topher says, rolling his eyes.
Ben smirks. “It’s a good thing your men are rich, Iris, because you don’t have the brains or the looks.”
I gasp, but Iris just flips him off.
“I’ve heard you’ve been really stepping up on the patrols, though,” Iris says, looking at Topher. “Why?”
He winks at her. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
