Seth shoved Heath’s shoulder. “He’s not wrong. Everyone thinks I’m angry all the time, but I’m just pensive. She didn’t even spare me a glance, and omegas…”
Seth had been scorned. Had an omega who used him for his money and claimed she wanted to bond with him. But, when her heat came, she sought another pack. She never wanted him at all. She was out for his money and name. His parents had practically pushed them together.
He said he was over it, but he’d never dated again. He didn’t even want to pursue another omega with the other avenues. He went with us because pack.
“It’s fine. I’ll do my best. Besides, I’m going to pick up food, right?”
“Right. Go get ’em.” Heath pushed me out the door. Darkheart was a town where I could walk to the bar, the market, and even the tiny library.
I zipped my jacket. The night was chilly. I hoped Romi had something to keep her warm. A jacket. A coat. A sweater. Whatever. I hadn’t shared my observations about her from the night before with the pack. It was her story to tell, but the signs couldn’t be denied. Dark circles under her eyes. She was entirely too thin. Gorgeous, but the way she moved made me think she was tired and worn out.
I wanted to scoop her up and make her life easy. Give her anything and everything she was missing.
First, I had to get her to talk to me.
I walked into the Darkheart bar and took a seat in the area marked for pickup orders. Earlier, when we’d gone to the market for supplies, the owner had gushed about the Darkheart’s burgers and fried green beans with spicy ranch, so that was what we ordered.
“What’s the name on your order, sugar?” An older woman approached me. She had a shirt with the bar’s name on it but no name tag.
“James,” I answered, not looking at Romi. She’d stopped what she was doing when I walked in but hadn’t said anything to me.
I drummed my fingers on the table and looked out the window, determined not to stare at Romi. Hardest thing I’d ever done.
“What are you doing here?” Romi’s voice broke me from my focus on anything but her as she sat across from me in the booth made for two.
I pointed to the sign above me. “Getting food.”
“Really? Just getting food?” She shot me a scathing squint and folded her arms over her breasts.
I had a couple of options. Challenge her. Or give in and tell the truth. I’d never been one for challenge, and our omega, well, my wolf just wanted me to spill the beans.
“To get food and see you. Maybe.”
For some reason, that made her laugh. “At least you’re not a liar. I hate a liar.”
“Me too.”
She glanced around the bar. “Where are your buddies?”
I snorted. Couldn’t be helped. We were all in our late twenties, and it had been at least fifteen years since anyone called us buddies. They were my bonded brothers. My packmates. We were a family, even if we were missing a piece.
“My buddies? You mean Seth and Heath? My pack?”
“Pack.” She sneered at the word. “You three are a pack?”
I nodded. Clearly this woman had been scorned by someone relating to or involved with a pack. The word came out of her mouth like venom. “We are. We met in college. All going for different degrees but we knew our wolves were kindred.”
Her features softened. Her shoulders relaxed but only a hair. She was defensive. Even her smell was tangy tonight. I wished more than anything that I could be a source of ease and calm for her instead of this silent standoff we were having.
“Where are they?” she asked.
“They are back at the cabin. We rented an Airbnb down the road.”
“Oh. Why did you rent a place to stay?”
Romi had a lot of questions. They were all pointed and dug for concise information. People who needed those kinds of details had often been betrayed and needed to gather data to know what to do next or make contingency plans in their heads.
I wondered who hurt our omega so badly.
