“You made me leave him.” My fists shake as the first tear rolls down my cheek. “Charlie is sick. He needs me.”
Rhett exhales, slow and tired, undoing his cufflinks. “I can’t risk you getting ill. Myrick and Oli are with him.They’ll make sure he’s okay,” he says like that’s the end of the discussion..
I swallow hard, the ache in my chest growing by the second. “But he’smybeta,” I say. “I should be with him. You made me leave our packmate, sick and shivering in the hallway.” My voice cracks as guilt slams into me.
“He’smybeta, too, Autry.” His voice is harsh, almost cutting. “But I can’t be with him, because I can’t trust you to stay put.”
I take a sudden step back, wounded by his jarring words.
“Fuck me.” Rhett turns, resting his hands on the edge of the sink. For a moment, the silence stretches between us, heavy with everything unspoken. Then he looks at me, softening a little. “We’re both exhausted,” he finally says. “You’ve had a long night, and you need to rest. Myrick will take good care of Charlie. You know that.”
His hand lifts, brushing the side of my face gently. I lean into his touch before I can stop myself, needing the comfort more than I realized. Still, the unease in my chest doesn’t lift.
“I’m trying,” I murmur. “But something’s not right. And not just with Charlie.” I meet his gaze, deciding that I can’t keep it in any longer. “But with Oli, too.”
“With Oli?” Rhett’s brow furrows as he finishes stripping down to his briefs. “What about him?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, trying to figure out how much to share. After all, the last thing I want is for Rhett to kick Oli out. “Earlier. In the ballroom. He looked…scared. Of you.”
“Young alphas have a respect for?—”
“No,” I cut Rhett off, and his big body stills, not happy with that, but he doesn’t snap at me. “Not respect or submission,” I continue. “It was fear. Like he was scaredyou were going to…do something.” I shrug, not sure if I’m describing this right.
Rhett’s face stills. “That makes no sense, Autry.” His voice doesn’t rise, but there’s a note of disbelief there. “Why would Oli be afraid of me?”
I shake my head. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. He was watching you like—like he was waiting for something to go wrong. Like maybe he thought you were violent or…” I trail off, already regretting that I brought it up. “I got the impression that he knew something I didn’t.”
Rhett shakes his head, then steps around me, walking into the bedroom. I follow, not wanting this conversation to end.
“I don’t know where he got that idea,” Rhett says as he pulls the comforter down on his side of the bed. “I’ve barely spent any time with the guy.”
“I thought he was a family friend,” I say, keeping my voice neutral.
“Brock knows him better.” Rhett’s words are clipped now, his eyes distant. “I only met him recently.”
“Oh,” I don’t know what to say to that. Why would Myrick give me the impression that they all knew each other so well?
So you wouldn’t freak out for flirting with a total stranger,I answer my own question in my head.
I’m so stupid.
“Did Oli say something to you?” Rhett asks. “Something about me or…” His throat works as he swallows hard. “...or Myrick?”
“No,” I say quickly. “Why would he say something about Myrick?”
But before Rhett can answer, the blond beta steps intothe bedroom with Dolly nestled in his arms. She wriggles down and trots off to her bed, curling up with a tired sigh.
“Is Charlie okay?” I ask.
Myrick lifts his shoulders in a half-shrug, then lets out a quiet sigh. “He’s sleeping, but… I’m not sure.” He looks at Rhett. “I want to take him to the beta clinic in the morning. I can have Oli help me get him there.”
“I’ll take him,” Rhett says firmly. “I’m his alpha. I’ll handle it.”
Myrick nods once, but something about the stiffness in his shoulders tells me he’d rather take Charlie himself, but Myrick is smarter than I am and he lets it go.
I wish I could let it all go.
But I still have so many questions. Why did Rhett choose Oli to help claim me if he doesn’t really know him? Why does Oli think Rhett is dangerous? And I’m still dying to check on Charlie. But it’s late. My body is heavy with exhaustion, and my thoughts feel slow and scattered.
