Even so, I’ve been freaking the fuck out and smoking myself to an early grave but watching that huge pickup pull into their normal spot has me calming down again.
Not enough to stop smoking or get out of my truck, but that’s because while I was sitting here, I decided to take Styx’s advice and talk to Row before I talk to Niko again.
I shouldn’t have done that. Shouldn’t have found him and cornered him.
I couldn’t stop myself, though, not when I could smell his lavender embers so strongly that I knew I wasn’t dreaming. I had to see him, to make sure he was real. I needed to touch him with my own two hands, needed his scent replacing all of the oxygen in my lungs.
But I shouldn’t have done it like that.
Especially when what I was hoping would be a shitty conversation about why I tried to kill him at his cabin turned into me getting pissed about the fact that Niko was hiding who he really is and not telling me why. Throwing his mate in myface didn’t help either, but no matter what, I handled that entire situation wrong.
Styx said Row was the way to go and I tend to agree after getting a good look at my face.
I agreenow.
Last night, I did not.
Niko is my fucking scent match, my bonded omega, and I didn’t like the implication that I needed to get permission from Sparrow in order to have anything to do with him.
That pissed me off and I acted like an ass, but I know he’s right.
I lost the right to Nikolai in any capacity when I tried to kill him and the only hope I have of making things right is working with Row to do it. Especially since she's my soul bond who’s bonded to my mate.
I have to play nice so I don’t lose Niko or anyone else I’m supposed to be with.
Fucking levelheaded beta spitting truth.
The problem is, I don’t know how to play nice. Not when I want to know why the fuck my omega has been hiding in plain sight and living in secret for the sake of the woman he loves.
I’d do the same thing for him, Iwasgoing to do the same thing a couple of years ago so I know what that emotion can drive people to do and I’m not questioning that, but I knew why we’d have been running back then. It’s the same reason I’m running now.
That scares me.
What kind of shit has Niko gotten himself into since we’ve been apart? What are he and Row wrapped up in to make them wear masks and go by aliases? What the fuck has her so scared that this was the only way to protect them?
I need to know what they’re running from.
I smash my cigarette out on the dashboard as I watch Rune follow my omegas into the club, the back door closing behind them before I bail out of my truck and start in that direction.
I’m hoping to get Sparrow alone once everyone is settled, and the only thing that could stop me at this point isme.
Rune usually watches the door between organizations, blocking KO patrons from wandering down to the auction house without an invite, but Styx said he’s on the Red Rooms tonight because one of their regulars is out sick. That’s another good place for the big guy, honestly. The Adders are pretty on top of who they allow into that space, but you can’t anticipate every single thing that’s going to happen in the Red Rooms at any given time. Even the most respectable alphas can act like pieces of shit when the mood strikes, and in an enclosed space where multiple omegas could be in heat while surrounded by the sounds and smells of sex definitely means a good alpha can turn into a piece of hot garbage quickly.
They probably won’t with Rune back there. At least they’ll think twice about it if they have an IQ higher than an earthworm, anyway.
Niko will be back down with Alexei’s crew tonight.
He’s working with Tobias and Aspen on the omega quarters in the auction house while they’re still empty, and knowing him the way I do, my mate is going to be so focused on making things better for those omegas, he won’t come up for air until someone goes down and gets him.
Styx was on board but the idea didn’t originate with him, and I like that Ransom saw my mate and thought he would be a good fit for that role.
It’s a smart business move, making sure my cousin’s bullshit doesn’t taint their reputation or bring unwanted attention to the otherservicesthe club provides. It also keeps the product happy, which means happy buyers who become repeat customers, andAlexei wasn’t about to shut that down. I just have to make sure he doesn’t get any ideas about Niko, or that he makes the connection between us.
He’ll find out eventually, it’s not something we can or would want to hide forever, especially since my cousin already thinks I’m a bonded male, but until I know what’s going to happen with Nikolai and our pack, I’d rather it stay undiscovered for now.
That just leaves Leon and Styx to worry about, and they’re doing their own things so I won’t have to. Not that they would get in between me and Row since this was basically their idea, but knowing the people I’d normally have to watch out for in a situation like this, the ones who would intervene on behalf of their omega once they saw me corner her, means I can hopefully get some answers without getting my ass beat by anyone except her.
I smile and shake my head as I jog toward the door.
