“I promise I will make this as enjoyable as I possibly can.” Leon winks at me as we start toward the trucks. He drops both tailgates, takes out his phone, then leans against mine, texting who I’m guessing is Styx before he shoves it back in his pocket. “Red is on the authorities, the big guy is on him. I’m going to start cleaning up while you two go getNiko.”
Normally, I’d argue with him, give him shit for telling me what to do but it covers our entire pack, keeps them safe and accounted for after this bullshit, and honestly, that’s a solid short-term plan.
One we need to execute quickly because there are about twenty dead bodies and a fuckton of blood out here, and someone is bound to notice.
NIKO
“I really like this,” I say as I start to roll up the paper that was spread out on the bar. “It’s definitely moving things in the right direction.”
Tobias sighs as I hand over the blueprints. “Right direction? What the hell else can we do to that room? It’s basically a basement within a basement.”
I check my phone for the hundredth time then glance toward the stock room.
It’s close to time for us to leave and I haven’t seenanyonefrom my pack since I came upstairs. Rune wasn’t even on the door between the club and auction house like he usually is.
My stomach pitches as panic slices through me again. That’s been happening off and on for the last hour but I’ve been chalking it up to one of two things.
I’m anxious about the possibility of seeing Dimitri, and how much I doanddon’t want that to happen, or I’m on the verge of falling apart because I bit Liv last night, but she didn’t bite me.
Dimitri has steered clear of me since he cornered me in the bathroom. I have a funny feeling one of my mates is responsible for that, but I can’t say for sure. I just know I haven’t seen that sexy dickhead in a few days and now I’m waiting for him to pop out of every darkened hallway, and it’s making me anxious as fuck.
I’m trying really hard not to let the biting thing bother me.
I know how Liv feels about me, and I also know how she feels about this. Not being able to bond with her first pack, bite marks that didn’t take, it has her scared and guarded. She's worried something like that will happen with us despite soul bonds and scent matches. I get all of that, I really do. I even understand thatshe might still feel like shecan’tdo something like that, like sheshouldn’tbite or officially bond with any of us until she figures out what happened with her first pack. There’s an obligation there, one she won’t be able to overcome until she feels like they’ve gotten justice. Then she might be able to move on.
The logical part of my brain says those are all normal feelings to have after going through what Liv did. The loss and grief, the confusion over their pack and bonds. All of it makes perfect sense as to why she’d be hesitant about biting us, even with the undeniable bonds we share. I’m sure everyone would agree that her behavior is totally normal, and I’m sure there are a lot of worse ways Liv could be dealing with it.
The other part of my brain? Thesuper omegapart of my brain? That fucker is screaming Liv doesn’t love me and will never want to bond with me. Ever. Then she’ll leave me, possibly try to shoot me, then disappear forever.
I don’t believe any of that, not really, but it hasn’t stopped the thoughts from trying to take up residence in my head.
“Mikhail?”
I frown as I turn back to Tobias. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”
He chuckles and shakes his head. “Yeah, but nothing we can’t hash out tomorrow. It’s almost closing and with how spacey you seem to be, I think it’s better we wait until then.”
“Sorry,” I sigh and push my hair out of my face. “I haven’t been sleeping very well.” Or eating.
I haven’t completely stopped, I couldn’t with Rune watching me like a hawk every time I cook for them, but I’m skipping meals more frequently. It’s not even intentional at this point, it’s just happening thanks to all of the stress, but I’m becoming more and more aware of it. My appetite has peaked and valleyed quite a bit over the last couple of months, but my life hasn’t been all stress since we left the shelter, and finding out I have an entirepack out here has been amazing. It's just, old habits are hard to break, I guess.
“Maybe tell your girl to give you a night off?” Tobias smirks as I roll my eyes. “I heard about what happened with Alexei, I can only imagine how she is at home.”
I just shrug and thank god I’m wearing a mask.
He can’t see my stupid grin or blush because he is one hundred percent right about that.
We exchange a few more pleasantries before the beta says goodnight, and I check my phoneagain.
Nothing.
I swear the people I love the most are the ones who are going to kill me the fastest.
“Psst.”
I frown as I hear that sound and I glance around the nearly empty floor.
What the fuck was that?
