I shouldn’t be surprised, considering this whole situation is about a leak intheirranks.
“Well, good mornin’, fellas.” I smile. I’m not going to let their sour attitudes ruin my good mood. In fact, my heart beats a little faster when Hayden shoots me a wink. There’s nothing but giddiness in the bond as I approach, and when I see what Hayden and Kole were doing with the markers, a hand flies over my mouth.
“Oh…you guys.” My voice is choked as I take in the ink on the glass wall of the cell. “This issosweet.”
Scribbled flames line the bottom of the glass, and above that is a crude but strangely accurate stick figure drawing taking up the rest of the bottom half of the glass, with a female stick figure using what is either a knife or a dildo to stab another stick figure in the throat. Red marker covers his neck, and suddenly the conversation I was eavesdropping on makes sense.
Then, my eyes are drawn upward to where Kole was drawing. It looks like a quickly drawn cartoon version of me, but holding a knife with a blood-lust-filled expression on my face.
“Whose do you like more?” Hayden asks, smirking. “Mine or Kole’s?”
“They’re both shit,” Rory mutters, and I flip him off before turning back to my guys.
“I…love them both, though for different reasons. We can go over those later.”
My cheeks hurt from how big my smile is, especially when I spot the big red bow on the door of the glass cell. Behind the glass, curled in a ball so small I didn’t even notice at first, is our rat.
“Told you they had a present for you,” West’s lips press against my cheek.
“Does this count as a courting present, considering we haven’t all bonded yet?” Hayden asks thoughtfully, and Kole rolls his eyes.
“You still need to court her,Bratishka,” Kole chides.
Nolan arches a brow from his spot against the wall. “In fact, packs shouldneverstop courting their omega.”
Declan grins, shaking his head, and I can’t help but notice the way their arms are pressed together. Maybe they don’t even notice it, but the sight of it makes my heart happy.
My brother deserves to have someone close to him.
Hayden huffs. “So, yes, this…doescount?”
I grin, shaking my head. “I’d say so. Consider me feelin’ ‘specially courted.”
“Alright,” Declan sighs, pushing against the wall and approaching the cell, “I let you have your little moment, now can we please proceed to questioning the bastard?”
He moves to remove the bow, and surprisingly, it’s Hayden that growls. “It’s rude to open someone else’s present, Declan.”
He rolls his eyes, stepping back with his hands raised. “Jo, do you mind?”
“Not at all.” I practically skip to the door before reaching for the bow and pulling it off, gasping. “For me? Aw, you shouldn’t have.”
Declan grumbles something about the guys being lucky I’m attached to them before turning back to the door. “Aidan?”
“On it.” Aidan answers, turning to the control panel and pressing the button marked “Code Enter.” A panel opens on the door of the cell, allowing Declan to input a numerical code, and then the door slides open, letting him step inside.
“I’m assuming you’d like the intercom on for this discussion?” Aidan asks, his voice slightly bored.
Declan is already descending upon the ball of patheticness in the corner, so I turn to Aidan and give him a sweet smile. “Yes, please. Thank you.” Then, I follow Declan inside the cell and close the door.
“Whatever you think I did, I didn’t fucking do it, man!” the sniveling piece of shit is crying, covering his head with his handslike it might protect him. The room is tinged with the scent of slightly burnt grass, something I may not have noticed if I wasn’t so close to my heat. My omega, however, revels in the fact this beta is so afraid.
He should be.
“You’re the only one we told we were having a meeting at Donahue’s Pub, and guess where Xavier fucking Bowen showed up, looking for trouble?” Declan’s boot meets the side of Victor’s head.
“Who’s Xavier Bowen? I don’t know any Xavier Bowen!”
Ugh. This guy’s voice has a pitchy, nasally quality to it that makes me want to plug my ears.
