"You will," I say immediately. "You are good men and fantastic alphas. But?—"
"But we're notyouralphas," he finishes, and I'm relieved he doesn't sound too torn up by the fact.
I meant what I said. Brock and his pack are inherently good. Kind. They'll make an omega happy one day. I only want the best for them. Their pack has a different energy than Alpha Team X—calmer, steadier, but no less powerful in its own way.
"If you see my mother, can you tell her that?" I say, only half joking.
Brock winces like I suggested he run through a battlefield naked while swirling a baton.
Yeah. I feel that.
"I may not be willing to do that, but anything else you need, don't hesitate to ask," Brock tells me, and the sincerity in his voice chisels at the walls surrounding my heart. "I'm your friend, Brylee.We'reyour friends."
Indecision stays my tongue, but only for a moment.
Before I can change my mind, I blurt out, "I want you to look into something for me. Someone."
One of his eyebrows arches—either in surprise that I already took him up on his proposal or confusion why I, the princess with infinite supplies at my disposal, would go to him.
"Of course," he answers immediately. No hesitation. "What do you need?"
"You probably heard about my…um…kidnapping." I twiddle my hands together as pain barrages me from every direction.
I don't want to think about my torture. Pedro. Their plans for me. Not now. The memories flash behind my eyes—cold metal,the smell of antiseptic, the sound of my own screams echoing off concrete walls. I push them down, hard.
A dark, thunderous expression distorts Brock's features. "I think everyone heard about it."
"Right." My stomach twists at that revelation. How many people were privy to one of the worst moments of my life? I haven't seen many pitying glances, but maybe…maybe I just haven't been looking. "Well, you probably heard that my…um…my brother's friend and roommate, Sam, helped. I was hoping you could look into him and his motivations."
Was it money that drove him to betray me? Greed?
A part of me doesn't want to know, but I can't keep my head in the sand forever. Understanding Sam's intentions will, hopefully, allow me to heal. The betrayal stings almost as much as the physical torture did. Sam had been a part of my extended circle, someone I'd trusted, someone who'd seeped his way past my defenses.
Brock's expression softens, and he places a hand on my shoulder and gives it a reassuring squeeze. "Of course. I'm sure a background check has already been done on him, but I'll dig deeper." He offers me a cheeky wink. "There's a reason we're the best of the best."
"Second best," I say, thinking of my own alphas.
Brock releases me and places one hand to his chest in mock offense. "You wound me!"
"Maybe you're the third best," I concede.
"So we're not even second best anymore?"
"Actually the fourth best." I pretend not to hear his feigned cry of outrage before we both burst into chuckles.
And as we finally separate, I feel as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.
Teddie will help me.
Brock will help me.
Everything is finally turning around.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
Probably.
