I knew it was temporary. I’d have to talk to them when they got back. But for now, I was going to prove a point. Remind them that I wasn’t the type to be walked all over.
Nikolai wasn’t going to just crash back into my life after twelve years, claim me, and then not care enough to stick around afterward.
Fuck, I was a mess.
My head was spinning, and I could feel him through the bond that was silent until this morning. Now he was tugging at the bond and practically pleading with me.
He knew I was mad. I didn’t bother to hide it.
Not only had he left, he didn’t tell me what he was doing, then locked our connection down tight, not letting me see or feel a single thing he was handling.
I was an equal in this pack and I wasn’t going to tolerate being pushed aside the moment something more exciting popped up.
Lexi and Silva were waiting outside the club when I pulled up to the curb. They both looked at us, but didn’t call me on anything when I gave them a playful glare.
“Don’t say it,” I growled, trying to fight my own laughter.
“Hey, I’m not judging,” Lexi said. “I love a petty queen.”
“I’ve just been through too much to take shit from anyone,” I said bluntly, snagging the keys she was dangling between her fingers.
“How long do you think they’ll be there?” Silva asked, barely holding back her own laughter.
I shrugged. “I’m not even sure when they’re going to be back. I guess they couldn’t even be bothered to text.”
“What dumbasses,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t know why these alphas think we’re too delicate to handle shit.”
“The world may never know,” I agreed. “Thanks again for this.”
I said a quick goodbye before heading back to the SUV where Leon was waiting.
We made quick work of dumping their things in the house, then headed back for mine. I quickly changed into work clothes, wrote a note on the door, locked it up, and slid the key under the mat.
“Time to make ourselves scarce,” I told Leon. “I’ve got a class in twenty minutes.”
“I’m glad I’m not on the receiving end of this,” he said, kissing my cheek and snagging my keys so he could drive this time.
It hadn’t been long, but we were growing more comfortable around each other. Even more, he was more confident and no longer curled in on himself.
This town had a way of bringing broken souls back to life.
“There she is!” Betty called out as I walked in.
The older woman had white, curly hair and a streak of pink lipstick. For an omega, she was anything but soft. She worked out just as diligently as I did. Hell, she could probably teach this class if she wanted to.
“Sorry, I had some business to take care of this morning,” I said, not even bothering to hide my smirk.
“Keeping alphas in line? I love it,” she said with a knowing grin. I swear, nothing was a secret around here.
“Exactly,” I replied before checking in with Cassie. “What’s on the list today?”
“You’ve got your class in five, then a personal training session right after. One of the new omegas in town,” she said, eyesscanning the paper in front of her before tapping it. “Her name is Lindsay.”
“Thank you,” I sang out, tapping the desk once before hurrying to the training room. My mood was already rising imagining their reaction.
My class was just a basic self-defense class. It was always a fun mix of new faces and regulars. Some of our residents joined a class here or there to keep their skills fresh, while people like Cassie and Leon were checking it out for the first time.
As soon as my watch dinged, I started the class. I didn’t mind if someone walked in late but I always started right on time.
