“My home is your home now,” Adler continues, pulling my mind away from thinking about pillows. “We’ll carry your bags for you.”
Usually, I’d tell him that I can lift as much as he can, thank you very much. But I’m still feeling a little wobbly, so I’ll sit this one out just this once.
“There is something else you should know before you go inside—” Orin begins, but I’m already pacing toward the door.
As soon as I enter, all the air escapes my lungs in one sharp inhale, like a balloon popping. My fake confidence instantly evaporates at the sight of the familiar figure leaning against the weird fox statue, looking surprisingly at home.
“Drax?” I blink twice to make sure I’m not imagining him. Nope. He’s definitely still there. He looks more disheveled than when I last saw him; his clothes are rumpled, and he’s sporting a fresh black eye.
His gaze flits to my neck in blatant disapproval. “It’s true then.” His voice is cold and glacial. “You bonded.”
“Drax...” I don’t know where to start. “It’s not what you… I…” Before I blurt out an explanation, I have questions of my own. “Hang on, what are you even doing here?” The last I heard, he lived in beta housing on the other side of campus.
“That’s what I was trying to tell you before you took off.” Orin’s smug voice comes from behind me. “Drax is going to be staying with us for a while.”
“Staying?” My jaw drops. “Here?” A rush of fury scurries under my skin, but it’s not coming from me.
“It wasn’t my decision,” Adler mutters under his breath, coming to a stop at my side again with my suitcases at his feet.
Based on the way Drax is glaring back at him, the dislike is mutual.
“But why?” I tilt my head to the side. “I don’t understand?—”
“We have our reasons,” Orin replies. He’s fast becoming a mysterious, yet very hot, pain in my ass. “Plus, a familiar face will be good for you to have around. It’ll make you feel more at home.”
A familiar face, yes. But Drax is more than a familiar face. After how we ended things on the beach, I’m surprised he even wants to be in the same room as me, let alone living in the same house as me and the alpha I just bonded with.
“Are you okay with this? If you want to go, I’d understand,” I ask Drax. “After yesterday…”
Confusion ebbs from Adler, but I push that aside. I’m not about to unpack my complex relationship with Drax in front of an audience.
“Orin thinks it’ll be good for you if I stick around.” Drax’s tone lacks its usual warmth, making my heart sink, but what did I expect? He wasn’t going to bring out a bonding cake with candles and throw a party. “But that doesn’t mean I’m okay with…” He looks at my bite mark again, nose wrinkling like I’ve grown a repulsive zit the size of Jupiter. “I thought you were holding out for a scent match.”
“Who says we’re not scent matches?” Adler pipes up.
“You just met her.” Drax glares at him. “What are the chances of that?”
“No one has ever smelled as good to me as Sabs,” Adler rumbles. “Maybe that explains why we couldn’t control our natural impulses?”
“Spare me the sordid details,” Drax sneers. “If you need me, I’ll be upstairs.”
He storms away, almost knocking over the man who bundles out of the next room, presumably the final member of Adler’s pack. His scent hits me like a breath of fresh air, replacing Drax’s negative energy with woodsy, pineapple notes.
“Drax is staying in the spare room,” the alpha tells Adler.
“That’s not a spare room!” Adler throws up his hands. “That’s my trophy room.”
Shock has my eyes bulging. “You have a trophy room?”
Being surrounded by Adler’s medals is not going to help his and Drax’s relationship.
“Well, I needed somewhere to keep them,” Adler says. “There wasn’t space in my bedroom.”
“Why?” I quirk up an eyebrow. “Because your ego is so big?”
“I see what you mean, Adler.” The new arrival laughs—a hearty belly laugh that vibrates right through me. Delilah is usually the one who talks about energy when meeting new people, but at this moment, I get it. Already, I like him. “She’s definitely not a puck bunny.” He has a gentle voice, but I suspect that he’s hiding a wilder side. What do they say about it always being the quiet ones to watch out for? He grins at me, holding out his hand. “It’s about time Adler met a woman who wasn’t afraid to put him in his place. I’m Luca.”
“Sabs.” My fingers close around his. His palm is toasty, and he holds on for a little too long, making Adler antsy. “It’s great to meet you.”
