“Hey!” I intervene. “I did a pretty good job. I even learned how to French braid for you.”
“Admittedly, you did get pretty good at it,” she agrees.
“And keep our bonding news to yourself, okay?” I tell her. “We don’t want all of Barbara House finding out just yet.”
“Your secret is safe with me, brother.” She holds up two fingers before thrusting her phone into Sabs’s hands. “Do you have Insta?”
Sabs loads up her profile, Iz doing the same for her after.
“If you have any more questions about SVU, you know where to find me.” Sabs gives her another quick embrace.
“I’ll take you up on that. It was good to see you again, Lulu.” She blows him a kiss. “Talk soon, okay? We’ll catch up again before I go.”
He grins. “Don’t get into too much trouble, okay?”
She gasps dramatically. “When do I ever cause trouble?”
After finally finishing her goodbyes, I’m escorting Izzie out when Orin bursts through the door, returning from his shift.
Izzie throws herself at him. “Orin!”
“It’s good to see you, kiddo.” Mouth stretched wide, he gives her a big hug. “What are you doing here?”
“A surprise visit,” she says. “And it’s a good thing I did because how else would I have found out that my brother bonded?”
“So you’ve met Sabs.” He leans against the wall, giving her his full attention.
“Yes, and she’s amazing.” Izzie is practically gushing.
Orin’s lips press into a thin line as he turns his focus to the large brown box on the floor. “What’s this?”
Izzie sneakily peeks inside the package, where the cardboard has come loose. “It looks like a disco ball.”
“Luca bought some things for Sabs’s nest. It’s an emergency delivery from Nora’s,” I explain.
“And where are you off to?” Orin redirects his attention back to Izzie.
“I’m staying with a friend in Barbara House.” She checks her phone. “Apparently, she’s right outside the gate.”
Orin nods. “I’ll make sure to increase patrols around OV tonight.”
“You don’t need to do that on my account.” Izzie rolls her eyes. “OV is one of the safest places in the entire country for omegas.”
Orin’s extremely protective of Izzie. Being older, he knew a lot about what was happening at home for us and helped when he could. Once, Mom disappeared on one of her week-long benders. We’d eaten everything in the cupboards, yet she’d ordered us to stay inside— not like we had money to spend to buy food anyway. When an eleven-year-old Orin checked on me and found out what was happening, he spent all his pocketchange at the corner store and snuck a bunch of food out of his house. We lived on Twinkies and candy bars for the next few days, surrounded by wrappers.
Izzie kisses Orin on the cheek. “I’ll visit again before I head back home.”
“You’d better.” He ruffles her hair, causing her to squeal and smooth it over. “No talking to any alphas on campus, okay?”
After she reluctantly agrees, he heads into the kitchen, leaving me and my sister alone.
Izzie lingers with her hand on the doorknob. “How are you doing, Addy?” Despite her outgoing nature, she has a sensitive side—one she rarely shows other people. However, we’ve been through enough that we don’t need to hide anything from each other. “I mean, really?”
“I’m…” Honestly, I don’t know how I’m feeling. On one hand, I’ve met my dream girl and can’t help feeling relieved that I won’t ever have to worry about another alpha taking her from me. On the other, what happened was an accident. While we agreed to give this a go, we both know that there is no real alternative, leaving me feeling guilty and also… lacking. “It’s a lot, but I’m dealing with it.”
“I really like her.” Her lips curve into a bright smile. “I think she could be good for you.”
“But she didn’t choose me.” I dare to voice my fears aloud. “Obviously we’ve bonded, so we’re kinda stuck together now, but what if she doesn’t like me when she gets to know me? What if she ends up hating me forever for what happened?”
