I push Drax back onto the sofa then climb onto his lap, grinding all over him and moaning at how good his hard bulge feels between my legs. He catches my bottom lip between his teeth, tugging as I jut my hips.
“Sabs.” He leaves my lips tingling. “I can… smell… him on you.” His jaw tenses. “It’s driving me crazy.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, nuzzling into his neck, coating him with my scent, wanting—no,needing—him to smell like me. “I’m sorry for pushing you away. I’m sorry for not being there. I’m just so fucking sorry. For all of it.”
“Would it have changed anything?” He doesn’t break eye contact. “If I had told you last night what I really was?”
I don’t have an answer for him. The truth is, I have no idea what might have happened. Whatever I say won’t change anything. An awkward silence stretches between us.
I didn’t even notice that the banging upstairs had stopped until, seconds later, Adler bursts into the room with the force of a freight train.
“Sabs?” Adler’s voice is a low, rumbling growl. “What…?”
I clumsily clamber off Drax’s lap as he stands, drawing himself up to full height, by my side. Instead of backing away, his chest puffs out in a challenge as he wraps his arm around my shoulders.
Adler’s eyes home in on Drax’s hand on me. His citrus scent turns sharp, like a bitter lemon, stinging my nostrils and makingthe hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “What the fuck is this?”
Along with his searing anger, I also feel a jagged bolt of Adler’s pain lance through our bond, making me wince. I hurt my alpha.
“I…” I don’t complete my thought, distracted by the sight of Orin and Luca over Adler’s shoulder. “I can explain.”
Although I’m not sure whether any explanation will be enough to stem the red-hot rage rushing through him.
SIXTEEN
Sabs
I gently pry Drax’s hand from my shoulder, my heart hammering against my ribs. The atmosphere is teeming with possessive alpha pheromones that I don’t know how to handle.
Behind Adler, Luca and Orin watch on. Orin narrows his eyes at me. His scent is strongest of all—his spicy rum smell turning smoky, like burning coals.
“I warned you, Drax,” Orin glares at Drax. “One of the unspoken rules of being an alpha is to respect a bond. Nothing else in our world is so sacred.”
Adler steps forward, shoulders squared, looking like he wants to rip Drax’s throat out. “Step away from my mate. Right now.”
“This is my fault.” My voice trembles. “It’s not Drax’s fault. I instigated it. I?—”
Orin’s eyes close as he draws in a breath, seemingly in agitation. “You told her.”
“She had to know,” Drax insists.
“Is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on?” Adler roars. “Because if he doesn’t get away from her right now, I’ll…”
Orin steps in front of Adler, creating a barrier between them.
“Why don’t you stand over here with me, Sabs?” Luca shoots me a sad smile, beckoning me over. “A newly bonded alpha’s emotions can be unpredictable at best.”
Sensing that Drax and Adler are in a standoff, I move over to Luca, my fluffy socks almost causing me to skid on the hard floor as I go. All the while, Drax and Adler don’t move, eyes locked on one another.
“You just couldn’t wait to get your hands on her, could you?” Adler’s nostrils flare. “As soon as I left the room, you were ready to jump in. She’s not yours, Drax!”
“She’ll never be yours either. Bonded or not,” Drax hisses. “You don’t know her like I do. Your bonding was an accident because you lost control! What Sabs and I have is real, and I didn’t even have to bond with her to get her to want me.”
Adler’s cheeks flush, but something else comes through our bond connection. Hurt? Pain? The feeling of not being good enough? Whatever it is, it makes my stomach roll with guilt. I’m stuck in an impossible situation. One way or the other, whatever I do will upset someone.
“Enough, Drax,” Orin warns.
Adler’s body shakes in fury. “You need to get the fuck out of our house.”
