Page 61 of Thrown into the Mob

Congratulations, brother. I hear you're expecting.

There were no demands. He hadn’t mentioned the meeting request that was still unanswered. But somehow, he had knowledge of our private lives and he’d delivered that in the most intimate way possible, in a personal note that bypassed every sensor, guard, and security measure I'd built.

There was a collective gasp in the room, and Madd squeezed my hand.

“How does he know?” Ranger was pacing. “This is bad. Someone in the compound let slip about the baby.”

“You’re jumping to conclusions.” Hunter was less likely to pick the most dramatic reason and run with it than his older brother.

I didn’t need to speculate. Evander had someone who’d not only do his dirty work but who was good at it, partly because I’d trained him.

The sensors were designed for an approach from the air. But he had done exactly what I would have done. Stay on the ground in human form and be patient.

“Vasik never left.”

“What? No, the sensors would have picked up on him overhead,” Ranger protested.

“No scales or fire or anything that would give us pause. He's been here the whole time and watching from a distance.” I crushed the note. “He wouldn't have needed to get close. A pregnant omega's scent changes, and any dragon within half a mile would pick it up.”

“A dragon can scent that far away?” Hunter asked.

I nodded.

“Good. I’ll make sure not to shower or brush my teeth for the next week so he can smell my stink.” Ranger slammed a fist on the table.

“No!” everyone shouted at once, and Flint forbade his brother from altering his normal hygiene routine.

“The scent compounds over time. After a week, the change would be detectable from farther away. Vasik has been patient enough to wait for confirmation before reporting back.”

Madd was gripping my hand so hard, as though he was anchoring himself to me.

“So what does Evander want?” Flint asked.

“Much the same as his initial demand. He thinks Madd is his.” I tossed the crumpled letter into the middle of the table. “That note is about control. Father taught him well. He's telling me he can reach us whenever he chooses. The note is a demonstration of his ability to terrorize us.”

Madd spat out, “Everything your brother does is a threat.”

Even though I’d memorized the few words in the message, I smoothed out the paper and read them again.

Congratulations, brother.

The warmth of the language was deliberate. Evander had always understood that kindness could be wielded more effectively than cruelty. He'd learned it from our father, refined it during the days when he was getting to know Madd, and was now deploying it against me.

“There's something else.” I wished I could take Madd away and tell him first, but he had to hear it with everyone else. “A pregnant omega in a dragon flight is protected. It's a centuries-old tradition. Even in wartime, you don't harm an omega carrying their young.”

“So you're safe.” Ranger gave three slow claps.

This was the hard part. “Yes, and so is the baby for now.” I glanced at my mate, and I could see it in his eyes and his expression. He understood the unspoken part.

“But I’m not.”

“I’m so sorry, Madd.” I brought both his hands to my lips and kissed them.

Dragon tradition protected the omega and the yet to be born or hatched but said nothing about the alpha who sired the child.

Flint leaned back in his chair. He looked at Ranger and Hunter. “So he's not coming to separate you.”

No, my brother had his eye on the prize. That hadn’t changed.