Page 8 of The Rust in Her Hair

Renata goes still as her dark eyes find mine and hold them. "Are you serious? Van Houten? As in Aldric Van Houten? The head of the Monogamist Alliance."

I can’t help but snort as I nod. "The very one."

Owen might be a pretty straightlaced guy, but when it comes to his heart, the beta has a taste for trouble.

"Holy shit." Renata sags backward into her chair. "Aldric Van Houten is on the news every other week telling the country that pack life is the moral collapse of civilization." Her voice rises, clearly getting agitated, and I get it.

We grew up having to hide the fact that our family was a pack because of assholes like him. It wasn’t easy.

"Last month he gave a speech to the legislature about quote, 'the urgent need to protect omegas from the spiritual violence of communal mating arrangements.'" She mimics the air quotes with sharp jabs of her fingers. "That was a real sentence, Nico. He said that shit out loud."

"I know." I rub at the back of my neck. "Believe me, I know."

"Why is Owen even giving a girl like that the time of day?" Renata shakes her head, not understanding

"Cuz she’s pretty," Mack says simply. "I mean, I haven’t seen her, but Owen says she’s a knockout."

Renata stares at him for a long second, then drops her head into her hands. "What an idiot."

"He's definitely playing with fire." Mack lets out that low, rumbling laugh of his. "I've been telling him for weeks. The boy's gonna burn the library down with his ass still inside it," he says with the exaggerated Southern drawl he gets every time he says something ridiculous.

"Let's give Owen a little credit here," Adrian says. "It's a crush. He's not going to throw away his whole life over a few flirtatious conversations."

"Any man would throw away his whole life for the right pair of tits, Adrian." Mack stretches his arms behind his head. "Don't lie to yourself."

Adrian rolls his eyes so hard I'm worried they're going to stay back there.

Renata lifts her head. "He's flirting with a Van Houten. In the Van Houten Library. Named after her fucking family. While her daddy is on the news telling the world that men like you," she points right at me, "should be in jail. You need to get your beta back in line."

I press my tongue against the inside of my cheek, biting back the response that wants to come out. Renata is my big sister, and I respect her opinion, but she’s not my packmate. And she does not get to weigh in on what my mates do.

"Mack flirts with that omega at the coffee place by the worksite every single morning." Adrian’s blue-gray eyes stay focused on my face, gauging how annoyed I am right now. He hates it when people fight. "He brings her cinnamon rolls. He calls her sweetheart. It’s honestly not a big deal."

"That's different," Renata says, closing her sketchbook.

"How?" Adrian asks.

"Because nobody at the coffee place is going to ruin Mack's career or run him out of town."

"Look, nobody's actually gonna fuck the billionaire bookworm." Mack rests his elbows on the table, leaning toward Renata. "Owen's not built like that. The boy holds the door open for raccoons. He’s being nice."

Renata snorts.

"Now me? Different story." Mack grins like a fool. "I could absolutely bend that busty barista over the counter on a slow Tuesday afternoon." He looks up at Adrian and winks. "Pete's been watching me build up to it for six months."

Adrian struggles to suppress a smile, shaking his head.

I shoot Mack a look across the table, but the alpha just grins wider.

"What?" he says, pretending to be innocent. "I'm being honest."

"Stop it." Adrian smacks Mack's arm. "You are not having sex with her in the coffee shop."

"I never said in the coffee shop," he says. "She's got a stockroom."

Adrian’s eyes narrow, not amused.

Mack immediately laughs and then shifts in his chair, facing the alpha. He hooks two fingers through one of Adrian's belt loops, tugging him close until Adrian is standing between his knees. "I'm kidding, baby. You know I'm kidding." He squeezes Adrian’s hips. "That barista makes your cortado exactly the way you like it, and I would never, ever do anything to mess that up. Cross my heart."