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“Having protective brothers comes in handy sometimes,” she joked. We were at least ten years apart, but I appreciated that she was making an attempt to put me at ease. She reminded me of Stella, just a younger more relatable version.
“You can sit with us,” Waylen offered, but Callum cleared his throat. Waylen fell silent and shifted uncomfortably.
“She’ll sit with us,” Callum corrected with authority. Suddenly I wasn’t hungry anymore but Emma side-eyed me hard enough I filled my plate anyway. Callum and Leven were done first, taking their plates to a table at the front. They didn’t bother to wait so I got that awkward moment of going and grabbing a chair at their table while everyone watched. It seemed the alpha had a penchant for making me uncomfortable on purpose.
They didn’t speak to me, instead focusing on their food. When I didn’t eat, Leven stopped and glared.
“Eat.” It was an order and made me not want to comply. We’d just met and he was already more infuriating than his counterpart.
“I don’t need to be ordered around,” I said evenly, staring him down. Leven’s green eyes narrowed.
“Clearly you do,” he argued, gesturing to my full plate. Callum let out a chuckle and I tensed. My job here was not to stand out but they had me ready to slam my plate into their cocky faces.
“Did Antonio find anything?” Callum asked Leven, turning the conversation away from me. He gave me a small smirk that warmed my chest. The man was charming and he fucking knew it, and damn if it didn’t have an effect on me despite my best efforts.
Now that their eyes were off of me, I finally cut off a piece of my steak and took a bite. Emma wasn’t kidding, the food was amazing. It was honestly the best meal I’d had in far too long and my plate was cleared before too long.
“Did that not count as following orders?” Leven asked with a smirk. His green eyes pinned me with a hollow stare and I shifted under his scrutiny. How could a man so fucking handsome be such a dick? That should be illegal.
“I don’t follow your orders,” I told him in a quiet voice that was barely containing my rage.
“You do, actually,” Callum said as he sat back, like he was watching a show. It always felt like his eyes were cutting right through me and he could see what I was holding back from saying. That’d be rough for him because my head wasn’t a pretty place to be. “He’s your superior until you’re pack.”
“Taking orders regarding pack safety, is one thing. Ordering me to eat like I’m a child, is disrespectful,” I shot back.
“She has a point,” Callum agreed begrudgingly. “Keep it civil, Leven.”
“Why?” He huffed out a laugh. “I didn’t ask to be a babysitter and if she can’t follow simple instructions, how are we supposed to trust her.”
“Then don’t trust me, but I won’t stay and be treated like shit. I’ve had enough of that in my life,” I bit out. Everything about this man made me angry. His worldview was either very privileged, or very short-sighted.
“You’re not leaving, at least not until we find this asshole. You two better figure this shit out because we’ve got way bigger problems,” Callum said. Now he was angry and focusing on me. “I want every detail you have.”
“I gave them to you. This man didn’t know me before this, he ran into me at the bar then tried to alpha me. I obviously told him to fuck off. That was enough.” I shrugged. “He was persistent enough that Tina kicked his ass out, then Blake walked me home. He told me it was him, that he’d drop more bodies to get to me. He confronted me in the diner, which is what led me to you.”
“So, not so tough after all?” Leven laughed, the sound grating on my already tightly wound nerves. Most men would cower at the punishments I’d endured, he could fuck right off with that nonsense.
“Against a trained assassin? No,” I huffed out. “Not to mention I’m still healing.”
“From?” Callum asked when he saw me wince.
“From a wound,” I said evenly. “I haven’t exactly had a chance to shift yet.”
“You can shift here, we’re enclosed all the way to the Bluffs,” Callum said but Leven threw his hands up.
“She’s clearly hiding shit from us and you don’t care?” That had the alpha rising out of his seat, staring down the man.
“Don’t question my dedication to this pack, warrior,” he said evenly. “If I thought her a threat, I’d handle it. At this point, I don’t. And if you can’t fall in line, I’ll find someone else to be her guide.”
Guide. Nice way to put watching me like a hawk.
“Fine,” Leven said angrily, glaring down at the table.
“I think you’ll find you two have more in common than you think.”
Slim fucking chance, Callum.
ChapterNine
