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“No such luck, man. You were a few seconds too early.” I spin Kinsey around, playing keep away with my brother, using my body to shield her. “But I can change that. Me first, though.”
“Don’t even start.” Holly pops in from the hallway, a smile lighting her face. “I’ve made appointments for Kinsey and me. Our hair, nails, makeup, a massage—everything. She’s going to be mine until the coronation. Got it?”
Enzo narrows his eyes, play-growling. “Look at you, Ms. Alpha. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’d been lying about your order.”
I groan and shake my head. “Let’s fucking hope not. I can’t be the only one who isn’t an alpha.” I laugh it off, trying to keep myself composed even though Holly and Enzo both give me a look, their obvious concern as palpable as Kinsey’s.
“It isn’t as awesome as you imagine. But I get it, brother. You get to avoid all this pre-coronation crap by watching over our pack. I’ll be knocking some sense into Wilder. He made me a promise and nearly broke it with his bullshit attempt at murdering Father.” Enzo tightens his jaw, lowering his voice.
I shove him, pushing him toward the door. “Exactly. Get to work, little brother. This will be my only chance to have something you don’t.”
He raises his hands as he exits Kinsey’s room, and I slam the door in his face, making him laugh. I know he could overpower me and challenge me, but thankfully he doesn’t. I don’t know if I could take it right now. I know it’s juvenile of me, but goddamn it. Why is it bothering me so much?
I sense both Holly and Kinsey staring at the back of my head. I scratch my fingers across my neck and turn slightly to face them.
Kinsey closes the space first and engulfs me in a hug before Holly joins her, sandwiching me between them.
“This has to be so fucking hard on you, Des. Everything has been a lot lately. I wish that none of this order bullshit mattered for us. I’ll never understand the difficulty of being anything other than an omega.” Holly squeezes my shoulders.
“She’s right, Desmond. That’s why we have to take advantage right now. And don’t worry. They’re not going to control everything. We’re doing it as a pack, remember? Even me.”
“As long as they keep their word.” I keep my voice low, not wanting to upset Kinsey. I know it’s all in my head. I know it’s because of the circumstances and all the bullshit. But I can’t help it. Kinsey makes it so easy to talk. So does Holly. We’ve always had a very communicative relationship being the outcasts of our immediate family since neither of us manifested into the alpha order.
“They will,” Kinsey insists, snuggling close to me again. “Me and you can team up and show them just how dominating we can really be otherwise.”
“You guys can also just fuck all over the palace and make it known. Sneak into their spaces. Remind them.” Holly giggles at the thought. “But after I leave. Which is another thing I wanted to talk to you about. I want to ask you for a favor, Desmond. I need you to mediate the conversation. With the threat of our father over and me not having to stress out about someone picking me out a pack, I’d really like to experience what it’s like to live on my own.”
I blink my eyes in surprise, shifting to drape my arm over Kinsey’s shoulders while I face Holly. “You want to move out?”
She nods her head, her face expressionless. “I want to live as a beta for a while. Under the radar and out of the Pack Regimes’ sights. You guys can make that happen now. I was talking to the Silverstein Pack, and they have an apartment not far from them that I can take. I’ll still be close, but I can have something of my own for a while.”
“I think that’s a fantastic idea,” Kinsey says, rubbing her hand over my side.
A part of me wants nothing more than to deny my little sister and protect her from the world. But another part of me knows that she deserves a life of her own. She deserves to find her own path.
I reach out and scrub my hand over her pale blond hair. “I’ll do whatever you need, Holly. I just can’t believe you’re growing up.”
She reaches up and pats my cheek. “I’ve been grown-up for a while, Des. I just need to figure out everything else now.”
I hug her and Kinsey against me, feeling the lightness of Holly’s happiness, but I don’t automatically turn her down. But I get it. I feel it deep in my bones. It’s in this moment that I realize maybe I also need a little bit of space from my brothers. I really need to think about things and my place within our pack.
“I think we all feel the same, Holly. Things are about to change, and for the first time, we don’t have to answer to King Winston.” I guide them both toward the door.
“I just can’t wait until we don’t have to deal with him at all.” Holly glances at me, a sorrow in her eyes that I’m not sure will ever disappear.
“Soon. I promise.” A promise me and my brothers will keep. This territory in the world is ours.
Chapter six
Kinsey
The Coronation
EverythinginSaintVistaalways happens so fast. When a leader renounces reign or is killed, a replacement must step up quickly. Not only because it’ll weaken the territory and leave our people open for attacks, but it could also cause unrest within the reigning pack.
I stand on the balcony, staring over the grand ballroom of the Gilded Sands Fortress. My guys will use Winston’s place for all of their formal appearances, ensuring that no one outside of our pack enters our palace.
I thought our home was massive, but it can’t even compare to Winston’s. The ballroom is several thousand square feet alone, with a wooden dance floor, a stage for a band on one side and a platform with a podium on the other. Long tables with floor-length tablecloths, huge bouquets of mixed flowers like chrysanthemums, roses, and different white florals decorate them as centerpieces along with mirrored glass and twinkling string lights.
