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Fuck.
He puts his mug down with a thud, and a little of the brown liquid swishes over the top and onto the counter. “I want to know how you’re coming with the list of packs for Riley.”
I take a deep breath because this could get heated quickly. “I’ve already given you the names of two dozen packs. How many do you want?”
“None of those will work,” Thane says with a scowl. “Really, Miles, you were scraping the barrel with the last list.”
“Oh, was I?” I say, whirling around to face him. “Or was it that none of them are good enough for you? Or should I say that none of them are good enoughfor her.”
“What are you saying?” he asks, standing from his stool with a cautionary edge to his voice. “It’s not my fault I know the background of the packs better than you do. Besides, I’m only doing what’s best for you. You’re legally tied to her, and if we pass her off—”
“Bullshit.” My voice rings through the kitchen, and Thane’s eyes widen with shock. “That’s complete bullshit and you know it. This has nothing to do with what’s best for me. In fact, I’m not even sure this has anything to do with what’s best for Riley. It all has to do with you and this stupid notion you have in your head that you don’t want her, but at the same time, you don’t want anyone else to have her either.”
“What the fuck, Miles?” Thane bites out, slamming his hand on the counter. “Leave the psychobabble to Levi because you’re terrible at it. I’m being picky because this is about our pack’s reputation. If we throw off Riley to some abusive pack, we’re no better than those cops that would have done that to begin with. Do you want that getting out to any future Omegas that might consider us?”
“Why do we need to look for future Omegas?” I snap, so tired of this song and dance. “Why can’t Riley be the one? I like her. Hell, Fox likes her, and he doesn’t like anyone.”
“Just because you fucked her last night doesn’t mean that she’s right for us,” Thane says coldly. “We’ve all had a little fun now and then. It doesn’t mean commitment. It doesn’t mean forever.”
“Once again, this is not about me!” I take a step forward until we’re nose to nose. My fists are clenched at my side, and his eyes dart to them suspiciously.
He bares his teeth at me. “Step down, Miles. That’s an order.”
“Fuck you,” I repeat, hating the venom I’m spitting but unable to control it. Whether it was official or not, I’ve laid my claim on Riley and I’ll be damned if I was going to just let her go without a damn good fight. “Fuck you for trying to be better than the rest of us. Fuck you for letting your hold-ups ruin the future of this pack.”
“Stop talking,” he yells, his voice filled with his Alpha thrall, but I’m too far down the path of anger for it to work. I swing my fist back and aim for his face, but he catches my punch before it can land. He spins me around until my arm is pinned to my back, my shoulder screaming with pain. He slams me into the fridge, my nose hitting the metal door. A few magnets fall to the floor from the force, and inside the fridge, something falls off a shelf. My eyes sting from the pain, and blood drips down my lips. “I am the Alpha of this pack. We all agreed, Miles. Either we all want her, ornoneof us can have her. Remember your pack.”
I struggle against his weight as he leans into me, holding me against the door, but I can’t shake him off. He places his teeth at my neck and bites, and my entire body goes limp in submission. Humiliation heats my skin as he says, “Don’t let the Omega cloud your judgment.”
“I’ll find more packs,” I grumble out, unable to fight his will anymore. “Findbetterpacks for Riley.”
“Thank you.” He loosens his hold on me, enough that the tendons in my arm stop protesting, but I’m still lightly pinned against the door. “I’m going to let you go now.” When I say nothing, he tightens his grip. “Miles?”
I sigh. “Okay, fuck. I’m good.”
Thane releases me completely, and without a look back at him, I storm off to my office for my meeting. My anger flares, and I’m sure Thane can feel it through the bonds, but I don’t really care at this point. Fuck him and his almighty attitude. I may have to obey him, but I don’t have to like it. I’ll get him his damn pack names, and after that, if he can’t make a decision, then all hell is going to break loose. He thinks I’ll give up. I haven’t evenbegun.
SIXTEEN
—
F O X
The next afternoon at lunch,Levi, Thane, Miles, and I are gathered around the dining table, chowing down on Thane’s latest creation. Riley isn’t eating with us because she was asleep when Levi went up to get her for the meal. It’s something I’ve noticed she does a lot, napping during the day, and going to bed early.
The other day, she took two naps in one day, and she still had heavy purple circles under those pretty eyes. It makes me feel like there’s something wrong with her health. She seems frail, like if I touch her too much, I’ll break her. She’s a little thin, too. Maybe she wasn’t feeding herself well enough living on her own. The thought makes my skin crawl. Riley needs a good pack to take care of her, to make sure that she’s healthy. If Thane weren’t so stubborn, he would’ve sat down and examined Riley more thoroughly, given her a full physical. Maybe he could recommend some vitamins or something to get her strength up while she recovers. But no, the stubborn bastard would rather sulk in his library than take a step back and see what’s really necessary.
Thane made shawarma for today’s lunch. It’s perfect, of course, and he made me extra tahini sauce, because that stuff is the greatest shit ever. I would put it on everything I eat if I could. Hell, French fries with tahini sauce sounds amazing. I drown my shawarma in it, ignoring Levi’s snort of disgust. I’ll eat what I want, in whatever quantities I want. Even the team nutritionist knows I’m a lost cause sometimes.
“It’s too bad Riley couldn’t join us,” says Levi, digging into his food. He sounds almost wistful, like a lovestruck teenager mooning over his first crush. Thane puts his fork down, his jaw clenching, because his jaw is always clenching. I’m surprised he doesn’t have lockjaw at this point in his moody life. His molars must be ground down to practically nothing.
“Yeah,” I add in an overly perky voice. “It isn’t the same without her.”
“Dinner is just fine,” snaps Thane. “It was fine before she was here, and it’ll be fine after she leaves.”
“Well, aren’t you cranky?” I say, leaning back in my chair and examining him further. “Not enough brooding at the dinner table for you? Shall I break into a depressing Shakespeare soliloquy to set the mood?” Fuck if I know any Shakespeare, but it has the effect I meant. The cloud of anger around Thane fades a little.
Thane huffs and picks back up his fork, breaking apart his shawarma into small pieces but not really eating it. After a moment, his expression softens. “I’m not trying to be the bad guy here,” he says, his gaze darting back and forth between us all. “I’m not. I know I have issues, but I’m trying to be fair. There’s just something about her, something about her scent, and I can’t figure out what it is. There’s just somethingwrong.”
