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Gideon guides us to a sitting area with a torn up old sofa and two armchairs, taking a seat in the biggest chair. He’s about my size—big for an alpha, supposedly the biggest man here. It’s what’s always made me so valuable to Boyd, even when he scraped my strung out ass up off the floor of a fighting ring in Miami. I’m able to take on almost any alpha…but I never wanted to be a leader.
This might be my toughest match yet.
Gideon gestures to the sofa and I sit down, Peaches glued to my side. She doesn’t say a word—which I’m grateful for, given how these men have treated her so far. Things are bad all over, but this…this is next level shit.
Gideon watches as his son, Ephraim, pours a whiskey. Ephraim didn’t inherit his father’s size; he’s smaller than Abel, who stands guard at the door with another alpha. It’s jarring how much Ephraim looks like Peaches, his freckled face snide and sinister in comparison—but eerily similar. He hands a glass to Gideon, then Gideon narrows his eyes at him.
“Well?” he says. “Pour a glass for your new brother.”
The way he says it makes it sound like a joke—like this is temporary. My hackles raise at the prospect that he’s already scheming against me, that he has some plan in place to get me away from her.
If I want to keep her, I’m going to have to watch her like a hawk. Make sure she’s thoroughly claimed. Bite her everywhere I can, cover her with my scent, fill her with my…
No.
That’s not why I did this.
Is it?
Ephraim gives me a glass of whiskey and I shake my head, putting my hand up. “I don’t drink.”
It’s not a good idea for a recovering addict, not that I tellthemthat.
“First you take my daughter, then you refuse my hospitality,” Gideon says. “You need to learn manners, son.”
“I’m not your son,” I seethe.
“But you are,” he says. “At least—you are now. You put your mark on my daughter, and I intend on making the most of a less than ideal situation. You’re a big man, Javier. I’m curious why you’re taking odd jobs instead of leading a pack of your own.”
I narrow my eyes, trying to figure out his game. I’ve met men like this before—men that wanted to wield me as a weapon, who didn’t see anything but the utility I could provide. I’m about to snap at him when Peaches trembles next to me, her whole body shaking uncontrollably.
I need to get her warm.
Fuck…I still need to get dressed.
But I can’t let her go, and I have to finish this conversation before I’m allowed to leave. She’s too weak; they’ll use her against me if I let them.
“I’m not cut out for that kind of thing,” I say.
“For being Prime?” Gideon stirs his whiskey, staring into the amber glass. “Hm…you understand then. Being king isn’t for everyone. There’s something in the blood of kings that makes it easier.”
He’s an asshole, but I don’t mind him talking. The more he talks, the more time I have to plan, to listen, to focus on how I’m going to protect us both. Me and Peaches are both in danger right now, whether she realizes it or not.
“We’re always looking for men like you to join the Rig, Javier,” Gideon says. “Men who know what it means to be a warrior—who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. And the perks…?” He gestures at Peaches—at hisdaughter, the sick fuck. “Well, you can see the advantages.”
I bet someone really enjoyed giving him that scar on his face and blinding him. I’d like to slash my claws across his mouth right now.
“Do I have a choice?” I ask.
Gideon chuckles. “Well, that’s a matter of perspective. You can stay and join my pack and fuck your omega—or we throw you overboard and I give her to someone else. I know whatIwould choose.”
“And Boyd?” I ask. “What happens to him?”
“Hm…” Gideon leans back in his big armchair. “Mr. Boyd seems like a smart man, and he’s done good work for me. If he behaves himself, he can leave once the storm passes. I’m a stern leader, but I can be generous.”
Generous my ass. I’ve seen what this guy does to people who disobey him. If I were smart, I wouldn’t have gotten involved in the first place. But I’m here. I bit her. And the only thing that will sever our bond is my death or hers…or covering her in so many bites from another alpha that it erases any trace of me.
“I’ll stay,” I say. “But no one else fucking touches her.”
