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“You maybe?” she says. “They don’t know you.”
“Hm,” I grunt. “Or your father.”
The front door is unlocked, and it’s at the threshold that we meet with resistance for the first time. Two guards are standing outside, and they catch sight of Peach right away. One of them swings out an arm to stop her, and I take a threatening step forward as I resist the urge to rip his arm right out of its socket.
This is gonna end in violence.
Just a matter of time.
“You can’t go out there,” the guard says. “No omegas allowed on the deck without Gideon’s express permission.”
“She’smine,” I hiss. “Gideon doesn’t decide what I do with my mate.”
“She might not be yours for long,” he warns.
He matches my energy, taking a step toward me and Peaches. But he doesn’t even get a word out before I cut him off.
Because threatening my mate is the last mistake he’ll ever make.
I’m on top of him in a heartbeat, claws of one hand at his throat, my opposite fist slamming into his jaw. He goes down fast, a spurt of red blood pouring from his mouth. I think I dislodged a tooth, which feels right for this fucking hillbilly asshole—
The other guard grabs my shoulder and pulls me back, but he stumbles away when I stand up and square my shoulders.
“Smart guy,” I say. I reach for Peaches and tuck her back into my side, where she belongs. “Best you don’t fuck with me again; next time, I’ll do worse.”
I stalk away, Peaches jogging to keep up with me. She stays completely quiet—as we agreed she should, with the Rig’s rules—but I can tell she’s freaked out. I hope I had the same effect on the other alphas and that they’ll leave us alone from now on.
We stride across the deck and toward the elevator, one of my arms around Peach and my opposite hand in my pocket. The note I wrote earlier this morning is burning a hole in my palm, my anxiety rising as I wait to pass it over to Boyd. I don’t know what he’ll be able to do or if he’ll be willing to do anything at all—or even if he’ll sell me out to curry favor with Gideon—but I have to hope he’ll get our message to the Austin Pack.
What can they do…?
I don’t fucking know.
We’ve almost made it all the way to the elevator when a group of alphas appears on the other side of it, walking toward us at a quick clip. I recognize Abel and Ephraim right away, and they look pissed. I try to increase our pace, but I can’t pull Peach along fast enough without picking her up, and I don’t want to attract too much suspicion.
“What is she doin’ out here?” Ephraim demands. Peaches stiffens and I hold her closer, practically gluing her to my chest. “She should be back at the citadel.”
“I’ll tell you what I told the guard,” I warn. “I decide my omega’s fate, and I don’t trust you fucks. Wherever I go, she goes.”
“Why don’t you trust us?” Abel asks with a sneer. “We’re pack. Family.”
I’ve never had a pack—never had a family—and I don’t intend on picking one up on this godforsaken hunk of junk.
“I’ve known you for all of three days,” I say.
“Why were you going down to the dock?” Ephraim asks. “Not trying to run off with your girl, right? Gideon told you no.”
“Just to see off my partner,” I say. “Grab my stuff.”
“Well, fancy meeting you here,” a voice says from behind us.
I turn around to find Boyd on the other side of me, right next to the elevator. He’s got my battered old backpack in his hand, and holds it out to me.
“Was just coming to look for ya,” he says. “Heard you got mated. That was quick.”
I can tell he’s pissed just from looking at him—and I get that. After I ducked out of our bunk during the storm, he probably figured I’d killed someone and that it was a death sentence for him. I’ve been irresponsible before, but never like this.
“Came to say goodbye,” I say, keeping Abel and Ephraim in my peripherals. I slip my hand out of my pocket, palming the note. “And uh…well, I guess I owe you an apology.”
