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“Iamselfish—”
“For an Omega,” he points out. “You wanted West. A true she-wolf would have followed her heart and told Rafael to fuck off three years ago. But you didn’t. You accepted his offer for the good of the pack.”
“It wasn’t just the pack,” I confess. “If I had a fated mate out there, so did West. I didn’t want to keep him when he might have wanted another female more than me. It wouldn’t have been right.”
“Fair enough. But… remind me? What part of that makes you selfish again?”
This is Bishop. He’ll never see any of my flaws. I stopped arguing about that one a long time ago.
“Besides,” he adds, “from the time West was a pup, he’s only had eyes for you. Believe me. When he started sniffing around your tail, I tried scaring him off like all the other boys who wanted you, but he was the only one who ever stood up to me. Twelve and scrawny, he didn’t back down in front of an alpha… why did you think I made him my Beta when he filled out some?”
“Um, because he’s your best friend?”
Bishop snorts. “He’s my best friend because I liked how he treated you and, apart from you and my cher, he’s the only one who puts up with my shit. None of this…yes, Alpha, no, Alpha, let me lick your boots, Alpha…crap I get from other packmates. He stood up to me for you, canari. Even if he wasn’t a beta, he’d be my right-hand wolf. Just like he’s always been meant to be your mate.”
He says that with such certainty, it’s all I can do not to stare up at him in ill-disguised shock.
It takes a second for me to find the words, and when I do, I nearly shout it at my brother. “If you wanted me to end up with West so badly, why didn’t you say something?”
He shrugs, big shoulders moving up and down. “Couldn’t. You had to be free to make your choice.”
Mychoice… that’s all I ever wanted.
Tears well up in my eyes. They’re happy tears, though, and I make sure to soothe Bishop’s wolf before he can worry that he’s made me cry.
Lips twitching beneath his beard, he throws open his arms.
I rush around his desk, flinging myself at him. Wrapped up in my big brother’s bear hug, I shudder out a sigh of relief mingled with just enough apprehension to catch his attention.
My wolf soothed his, but the other half of Bishop can’t be fooled.
“Oh, canari…” He strokes my hair. “What aren’t you telling me?”
I shake my head.
“There’s something. Go on. You can tell your big brother.”
Alphas know when those weaker than them are lying straight to their face. But Bishop? Considering I’ve learned to get around that talent of his by never outrightlying, he’s learned to pick up on my tells. Even if I’m not fibbing, he knows when I’m hiding something from him.
Like now.
Pulling away from him, I glance up. An alpha’s stare is so powerful, I let myself fall into it as I admit, “I still feel Rafael. The bond snapped when I rejected him, but it’s like… like he’s still holding onto it for some reason. Still holding onto his claim tome.”
Bishop frowns. I don’t like that frown one bit. “Have you told West?”
And risk him deciding to challenge Rafael? “No.”
“You should.”
“I can’t. What if he doubts my bond with him? We’re mates… no one can change that. But I never expected to still sense Rafael after the Luna was over and I do. I shouldn’t… and I don’t want West to think I’m not committed to him.”
The time for those doubts are gone. Especially since he never doubted me. I was the one who kept his at arms’ length. Now that I have him, what will it do to me if he’s suddenly the one having second thoughts?
Reaching down, Bishop takes my hands in his. “You’re an omega, canari. I don’t think you know what it’s like to be around a wolf like yours. It’s like the sun shining after a rainy day, so bright and warm. It’s easy to get addicted.” He pauses for a moment. “I thought West was. Addicted to you.”
Maybe he is. “He loves me.” I believe that with every fiber of my being. “He loves me for me, wolf and all.”
“I know he does. And if you decide to tell him about Rafael or not, that’s your choice. But you’ve already made your choice when it comes to your mate. It’s about time I congratulate him.”
