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I crossed my arms protectively over my chest.
“I can’t help it—they just grew. Like the way my hair and eyes changed colors,” I said defensively.
“Of course you can’t help it.” Christopher patted my shoulder awkwardly. “Don’t yell at her, Gabe—it’s not her fault her Royal genes suddenly decided to come out!”
“Well, go get her some clothes that fit. Take her to fucking Wal-Mart or something.” Gabriel seemed to have to force himself to look away from my ripe breasts and dark pink nipples, pressing against the thin white material of my T-shirt. “She looks too fucking tempting like that.”
My heart leaped at his words—at the idea of getting out of the Compound.
“Can I go with Christopher? Please?” I begged, jumping up and down excitedly and forgetting to cover my chest. “I don’t see how he can pick clothes that fit me if I’m not with him!”
“Fine, sure—whatever,” Gabriel growled, eyeing my jiggling breasts again. He poked a finger at Christopher. “But be sure you keep an eye on her, little brother.”
“I’ll keep her close,” Christopher promised. “She, uh, does need something else to wear.”
He seemed to be having a hard time not looking at my breasts too. It felt like my nipples got even tighter as he looked at them, nearly poking holes through the thin white fabric of my shirt. I wanted to cover myself again…but for some reason I didn’t. I just stood there, letting both of them look at me and feeling naked.
I could feel myself blushing as Christopher finally wrenched his gaze away.
“Don’t worry, Little Sis,” he mumbled. “We’ll find you something that fits. Something to cover you up.”
But did he and Gabriel really want me covered? I didn’t know and at that point I barely cared—I just wanted to leave the Compound.
FIVE
The trip into town with my nicer stepbrother wasn’t just the first gasp of freedom I’d had in weeks—it was also a chance to get some information. I hoped, anyway. After stopping at Wal-Mart and finding clothing that fit me—and getting to choose exactly what I wanted myself for the first time since my mother wasn’t there to choose for me—I begged Christopher to let me go to the library too.
“I don’t know, Little Sis…” He was hesitating but I got the feeling he wasn’t exactly anxious to get back to the Compound either.
“Admit it,” I said to him. “You don’t want to go back right away either. I bet you don’t like the Compound anymore than I do.”
“It can be a rough place,” Christopher admitted warily. “Though it’s easier to be there when—”
“When what? When your murdering asshole of a father isn’t around?” The words tasted bitter in my mouth—I hadn’t forgiven Esteban for killing my Dad and I never would.
Christopher frowned, but didn’t make me take the words back.
“The Pack Master is hard on all of us—but he only does it to make us better people—better wolves,” he said in a low voice.
I happened to think that my stepfather was “hard on people” because he was a sociopath, but I could see that Christopher wasn’t ready to accept that.
“He’s harder on you and Gabriel than anyone else,” I pointed out. It was something I had observed over and over since being brought to the Compound. My stepfather might rant and rave at the other Alphas under his command but he saved his worst anger for his sons.
Christopher shifted uncomfortably in the driver’s seat. We were in a big gray truck that was good for going off-roading in the desert. The back seat was packed with the crinkly plastic Wal-Mart bags and the front had some fast-food wrappers in the floorboards. I was strapped in beside him, the seatbelt cutting into me as it was riding right between my breasts.
“Why is he so hard on the two of you?” I said, daring to ask the question I had been wondering about. “You’re his only sons.”
“He’s hard on Gabriel because as the oldest son, he’ll be Pack Leader one day,” Christopher said. He looked down at his hands. “And he’s hard on me because I’m a Beta.”
“I don’t understand that.” I shook my head. “You’re as big and built as any of the guys in the Compound—why should it matter that you’re a Beta? And what does it mean to be a Beta anyway? Why is it a problem?”
“It’s not a problem…” Christopher sighed and ran a hand through his shaggy golden-brown hair. “It’s just…Betas aren’t as forceful as Alphas. They usually can’t mate a female on their own—they need to form a Triad with an Alpha and an Omega if they ever want to have a mate and a family.”
“That’s what Manuel accused you and Gabriel of—forming a ‘Triad’ with me,” I said, frowning. “Is that why he thought we were all together? Because Gabriel’s an Alpha and you’re a Beta and I’m a…what am I?”
