“Of course, if that’s what you want,” Marcus replied. “Now, the other matter I needed to discuss was your own experiences. I’m embarrassed to say that your request for an alpha got lost in the system when things went south with your brother. You won’t be charged for anything tonight, since you were forced to operate without an alpha.”
“What?”
We both stared at Marcus, hearing the words but not able to piece them together, to reconcile them with our experiences.
“No alpha was sent,” he replied. “We did have a shortage, as none of those on your approved list were available, but we were in the process of vetting the others that might have been suitable when things escalated with your brother.”
“But…Len.”
The words were breathed out by Tris, his grip on my hand growing tighter and tighter.
“Len?” Brendan snapped, straightening up. “The alcohol supplier? What the fuck was he doing in the playrooms?”
“Does he even have clearance?” Cyn asked, settling in front of the laptop on Marcus’ desk and then beginning to click furiously. “Jesus, he was given free rein of every floor back when…” She flopped back into the chair, blinking. “The first night you brought me here, Orion. Remember, he was given clearance for the poker game? I’ll need to revoke some of his privileges.”
“Not on our account,” I said crisply. “He was…” —my eyes slid sideways— “more than satisfactory.”
Tris nodded slowly in agreement, my poor bloody brother’s plight shoved aside as we stared at each other, the selfish clasp of love unable to allow our focus to shift for long. But when we looked up, Marcus stood there, watching us with a strange catlike expression.
“Scotch, that’s what he brought up to your room.” He tapped his index finger on his bottom lip. “Jesus, I asked for a bottle to go up as a matter of urgency, to try and buy us some time while we found an alpha, but…” A small frown formed and smoothed away. “I never expected… Well, irrespective of the outcome, you have our apologies. This was a breach in protocol we will address.”
“What do you know about him?” Tris asked, pulling away as the door opened and Theo was led inside. I didn’t get to hear Marcus’ answer as I rushed to his side.
And instantly regretted it.
Dad wouldn’t see or know it, what was going on with Theo, because he never looked at any of us too closely, not unless he was trying to evaluate, weigh us up, but I did. So I saw my brother’s burnt out eyes, as empty yet full of destruction as a wasteland of your choice, the tsunami of pain there rising, rising. I took his hand, empathetic little omega that I was, and regretted it, getting waves of what felt like caustic, sticky, burning agony.
“Theo?” I asked.
“We need to get home. It’s nearly six am.”
“We’ll get everyone home in time,” Brendan said, moving closer. “If you’re ready, come this way. It leads directly down to the carpark.”
And so the night came to an end—the ball was over, and Cinderella times three scuttled back home.
“Text me,” Tristan insisted as we got out of the car, tugging me back to kiss me punishingly hard. I craved that so fucking much. I sucked his bottom lip, scoring the skin there, but had to pull away. Dad was strict, but the academy was stricter.
“Of course. Love you.”
So we walked back inside the house, the sound of the car pulling away turning my head for a second.
“Theo,” I said, hearing the birds beginning to chirp, “are we—?”
“Not now,” my brother replied in his no nonsense alpha tone, shutting down the conversation before it could begin. “I’m tired and need to sleep.”
And so we stepped into the manor, the silence, the weight of the house and its grand architecture and history seeming to swallow us up, marking us as entirely insignificant.
Chapter 8
T: I woke up covered in slick this morning, dreaming of you sitting on my face.
I blinked blearily as I woke up, picking up my phone to see what the notification was for, then smiled. My brother was down the hall, experiencing god knows what after last night’s attempt to nuke his reputation, but here was I, snuggling down under the covers, my hand sliding down between my legs. I told you I was a bad girl. Selfish, overly indulged, that became clearer later, but right now? Right now, I imagined my lover sprawled out on the regulation bed given to him at the academy, naked, hard, and—
K: Send me a photo
T: You want n00ds? ;)
K: Yes please baby. I need to see.