Page 24 of Cleat Heat

As Ty and Dash square off and snarl at one another, she glances at them, then looks up at me, and unshed tears gather in her gorgeous eyes. Holding her tightly against me, I press our foreheads together.

“Anything you want, little flier, I’ll make it happen,” I promise. Whistling to get my packmates’ attention, I tilt my head toward the door, indicating that they should follow. For what it’s worth, the two boneheads finally shut the hell up and follow us out of the room.

Chapter Seventeen

Dash

Damn it all to hell!

I’m a fucking fool.

The sparkling tears in Vivi’s eyes make my heart sink as I trudge up the stairs behind Fox. Yeah, Ty pissed me off, but I’m supposed to be the pack Alpha, putting my omega’s needs before my own. Instead of being steadfast and strong, I came in there like a petty bitch.

She’s so close to her heat, and instead of providing aftercare, I created tension in her happy, post-orgasmic bubble. That just won’t do.

We all need to learn to share. Fuck. Annoyance and guilt prickle under my skin. But something deeper, too…

Fear.

My jaw clenches, and I fist my hands in the material of my pants. If we can’t provide this sexy, competitive, firecracker of an omega with a strong pack, I have no doubt she’ll leave our asses behind. Scent-match or not.

We round the corner, heading toward the wing of our house where most of our bedrooms are located. Fox disappears into his master suite but leaves the door wide open in invitation. That open door means more than I thought. Seeing it allows me to breathe again. My shoulders slump forward, and my muscles uncoil ever so slightly. Pausing at the threshold for just a second, I rein it in. The rage. The frustration.

Ty tries to push past me to follow them, but I thrust my arm out, halting him.

“Before we go in there, we need to fix this,” I say between clenched teeth. “You can’t be sneaking off and stealing her. Or getting jealous and possessive during her heat. She’s trusting us.”

Ty’s nostrils flare, and he crosses his massive arms over his chest.

“It was just a joke, dude; chill out,” he snarls back at me.

“It wasn’t a fucking joke. First, you pushed us out of the way at the apartment, and then you snatched her right out of my arms here. I’m the pack Alpha — if you’re going to act like that, you’ll sit out her heat.”

“Back off, Dash!” he snaps. “Your entitlement’s showing. Just because you and Fox packed first doesn’t mean I’m at the bottom. Before me, you didn’t even have the scent-match.”

“I’m pack Alpha. You WILL listen to me,” I bark, but the second the words leave me, I wish I could recall them. You sound like a child.

Ty’s eyes narrow to slits, and his muscles coil, veins pop in his neck. I hold my breath, waiting for him to explode, but Ty never does what you expect.

His body stills completely, and his voice becomes low, sending chills down my spine.

“Vivi is a person, she decides. You may be pack Alpha, but she’s my heart and soul. The only one who decides who is a part of her heat is her.”

And hell, if that doesn’t hit me square in the chest.

What’s wrong with me?

“Ty?” a soft, melodious voice drifts from the room, and my heart sinks that she doesn’t call for me. Dropping my arm, I hang my head in shame, shocked when a heavy weight drops on my shoulders. Ty gives me a tug, and I furrow my brows in question.

“Come on, you loser.” He grins at me. “Get out of your own head. She’s our mate. Let’s give her the best heat of her life.”

The goofball tugs me in close, then licks his long, wet tongue up the side of my face with a dark chuckle. The long trail of saliva contains her scent, which shoots up my nose, making me dizzy with desire. Sensing my distraction, Ty shoves me backward and bounces through the door ahead of me.

Prick.

“You rang, baby girl? I’m here to serve—use me as you wish… especially my giant cock. He’s all yours,” he calls jovially, and I can’t help but chuckle at his extreme confidence.

Pain in the ass.

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