Page 15 of Heat Hesitation

Eventually, Sully pulls over, across the street from my building. I unbuckle, but neither occupant beside me makes a point to move out of the way.

"Umm, can you let me out?" I turn toward Enzo since he seems the least hostile. He's also on the side facing my building.

Asher tries to argue again, attempting to inform me I am not allowed to live here. The more bullshit he spews, the more offended my omega gets. We worked really hard for what we have despite how hard it is to live as an unbonded omega in this world. Sensing my distress, Sully snaps at Asher to be quiet and tells Enzo to let me out.

Relieved to breathe fresh air—or air tinged with hot dog carts and car exhaust fumes—I climb out after Enzo, who holds his hand out to steady me. His grip is warm and causes electricity to run up my arm.

I look up, and he's unsmiling, watching me curiously, brow slightly furrowed. Before I can say or do something embarrassing, I say thank you and pull away.

"Asher, stay with Theo. We'll be right back."

"You better mean you'll be right back," I quip as we ignore Asher, arguing that he's coming with us. Being a pack leader must have its perks because Asher listens to Sully and stays behind. It doesn't go unnoticed that Theo doesn't say two words to me, won't look at or acknowledge me.

It hurts my omega's feelings, but we ignore the moody alpha and lead toward our glorious fourth-floor walk-up. Sully's jaw ticks, his posture becoming more rigid as we climb, stepping around kids' toys and mysterious stains along the halls and floors.

When we reach my apartment, I turn to them with my back to the door. "Well. Thank you for the ride. It was… nice to meet you."

Enzo laughs, again pulling a shocked look from his packmate, who swings his incredulous glare from Enzo back to me. "Very funny, Omega. Let us in."

"Why?" I cross my arms, bristling at his high-handedness. I hate this part of being an omega. He's bossy, and I both love and hate it. The urge to submit is strong.

"Because we are your mates, and we're not leaving until we see you safely inside."

My mouth drops open, but it's the first time Enzo smiles—well, sort of smiles. His lips tug a bit, but nevertheless, it's mesmerizing. It softens the otherwise hard lines of his cheeks and jawline, which come to a point at his chin, the slightest hint of a dimple at the center.

Two doors down, Sheila sticks her head out her apartment door, distracting me. "Who's out there?" She shouts. "You're makin' too much noise!"

I snap back, "Mind your business, Sheila!"

She starts hollering about the alphas and us making a racket in public domain. Someone taught her this phrase recently, and she applies it liberally in nearly every conversation, whether or not it makes sense. Her husband, Earl, is an alpha-leaning beta and a mean son-of-a-bitch, and I do not want him to come out here and try to throw his weight around, so I drop down, pull my key out from under my mat—which causes Sullivan to growl, again—and let us inside.

"You keep your apartment key under your fucking doormat? Are you trying to get broken into?"

"Don't tell me what to do," I huff, though he's totally right. Truthfully, I always lose my key, which is why I leave a spare.

Sully somehow both growls and sighs. Red does something similar, asking for patience from the gods to deal with me. After a deep, not-so-calming breath, he says, "Are you always this stubborn, or are we special?"

I give him a full-teeth smile. "Oh, you're very special, Alpha."

He grunts. I almost laugh at how mad he's getting.

"Look, see, there's no one here. I'm home, and it's perfectly safe. Now you know exactly where I live, so you can leave now."

Enzo ignores my dismissal. Instead, he lets himself into my apartment and inspects every little thing. He opens drawers, shuffles things around, and touches art. Miraculously, he skips the drawer packed full of pills.

My apartment isn't nice, and my things are second-hand, threadbare, and worn. But they're mine. Everything I have, I got for myself. I didn't rely on someone else to get it for me, and I'm proud of that.

So when Enzo peers at and examines all my things, and, unlike his brothers, keeps judgment off his face, only maintaining mild curiosity, it makes me relax, just a little. I drop onto my comfortable but lumpy plaid couch in a huff, and wait for Enzo to finish his inspection.

When he reaches my bedroom door, I yell, "Not a chance, Alpha!"

An omega's nest is a sacred space. He should know better. Then again, from what little I've learned about Enzo… maybe he doesn't.

He pauses, hand clutching the knob. Turning to give me a predatory smile, it's like Clark Kent transforming into Superman. His glasses don't detract from his aquiline beauty, and for some reason, my yelling at him makes him look like a sociopath playing at a tea party. I stutter but hold my ground, satisfied he listens and rejoins us in the living room.

I ignore Sully's "Huh" and watch Enzo like a hawk.

These guys are pushy alphas, but not nearly as pushy as I feared they would be. I've only known them for an hour, though.

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