Page 97 of Mark & Don't Tell

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” I warn, warmth flooding through my veins, despite my mind screaming that I should be careful. My heart won’t survive if they suddenly decide to break up with me.

“We’re not going to break it,” Kai says, running his arm down my back. “And since you’re getting evicted...maybe you’ll consider moving in?”

Moving in is a big step. A serious step. I told them I used to date their son, and they want me to move in? It’s fast. It’s crazy. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted. Before I can rationalize why it’s a bad idea, I sniff and say, “Okay.”

They’re my mates. My scent matches. Mine, mine, mine.

And I’m thinking I might get my happily ever after, after all.

Thirty-Three

KAI

Grimacing as I pull up beside the dilapidated apartment building, I turn off the car and frown. She deserves so much better. Now, we can give her that. I only hate that it took us so long to find her. After the incident in the office, where she nearly passed out, confessing that she previously dated Ryan, Vic informed me and Linc that he’d been buying her groceries.

Apparently, Daria’s been struggling with money for quite a while. I hate it. I hate that she’s known one moment of suffering, all I can do, all my pack can do, is try to give her everything she might ever need.

It’s been six days since we agreed she’d move in. I was surprised to find that it would only take her a day to pack up her things. She sent us a message yesterday to let us know she was done, perfect timing for us to move her in today.

I hate that it’s Sunday, and we only get one night at home with her before we have to go back to work, but knowing we’ll all be in the same place at the end of the day is nice.

Vic’s knuckles rap on my passenger window.

I climb out and lock my car, eyeing the broken window of an apartment on the fourth floor. That wasn’t like that when I came to pick her up. That night, it hadn’t seemed so bad, but in the daylight, it’s clear this building is in rough shape.

“Are we going to sit here and glare at the building, or are we going to go get our omega?” Lincoln walks back toward the entrance. “The sooner we get her out, the sooner she’ll be home.”

“He’s handling this better than I expected,” Vic muses, glancing at me.

“This is real,” I tell him. “We’ve finally found her.”

The smile on his face gives me hope that everything will finally be okay. “Then, let’s go get her, hermano.”

Grinning, I clap my hand on his shoulder and head inside. A gruff-looking man is leaning against his door, scowling at us, so naturally, I nod and say hello.

He curls his lip. “You’re here for her?”

Pausing before I can take the first step up to follow Lincoln’s scent, I slowly turn and take the guy in. He’s stocky and has a hardness about him that I don’t like. This isn’t someone who has compassion. He probably only thinks of his tenants as dollar signs.

And that kind of pisses me off.

“We’re here to help Daria move,” Vic says, as tense as I am, his fingers curled into fists.

The business side of me gets that this guy needs to make money. The more primal part of me, the one that knows he made my omega cry, doesn’t give a fuck. I take a step toward him, ready to punch that smug face, but Vic steps in my path.

“Are we going to have a problem here, Bob?” he asks the landlord.

“My name is John.”

“Cool, I don’t care. If you keep looking at Kai like that, he’s going to find a way to get around me and, right now, I’m not inclined to stop him twice. So, I’m going to ask you again, are we going to have a problem?”

Bob or John or whoever the fuck flicks his gaze to meet mine and pales at whatever he sees. Normally, I try to keep my alpha urges in check, but this fucker caused my mate a lot of stress and panic. He deserves to suffer.

My growl fills the air between us, and Vic releases a heavy sigh.

“You’re wasting time,” he tells the landlord.

“No, we’re good. Leave the key under my mat.” With that, the fucker slams his door closed, and the snap of the wood hitting wood hits me hard enough that it breaks whatever hold my instincts have on me. Or maybe it’s the fact that I can’t see his stupid, sneering face anymore.

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