Page 9 of Heartless

“I wish I was, believe me.”

“But why?”

“Why do you think? He’s punishing me for hurting you.”

As she read the truth in my face, a small smile curved her lips, and I could tell she was trying to smother a laugh. I cocked a brow, crowding towards her despite my pledge to give her room. But what the hell? Her plump lips were quirking, her chest jigging, and my dick was as hard as a hungry blood claw in my pants. “You think that’s funny? You want to laugh in the face of my misery, Omega?”

My voice came out all alpha rumble, and she tilted her head, her tongue dabbing against her top lip as she tried to hold back a giggle. It was enough to make me groan, and I had to bunch my hands into fists to stop grabbing her. Didn’t help she was looking me over, before lingering on the way my thighs had pressed forward into the V of her legs. Not close enough to touch, but we’d never needed skin on skin to burn the air between us. “Just trying to picture you on suds and duds duty,” she murmured, still fighting a smirk.

“Oh, yeah?” My gaze dipped to Cal’s raw mating mark on her wrist, and the ghost of my mark beneath it. “I should’ve claimed you again the day they took that off you, pretty wolf.”

I knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as the light left her eyes. Her hand came to rest in the middle of my chest, but instead of hooking me closer, her fingers ground into my breastbone and pushed me back. “However he’s punishing you, that’s between you and your wolf. It has nothing to do with me.”

“My wolf, your wolf. It’s the same. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.”

She huffed, but I didn’t miss the flash of fear in her eyes. “I can’t believe that,” she muttered, clenching her hands in her lap. “Too much has gone wrong between us. And like you said, trust doesn’t work that way.”

“I fucked up,” I said, and dropped to my knees, so my shoulders brushed the seams of her jeans. She made a surprised sound, but didn’t pull back. “I fucked up so bad, you went to Callum, instead of me. And knowing how you feel about him, that was a better kick to the head than anything my wolf could do.” Her hands were close enough for me to kiss. Which I did, right over every tight, white knuckle. “I failed you, Vail. Over and over. But not anymore.”

The sound of her breathing was tight and shallow, but she reached out and lay her palm against the side of my face. It was so light, I could barely feel it, but I didn’t miss the jolt in my chest. Maybe it was my bruised heart, but I hoped it was also my wolf taking note. “As much as I want to go back to how things were, I can’t.” She turned her wrist, so I could see Cal’s mark on her skin. “It was a blood-to-blood claiming. Like we were called to each other. Our wolves just chose each other, and we couldn’t stop it.” She sounded stilted, her scent peppered with what I thought was anxiety. Was she lying? It was hard to tell with my wolf’s senses on lockdown and I suddenly wanted to howl. Especially when she pulled back and said, “You have to let me go, Jasper.”

I stood, despite the weight of her words pressing down on me. “That’s not how wolves work, Vail. You’re mine, and so is Cal. If the only way you’ll let me in is through him, then I offer it.”

She blinked at me, her thumbnail buried in his mark. “Offer what?”

I held out a hand. “Come with me.”

She hesitated, but finally slid off the case and followed me to the door. No hand in mine, but I wasn’t going to push her now. Instead, I led her out of the room, past the counter and the two silent librarians. The battle-axe buried herself in the computer screen, but Theo watched us go, a question in his eyes that Vail shrugged away.

She had no answers, but I did, and maybe that was enough to get her to follow me through the afternoon chill to the rose cottage. My lieutenants, Baron and Felix, were standing watch at the open gate. She slowed a little at the sight of them, but I just waited until she’d taken a breath. This was her chance to leave. To retreat from me and anything I could offer. But she squared her shoulders, and avoiding their eyes, sailed through the open gate. I bit back a smirk as they both deflated a little. We were all on fucking notice, and I didn’t think Vail was going to forgive any of us in a hurry.

She made it as far as the front room before she stopped short. I wasn’t sure if it was memories of this place, or the sight of Reed and Callum standing in opposite corners that made her clench up tight. Either way, it raised my hackles, and I stepped as close behind her as I could without her taking a swipe at me. The alphasons couldn’t mistake my stance, and while Reed was as blank as a stone, Callum just snorted. “Not exactly homey in here, big dog. You couldn’t have got a fire going before you dragged us here by the balls?”

The choice of venue wasn’t deliberate, but it worked. Cold, dark, and as sterile as it had been before Vail moved in, it was a reminder of all I’d lost. “I’m closing this place up,” I replied. “I’m moving back to my room on the alpha floor.”

Vail stiffened, but Cal just shook his head. “Of course you are. When the tracker and collar don’t work, the low-tech option is all you’ve got left.”

I ignored his needling, and asked instead, “When is the claiming ceremony?”

Vail jerked as if I’d slapped her, but Cal gave a lazy shrug. “Don’t know. Why? You doing your calendar updates?”

“Something like that.” I gestured to Reed, and he slowly approached, his gaze bouncing between Vail and me. When he was a couple of steps away, I said, “Sorry about the alpha call, but I needed you here in a hurry.” Putting out a call was like lassoing a wolf with an invisible whip, but I figured he wouldn’t complain after the shit he’d pulled with the Wolf Fire. And he didn’t, although he kept his arms folded over his chest. “I’ve got a proposal,” I told him. “But I need to know you’re going to have Vail’s back the next time a bitch tries to stick her claws into it.”

“Of course,” he said tersely. “That shit’s done. But what’s the proposal?”

Instead of answering, I asked, “When’s Marnie having her alpha initiation?”

Reed’s gaze slid to Vail, but he said, “Friday.”

“Good. We can announce our intentions to form an alpha triad then."

If Reed had been tense before, now he was in danger of rupturing an internal organ. But I ignored him and focused on Vail’s reaction. We never really got around to the claiming discussion I’d promised her, but someone else had no doubt filled her in. What she probably didn’t realize was by declaring herself part of a blood-to-blood bond, she was invoking the Old Pack ways. Which meant the Clan Alpha had the first option to be one of the two supporting alphas in the bond. “We’re going to be Callum’s seconds, Vail,” I told her quietly. “Unless you object, you get all three of us.”

Her pupils looked blown in the dim light, and I could sense her panic as she swung towards Cal. He’d slumped on the arm of a chair and looked like he’d bitten into something nasty, but he forced a smile. “Thanks for the offer, Clan Alpha, but I’m not really big on sharing.” He flicked me a look under his lashes. “Although it’s refreshing to hear you finally admit you’ve got a thing for me.”

I snorted, but figured he would get on board if I worked him hard enough. “You’re a catch, Cal, but you know my wolf’s already chosen his mate.”

A deafening silence followed, until Reed ground out, “You can’t be serious. There’s never been a triad of three alphasons…”

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