Page 29 of Corrupt Me

It takes me a little while to realize this emotion isn’t mine. That the bond between me and my mates is much stronger than last night. This has to be Amiri’s control that Sasha was describing because my emotions are in check. Even the anger threatening to bubble over is just simmering, waiting for the perfect moment to attack. The tendril of chaos is definitely Sasha but there’s a little bit of crazy, a darkness asking to be let loose.

Kolsen.

I remember Sasha mentioning that the next time Teo tried something, Kolsen would gladly remove the problem. Some part of me knows that it’s a terrible idea to involve my mates in this situation. The other part of me wants to see Kolsen pinning Teo up against a wall and growling at him until my ex pees his pants. When our boss arrives, she’s going to fire us anyway. It’s in our contract to protect the art at all costs. I’ve always known that if a burglary or something of the sort happened, I would be out of a job.

I’m not sacrificing my life for a picture.

I don’t care if it’s the Mona Lisa.

“What are you giggling about over there, Mila?”

“Nothing.”

“Share with the class!” She looks over my shoulder and stares down at my phone as I dial Sasha’s number. Just as I raise my hand to put it to my ear, Violet snatches the device and puts it on speaker. Her eyes flit between my phone and me and I see the anxiety creeping into her expression. She’s more than worried about Teo’s destructive behavior and this is the perfect distraction.

“Buttercup? It’s not even lunch yet. Oh, did you want to go out to lunch? I’m thinking-”

“Sasha, I need you to listen for a minute. Where is Kolsen?”

Violet’s eyes widen as she mouths ‘The big guy?’ I nod.

Sasha grunts and then chuckles. “Currently sitting on him. Why? Would you like to sit on him? I can fetch you and we can spend lunch that way. Or we can eat-” His words cut off, the tone of his voice changing. “Something is wrong. What is it?” How he can tell, I have no idea.

“Teo is at the gallery and he’s pissed, saying I got him banned. We called the police but you know how Ansdale is. It could be five minutes or thirty. We need Kolsen.”

The voice through the earpiece changes, Kolsen’s deep, unforgiving tone filtering through. “Love, are you safe?”

“Yeah, me and Violet are in the storage room. It’s locked. It’ll be a little while before he wanders back here. I hope.” Shattering glass reaches my ears and I realize that Teo is much closer than he used to be. The spark of fear in my chest must translate to my mates because the growl on the other side of the phone is animalistic.

“Five minutes, love. And if he gets back there, you fight like hell. You don’t stop fighting until I get there, do you hear me?”

I would have expected him to tell me to barricade myself and stay safe but hearing that he wants me to stand up to my demons means more than he’ll ever know. “Yes, Alpha.” I cradle the phone in my lap, neither one of my mates hanging up the call. Violet’s anxious smile has softened, my friend finding comfort in the fact that Kolsen and Sasha are on the way.

I’m not too keen on anyone dying this morning but Teo should have never stormed in here the way he did.

Another crash sounds, way too close for comfort. Violet chokes on a nervous laugh. “We’re so getting fired, aren’t we?”

“It’ll be worth it to watch Teo realize who my mates are. God, I hope he spends the night in jail or something.” We share another laugh, huddling together, trying to keep our wits about us. It’s then that I hear a humming sound through the phone. It’s similar to an Alpha’s purr but not quite as strong. My Omega is purring for me. God, I don’t deserve them.

Chapter nineteen

SASHA

“Can I kill him?” I blurt out as Kolsen whips the car around a sharp turn. My Alpha doesn’t answer but I didn’t suspect he would. He’s in a completely different mindset right now—the need to protect our Beta. His rage is seeping through our bond, though, so much so that Amiri calls. I don’t want to answer him but he’ll think the worst if one of us doesn’t pick up. “Ames-”

“What the fuck is going on? You two had the day off. I thought it was going to be a movies and junk food kind of day.”

“It was,” I push out, seething. My free hand fists on my knee as I try to keep from punching a hole in the window. Goddess, I forgot how terrifying it is to be in Kolsen’s presence when he’s like this. It’s nearly impossible to control my emotions. Add in the fact that I’m weeks away from a heat and coming with him was probably the worst idea. “Teo’s at the art gallery. Camila called and well, I hope the police get there first.”

Amiri is quiet for a few seconds and then I hear a door close behind him. He probably just walked into the club office where he does most of his work. “I hope they don’t.” The call ends just as we pull up to the gallery that I was at a few hours ago. The terror blasting me in the face has to be Camila’s and I hate everything about my designation in this moment.

Despite my size, I am still an Omega and I am no match for a raging Alpha. I want to rush in there and beat the ever-loving shit out of Teo but he’d rip me limb by limb first. This has to be a job for Kolsen and Kolsen alone. Sirens whistle in the distance but Kolsen is already stalking toward the entrance, the car still running. I pull the key from the ignition and run after him, eager to see Camila’s ex Alpha get his ass handed to him.

It was glorious last night watching Camila stand up for herself. I’m hoping Kolsen lets her get in a hit or two.

My Alpha steps inside and throws his head back, something akin to a roar erupting from his soul. Then his gaze locks on Teo who’s holding a small frame over his head, a devilish grin spreading across his face. “Just the man I wanted to talk to. How dare you throw me out because of an insignificant little Beta? That dumb bitch-” Kolsen doesn’t let Teo finish, charging at him. Teo is thrust against the wall, paintings rattling on their hooks.

“You don’t talk about my mate like that.” Kolsen wraps a tight hand around the Alpha’s neck, pulls forward, and then thrusts him back against the wall hard enough to make a dent. “That precious Beta has a name and Camila is worth more than you’ll ever be.”

---