Page 29 of Bullied By the Alpha Wolf

Grayson wouldn’t me my eyes, and for the first time in a while, I thought I might have to kick his ass—and it was on behalf of Kenzie, no less.

“I don’t really have time for a mate right now, do I? I’m always out in the field for Jet and…I’m not sure I believe in all that shit anyway.”

I didn’t know what to say. It was such a change from what I’d heard from Gray, from both of them, previously that it hit me like a slap across the face.

“What? You can’t be serious. Things were going so good between you two. Why the sudden change?”

With a shake of his head, Grayson flicked his stare to the floor and back. “Like I said, I’m out in the field too much. It’s dangerous. This…this is better for both of us.”

My frown deepened. “Did MacKenzie agree with that?”

Grayson chewed on his lip, and the frustration boiled in my blood. “She’s over it. Trust me. I mean, come on. It’s just me. I’m nothing to fuss over.”

For a moment, I just glared at him, but who was I to say anything about relationships? It wasn’t like I was doing a good job at them myself.

“Uh-huh. I’m going to let that slide.” I met his eyes. “For now.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He rolled his eyes. “You do that. Besides, I think you have an infiltration we’re supposed to be planning, right?”

I nodded. “Right.”

And with that, we both dropped the topic of relationships and sisters.

***

I was back in my room—with Kit.

Suddenly, that conversation with her brother was looking better and better. We’d met up in the kitchen after Grayson and Lupe gave me their thoughts about the plan to assassinate Eli. After we’d all talked about how I really couldn’t let Kit stay behind, it’d been decided that she was coming.

Now, standing across from her while Kit sat on my bed, my heart felt very much like it was going to burst out from between my ribs and splatter her in viscera.

“You okay there? You’re just staring.”

Blinking, I shook my head to refocus. “Yes, sorry. I was…thinking.”

“About?” Kit cocked a brow at me, and the way her sweet, round face lit up when she was giving me shit was far too charming.

The scoff that left me was equal parts defeat and exhaustion. “Oh, you know, just how the attack tomorrow could very possibly go horribly wrong if we’re not careful. How the drugs seem to power up wolves, and those wolves can wipe the floor with another wolf let alone a human. And you’ll apparently be there. Right in the line of fire.”

Kit rolled her eyes, recrossing her legs underneath her as she made herself nice and comfy in my bed.

“Such a pessimist. It is what it is, Kaiden. We need to do it. You need to do it with my help. So, get over it. Focus on tackling the situations that come up while we’re killing the dick.”

I laughed, continually stunned by Kit’s way with words. She was such a firecracker, those years of brutality ridding her of the shyness that didn’t serve her well.

Still, Kit wasn’t this booming presence. She was smooth curves and unflinching determination to my sharp angles and perpetual cynicism.

“I don’t know how you do that.” I sagged, dragging myself over to the bed and sitting next to her. “It’s not like your life has been sunshine and roses, and you’re just…handling it.”

Sliding back a bit but still turning to face me, Kit looked shaken by my proximity. She quickly schooled her expression, and as she tucked a chestnut curl behind her ear, my wolf nipped behind the scenes. He was getting more and more difficult to ignore, that voice in my head starting up again.

Mate. Your mate. You need her. You need her now.

“I don’t have much other choice. When you’ve lived as basically a slave for years, you get used to taking it one day at a time. If I don’t ‘handle’ it, I don’t survive.”

I nodded. Damn, that was a rough sentiment to swallow, but I could understand what Kit meant.

“It’s still impressive.”

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