Page 54 of Fight

“Fuck, this is a mess,” Shaw sighs. “There’s typically only one reason you’d say she’s yours, and I’m going to need you to spell it out for me. I’ve never had any issues with you, but you’re about to cause a mess. Cerenity is protected, a friend to my pack. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“She’s my scent match,” I tell him. “Look, my sister patched her up while I’ve been cleaning up Arthur’s mess and my organization. I didn’t have any idea until she was screaming at me about leaving and I was finally able to smell her.”

“So you’re just going to hide her away from the world?” Shaw asks. “She has a business and a home that’s not here. Not to mention that you’re the kidnapper here.”

“What’s a little kidnapping between scent matches?” Jasper jokes with a shrug. “Augustine has had her for years, I want to get to know my scent match.”

“This asshole too?” Everest asks with a snort. “This is fucking priceless. I can’t wait to tell your sister.”

“She’ll love that,” Jasper mutters. “Look, Cerenity has either been asleep or threatening to hit us with frying pans. I haven’t had a chance to talk to her.”

“I love how fiery she is,” Ambrose says softly. He’s usually the quiet one, so my eyes snap over to him. The alpha is playing with a knife that I know wasn’t anywhere near him. He’s like a fucking ninja, and there’s always a weapon somewhere on his person.

“Cerenity is a pretty private person, but I know she’s very close to Augustine. You’re not going to be able to keep him from her. He will burn down the world for her. If you try, I’ll look the other way when he butchers the two of you.”

“He doesn’t seem like he’s capable of it,” I say thickly, thinking back to the panicked alpha.

“Just because he’s not a made man, doesn’t mean he’s incapable of protecting the woman he loves,” Shaw says seriously. “Don’t push him or keep her from him. He’s got to be losing his fucking mind.”

A sinking feeling that not everything may be as it seems runs through me as I look across the table at the Pack Mohan alphas. I feel as if I’m being set up, and I’m grateful no one knows where I live outside of my sister, otherwise I may be coming home to an ambush.

“I’ll take that into advisement,” I grunt. We need to go. I’m starting to feel twitchy, and I need to text my sister to go check on the girl.

Goddamnit, maybe leaving her handcuffed to my bed was the wrong move. The look in her eyes as she screamed was not just from anger. I’m just screwing up all over the place.

“Is there anything else?” Jasper asks, picking up on my unspoken cues. We’ve been friends for so long, we don’t even have to speak at times.

“Pay attention to your instincts,” Ambrose rasps suddenly. “Denying yourself and your omega what you need is the number one way to fuck up. I don’t know Cerenity’s story and neither do you, but the first thing you need to do is figure out what she needs.”

“Biology may say you belong together, but you can still fuck it all up,” Shaw adds. I don’t know their story with their new omega, but I know some of Wren’s story. The world isn’t safe for omegas, which is why I immediately agreed to the fundraiser Jasper asked me to provide fighters for.

I don’t really know anything about Cerenity, and I need to take their advice. First, I need to get her out of those fucking handcuffs. I’m already mucking this all up.

“Alright,” I say, nodding. “Looks like I have some things to do then.”

Standing, the other alphas follow my cue as I begin to walk toward the door. Shaw glances at his phone and sends off a text with a small frown, though he notes my side glance.

“Flynn wanted to know if I’d be back for a late dinner,” he says with a small shrug. “I told him not to hold it just in case the traffic is bad.”

“I can’t believe you drove all the way out for this,” I mutter as I pull out my aunt’s money and make sure I put it on the bar for her.

I actually can believe it, though, so I’m lying through my teeth. A missing omega is enough to send up a million red flags for people who care, and Pack Mohan takes their loyalties seriously.

“You know you’re full of shit right now, right?” Shaw says, barking out a laugh. “Cerenity is worth driving six hours to investigate what the fuck happened to her. His sister also gave us permission to slap some sense into you and Jasper, so please keep pushing. I’m bored after the long drive and could use the workout.”

God save me from omegas who only seem cute and tiny.

I don’t like how transparent I seem, so I nod because he’s right. Cerenity has made a life for herself, security measures to stay safe, and it still all failed. I can’t imagine if she hadn’t ended up in my dumpster. That image alone is enough to make me shiver.

As we step out of the restaurant, my aunt waits outside with a few bags of groceries for the restaurant and her employees.

“Thank you, Auntie, for the quiet space,” I tell her as I bend down to kiss her cheek.

“Bah, anything for you,” she says, blushing.

“Do you have everything you need?” I ask, eying the bags in her hands.

“Yes, yes. I want to try a new dessert for the dinner rush,” she says with a shrug. You’d think this restaurant didn’t get any traffic with how isolated it is right now, but dinner is really where families and friends come to spend time together.

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