Page 66 of Fight

“Help her feel safe,” I grunt. “I don’t mean let her roll over us, because neither of us are capable of that. Instead, we should find out why she’s terrified of alphas, Tommy.”

“Terrified…” he says softly, trailing off in thought. It takes him a few minutes to process this as he drives before he comes back to me. “This isn’t just about Arthur then. Someone else hurt her.”

“That’s what I think,” I confirm. “I want her to open up to us, but she won’t if she thinks we’re manipulating her.”

“You’re asking a lot of a man who makes a living manipulating others,” Tommy grunts. “Fuck, this is going to make me grow in ways I didn’t think possible. I’m too old for this shit.”

“You can do it,” I chuckle. “Did you see how she swung on us at the house? Cerenity is every one of our wet dreams come true. It’s worth the effort we need to make.”

My phone flashes with an incoming message, making me pick it up to look at.

Wren: I gave her permission to punch you for me because you’re an asshat. Are you seriously following her home like a stalker?

You bet your ass I am, little sis. Don’t leave me, I’ll hide in the trunk and come anyway. Seriously, though, I don’t think she likes me.

The bubbles rise furiously, and I know I’m about to get an earful.

“I don’t want to fuck this up. I want to make a grand apology. Think we should buy a house in Minneapolis?” Tommy asks, making my jaw drop.

I’m not sure we’re going to make it. Tommy and I are just as bad as the other due to our impatience to get what we want, but even I know buying a house is jumping the gun a bit, especially with an omega that’s so independent.

We have a lot of things to figure out in the long and short term of our future for our businesses, because our life is in Chicago, however it can at least wait a bit while we find a way to keep Tiny from plotting our deaths.

Something tells me our omega is petty, and will play the long game. A part of me can’t wait to see what she has up her sleeve. I just need to make sure we don’t push her so hard she breaks.

Wren: You’re hard to get to know, Jas. You’ve just started growing on me. Give her time to get to know you’re not an asshole. No one wants to be chained and kept so close it suffocates them. Ask me how I know.

Harsh. Fuck, sis. Her situation was incredibly different, but she’s bringing out the big guns.

I’m quiet the rest of the drive, thinking over a million things. Cerenity, my sister, the way omegas are treated, and how fucked up the system is. Finding your scent match is supposed to be a beautiful thing, but so far it’s sucked.

I even begin to pull up details on omegas, because I haven’t spent a lot of time around them. My sister was sold the day she presented her designation, and my brothers are all alphas. I feel as if education on how to understand Tiny is the only way I’ll be able to stop pissing her off.

It’s worth a shot.

Augustine leads us to a pretty gated apartment complex, which simply makes me happy she’s at least safe here. The street lights are bright in the parking lot now that the sun has been down for a few hours, the air warm and sticky as the last of the summer clings in August.

Getting out of the truck once Tommy parks in a visitor spot, we follow Augustine, Gabriel, and Cerenity up to the third floor where her apartment is. I’m glad she’s up here, it means she’s a touch safer. I hate first floor apartments with a passion.

Augustine unlocks the door with a yawn, opening it to let us in.

“Cere, are you hungry?” he asks as we walk inside.

Cerenity turns to face him, her eyes growing huge as she takes in the sight of us in her space.

“No…” she says softly even as her stomach grumbles. “I just need to get something from my room.”

“That’s random,” Tommy mutters as Cerenity makes a run for her room.

The only thing I can think of that would make her move that fast is a medication or her alpha blocker nasal spray, so I begin stalking her steps.

“Fuck, why are you following her?” Augustine groans. “She probably needs some damn space in her nest. Cere?”

Shoving open the door that was closed behind her, I find her trembling fingers grabbing the inhaler.

“Come on, you don’t need to use that,” I say calmly even as my heart pounds. I want her to give us a real chance. “Tiny, you’re better than this. Give it to me. I don’t know what kind of demons you have, but you’re so much stronger than this.”

Cerenity sobs as she holds onto the little tube that stands between her and her alphas as if it’s a lifeline. She’s mistaken, though, because it’s no better than the shackle around her wrists earlier.

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