Page 36 of Broken Bonds

“We should start searching for a more comfortable place to stay if we’re sticking around, brother. No way I’m gonna keep bunking in one room with you two for however long we’re gonna to be here,” I tell Link, rolling my beer bottle around in my hands.

“What do you mean? I told you guys you could go back home. I won’t overstay my welcome. Just a few months so I can see the babies and hopefully talk Ramsey into letting me be in their lives.”

I snort, shaking my head.

“Yeah, in case you haven’t noticed, Forde has it bad for the little omega and he’s already decided he’s staying, too. Which means I’m not leaving either because like hell am I going home alone,” I tell him lazily with a shrug.

Link glares at me, but all it does is amuse me. He should know that doesn’t work on me by now. We’re evenly matched. Besides, I once heard him let out a squeal so high pitched when a spider crawled up his arm, I’m convinced the dogs in the surrounding neighborhood heard it.

There’s no coming back from something like that. He doesn’t scare me in the least.

“He can’t have a thing for her. She’s my brother’s omega, and he just died for fuck’s sake!” he hisses at me, and I roll my eyes at him.

“Well, no shit. I just mean he wants to help her. You know he’s experienced this, saw the true destruction that comes when an omega loses their bonds. Honestly, he might be her best chance at pulling through all of this. You know Forde, brother. He might seem intimidating, but he’s the most skilled of the three of us at being both gentle and forceful. I’m confident that if anyone can encourage Ramsey to keep living, it would be him. She’ll find a new friend in him, which she could use.”

Speaking of… Forde heads back to us from the bar, eyes downcast and expression thoughtful. When he makes it to us, he sits on the opposite side of me and rests his hands on the table.

“I think I’d like to stay back with you,” he says resolutely, violet eyes intent on Link, who’s staring at me.

I slowly raise my eyebrow and give him a knowing smirk, a silent way of saying ‘I told you so’ before taking a sip of my beer. After all these years, I am extremely familiar with my brothers and know them very well.

Forde is the fixer of our group, the one you turn to when you’re in a bind and unsure of what else to do.

Or when you lose someone and you’re struggling with your grief and pain.

It makes him a wonderful alpha and an invaluable asset to any omega. Hell, to anypack, really.

An alpha being able to provide emotionally, physically,andfiscally? Forde is an ideal mate for any omega looking for their pack.

Maybe when Ramsey is situated and her babies are taken care of, we can start looking for our omega. We’ve put it off for too long, and maybe it’s time we finally settle down. Today has put things in perspective for me.

If we can find an omega who shows us even a glimmer of the love Ramsey had for her alphas, then we’d be blessed.

I’ll mention it to the guys when conditions are more ideal.

“We were just discussing finding a bigger place to stay, so we’re not all cramped together for however long we’ll be here. You think Jillian, or maybe Maribel, could help us find something?” I ask him.

“I can ask. Already got us jobs, too,” he tells me with a toothy grin.

I narrow my eyes at him. How could he possibly have already gotten us jobs? The only people I’ve seen him speaking to are Jillian and…

Maribel.

I groan, rubbing a hand down my face. “Ah, come on, man. I fucking hated bartending when we first started out on our own.”

“Yeah? Well, tough shit. Maribel is going to keep running the place for Ramsey and she needs help. We want to help Ramsey? This is where we can start. Now Link just has to find something.”

Simultaneously, both of us turn our attention to him, and his expression twists into a scowl in our direction.

“You know I work remotely, you dipshits. All I need is an internet connection and a computer. Forde, see if one of them will help us find a place to rent. For now, we leave Ramsey alone. We’ll help from the sidelines, but stay out of her way. Give her space. When we need to step in, we’ll know.”

“I’ll ask Jillian if she’ll at least let us know when she’s truly concerned about Ramsey’s well-being,” Forde says softly before getting up and walking back up to the bar.

“You sure about this?” I ask Link when it’s just us, needing to make sure.

When he looks at me, his blue eyes are red and glisten with unshed tears. He swallows, his throat bobbing, as he nods in the affirmative.

“Yeah. I need to be here. I need to help her, to make sure she lives. For Lake. Besides, we’re gonna be uncles. We all know I’m gonna be the favorite, but don’t you wanna make sure you at least give yourself a fair shot at trying to beat me?”

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