“I’m sorry,”she says, using her tablet. It’s awe inspiring to be able to hear her voice simulated. I love her real one more though.
“I’m sorry too, but sometimes, you’re going to have to go places I can’t. I need to suck it up and accept that,” I remind her. “Refusing to talk to you, because underneath all of that anger is terror, is stupid. Speaking of terror…”
“Linus punched Christian at Club Serenity,” Callum tattles. I roll my eyes, while the wheels begin to turn in Quinn’s mind.
“One of the mafia leaders said Christian turned up at his club, looking for information,”she says. “When he said the man was an alpha and Latino, it immediately made me worried. Did you know Christian is an arms dealer?”
“I sure as hell didn’t,” Callum says. “Huh. It explains how he was able to travel so much.”
“I didn’t know that either,” I murmur. “He yelled my name as I was walking back to the dressing rooms, and my feet refused to move. I was frozen.”
As I talk, I continue to massage Quinn’s feet to give myself something else to focus on. Once I’m done with her feet, I move on to her ankles and calves, where the muscles are tight.
“I didn’t know how to respond, and I was scared of what it meant that he had found me,” I explain. “Christian asked if I was safe, which is when it felt as if something snapped inside of me.”
“He cares now?”she asks, shaking her head.
“Yes! That’s what I said,” I rage. “The terror built into anger and disgust. How dare he show up now when I don’t need someone to save me. We’re both safe, we have a pack, and I told him I didn’t want him to fuck it up.”
“He could never do that,” Duncan grunts, coming back in with two bowls of food. Handing them to Quinn and I, he sits on an armchair next to me, leaning forward. “The four of us are locked in. Anyone else that comes along, we’ll discuss. Callum and I only want the two of you, but we know there’s another person destiny seems determined to throw in front of you.”
“It’s not a great idea to ignore destiny,” Callum grumbles. “I’m not saying Christian isn’t a douchebag, but a guy like that could have blocked a punch.”
“Exactly, yet he stood there and let you hit him,” Duncan states.
Picking up the fork, I glance down to find that he made me a rice bowl with vegetables and chicken. As I kick his statement around in my head, I take a bite of the food and groan. The flavors of perfectly seasoned food hit my tongue, and there’s teriyaki sauce drizzled all over it.
“Dear God, this is amazing,” I mumble. When you spend years eating minimally, and it’s usually bland, this is like walking into a Michelin starred restaurant.
Quinn takes a bite and her eyes roll back as she chews.
“I’m glad you like it,” Duncan says with a small smile. “I had all of the ingredients already prepared. It was easy to throw together.”
“We are so spoiled,” I murmur. I want him to know how amazing it is that he’s taking care of us.
“It’s what alphas do for their omegas,” Callum says gently. “Christian fucked up, and I’m not a fan of him, but it sounds like he’s trying by finding you.”
“He can’t fix anything if you’re lost in the wind,” Duncan adds. Shifting until my ass hits the plush rug, I take another bite.
“Christian had sixteen years to do something for Quinn and ten for me,” I say. “I’m having a very difficult time wrapping my mind around what’s changed now.”
“Your circumstances have,” Duncan says. “This doesn’t need to come from me, and I don’t know his mind. However, people tend to have stronger feelings when the object of their desire is gone.”
“Yes,” I murmur. I can see their logic, but I’m not ready to face that yet. Christian tends to muddle my thoughts and turns my insides out. “Can we hear the recording of the dinner?”
Callum nods, showing that he understands that I’m done with this conversation. Quinn’s fingers run through my hair, and my eyes close to half mast as she plays with it. This is what I need: her touch, and knowing she’s here and safe.
“Let’s hear what you sent me then, Quinn,” Callum muses, playing the clip.
Quinn and I quietly continue to eat, and I shake my head at the way the alphas ignore her.
“Were you purposely refusing to speak?” I ask.
“People confuse being mute with also being unable to hear,”Quinn explains, shrugging. She doesn’t seem upset by it, but it pisses me off. I know it’s worked in her favor many times, though, so I remain silent. “There were six alphas at dinner, butit was really overwhelming since I’ve never had the chance to naturally get used to their pheromones. My body is trained to react. Thankfully, Adira had alpha pheromone blocker cream in her purse or I wouldn’t have been able to concentrate.”
Bret made sure our bodies were trained to entertain alphas, and even now I want to beg my alphas for attention. The air smells like sexy men made for me. I haven’t had a knot in three weeks, which may also be my issue.
I’m horny. Except, for the first time, it’s for alphas that care about what I want and what my dreams are, and also want my body. I feel a bubble of happiness due to how much my life has changed.