Page 69 of Broken Dreams

I feel a rush of guilt because I’ve never once thought about how Makayla or Linus sleep. I knew the conditions weren’t great, and the stingy way Bret set up the bedroom for heats spoke volumes. I’m a selfish prick.

They deserve so much better. Unfortunately for me, it sounds as if they’re getting it. I just can’t let go of them. Growling under my breath, I head to the bedroom to pack a bag.

I want to be better for you.Both of my omegas. I want the opportunity to state my case in front of them, throw myself on my sword, and then beg them to give me a chance. Maybe they can show me mercy, and I can learn the right way to love them.

QUINN

Glaring at my hair at breakfast, I look for the cutting shears. Thevery sight of the blonde shit on my head is pissing me off. It itches on my skin, and I may just shave my head.

Everything my hair stands for is what I hate about it. The length is a construct of Bret’s control. The color, though natural, is what the men at the club wanted. Blondes have more fun, right? Yeah, no.

“I am a little scared right now,” Duncan says, moving the shears farther away from me. “It looks like it’s finally time to change your hair, so why don’t you find me some photos online, and then we’ll decide if we need a professional or not.”

Instead of relaxing, my face scrunches up even more. They’ve given me more than enough, I don’t want them spending money on me. I’ll just wait until I’m working. They’re taking me to an interview at a club that has cage dancing. The owner said they needed two more dancers, and wanted to meet us.

“Quinn,” Linus says, shaking his head to lean forward and kiss my twisted up lips. “Do it. It’s been pissing you off for ages, and if you don’t, you’re going to end up looking like Brittany Spears during her trauma era.”

A giggle releases from my lips, surprising me. Duncan and Callum’s jaws drop before their features transform into feral hunger. Laughter is harder to find, and most of it is silent as well.

Linus and I did a deep dive on celebrity meltdowns that I’ve missed, music we may not have heard while working at the club, allowing us to catch up on things. There’s been so much that’s happened in the world in the last twenty years, Linus and I decided we’d pick a genre of history and devour everything that we could about it.

Even if it’s trashy history.

“The man has a point,” Callum growls, making the hair on my body stand up. He’s so sexy. From the ink on his skin to the well kept scruff on his face, and God, the perfect abs that make me want to lick them…

Focus,I think as the men surrounding me at the table groan. The entire kitchen smells like candied flowers, and it’s all my fault. Ugh. This is embarrassing.

Pressing my thighs together, I decide that when we go buy new bras, I’ll also look into scent dampening and slick wicking panties. Good Lord.

Looking for an escape, I pull the laptop on the island toward me. It’s not the one I typically use, and I glance at Callum for permission first. He rolls his eyes in response, so I continue on with my internet search.

I scroll through for pretty, curly shoulder length hair. When I find the right inspiration photo, I begin to search for bright pink shades to highlight my hair with. If I’m going to make a change, I may as well go all the way. I don’t want Bret to ever want me again.

I also don’t want to be recognized, either. If I’m going to be dancing, I want to have a modicum of protection.

Oh!My lips purse as I see a photo of a girl with bright fuschia pink streaked throughout her blonde hair. Yeah, I really like this one.

Here comes the moment of truth! Turning the computer toward Linus and the alphas, I point out the length I want and then the colors. They’re silent for so long, I worry about their thoughts.

“I am definitely not equipped to play with hair dye,” Callum finally says with a smirk.

“That’s fucking hot,” Duncan says with wide eyes. “Yes, you should do it if that’s what you want.”

Sneaking a glance at Linus, he just grins and looks back at me.

“You could wear a bag on your head, and you’d be the most beautiful woman in the world,” he says. “I think shorter hair would look great, especially with the color. You've always beenthis bold on the inside, baby. May as well let it show on the outside too.”

These men make me feel special, but Linus always has a way of showing me that I actually am.

“If you’re done eating, go get changed. We have a busy day,” Duncan says, leaning forward. “I’m going to find a salon in Minneapolis that can do this to your hair. There’s errands to run and an interview to go to.”

Don’t interviews mean… talking? Anxiety threatens to claw at me as I self consciously touch my throat.

“She knows,” Callum says gently. “Cerenity will accommodate it.”

I’m not sure what that means, but I nod and slide off the chair to walk up to Linus and my room. It was only yesterday that I learned Alpha Sanchez was searching for us and we rejected him. It feels like so much longer than that.

Callum and Duncan also didn’t leave our bed at the butt crack of dawn this morning, but held us until we woke up. They explained how we’ve been having nightmares, and every night they’d come running. Linus asked why they didn’t just cut out the middle part and stay with us every night.

---