Page 76 of Our Deceptive Heat

What was that?

My pack mate lets out a growl. I turn my head, our eyes meet and hold, before I turn away, wanting to hide. Stupid and dangerous. I shouldn’t have done it. I lean my head against the wall, scared by the strength of my feelings, scared of how lost I became in her.

Her arms wrap around me, and they tighten as if she can feel my distress.

“It’s okay, Mako.” Her words take away the anxiety.

I move us to the armchair and sink down. Ten minutes later, she wiggles off my lap and disappears into the bathroom.

I glance at Tyr, who flicks the light on and levels me with a flat, unimpressed look.

“What’s wrong?”

“How the fuck should I know?” Tyr spits out. Oh, he’s really mad. “If you ever do that again, I will beat you until you are bloody. Do you understand me? Tony is family, and you put all of us in danger.”

I look down; the shame twisting around me. “I didn’t think, but I won’t. I promise.”

“Do it somewhere else,” Digs says. “Not the nest.”

“It’s not a nest.”

“When an omega sleeps in it with a pack, and it’s a safe place, it’s a nest, no matter how it looks,” Envy growls. “Moron. How long have you been an alpha for?” He walks past, pulling on black jeans, and slaps me in the back of the head. It fucking hurts.

“Let's go find out what Tony wants,” Digs suggests, but even he levels me with a furious and pissed off glare.

Tony paces the kitchenette, running his hands through his hair. He looks really upset. He hasn’t noticed Ryn with her hand locked in Envy’s. Or maybe he’s choosing not to see her.

“Your sister.”

My heart sinks. Fuck. I look at Tyr, gauging his reaction, despair, exhaustion, hurt, and then it’s all wiped away and replaced with polite interest.

“She’s gone to the press. She’s got an outrageous claim that you guys have an omega.”

I tense and try really hard not to turn around and look at Ryn.

“We don’t,” Tyr says instantly. The lie falls off his lips far too easily.

“Yeah, but she’s been saying you do and have had one since you were kids,” Tony says with a lift of his eyebrows.

Oh, shit!

I jump towards Tony and pull him with me away from the others. “Get the mums on the line. Prepare for Typhor Raines to call. And get a hold of Sita and find out where she is so we can kill her.”

I look back over my shoulder to find Tyr standing there, looking defeated. Just complete devastation.

At least Auryn looks confused and not angry. That’s something, I tell myself hopefully.

“Just deny it.” She shrugs. “It's not true, so, you know, just deny it.”

“We will do that, but unfortunately, it’s going to sound a bit like we’re hiding it, especially since the contract we signed with Raines says we won’t have anything to do with an omega.”

Ryn, who was turned away from us, turns slowly back.

“What? Why would you sign something like that?” she shouts.

I curse fluently for an entire minute. I turn to look at Ryn.

“I forgot you didn’t know.”

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