Page 133 of Craving Their Omega

“Heartbroken,” Vincent says, smirking.

Mitch just grunts, his eyes still flicking between me and Dominic like he’s sizing us up.

Xavier pushes Penelope behind him and steps up to face the other Alphas with us. “It’s wild that you think you can come here and threaten us. You can’t touch us.”

“We don’t have to. It’s her that’s easy to hurt. And even you can’t protect her from what we can do just by telling the truth as we know it.”

So lies, basically. Anger rages in me, and I curl my hands into fists. All three of us are on edge, determined to protect Penelope in any way we need to, ready for a fight if it comes to it.

Isaac’s relaxed air is just an act, and his two packmates are on the edges of their seats, waiting for the order. The tension is thick, and I spare a second to regret that this is going down in Penelope’s bakery.

“We’re not giving you anything,” I tell them. “So you can get the fuck out.”

Isaac snorts, pushing to his feet. “I don’t get it,” he says. “Why is she so worth protecting? Some weak, fat Omega you probably found on the street? She’s worth the risk?”

And that’s it. The last of my patience goes flying out the window. Before I even register the motion, I’m striding forward and hauling back to punch Isaac in the face.

It’s a solid hit, and he stumbles back, his eyes snapping with fury.

“Say one more thing about her,” I snarl at him. “Say it, so I can end you right here and now.”

“If you wanted to fight, all you had to do was say so,” Isaac snaps back, launching himself at me. He tries to hit me back, but I duck out of the way, leaving his momentum to carry him across the floor and into one of the tables.

“Tristan!” Dominic barks, grabbing my arm. “This isn’t the fucking time.”

“Or the place,” Xavier adds, with a significant look around us.

Isaac and his guard dogs look like they’re ready for an all-out brawl if one is about to break out, but I drag in a deep breath and then another. Penelope’s eyes are wide, and I don’t want to do this in front of her.

“Get the fuck out,” Xavier says, sounding as cold as I’ve ever heard him.

Instead of arguing, the other three head for the door. Isaac looks over his shoulder at the four of us. “This isn’t over,” he promises, and then they go, letting the door slam shut behind them.

Silence reigns in the bakery for a moment, and then Penelope comes over and takes my hand. “Are you okay?” she asks.

I nod. My fingers are a little sore because it’s been a long time since I last threw a punch, but nothing is broken. She raises my hand to her mouth like she’s going to kiss it, but then hesitates.

“It’s okay,” I murmur. “You can touch me, angel. You won’t hurt me. Even if I was covered head to toe in bruises, every bone in my body broken, I wouldstillcrave your touch.”

She smiles softly and brushes her lips over my knuckles. It helps soothe the lingering anger inside me.

Chapter 45

Penelope

It feels like this day has gone on forever by the time we go home. My head still feels like it’s spinning, and I’m reeling from everything that happened.

I always knew I was going to have to tell my husbands the truth, but I never, ever expected my past to come back to haunt me this way.

Maybe that was foolish of me. To think I could leave it all behind me and run away forever. Isaac and the others were never the type to let things go.

My stomach churns with anxiety about all of it. That parting threat carried real weight, and everything they said they could do to make me pay for leaving them is something that would hurt the men eventually. Dragging my name through the mud would mean they would be caught up in it, and its the last thing I want.

“Penelope,” Xavier says, stroking a hand through my hair. “Go take a shower and get into your pajamas, all right? You’ve had a long day.”

“It’s not that late yet,” I mumble.

“Doesn’t matter. You need some rest.”

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