Page 18 of One Wild Omega

But as time wore on, he kept finding Fitz watching him and it threw him off more and more as the party progressed.

“Are you ill?”

Tanner lifted his stare to see his other brother, Beau, standing stiffly at his side. “I wish. Then I could go home.”

“Corners are usually my place to haunt during parties, not yours. So theremustbe something wrong.”

Tanner shook out his long hair a little before lifting his stare to Beau. “We all have an off day here and there.”

“Perhaps,” Beau said before growing quiet. “So who’s that alpha over there who can’t keep his eyes off you?”

“I have no idea who you’re talking about.” Tanner’s gaze strayed across the room and saw Fitz pinning him with a glare.

“Oh? He’s the same one you seem to be actively avoiding. Is there something your big brothers should know about?”

“That’s Fitz Walker. Bellamy’s ex.”

Beau turned his gaze to apparently size Fitz up for a few seconds before facing Tanner again. “From what I hear, calling him an ex is a bit of a stretch,” Beau said. “Or, at least, that’s what Quinn says. Is there more to the story?”

Tanner clenched his jaw. “Fitz is still in love with Bellamy.” He was almost sure of it.

Beau took a slow drink from his glass of punch before replying. “It’s easy to see Bellamy and Quinn only have eyes for one another. So what does it matter if the alpha has unrequited feelings?”

“That’s our brother’s mate,” Tanner said. “So,it matters. And Quinninvitedhim here. Idiot.”

“Is it?” Beau asked before smiling slightly. “I think it’s rather genius myself.”

“Then you’re both idiots.”

“A party… where he gets to show off how much he and hisverypregnant mate are so very much in love? Do you see how close Quinn is staying? How often he touches Bellamy? A stroke of the hand. A caress of the cheek. Quinn is marking his territory without being obvious. Not only does he show Fitz that he’s not threatened by offering the invitation, he also gives Fitz a show. So Fitz can see he can no longer be a part of Bellamy’s romantic life.”

Tanner eyed Beau a moment. “My gods… alphas… I’ll never understand them and their machinations.” He twisted to look at his brother a little more. “Is this the way you and Quinn do business? I’m suddenly very afraid of you both. And sorry for those you crumble under your heels.”

He watched as Fitz left the room.Where’s he going? Is he leaving?Tanner’s body wanted to follow, but he planted both feet on the floor—no matter how curious he was, he wasn’t chasing after Fitz.

Beau chuckled. “We don’t crumble anyone under our heels. In fact, Quinn probably didn’t think about the invitation like that. Not consciously, anyway. I’m sure the offer itself was quite harmless. But deep down, his inner alpha was strategizing. Our inner alphas are almostalwayssilently strategizing in the background.”

“You’re not helping my suspicions.”

“As if there isn’t a whispering in your mind. Your inner omega, urging you to do things you didn’t want to do.”

That kiss.

He’d both desperately desired it and wanted to run screaming from the room.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he murmured.

“Liar,” Beau replied before taking another drink. He scoffed. “Please tell me there are adult beverages somewhere in this house? Or is it a dry party due to the guest of honor?”

Oh no!“There’s supposed to be a bar set up the dining room. I forgot to look,” he said before scrambling to check.

As soon as he swept into the room, he saw Fitz leaning on the bar set-up with a glass of amber liquid dangling from his long fingers. He was smiling and chuckling with the handsome beta behind the bar—and it set Tanner’s teeth on edge.

Before he could spin and leave the room, Fitz caught his stare. He turned, leaning one side on the bar. “How’s it going in there?”

Boring.“It’s going fine.”

“Can I get you a drink?” the handsome bartender asked before spinning a cup expertly in his hand.

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