Page 34 of Altius
Checkmate, Owen.
Trying not to show how amused I was by my brother’s smooth maneuver, I asked, “Surely that warrants some pie?”
Morgan gave a stiff nod, still regarding him with a hint of distrust despite the excitement glowing in her eyes.
Little did she know that knowledge dumps were Owen’s equivalent of flirting. Like a socially awkward overlord pulling the pigtails of the girl he likes on the playground.
I slid him a plate of cranberry gingersnap pie across the island.
Owen cut a small, precise bite, only for his eyes to go wide and stare at the pie in surprise. “Thatisgood.”
Morgan snapped a photo of us. “I’ll let Kelsey know she has two more satisfied customers.”
She typed a quick text, hit send, and placed her phone on the island, screen side up. It immediately exploded with notifications.
Morgan scrambled to grab it, but she wasn’t fast enough.
What’s that short fucker doing there?
“Shit,” she muttered, glaring at her phone.
I couldn’t stop myself from smirking. “You texted it to your sibling chat, didn’t you?”
“Eat faster, so you can leave faster,” she said, enunciating each word sharply.
The buzzing continued unabated.
Slowly licking the last trace of cranberry curd off my fork, I said, “Tell Ethan I send my regards.”
***
When Owen and I returned to our loft, a pacing Alijah awaited us in the foyer, chewing on his thumbnail.
Judging by how Joaquin was spread out across the sofa, half-asleep, Alijah had been at it for quite some time.
“What took you so long?” Alijah asked. His dark eyes zeroed in on the pie in my hand with blatant food envy. “And where did that gorgeous thing come from?”
Owen and I exchanged an amused glance and went our separate ways without answering. He headed toward his suite. I went to the kitchen, intending to find a permanent marker to write my name all over the lid of the pie container.
“No—no, come back here.” Despite his best effort to sound forceful, Alijah’s demand was a far cry from an alpha’s bark. “We have things to discuss.”
“No, we don’t,” I said, rummaging through the island drawers.
“Silence and secrets might work for you Redmonds, but not for me!”
A monstrous yawn echoed throughout the first floor, followed by Joaquin’s raspy voice announcing, “Pack meeting. Now.”
Before I could reply that I wasn’t part of their pack, Owen cleared his throat, making my voice dry up.
“Fine.” My brother headed into the living room.
After tucking the pie safely in the fridge, I joined them.
As usual, Owen sat in the leather chair by the window. The mated couple was cuddled together in the far corner of the couch. Or, to put it more accurately, Joaquin was lovingly restraining Alijah.
I perched on the arm of the couch. “What’s the matter?”
“Oh, come on.” Alijah leaned forward, fighting against Joaquin’s gentle hold. “We can’t justnottalk about Morgan’s pheromones and how squirrelly it’s made all of you for the past week.”
