Page 127 of Just One Bite
“And why would I do this?”
“Because either way, I’m going to get this information and take them down, so you get the privilege of cutting ties now and staying out of it.”
Cane surveys me, and Zant leans against one of the lockers with a deep frown set on his lips. He mouths,This isn’t going to work.
“Fine. I’ll do it, but I want you to step down … and for you to pledge yourself to my pack.”
“What?”
Zant can’t keep his scoff to himself in the corner. “Fuck this.”
“What’s greater than having you out of the way than getting to see the daily humiliation in your eyes for forfeiting your place as alpha and being indebted to my pack?”
I sigh, pushing my hands through my hair. It’s not like I thought he was going to easily agree. He wants to humiliate me and impress his father. Being indebted to Cane’s pack means whatever I decide to do on my own when I leave Gavin’s pack would have to go through him. Probably just means he’ll want me to be his errand boy.
“Fine.”
“Parker,” Zant says, uncrossing his arms and standing up straight.
“I didn’t expect you to say yes. You would do that … all for that girl?”
“Do we have a deal or not?”
Cane stands and holds out his hand to shake on it. “I can get you what you need by morning.”
For the first time in my life, I shake Cane’s hand. It might be the sleaziest thing I’ve ever done, but he is the lesser of the two evils I have in my life. I have to pick my battles, and if I need to choose, I’m taking Aster and Barrett off the board.
Zant gives me an earful when Cane leaves, but I’m half tuning him out while rubbing the center of my chest thinking about how miserable Olivia is. I want to go to her, but I have to think ahead about what will fix this in the long term. I’m not giving up and rolling over.
He throws a dirty shirt in my face. “How do you know he won’t betray you?”
“Because if he does, I have nothing to lose, so I’ll burn this place to the ground.”
He sighs. “I don’t know if I like this plan.”
“I don’t either, but it’s all I’ve got,” I say, sinking into the bench. “I miss Olivia.”
“You were kissing her about an hour ago.”
And it felt so fucking good too. She was panicking, but every touch of my lips melted it away.
“Parker!” Evangeline comes barreling into the locker room. “What happened with Olivia? She’s inconsolable in her room, and she won’t tell me what happened between you two. I can’t get her out. I haven’t seen her this upset since …” She eyes the locker room filled with shirtless men in towels. All of them are smiling, and some of them wave till we make eye contact, and I motion for them to steer clear.
“I think she’s being blackmailed by someone on the council and was forced to make a vow with the Secrecy Stone. And she … she broke up with me for real.”
“Wait.” She hushes her voice. “You made it official.”
“Yeah, for all of a few hours until she told me it was over.”
“Everyone’s saying it was all fake the entire time, and they’re blaming it on her.”
“I know. But I’m going to fix it. I’m going to be there for her, don’t worry.”
Evangeline’s worry makes my skin itch. The need to protect Olivia extends to her sisters too.
“Where’s Emma?” I ask.
“Thankfully, on a trip with the culinary club in the city. Far away from this mess.”
