Page 58 of Defiant
“Not even a hug?” I ask, though I know the answer. Bitterness percolates in my stomach and hot resentment starts to brew. But I don’t have any grounds to be resentful of Jonah, who still hasn’t lashed out at me the way I deserve.
No, I need to save all this negative energy for Black. And I need to remember my place. I need to remember why I don’t get to touch Jonah anymore, why I don’t even deserve to.
I blow out a breath and try to avoid the tumultuous feelings inside, changing the subject to something lighter, neutral. I can’t handle feeling anymore. I need to think about something else. “So, you came over at the crack of dawn to bring me my phone? How’d you even know I was here?”
“Didn’t,” Jonah responds, taking a pull from his long neck bottle and setting it down on the bar before he adds, “Got summoned.”
“What?”
“Bunch of betas got called in to guard you.”
I scrub a hand down my face, frustration and. “That fucking asshole. He was serious about the bodyguard comment?” Motherfuck. I’m just as much a prisoner now as I was locked up in that storage room.
The broken furniture screams at me, reminding me exactly why I have to stay here. Why it’s necessary for Black to take all of these precautions. But I still hate it. It makes me feel like someone’s fingers are wrapped around my neck, squeezing tight.
I plop down into the seat next to Jonah’s without thinking before I realize I probably should have left an empty seat between us.
He probably doesn’t want my tainted omega ass anywhere near him. I tuck my legs up to my chest, putting my feet on the seat and hugging my knees. “How many?”
“Twenty or so.” Jonah doesn’t sit back down, but he doesn’t move away either.
“Damn.” That’s a lot.
Jonah takes a long drink, not bothering to reply. I watch him swallow. He’s drinking his fill, so I let my gaze drink mine.
“I’m sorry if you were scared yesterday when I didn’t come back.”
“I’m sorry you were scared by some Dark Nights. Lucky Alpha Maddox was—”
“Don’t say that.”
“What?”
“It’s not fucking lucky.”
He peels the label on the beer, picking at the corner, not answering me. He knows I both mean it and don’t. I’d be dead otherwise. But I feel dead inside right now, so I’m not certain Black really did me any favors.
“How bad are the Dark Nights?” I ask, staring at the wall.
He shrugs. “Depends on who you ask. They think they’re pretty awesome.”
I chuckle because that answer is so undeniably Jonah. “Always such a people person. No. Give me the dirt. Are they worse? Black acts like they are.”
Jonah presses his lips together a few times, contorting his expression until he settles on an answer. “I know a couple of betas over there got punished for stealing by getting their hands cut off.”
“Okay, so how’s that compare? What’s Black do?”
Jonah laughs. “Some might say Black’s worse. Puts silver in their cuffs so they can’t get out and ships them off to human jail.” His eyes glitter with amusement for half a second. “My cousin’s boyfriend got sent upstate that way. Personally, I was in favor of it at the time.”
“Okay, so human jail. That’s not too bad. What about other stuff?”
“Depends, he’s a big ‘punishments fit the crime’ guy. Alpha Stone over in the Dark Nights is more of a physical punishment kind of guy. Supposedly he strings up all the bones he collects from pack violations for Halloween.”
My throat grows dry. “So, another alpha isn’t necessarily nicer than Black.”
“They’re all assholes, you want my opinion. Some worse than others. You think Stone’s bad, you should be glad his son isn’t in charge. Thomas Stone’s pure crazy based on the stories I hear.”
I nod, staring down at my hands, my solitary hope withering. “So none of them would just let me live my life?”
