Page 80 of Patiently Yours
“Do you want to take it up with the Dean?” Sam quips.
There’s another moment of silence where Derek thinks over if that would work in his favor. “Maybe we should. I mean, two people in this pack have now given me nose issues, why not bring it to his attention?”
“Herattention,” Sam corrects, and I can’t contain the snort that escapes me.
Derek looks dumbfounded. “What?”
“The Dean is a woman. Besides that, your argument won’t stand up. Both times, you were saying awful things about their scent match, the one who just filed arestraining orderagainst you.”
He’s being pushed into a corner, and I’m a bit nervous for his inevitable breaking point. Atlas must notice this, too, because he stands up.
“It’s over, Derek. We have work to do.”
His head whips to my prime, his eyes wide with rage. “I don’t want to hear anything from you. You’re just another pack of omega-whipped alphas. You’ve been looking down your nose at me since the moment we met.” He scoffs. “Like you’re any better. You’re a fucking shame to alphas everywhere. Your dominance is as fake as your supposed connection to an omega as dense as Stacia.”
A growl erupts from my chest. “You’re always running your mouth, Derek. And it would be okay if you had anything of substance to say, but it’s always bullshit.”
“Let him say his piece,” Sam says. “So he can get out of here quicker.”
Derek looks at him with disgust, like Sam didn’t just give him the floor he wanted. “I still can’t believe they choseyou.Generations of my family have been in Alpha Xi, and they’ve all been proper alphas… not someone likeyouwho would rather suck another man’s cock instead of beating him into a bush.”
The air gets sucked from the room. Atlas starts to charge for him. Ciro and I grip his shoulders to pull him back.
Derek always spits bullshit when it comes to designation, but he’s never shownthattype of ugly head. It should be more surprising, but something about it seems on-brand for him.
I look at Sam, and there’s something foreign in his expression.Sadness, I think. Not from Derek, but other memories he probably didn’t want to remember today.
“I think it’s time for you to go, Derek. You’ll be given an official eviction notice later today. You should start looking.”
They stare at each other, in a game of dominance that we all know Derek will lose.
“Do you want a broken nose for the third time this year, Derek?” Sam asks.
Dickwad eventually looks away, probably remembering the pain of his nose being broken, and retreats. His disgusting smell trails off behind him.
It’s silent in his absence. Atlas has finally calmed down a bit, but our scents are mingled with a tinge of anger and disbelief.
Then Ciro opens his fucking mouth.
“Well, shit. I’m omega-whipped, too.”
We all turn to him to see a sincere pout on his lips. The sight causes us to laugh.
“I’m just saying, she has me wrapped around her finger, too. It’s not a fucking insult.”
I pat him on the back, thankful for this moment after such a horrible one only minutes ago. Atlas turns toward Sam.
“How about we get some more work done, Alpha?”
It comes from a place of deep respect. Atlas is a prime, a dominant alpha in his own right, but he is submitting to Sambecause he knows he is stronger, the right alpha for Alpha Xi. And after Derek’s blatant disrespect, it is much needed. Especially when Sam gives Atlas a big smile, noticing the gesture for what it is.
“Thank you,” he whispers before sitting back down. “Let’s get back to it.”
When we get back,Stacia and Uriah are cuddled up on the couch, blankets galore, while a romcom plays on the TV. They see us and Stacia grins wide.
“How did the event planning go?” she asks as she sits up. Uriah pauses the movie.
“It went well,” Atlas starts, looking over at Ciro and I to see if we’d take the reins. When we both shake our heads, he gives a nod.
