Page 57 of Heat Island
I make quick introductions while the men all grab chairs and pull them up to my side of the small table until I’m surrounded by them. We must look ridiculous because noneof them are close enough to the small table to actually be able to eat off it, but that doesn’t seem to bother them.
With fascination, I watch as both sisters transform from judgmental to charming in the presence of my fake alphas. The change is so dramatic, it’s almost comical—Isabelle actually tosses her hair when Cash introduces himself.
“Ladies.” A familiar voice cuts through the moment. Egret stands at the edge of our table, his expression carefully neutral, though I catch the slight tightening around his eyes. Brendin and Soren are right behind him. “I see you’ve met Trinity’s...companions.”
“We were just getting acquainted,” Amelia says, her tone honeyed.
Egret’s smile doesn’t reach his eyes. “Excellent. I wanted to let you know I’ve arranged a men-only activity for early this afternoon. Just a few rounds of golf. I thought it would be good for all of us to spend some time together while the women attend the cake tasting.”
With a grim sort of respect, I realize that I have been effectively played.
Why in the hell would two of the most hard-edge alpha women I’ve ever met want to play besties and taste cake all afternoon?
Turns out, they don’t. But they will, if it means giving their brother an excuse to get my alphas alone on a golf course so Egret has all the time he needs to interrogate them.
I turn to Matheo, who’s sitting closest to me, and lower my voice. “You don’t have to go with him if you don’t want to. I can make an excuse.”
Matheo’s eyes crinkle with amusement. “It’ll be fun,” he murmurs, his thumb brushing reassuringly against my wrist. “Don’t worry. We can handle ourselves.”
The casual touch sends warmth spiraling through me. I try to ignore how genuine it feels.
Matheo stands and claps Egret on the back with enough force to make my ex slightly stumble. “We better all hit the buffet first. Need all the energy we can get for eighteen holes.”
Cash and Lucas rise to join them, while Kyren tosses his napkin on the table with a dangerous grin that makes me nervous. I watch them walk away with Egret and his pack, already making a mental list of all the ways this can go catastrophically wrong.
EIGHTEEN
KYREN
“They want to fuck her.”
I hang back with Matheo on the green, letting the others move ahead of us toward the next hole. Lucas is chatting enthusiastically with Brendin about a fitness routine while Cash casually strolls beside Saren, both staring at their phones as they argue over whether the price of some stock is trending up or down. It’s almost funny how much they resemble actual friends if you squint hard enough.
Egret—the dumbest fucking name I’ve ever heard—lines up his shot with intense concentration as if we’re out here playing for money.
Matheo glances at me with a sigh. “What are you on about now, man?”
“They want to fuck her,” I repeat slowly, leaning on my club. “That Egret guy especially. He hasn’t stopped grilling me since we got out here.” I do my best to mimic the pretentious voice that reminds me of too many of the snotty alphas I knew in college. “How did you meet Trinity? When did it get serious? Must have been recently since she didn’t even tell her own sister she was dating anyone...”
Matheo shakes his head, but I don’t miss the way his eyes narrow as he watches Egret line up his swing. “You might just be reading into things.”
“I’m telling you, these guys are fucking obsessed with her. You see how they keep bringing her up? It’s like they can’t stand that she might be happy without them.”
“Maybe they’re just trying to catch us in a lie,” Matheo replies, though I catch the edge in his voice. “Find inconsistencies in our story.”
I take a swig from my flask—technically against resort rules, but what’s a little day drinking between fake packmates? “Nah, man. This isn’t just about exposing a lie. They want her.”
Matheo snorts. “That makes no sense. They’re literally marrying her sister in a few days.”
“I didn’t say they want to marry her,” I clarify, twirling my club between my fingers. “I said they want to fuck her.”
“Then why dump her in the first place? I doubt Trinity was pushing for marriage.”
“Welcome to Alpha Logic 101, I’ll be your instructor for this semester.” I laugh darkly. “They wanted her to chase after them, to beg for another chance. Instead, she built her own business and moved on. Now they’re marrying her sister, but they still want to possess what they threw away. These are the kind of alphas who think they can have everything—the perfect submissive omega wife at home and the hot career woman on the side.”
Matheo’s expression darkens. “Trinity deserves better than that.”
“No shit.” I take another pull from my flask. “Which is why we need to figure out what game they’re reallyplaying.”
