Page 67 of In Control

Just like him.

Tough and charismatic on the outside.

Not on the inside.

No one ever is.

“Show it to me.”

“There’s no point.”

“Have you reported it?”

She sighs, slopping wine into her glass. “No.” She takes a swig of the alcohol, staining the corners of her mouth a burgundy red, the full-bodied aroma of the wine filling my nose. “They stopped. I hadn’t had any for months and months.”

“But they’ve started again? How many?”

“This is the second.”

I take a hold of her elbow and pull her against my chest, wrapping my arms around her, holding her in my embrace.

If I’d asked, she’d have refused. Just like Gabe. And yet my alpha instincts tell me she needs it. This. To be held.

“OK?” I ask her.

She doesn’t pull away, leaning her forehead against my chest.

“Will you read it for me?”

“Yes.” I smooth my palm against her back, soothing circles. She’s so small, so little, so fragile. Something stirs inside me. That ancient alpha instinct to protect what is mine.

I step away, although I can’t quite bring myself to let her go. I grip her upper arms.

“Go sit down. Take your drink. I’ll read it and then we’ll talk about it.”

14

Sophia

I curlup on the sofa with my glass of wine and watch as Roman rips the envelope open. His jaw is tight, his temple creased, his shoulders braced.

His ocean eyes swim across the page as his knuckles grow whiter and whiter. I try not to, but I can guess what it says. I take a long gulp of my wine. When he’s done, he folds the letter in half and slides it into the inside pocket of his blazer.

“You know who it’s from?”

I hesitate.

I like these men. I like this pack. I’d like to spend more time with them and get to know them better. But who am I kidding? As fun as this is, it’s not going anywhere. I’m not an omega. I’m not meant to be a part of a pack. Besides, Esra hates me.

“I have my suspicions.”

“Have you reported it to the police?”

“No.” I spin the stem of the glass around in my fingers, the dark red wine swirling as I do. “What would be the point?”

“The point would be they’d put a stop to this before it …” He strides to the sofa and drops down beside me. “Before it becomes more serious.”

I crick my neck. “I can look after myself.”

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