Page 6 of Damaged Princess

"She'll be right out. Are you staying with her during the meet and greet?" Evie asks. She's still staring at the door Anastasia disappeared into. "Or should I get Tom to assign someone to stay with her?"

"What meet and greet?" I growl. My voice is clipped, and Evie jumps. "Shit, sorry." I laugh awkwardly as I rub at the back of my neck.

"She's planning to go to one of the mixers?" I try again.

"Ana needs to find alphas soon," Evie says slowly, like this should be obvious, well-known knowledge.

"She just had a heat a month ago," I say, trying to calm my raging system.

"Yes. And at most she's got two months before another will come. She's coming off suppressants, which can make them erratic and much faster than with a natural cycle."

Everything she's saying makes logical sense, but it's not what I want to hear.

Fucking Vik and his ridiculous crusade against her father. If he's not careful, he'll push her away completely.

I've stayed close the last month, but kept enough distance to not step on Vik's toes.

We live together, but we aren't a pack. Well, notreally.I mean, can you even be a pack with only three members? My parents' pack has eight. I have six dads and two moms, and I always imagined I'd be part of a big pack. There's also the fact that we don't act very pack-like.

The owners' pack eats together, works out together, and all that was before they found their omega. Vik, Castro, and I are more like roommates who say 'hi' when we see each other. Cas cooks sometimes, but Vik and I grab leftovers whenever we see them.

"Normally I'd never betray someone's trust this way." Evie eyes the bathroom door. "But I'm starting to get a little worried about her. She's been down in the dumps since Viktor left, but it's getting worse. If he's not coming back…"

"He is," I assure her, although at this point, I don't know whyI'mdefending the fucker.

I told him the worst thing he could do would be to leave right after Ana's heat.

Did he listen to me?

Fuck no.

Realization dawns. I sigh heavily. "She feels like he rejected her."

Evie grimaces, but nods her agreement. "I think any omega would."

I sigh because I totally get it.

I'm pretty sure Vik thinks taking down Ana's corrupt-as-fuck father counts as a courting gift. Unfortunately for him, he's thinking like an alpha and not a vulnerable omega.

Anastasia comes out of the bathroom, and my breath catches. Her thick blonde hair falls around her shoulders in waves. She's fucking stunning, even in Evie's oversized clothes. It's the down-in-the-dumps look on her face that makes my posture stiffen.

My eyes zero in on the tip of her nose. It's red, and her face is blotchy.

I wish Vik was around so I could knock his ass out, then revive him and do it all over again. We'd then do that several more times just for good measure. Just to make sure it really penetrates that thick skull of his.

"Do you need us to stick around until one of your alphas get here?" I ask Evie as Anastasia comes to my side.

"Already here," Tom Murphy says from behind me. He's my boss, and one of the owners of the lodge. He's also one of the biggest guys I've ever seen. I'm tall, but Murphy is next level.

Ana jolts at the sound of his voice. I wrap an arm around her back and guide her out after we say our goodbyes.

We head through the building and Ana stares out the window like she does every time we walk past the wall of glass. The lodge is in the mountains and has that upscale rustic log cabin vibe. I love it up here. Ana never fails to take in the view. It really is incredible if you're not used to it.

We step out into the cool evening air. It's still chilly enough that Ana leans in close to my chest as we aim for The Exchange side.

When Anastasia first got here she was enrolled in The Omega Exchange side of the business. After the details of how she gothere came out, she ended up taking a job in the bookstore working with Everly.

"You're heading to one of the mixers?"

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