Page 10 of Bonded and Betrayed

Chapter Four

Zeke

I’mfrozeninplaceas Skylar finally looks my way. Shock drowns out my thoughts, my focus solely on my mate, the indignant expression on her face, and the flames that dance in those golden eyes. My brows crease as I stare at her, but the expression is gone in a flash, making me doubt if I even saw it in the first place. If it wasn’t for the brief lowering of her shields and the wallop of pain and betrayal that slammed into my chest, I might be able to convince myself that I’d imagined it.

What happened after I left her?

The woman I kissed in her office and the one in front of me seem like two very different people. If it wasn’t for the mate bond thrumming between us, I might think she’s an imposter. I haven’t seen her this closed-off since we first met, but even then, I could feel her softening towards me. Now, I feel the rage and tension radiating off of her in waves.

“My office then,” Everett murmurs, snapping me out of my daze.

He glances around the dining room, and I follow his look, making sure the rest of the pack hasn’t sensed that anything is off. Thankfully, the party seems to be in full swing, lust permeating the space as couples indulge in a different kind of dessert. Only moments before, my thoughts were heading in the same direction, my cock hardening with each bite my mate took of her cake, imagining her making those little sounds of appreciation around my cock while Everett slammed into her from behind.

“I’ll follow in a second,” Skylar says curtly before snapping her gaze back to her betas. And just like that, she slams her walls back up, her expression unreadable now, just like her emotions. She leans forward, giving them instructions too low for even my heightened sense of hearing to make out.

“Let’s go,” Everett grumbles. He side-eyes me as he pushes back from his chair, giving me a pointed look.

Arsenio and I follow after him, with Zayn rushing behind. Indecision wars on his face as he looks back at Skylar, clearly wanting to stay with her, but she’s made herself clear. Something happened to her, something involving at least one of us. Hell, with that look she gave me, I can’t even deny it anymore—it has something to do with me.

“What the hell did you do, Zeke?” Everett demands as we stride into the hallway. I blink against the bright overhead lights, the sudden switch from the muted lighting in the dining room making me pause.

“Zeke.”

“I don’t know,” I snap, scrubbing a hand over my face.

“What did you all do?” Zayn huffs and walks past all of us into Everett’s office.

Everett grumbles something unintelligible under his breath, glancing between my twin brother and me as though I’m responsible for his actions.

I shake my head, barely keeping myself above water with all the conflicting thoughts fighting for dominance. This is not the time to start thinking about Zayn, the brother I never knew I had—and never wanted.

“Come on, man.” Arsenio claps me on the shoulder and motions into the office. “Let’s take this one step at a time. We’ll figure out what is on our firecracker of a mate’s mind, and then make her forget all about it.” He grins.

His optimism helps to clear some of the maelstrom of dread pressing down on me, but something tells me it won’t be that simple. I’ve been with her the most out of the four of us. I’ve seen her rage, her fury, her vengeance, but I haven’t seen this.

Everett is already sitting at his desk as Arsenio and I join him and Zayn. I cringe at the scowl plastered on his face, already knowing he’s about to try to assert his dominance the moment she walks through that door. Like that’s really going to go over well.

“This isn’t—” I start, about to warn him not to push her buttons any more than he already had with making her come tonight, but he cuts me off.

“I can handle our mate,” he growls, his nails shifting to claws as the scrape indents into the desk. The message is clear in his tone. He knows I’m to blame, and from the daggers she glared in my direction, I know he’s right. I just don’t know why.

“I think I should do the talking,” Zayn says, his arms outstretched as though he’s attempting to keep us both at bay.

“You?” I ask incredulously, my lip curling into a snarl. “She barely knows you.”

“Oh, she knows me more than you think.” Zayn smirks.

My fist clenches at his shit-eating grin, and I take a step forward. My wolf and I are ready to slam into him just for something to take off the edge when Arsenio’s hand clasps my shoulder.

“We’re all on edge,” he says calmly, yet despite his nonchalance, I sense his apprehension in his grip. His fingers dig into my shoulder, and I have to push him off to jerk him out of his own ire. “Let’s not take it out on each other.”

Heels click in the distance, followed by two other sets of steps. All four of our gazes flash to the door as Skylar enters. Her tawny hair is in a loose braid over her shoulder, her silk dress clinging to her curves as she walks past me. The sweet notes of her scent cling to my nose, so intoxicating they immediately put me at ease.

“I need your computer,” she demands, striding around to the other side of the desk. Everett’s jaw grinds, and he looks between her and me, relenting at the pointed look I give him, pleading with him not to fight her on this.

The office door clicks closed, drawing my attention for a moment as I realize Silas and Seline have joined us.

“Fine,” Everett grinds out. He grasps the mouse, and the faint glow of the screen illuminates his frustrated expression as he types in his password. The two of them are so similar, it’s no wonder they clash all the time. They’re like fire and ice, unyielding and extreme—opposites, yet so alike at their core.

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