Page 74 of The Omega Lesson

I nod, but he’s already on his way over, his glare flicking from my pink hair, over my dress, before settling on the bite marks on my neck. I don’t bother giving him the same perusal. Anton hasn’t changed a bit in years, and he wouldn’t know how to look like a good time if his life depended on it. “Dad is in the restaurant downstairs,” he says tersely when he reaches my side. “He wants to speak to you.”

“Then he can call me. I haven’t changed my number.”

I can feel the guys frowning behind me, and Anton grabs my arm and pulls me out of their huddle. “This is your last chance, Alexa. If you don’t come down and talk to him, you might as well lose your phone, because none of us will be using it.”

“What’s going on?” I’m surprised it’s Ben at my back, but when I look behind me, Mattie and Jack are physically restraining Noah. Shit. “Nothing. This is my brother, Anton. Anton, this is Ben Lyall. Your host for the evening.”

I can’t resist rubbing that in, but Anton isn’t in the mood to play nice. “My sister needs to come talk to my dad.”

I shoot Ben an apologetic look. “I’ll just go and say a quick hello.”

“Let one of us come with you.”

But a glance behind me at the circle of angry faces and I can just imagine how that will go down. “It’s fine. I won’t be long.”

Ben nods, but he’s still frowning as Anton drags me away. I can feel Travis watching us, and I’m not surprised when he falls into step with my brother. But it sends a sharp pain through my chest to think that he condones this kind of crap.

As soon as we’re in the elevator, I pull my arm out of my brother’s grip and he grimaces, “I’m doing this for your own good, Alexa.”

Travis sends him a sharp look, but I don’t bother replying. Anton stopped hearing me a long time ago, and right now, I’d prefer not to waste my breath. I just want this over with so I can go back upstairs and enjoy the rest of the evening.

We cut across the marble foyer with its grand piano and four-storey central atrium. I’m not surprised when Anton steers us over to the Oyster Club, which is the most expensive restaurant in the casino complex. The maître d' gives us a practiced smile that my brother barely acknowledges, but Travis stops abruptly. “When did Mr. Zoric arrive? I thought the Novaks were dining alone.”

I follow the direction of his scowl across the restaurant and give an inward sigh.Great. Richard and oysters. Two of my least favourite things in the same place.

The maître d's hands flutter as he searches for a placating reply, but I force my own practiced smile. “They do this once a month. It’s fine. Let’s just get it over with.”

Something that looks like guilt flashes across Travis’ face, his hand going to the small of my back as he leans in. “I didn’t know,” he says quietly. “I thought they wanted to help.”

Highly unlikely, but I lift my chin, refusing to let him feel sorry for me. My family are the ones missing out, not me. “Don’t worry, Travis. I’m not your problem. Remember?”

Maybe it’s a little petty to throw his words back at him; but then, confrontations with my family usually put me in this mood. I follow Anton’s path across the restaurant, arriving at their table just as fresh platters of oysters are being set down on the linen tablecloth. Even with their judgmental eyes on me, I can’t hide my grimace of distaste. I like seafood as much as the next sandgroper, but no one will ever convince me to eat something that looks like my last head cold.

My dad, however, is the picture of health. Like Anton, he has a thick head of dark curls and sea-blue eyes. He’s sturdy, his suit straining across his chest, and once upon a time I thought that meant he’d be a safe haven in any storm. But it’s impossible to miss the disapproval in his eyes as he flicks them over me, then points to a chair the maître d' has conjured from somewhere.

“Sit down,” he says in a tone few people can refuse. “You can eat from my plate.”

It’s the kind of brusque remark I used to think was affection. That he was looking out for me, even though I’ve told him a hundred times that oysters make me sick. “Thanks, but I’m not staying.”

“Sit down, Alexa,” Anton barks, shoving himself into his own seat.

But even though he just put a hint of bite into the command, I have no trouble staying on my feet. “If there’s something you want to say, say it. But my pack is waiting for me upstairs.”

“Your pack!” Richard scoffs, tossing his linen napkin on the table. I’m not surprised to find his platter of nasty oysters is already picked clean. “Bites from a couple of playboys aren’t a lifetime promise, Alexa.” He glances at Travis, like he just realised he’s insulting his brothers. “I just mean she needs to be realistic. Everyone knows this is a fling, and as soon as your pack settle on an omega, she’ll need to move on.”

“Move on,” I murmur. What a quaint way to describe picking up the pieces of your life when you’ve been tossed aside by someone you love. “Like you did after making a lifetime promise tome, Richard?”

But he’s no better at listening than my brother. “This… spectacle you’re making of yourself is clearly just the next step in your downward spiral. And although it pains me to do this, we can’t condone it anymore.” He looks at Anton, who flicks his fingers dismissively across the tablecloth. I can feel Travis moving restlessly behind me, but Richard just gives me a pitying look. “If you’re not going to help yourself, then I really don’t see I have any choice.”

He pulls a folded document from his suit pocket and slides it across the table to me. I almost laugh at being presented with another official letter by an arrogant alpha, but the smile dies on my face when he says, “It’s a review of your visitation rights. The most likely outcome is that you’ll be under supervised visitation until a new court order can be filed.”

The pain in my chest makes me grab the edge of the table.“What?”

“I can’t expose Bree to any of this right now,” he waves a hand over my person as he goes on in his most pompous tone. “And legally, your visitation rights were dependent upon having a job and a place to live. Travis just informed us you’re now out of both.”

I look at him in shock. “You told them?”

His frown deepens as he looks around the table. “I told you because I thought you’d want to support her. That you’d offer her some options, at least. Not take her rights to her child away.”

---