Page 38 of Soul of the Chaos

“Habits are hard to break, omega,” Sasha shrugged. Though she kept her tone light, I could see dark memories dancing in her eyes. “And habits of survival are the hardest to break of all.”

My scowl returned. I didn’t want that for them. They were free now. They had been rescued and our mutual enemy, the Bone Crushers MC, had been left in ashes.

“Give them time, blondie,” she murmured for my ears alone. “They’ll be back to squabbling over the latest fashion in no time.”

I huffed and dipped my forehead to press against hers. “Yeah, I get it.” We stood in easy silence for a moment as her fingers found mine and wound them together. “I wish I didn’t, but I do get it.”

She kissed me on the cheek and I turned to lean against the wall beside her, trying to see everything through her eyes. From the tilt of her chin and the ease in her body, I could tell she was proud of her people. Of the way they were working together to ensure everyone’s needs were met. And it suddenly struck me that they belonged together. As a group. These humans faced the world as a unit.

My stomach rolled at the thought.

In my darkest times, I’d been alone. Utterly alone. I hadn’t had this heartbreaking camaraderie. Not until I’d been taken in by the Soul Reapers—by Mongrel and Grimm, Carbon and Bulletproof, and all the wolves here who’d become my brothers in more ways than one. I looked down at our joined hands. Although some selfish part of me wanted to be Sasha’s whole world, I couldn’t begrudge my mate and her people from having found that same sense of family.

I only hoped that we would find a way to mesh our lives together. That it wouldn’t come down to us or them.

Carbon appeared in the doorway, carrying an armful of bedding and clothing from his den. His hair was wild and he looked half-crazed as he stood there, panting. The Chaos sure was doing a number on our Enforcer.

All the same, he paused on the threshold, eyes locking with Sasha before he lowered them and tipped his head to the side. Exposing his neck. This was going to be real interesting. I sucked in a breath and waited.

A small furrow appeared on Sasha’s brow as she studied the tatted-up biker. He wasn’t as tall or stacked as Mongrel but what he lacked in brawn he made up for in crazy. Yet, in this moment, there was something childlike about him as he waited for my mate’s approval. Like a boy who’d come calling to date a teenage daughter and was nervously awaiting an invitation to sit in the living room.

Everyone waited, the tension slowly building, as my mate’s frown increased before it suddenly cleared. Sasha had come to a decision. She nodded toward the door and shrugged in a ‘hey, if you can get in there, all power to you’ kind of way.

A relieved smile blossomed on Carbon’s face as he strode across the room. He knocked on the door. No answer.

“Winter,” Carbon murmured. “I’m coming in.”

We held our breath as Carbon slipped inside the bathroom.

Huh, not a peep. Not yet, at least. I noticed he left the door open, though. Probably for a quick getaway. Still nothing.

Gah. The suspense was killing me.

I’d never been a particularly patient wolf. I was the nosey sort, always poking my snout into everyone’s business. Popcorn said I was a natural gossip but it made sense because my sneaky habit of ferreting out everyone’s secrets made me extra useful to the Prez.

Sasha padded over to the doorway and I followed. We arrived just in time to see Winter move. Carbon had placed his offerings at the foot of the bath. Gone was the panicked bundle of crap he’d grabbed from his room and in its place a pile of offerings. All neatly folded and shit.

My mouth dropped open. Honestly, I’d never seen that man do laundry in my life. I’m fairly sure he charmed the sweetbutts into doing it for him. Looked like the sneaky bastard had known how to do his own folding all along.

Carbon was crouched beside the bath, cracking open a water bottle. He placed a hand on the side of the bath and leaned over, holding the water out for her to take a sip. He was talking so low I couldn’t hear a thing he was saying. Annoying.

Sasha leaned closer and I did, too.

Then... THWACK.

Winter’s arm came up from under the blankets, holding that serrated piece she’d swiped from Bulletproof’s offerings, and slammed it into Carbon’s hand. Pinning it in place.

Carbon didn’t move. Bastard didn’t even breathe.

Sasha gasped. A girl behind us screamed. The wound began to seethe as the silver burnt any flesh it touched. Still, my brother made no move to yank that fucking poison from his hand.

A low whine crawled out of my throat.

My concern broke the horrified gridlock.

Everyone started shouting and pressing forward at once.

But Carbon held up his hand. As one, everybody froze. His body was completely relaxed, though the shifter must’ve been in agony. Even though we were behind him, I could tell his eyes never left Winter’s face.

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