24. Leo

Fuck Troy.

Sooner or later, I am going to kill that bastard.

He treats Belle as if she is some kind of leper, and I swear if he doesn"t back off soon, then I am going to jump across the table and pummel his ass to the ground.

Thank God we have Rian to act as a buffer.

I don"t know what I would do without that Beta, and not for the first time, he is our saving grace.

He has a way of calming just about anyone"s nerves, and that is probably why he sits between us right now to calm the tension.

Belle is on my right-hand side, far away from Troy.

I don"t even want her to be in his line of direction in case he gives her another goddamn death glare.

A growl rumbles deep inside me as I remember the way he looked at her upstairs, and Rian turns my way.

Relax, Leo… you"re scaring Belle…

Oh, fuck.

I look to Belle next, hunched over and playing with her peas, too afraid to meet anyone in the eye, and my heart breaks just looking at her.

The poor thing must still feel like an outsider, no thanks to that prick, Troy, and now I lean across to her side, purring softly, letting her know that she is safe and that she will always have a place in the pack.

In my heart.

That may be taking it a tad too far, since I have only known the girl a week, but this beautiful doe-eyed Omega is slowly making her way into my bloodstream, pumping new life into my veins.

She looks beautiful today in a red dress with its big red bow, and now I take her fork from her small, delicate hand, scooping up her peas.

I lift the utensil to her mouth, and her eyes shoot up to mine, apprehension shimmering in the blue.

Her gaze falls on Troy, who watches us with eagle-eyed scrutiny across the table, but I ignore him and focus on the only person who matters right now.

Finally, Belle concedes, and now I place that fork into her mouth, watching as she chews those little green peas.

Bastards.

How I wish I was a green pea now…

Damn. She makes chewing look like an art form, and I can"t look away as she swallows those lucky vegetables.

One day, maybe she will swallow me too.

I sense an invasive tug on the bond, one that comes with the sharp, acrid scent of coffee, and I look at the culprit.

Troy pretends to be nonchalant across the table, cutting up Rian"s meat, but I know that was him just now.

I peer at Rian and nod, and finally, the Beta lets Troy through.

What the fuck are you doing? Have you forgotten about Rian?

I bite my cheek, continuing to feed Belle her peas.

Ever since we have bitten Rian into the pack, he has taken control, permitting who can speak to whom, when before, it was pure, utter chaos.

Jay"s and Troy"s thoughts were always running rampant through my mind, and that is the exact reason why an Omega is so important in a pack bond.

I have enough of my own voices to deal with. I don"t need any more.

But Rian offered a buffer between us, and again, I truly marvel at his gifts.

He"s Beta, yet has all the skills of an Omega.

And despite what Troy may think right now, I have not forgotten that fact.

The fact that he pretty much saved our lives.

I don"t meet Troy"s eyes as I feed Belle more peas, and she loses herself in the attention, eyes closed in deep reverence.

So beautiful…

Unfortunately for Troy, I hear similar thoughts about the female in his own head, and I look across the table smugly.

He"s an idiot if he thinks he can keep his true feelings secret.

Nothing is sacred in a pack bond.

I don"t mention it, but I sense his irritation through the bond.

Rian is your mate… he growls.

He is. But I can"t deny the tug that I feel toward Belle too.

It"s more than just attraction.

It"s bloody magnetic, and I am sure she is my soul mate.

You can have more than one…

And your point is? I reply, cutting up Belle"s steak into smaller, bite-sized pieces.

Can"t have her choking now. Her mouth is far too tiny.

Tiny, but fucking adorable.

It would look great around my cock.

Troy senses the sensual thoughts in my head, banging his fist on the table, and I look up, meeting the deep arousal in his own eyes.

Please. He is not fooling anyone.

I know he has had similar thoughts about that little mouth of Belle"s too.

Belle jumps when he bangs the table, and just like that, she becomes withdrawn again.

Bastard. Think about Rian.

Guilt pierces me like a knife, but when I look at Rian, I spy no hurt or jealousy on his face.

No. I spy longing…

He wishes to be the one to feed Belle instead, and when he catches me staring, he looks away, going back to letting Troy feed him.

Well, what do you know…

Our boy wants himself a bit of Belle too, and now I growl at the idea of them both fucking each other senseless, with me at the bottom.

The sexual tension grows so thick around the table that you could cut it with a sword, and not even Belle is immune to the pheromones that now coat the air.

Her own arousal blossoms around her, sending a cloud of sweet caramel my way, and I drop the fork, trying to get a hold of my Alpha.

I"m not the only one. Troy is struggling too, and Rian…

I"m pretty sure the Beta is growling himself.

What the fuck.

Belle rises. "I… I should go…"

Before she leaves, I reach up, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"No, sit," I growl, and what the fuck is happening to my voice?

I sound like a demon.

Belle retakes her seat, and now no one speaks.

Well, this is awkward.

I glance up at Troy. He keeps glaring in Belle"s direction, taking out his sexual frustration on the poor thing, and that is the last straw.

Luckily for Troy, the front door opens, and a dour-faced Jeremy enters the kitchen.

His face goes pale when they land on Belle, and the Omega lowers in her chair.

I glance at Jeremy confused.

Why does he look as if he has seen a ghost?

He must sense my thoughts as he tells me through the bond. Later…

Rian closes off the bond again, and now Troy"s and Jeremy"s thoughts are distant murmurs as he takes back control.

He must have sensed the tension and didn"t want things to escalate.

Jeremy takes his place at the end of the table, and now we all eat in silence.

Something must have deeply disturbed him at work and I can"t help but feel an ominous chill.

Well, it looks like we"re going to find out soon what he discovered.