23. Jade

twenty-three

"Why did Sven just quit?" Missy, the Raptore Pack's omega and Kandi's best friend, is standing in our lounge screaming at my alpha. "What the fuck did you do to send my Sven running?"

Her Sven?A tiny snarl escapes from my mouth. Her alpha, the white blond one, looks over and spots me. I'd heard her rising voice minutes before and pulled on a dress. I came padding down here to find this showdown going on. Kandi is still in bed, and I'm hoping she sleeps through this.

"Fuck if I know," Adrian nonchalantly shrugs.

"Bullshit, you and he are in it together, thick as thieves," Missy snaps. "I want to know why. I want to know what you did!"

"None of your business, Omega." Adrian turns away, and she raises her hand.

I step into the room, walking to the edge of the couch and glaring. "Don't you dare!"

She turns her eyes wide in my direction. "It wasn't going to hurt him."

"I don't care," I snap at her. "Who gives you the right to come into another pack's private business and demand information you haven't earned?"

"He's my friend-"

"I don't care. He's my alpha, and so is Sven. You don't get to know the inner workings of our pack. You don't get to know information that Sven hasn't seen fit to give you himself. Now, I think it's best if you leave."

Missy's eyes are wide. She looks to Lukas, who is stone-faced, and then to the doorway behind me.

I inhale and catch the beta's scent.

"Are you going to support this, Kandi?" Missy asks.

"She's my omega, Missy. And she's got a point. You never approved of Adrian, but it all makes sense now why we worked. Let it go. We're a pack. Sven will come back and deal with us or he won't. It's none of your business."

"It is when he leaves our company," Missy snaps hotly.

"As an employer, your employee gave you notice and left his position. That doesn't give you the right to come to his home, bully his boyfriend, girlfriend, or omega in their own house, and demand answers from us."

Missy rocks back on her heels. "I wasn't-"

"You were," Kandi says gently. "But now is not a good time, and this is our pack and our business to deal with. So, how about we catch up in a week and have lunch?"

The omega stares for another second, and then stomps out of the house.

Lukas hesitates. "Is Sven in trouble?"

"No," Adrian says darkly. "He's sorting himself out."

Lukas tilts his head to the side and considers it. "Darion cares about that alpha, if anything happens-"

"Don"t finish that sentence, Alpha," I hiss. "He is mine. Not yours. He belongs to me. To Adrian, and to Kandi. You don't get to give threats here."

Lukas' eyes turn cold and malicious. "Not a threat, but a warning."

"I'm not interested in either," I snap back at him. "Tell your omega to keep her hands to herself and not strike my pack mates. Or I will have charges pressed. I will not tolerate violence used on my loved ones. That is a threat, a promise, and a warning."

Lukas growls, but it's silenced when Adrian picks him up and throws him at the wall.

"You don't make that sound at my omega. You don't threaten my pack. You don't demand answers about my alpha," Adrian says in a low, dark voice. "My omega is right."

"You wanna think carefully about what you're doing, Alpha," Lukas whispers.

Adrian leans in closer to him. "I'm not concerned. I know who I am."

Lukas' face gets harder, but I smell a faint whiff of anxiety in his scent.

Adrian lets him go. "Leave. Don"t come back."

"Kandi, you're with us. This job is over."

Kandi stiffens. I turn to look at her. Stricken is the only way to describe the panic and regret I feel.

"It's your choice," I say to her quietly.

She closes her eyes. "Lukas-"

"No, it's done. Grab your stuff, let's go. I have another job I want to put you on," Lukas says evenly.

They stare at each other for ten long seconds. His impatience fills the room.

"I resign," Kandi says in a rush.

Lukas stops moving. He turns back and stares at her. "But you're best friends with Missy."

"And I love her, but this is my pack. My pack is more important than a job. So, sorry, Alpha Raptore, but effective immediately, I'm quitting. I'll come by later to clear out my belongings or you can just drop them off." She shrugs and sags. "They're right, Lukas. If someone had walked in and tried to smack you, even in jest, Missy would have torn them apart. You didn't have the right to be here, screaming at Adrian like that. So, guess you can explain to Darion about manners, huh?"

She's trying to be lighthearted, but I can see how much it's hurting her. Kandi and Adrian had been trying to hide how much Sven's absence hurt them all of last night. I'd behaved a little bit like a mama tiger, but in fairness, they're in pain.

We're silent as Lucas picks himself up and stalks, silent and furious, from the room. His departure takes all the energy with him.

Adrian explained what had happened, and after a bit of thought, we inspected Kandi's lower lip and found a crescent of teeth marks. She did wear his bond.

They had Sven's bond, and I didn't. And now I've chased him away. Her best friend away. Caused her to lose her job.

I'm like the worst luck bringer ever.

"He's coming back," I say to Adrian and Kandi. "He is coming back."

Kandi shakes her head and flops down on the couch. "It could be months."

"It won't be." I don't know why I'm so certain, I just feel like I know. He's coming back, and it will be soon. He won't make us wait long.

Adrian walks out of the room.

Two days have passed, and though Kandi and Adrian have been attentive, they are both so deep in their depression that they are barely functioning. Kandi and Missy had a huge fight via text. She tried to hide it but didn't realise I could see the texts in the window's reflection. The only reason I haven't said anything is because I realise Missy is just looking out for Kandi.

Adrian is just as miserable.

Sven is the man they both are desperately in love with, though both of them seem resigned to accepting this shitty behaviour from him without argument.

I, on the other hand, am not overly happy nor impressed by his disappearing act and the toll it's taking on Adrian and Kandi.

I'm flipping through a magazine when Adrian comes and sits beside me.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to decide what I want to do with my life."

"Oh, what do you want to do?"

"Well, that's just the thing. I was told I had to sit at home and be an omega, and that was all I could do. But maybe there's something more." I huff in frustration and turn several more pages. "The answer is here, I just can't find it."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, a purpose, a passion. Kandi loves her job. She's miserable without it. I want to feel like that."

"Miserable?" Adrian teases with a lopsided smile.

I shove at his arm. "Yes, brat. I want to be miserable because I love something so much I don't want to give it up. The way I felt when you told me you wouldn't be my alpha."

Adrian sucks in a pained breath. "Guess I deserved that."

I hold up my index finger and thumb, just a little bit apart. "Yeah, just a bit."

"Do you feel passionate about anything?"

I frown at the magazine. "I feel passionate about a lot of things. Especially things I don't know yet."

"We can help you figure out what you want to do."

"Uh, uh," I say, not believing him.

Adrian sighs, his shoulders sagging. "Sven has to come back."

"It"s getting a bit offensive that you think you can only be with me if Sven is here," I point out. "Why is that? I can believe in you and me, Kandi and me, and the three of us together, but you can ONLY be in this with me if Sven is here?"

Adrian snaps his jaw shut.

"What?" I growl.

"I'm just thinking it might be safer to not speak," Adrian says.

I give him my coldest smile. "Perhaps think about how offensive it might be if I told you I won't be with you unless Kandi is with us."

Adrian sags. "You don't understand who I am and what I'm like." He grits his teeth and looks away from me. Shame makes the air sour.

"So tell me," I bark at him.

His eyes glow with temper, and his fingers curl on the armchair.

"I'm called the Lone Alpha. The man who is single-handedly one of the most feared alphas in Silver Falls. My tongue is too sharp, my sense of humour too dark, I have no tolerance for stupidity, and I think most people are stupid. Basically, I don't like people, and people don't like me."

"The only exception is Sven?" My voice rises at the end of the question.

"Yes. He is the only exception."

I stand up; he follows me. I turn so I'm facing him and stab a finger into his chest. "It"s good you only have one idiot in the world who understands you. It would be really fucking sad if there were two."

"I'm glad as well!" Adrian snaps.

"Well, good. I hope you both enjoy each other. Alone. As always, because your nose is too big to see what's standing right in front of you."

Adrian's mouth opens, but his face gets slack, and he stares at me. "Jade."

"Oh, no, don't ruin it all now, Alpha. Keep running your mouth and having your pity party. I'd hate to rain on your parade. You're big and scary. Everyones hates you. Poor, poor, Adrian."

"Everyone does hate me."

I roll my eyes. "Would you like a side of worms?"

"What?" he asks, confused.

"I don't hate you. I like you a lot. More than I have words to say. I don't right now. At this moment, I'd love to shout my way into your brain and watch it pour out your ears. Listen to me very clearly, Alpha. You are mine. I like you. I'm not afraid of you. You and I will be perfect together because you can brood, and I can talk people's ears off. Whether Sven is with us or not, you and I could be happy. I don't want to be your consolation prize for winning Sven!"

He doesn't like that. The idea of Sven not being here. I don't really care. But I see the moment the rest of it sinks in.

"Same goes for you, Kandi. You either want me or you don't. You can't want me at the provision that Sven will be here. I"ve got too much pride for that."

I fold my arms under my breasts and stare at the two of them. But they're silent, so I huff, grab my magazine, and stalk out of the room. Stubborn, emotionally stunted idiots!

Sven is a whole other issue. The fear in his eyes was real after he kissed me. He fears something, but it's not me. It's not Adrian, and it's not Kandi, which leads me to think it"s something to do with him.

I don't understand his behaviour, but I'm willing to try. But there is an ache inside me, too. He's got bonds with his alpha and beta, and every time he takes a step towards me, he takes two steps back.

Our dance is getting complicated, and my heat is going to be here soon. I won't be able to escape it. I really wanted him to be here. He makes me feel safe. Oh, the other two do as well, but there's something indestructible about Sven.

I toss the magazine onto the table and sit on the lounge floor, pulling my knees to my chest. He will come back.

I repeat that mantra in my head until I almost believe it. I have to. The truth is, I'm not sure I'll win the beta and alpha that are remaining without him.

They want me but not enough.

It stings my pride. It rubs salt in the wound my mother cut into me. Yeah, I've got some insecurities. I might hide them under cool hair and a cheeky attitude, but I have a lifetime"s worth of being told I'm not enough.

They are meant to see me and fall in love. Not run away every time anyone mentions forever.

I snort at my own maudlin thoughts.

I should go find my alpha.

My eyelids open as that thought goes round and round in my head. I really should go find him.

Can I?

Only one way to find out.