4. Kandi

four

Iroll onto my side, pulling the sheet up to cover my chest as my boyfriend jumps out of bed and pulls on his pants. It's not out of modesty, it's just, he likes to segment his world. Bed is for sex or sleep. When he's putting on work clothes, he's working. When he's working, he's not here. Simple.

"Where are you going, babe?" I tease and lift my eyes from his abs. He's got such a nice body.

Sven looks back at me and flashes me a blindingly white smile. "Getting into the office early, since you won't be with me today."

I frown. "What's the deal with this omega? Did you look into her? Do we know who the threat is?"

Sven pauses and glances back at me. "It doesn't matter who the threat is, just make sure it doesn't touch her."

I sit up, my eyebrows raised. That's strange. Sven never talks to me like that. "It would be helpful to have more of an idea of what I"m protecting her from."

He stops, facing away from me and again, and I get an uneasy feeling from the tenseness in his shoulders. What the hell is going on? He got this way in the room with her, too. That was two weeks ago. I thought everything was back to normal.

"Sven, is there something you need to tell me?" The question comes out of me and lands in the room heavily.

He turns around and smacks a kiss to my cheek. "Just look after her. As soon as I get more information, I"ll send it to you. Be safe. Love you."

I barely get an ‘I love you' out before he's gone, pulling my apartment door shut behind him. With a happy sigh, I glance at the clock. I don't have to be down at the refuge until eight, but I"m up. I may as well scope out the building, see if there are any undesirables hanging around.

I pull on a sexy bra and lace panties before hiding it with a pair of my favourite jeans, a black singlet, my favourite band t-shirt, and my heavy boots. I dance around my kitchen while I make a coffee and shove a dry bit of toast into my mouth.

Sven will talk to me when he's ready. That's the kind of relationship we have. I grab my keys, phone, my coffee, and jog downstairs.

My bike is waiting for me. I throw my leg over the side, finish my coffee, leave the cup on the ground for when I get home, and start the engine. My baby revs between my legs, giving me this feeling of power.

Riding my baby is one of the few moments when I feel my mind calm down and allow me to really focus on one thing. Just existing in this moment. Normally, it's going a hundred miles an hour, and sometimes it feels like when I"m having a conversation with someone, I"m having three at the same time. It's exhausting, but I have my own ways of dealing with the stress.

Fucking, fighting, or flying.

I snort a laugh at myself and press my headset. The phone rings for a minute before someone answers.

"You better have a damn good reason for waking me this early, Kandi," Missy growls.

"I"m heading over to the refuge."

"Ooh!" Missy hums under her breath. "Silver will be there. I want an update on how she's doing."

"Naturally."

"And this omega, she must be special. Adrian's been over there every day for two weeks." Missy is the Raptore Pack's Omega. We became friends while I was assigned as her bodyguard. She's got a dry sense of humour, is quiet but has really grown into exactly who she is. Her ginger hair and those strange coloured green eyes no longer try to hide in shadows.

She's my best friend.

"You had Toby and Rayne babysitting the refuge, didn't you? Did they see anyone?"

"Not a thing. Where are you taking her?"

"Eh, she's had some time to recover. The bruises are going down. I thought I"d take her to get some clothes. Makeup. You know, all that girly shit I love and hate."

Missy cackles.

"Adrian's really been there every day?" I ask, surprised. I have to admit, that's strange for the doctor. He and Sven are best friends, and now both of them are acting weird! Something is going on.

"Yeah, he's really fond of her."

I allow those words to sink in, that familiar uneasy feeling comes back in full force. Sven might want to hide his feelings as best he can, but I know he's got some kind of something for the good doctor. He denies it and might even at gunpoint. But there's something between them.

Is there something with the girl, too?

"All right, I"m here. I"ll report in a few days."

"Oh? Are you going deep with her?"

"I figured I might. Take her to a hotel and get her out of the refuge for a while. They're having a shortage of beds. If she's staying, she needs to move into a permanent room or transition out."

"Huh. Well, I"ll catch up with you in a few days." Missy groans. "I"m glad you took those two weeks off. You needed a break. You haven't had one since the incident."

I gag. "Hey, we had words about that!" I hang up before she can answer me. But the unease sits with me. Did two weeks of holidays help me feel settled? Not really, I just wandered around feeling aimless. Like there is something in my life that is missing, but I can't put my finger on what exactly it is.

Last year, I killed a man who shot Demon Montford. I saved my brother's pack. But I still dream about the serial killer every night. I dream my gun jams. I dream I"ve forgotten to load bullets or that I"m too slow. And instead of Demon dying, it's Sven or Missy.

It takes me thirty minutes to reach the refuge. I park a block away in an underground carpark. Rayne gets out of a giant black SUV and folds his ridiculously muscled arms. He"s a giant meathead of an alpha with a crap tonne of potential. He's Sven's little prodigy.

He smirks as he throws his keys at my head. I snatch them out of the air and toss mine back.

"Good to see you doing some hard work for a change," he teases.

"Perks of fucking the boss." I wink at the laid back alpha.

He snorts a laugh and takes the keys to my bike and pockets them.

"Don"t scratch her," I warn.

He puts a hand to his heart and scowls. The flop of red hair over the side of his face always reminds me of a guy who's about 30 going on 19. "You wound me."

"I do not. Go on, fuck off, and get some sleep."

I watch as he rides away, and then I open the messenger app, reading over the information over the last two weeks. No one has stood out, and no one's showing any special interest in the omega.

Great, that makes my job easier.

I wander down to the refuge and note Adrian pulling up. I jog over to reach him before he goes inside. I like him. I tried hard not to when I first realised that he and Sven were having this not-relationship, but he's a really good guy.

"Hey, Doc."

He whips around, scraping his black hair back from his face. The wariness on his face isn't new. I should be used to it, but I kind of hate it. "Kandi. Hi."

I smile at him, but for some reason, my smile makes him wary. He steps back awkwardly and looks up the stairs to the doors of the refuge.

"Are you here to see Jade?" He asks in a low voice.

"Yup, I"m taking her out. Girls' day."

He frowns. "I don"t know that she's ready."

I walk with him, keeping up with his long strides. "The longer she hides in here, the harder it's going to be to go out."

He stops, turning to face me, and I see the moment his eyes drink over the scars on my face. I don't pay them much mind anymore, but occasionally, they bother me. Waking up in the hospital to see my face rearranged from the stomping I got was bad. Hearing they'd taken Missy had been devastating.

No one else blamed me.

I blamed myself.

I wait for him to make a snarky comment, but he just smiles.

"They healed well. I remember seeing you when they brought you in."

I can't hide my shock. I stop moving, and he does as well, his face closing over and that stony mask coming back. "You were there?"

"Yes, I was working in the Emergency Room that night. I was your treating doctor."

I stare at him, all my words stolen away. All those memories come back, the painful recovery. Missy forgiving me, apologising to me. The tears we shed together because we were safe and survived. Meeting that omega was like meeting a sister. Thinking I had been the reason she had been taken was agonizing. But I've learned to live with it. I just can't forgive myself.

"You didn't know, did you? Shit, I"m sorry, I have a terrible habit of sticking my foot in my mouth."

And a really cute way of blushing over it. "It"s fine. I had no idea, but I"m glad you were there."

"I thought Sven would have told you," Adrian murmurs and pushes open the door.

That last sentence brings me to a halt. Sven knew Adrian was the one who treated me? Why didn't he tell me?

I push inside and follow him through the locked space. We sign our names. Jenny gives me a stern glare.

I spot Silver in the distance, mopping the floors. It's easy to tell who she is because from this far away, she looks identical to Onyx. She is not the same woman who went to the Omega Meet a year ago.

Adrian leads me confidently to the back of the complex and knocks on a door. He opens it, and I peek in.

The omega's heart is in her eyes. She bounces up on the bed and fairly glows. Now that the swelling has gone down, I can tell she's pretty but not classically, more in a pixie-type cuteness. Her eyes are enormous, and that purple hair just looks adorable.

She spots me, and her smile fades a bit, but she still leans towards Adrian, allowing him to check her vitals.

"How are you today, Jade?" Adrian murmurs in a low voice that is soft and full of intimacy. His gentleness surprises me. This is more than just a patient.

"I"m good. I missed you."

Holy shit, what am I walking in on?

I pull out my phone and fire off a message to Sven. You didn't mention that Adrian and Jade were feeling each other.

He reads my message but ignores me. Fine. Dick.

"Hey, you remember me?"

Jade shakes her head.

"My name"s Kandi, and I"m here as your bodyguard but also to get you out, girls' day. Hair, nails, clothes, frappes. All the chocolate we can eat."

Jade's eyes gleam, but then shadow. She reaches for Adrian's hand and clings to it. "I don"t know."

"Hey, look, I promise nothing will happen to you." I draw a cross over my heart and smile. "Let"s just get out and have some fun. You can decide how long, how far, I can introduce you to some of my friends." I toss out a lazy grin.

"Friends?" Jade glances between me and Adrian.

"Moira, Hazel, Missy, Scarlet, Onyx. Or we can go see Oma or steal Lukas' favourite car. Watching him threaten anything that moves is something everyone needs to experience." I wink at her, hoping she will rise to the bait.

She snorts a laugh, and then springs out of bed. I"m shocked to find she only comes up to my shoulder. She is tiny but packed full of energy.

"Adrian, you're coming, right?"

"Not today, little one. I"ve got patients."

Her enthusiasm falls, and I elbow the alpha.

"Come have breakfast with us. Be a gentleman," I tease the alpha.

He scowls, but when he sees her expression, he melts. "Okay, breakfast."

"Good, Alpha. All right Jade, get dressed, and let's go."

The omega pulls on the ugly tracksuit pants and oversized hoodie that she's been allocated. I make a mental note to go send for clothes if she refuses to go.

She stays between us as we leave the refuge. I can sense her anxiety intensify, but she reaches for the alpha before I can step closer.

The lone alpha formally known as Adrian is gentle with her, patient. He's caring in a way I"ve never seen before, almost protective. I feel like I"m missing a part of a puzzle.

She is delightful, teasing smiles out of Adrian, joyfully taking in the world. It doesn't take long for her to warm to me, and surprisingly, I find myself warming to her.

Quickly, I discover something incredible about the pint-sized omega. Jade is something special. She's one of those unique people who just enjoys the small things. She hums over the food and excitedly asks the server her name and whether (Jane) enjoys working here. Spoiler, she does. Her taste in clothes is eclectic. But when we get to the hairdresser, she firmly asks for her purple hair to be dyed to a soft lilac with darker streaks.

Adrian leaves at some point, but I realise he already sees what I"m seeing. His reluctance to leave was almost painful.

"She's incredible," I"d murmured.

"She really is."

He'd glanced back once as if he'd been unable to stop himself.

When she comes out dressed in a tight purple dress with a tulle skirt, ballet flats, and her hair and makeup done, I get a flutter in my chest. I"ve never seen anyone like her. I clear my throat and try to avert my eyes, but the effortless grace she walks with is hypnotic.

She throws herself at me and hugs me tight, and I hesitate before I stroke her back. My stomach flips, and I clear my throat and step away from her.

"Thank you."

"You"re welcome."

"Shall we send Adrian a selfie?" I ask before I can stop myself.

Her eyes widen, and she bites her lower lip and nods. I put my arm around her, hold out my phone, and snap off a photo. But before I can send it, I get a better idea.

"Let"s go see him, instead."

She smiles, and it lights up her face, and I realise the little darling has violet eyes that look like they're filled with glints of starlight. "He'll be so shocked."

"He will. Especially with those bruises covered up. Let's go say hello." I just like seeing that smile. The way it takes over her whole person.

I put a call into our driver for the day and see Nigel pull up. I open the door and help her into the car.

"Silver Falls Hospital."

We're silent on the way over, but it's comfortable. I find myself watching her out of the corner of my eye, trying to learn everything I can.

I lead her through the hospital, and then stand back, watching the moment the alpha sees her. See what she will look like when those bruises heal. He stops, immobile over a tablet he's writing in, his eyes widen slightly, his nostrils flare, and he seems to shiver.

Seeing Adrian off kilter is easily my favourite moment of the year. Seeing Sven, who was standing there talking to him, also look like someone hit him upside the head, not so much.

Instead of rushing over there, Jade grips my fingers and squeezes painfully. My chest is tight, and my ears are ringing, but I can't say what's wrong.

"Liar," I whisper to myself. I know what's wrong. I just don't want to face it yet.

So I push my thoughts and feelings deep down inside, smile at Adrian, Sven, and Jade, and walk the omega towards the alphas.

Adrian looks visibly shaken but opens his arms when she gets close. She glances shyly up at Sven, and he blinks several times before he drags his gaze to me.

For a moment, I think I see anguish, and then he clears his throat and turns and walks out.

Sven doesn't normally cause me any pain in our relationship. He's been the almost perfect boyfriend, so I can't help but watch him walk away with an uneasy feeling that he's got something he needs to share with me.

Something that could be the end of us.