Page 32 of Brutal Reign

She darts a glance toward her mate seated at his nearby desk, wetting her lips with her tongue as her mischievous eyes flicker back to mine. “Okay, don’t hate me for saying this,” she murmurs, leaning in and dropping her voice low, “but the whole thing actually sounds kinda hot.”

I jerk back in disbelief, lips twisting in a scowl.

“What, it is!” she laughs, a faint blush forming on the apples of her cheeks as she fans herself. “I mean, when Cam and I first started…ya know… there was all this pent-up tension between us that just kept ramping up until it exploded.”

“Facts,” Cam chimes in, swiveling his desk chair around and aiming a heated look in her direction.

I frown at him. “This isn’t like that.”

“You sure?” Avery teases, a knowing smirk playing at the corners of her lips.

“Positive,” I insist. “I can’t stand Seb. He’s an entitled prick who thinks he’s above everyone and everything.”

She snorts a laugh, tossing Cam another pointed look that tells me she probably used to feel the same way about him. Andhey, I’m glad it worked out for them– Cam is amazing, and I’ve never seen my cousin happier– but my situation with Seb is completely different. We were friends once. A long time ago, I thought there might be something else between us, but he made it abundantly clear he didn’t feel the same way.

That kind of rejection sticks with you.

No, this has to be about his superiority complex and the fact that I refuse to cower to him like everyone else. Seb can’t stand not having the upper hand.

Avery’s brown eyes narrow as she regards me for a moment, swiping a hand over her chin before jerking a nod. “Okay,” she clucks, seemingly having made up her mind. “So, we hate Seb Walker. How are we gonna make him suffer?”

My lips curl into a grin. This is why I love Avery– she’s fucking diabolical. My pulse kicks up a notch as I consider the possibilities, but before we can start in on our scheming, Sloane breezes into the room from the IT hub across the hall.

“You know, if you keep hiding out in here, people are gonna start to talk,” she teases, pointing a finger at me as she struts toward us.

I roll my eyes in response, even though she sorta has a point. Most of the other recruits go hang out in the barracks or the lounge for the duration of our two-hour break after eating lunch. That’s what my friends do, and Hayden gives me shit every time I sneak away to come up here instead. She thinks that in avoiding them, I’m letting Seb and Ace win whatever game they’re playing at, but really, I just like hanging with Avery. And yeah, it’s big fat silver lining that those boys have no reason to step foot in here. This is the one place at the squad complex where I’m not constantly having to look over my shoulder.

“Let ‘em talk,” I grumble, waving a hand dismissively as Sloane claims the empty spot between me and Avery on the couch, flopping down onto the soft cushions. “They all assumeI’m getting preferential treatment anyways since I’m related to half the squad leaders.”

“That doesn’t bug you?” she asks, arching a skeptical brow.

“Of course it does, why do you think I’m out there working my ass off every day?” I grumble as I pivot sideways to face her, pulling a knee into my chest. “I’ve got more to prove than anyone else here. My dad might’ve thought he was protecting me by trying to keep me away from all this, but instead, he’s just made everyone think I’m weak and can’t hold my own. The day he announced me as our next Alpha, he put a fucking target on my back.”

“Then let them try to challenge you,” Avery huffs, peeking around Sloane with a lift of her chin. “Underestimating you will be their downfall.”

“If only it were that simple,” I mutter, gaze fluttering to my lap. I haven’t told anyone about Jake’s threat, but it’s been weighing heavily on my mind since Saturday night, the fear of him following through on it festering like a wound.

“Well, if you wanna escape your pack drama, you can always stay here for the full moon this weekend and run with ours instead,” she suggests, sharing a glance with Sloane. “A lot of the regular squad fighters do.”

“Yeah right,” I snort. “You know how my dad is, he’d have a damn heart attack if I stayed. He’s been blowing up my phone all week asking what time I’ll be home on Friday.”

“Aw, he just misses you,” Sloane reasons, resting her hand gently atop mine.

“I know, but he needs to back off,” I groan. “You know he actually showed up here last week to check up on me?”

“Of course he did,” Avery chuckles, shaking her head in amusement. “Honestly, I’m surprised he’s not camped out in the parking lot.”

“I’m sure he would be if it weren’t for my mom,” I reply wryly.

“Well, if you change your mind, you’re always welcome in Goldenleaf for the run,” Sloane offers, giving my hand a little squeeze before letting go. “We’re here for you if you need us.”

I narrow my eyes on her suspiciously, wondering if she knows something I don’t. Sloane’s a little bit psychic, so I can’t help but try to read between the lines of everything she says for some deeper meaning. The smile on her face doesn’t give anything away, though, so I just heave a sigh, nodding in affirmation as I lean forward to grab my chapstick out of my duffel bag.

“Honestly, it’ll be nice to get away for a couple days,” I say as I uncap the tube and swipe it over my lips, rubbing them together.

A loud crash from the front of the room has all of us snapping our heads in that direction, my eyes widening in shock as I watch Blair storm out of the command center in a fury, leaving her computer chair lying sideways on the floor. Honestly, I kinda forgot that anyone else was even in here with us. Blair and Matty work IT for the hunter division, but they’ve always got their heads down, quietly focused on their computers.

“Blair, wait!” Matty calls out, jumping up from his own chair and racing after her.

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