Page 85 of No Escape

Only Omen is allowed to call mepet.

Also, he’s either misremembering or purposely misconstruing what happened when I ended up in Valor and Omen’s cell.

First of all, Valor held me to his chest. He didn’t toss me over his shoulder. And secondly, I’m the one who pushed them to let me stay with them in their cell.

“We’re just trying to be neighborly.” Max makes a grab for my arm, and I stumble back.

The cold glass of the refrigerator bumps my backside, and I sidestep as quickly as possible while shaking out of his hold.

“I have two alphas watching over me until Valor and Omen are released,” I say as firmly as possible. It doesn’t work. My voice still wavers.

“You think those two—” Max cuts off, but I have no idea why. He and Edwin are much bigger than I am. I can’t see around them, but Shaw’s tattooed hand lands on top of Max’s arm, andthatI can see.

Edwin spins around, and a crunching sound fills the air as his head bounces back. Half a second later, Leo’s hands interlock behind Edwin’s skull, and the obnoxious alpha is yanked forward and down.

My eyes widen as Leo brings his knee up, connecting with Edwin’s face as he pulls him down. The crunching sound and agonized groan Edwin releases are extreme.

I grimace and try to scurry farther away, but the backs of my shoes hit the fridge, reminding me that I’m trapped.

The cafeteria erupts in noise, outside of the muffled sounds of flesh hitting flesh.

I shimmy around the edge of the refrigerator to give Shaw space since Max is still on his feet.

A squeak escapes my lips as Shaw brings a forearm up, deflecting Max’s punch. He spins and brings his booted foot up, connecting with Max’s knee.

Why exactly are the alphas allowed to have boots?

Those alone feel like a weapon under the right circumstances. I’m in a pair of sneakers I’d expect to find on an old woman in a nursing home.

My head tilts, and my mouth goes a little dry as Max falls to one knee. His hand moves to cradle his leg where Shaw connected, but Shaw grabs the massive alpha with a handful of his hair. He rips the other man’s head back and snarls close to his ear.

I’m so focused on them, I don’t realize Leo has been speaking to me. He pries the bag of food out of my death grip and reaches for my hand.

“I’ve got you.” Leo gives an encouraging look, and I wrap my fingers in his. He pulls me around Edwin’s knocked-out body that now lies crumpled on the linoleum.

I stumble over my own two feet at the sight of Shaw standing over Max’s legs as the other alpha kneels. Shaw is just behind him, and he has a hold of Max’s hair in one hand and the alpha’s right arm in the other. He’s got Max’s wrist pinned to his back and his thumb bent at an awkward angle.

“Just one second, princess. This fuckface has something he’d like to say to you.” Shaw growls, yanking on Max’s hair. “Go on, fuckface. Say what you need to say.”

Max struggles.

Shaw lifts a leg, kicking him in the kidney.

I grimace as Max hisses.

“Now!” Shaw barks.

Normally, an alpha bark snaps my body into motion, but it’s like my system knows that order wasn’t meant for me. It does make my knees a little weak, seeing the way his forearm flexes as he yanks Max’s head back even harder.

I’m not even letting myself acknowledge the way my nipples tighten, because that would be weird.

“I’m sorry I grabbed you,” Max grinds out. “Won’t happen again.”

“You’re goddamn right it won’t,” Shaw snarls.

Okay, that was hot.

My head bobbles, possibly accepting Max’s apology. Also could be a physical manifestation of me agreeing with myself.

---