Page 33 of Drown My Sorrow

“Hey, Keagan, have you seen Aspyn?”

“I have.”

Benny, who owns the convenience store, stares at me like he expects more as I walk past. Tough, he’s not getting anything out of me about Aspyn. She is ours.

I hear him mutter, but when I swivel my head that way, his mouth is shut, and he’s rushing into his store.

“What are you, the island mafioso?” Gael spits.

“Maybe,” I say with a small chuckle. Shale would get a kick out of that.

I really don’t feel inclined to answer any of their questions. This pussy boy is running back to his pack after hearing just one tiny thing he doesn’t like.

Weak.

“So you just go and throw your weight around, stealing people’s lives from them, you just take and take, and no one stops you.”

I smile at him, amused by his outburst. Everyone walking around us is a local and is refusing to look. But, then again, they know what happens when you piss off Pack Daane.

“Something like that.”

“You are monsters. Assholes. Giant fucking bastards!” he hisses.

I move fast, grabbing a handful of those dark locks and dragging him close to me. I pull him up on his toes, ignoring the way he hits my chest, fighting to break my grip.

“You’re going to want to watch your fucking mouth, Gael Dahan. We know everything about you, and we’re not happy with how you’ve made our omega feel.”

“She’s not yours. She doesn’t want you. No one wants you. You’re alone and nothing and-”

My fingers curl into his throat. The desperate urge to silence him forever pushes at me, but I fight it, straining not to let the rage and pain in my black heart out on this ignorant brat.

He coughs and splutters when I finally loosen my fingers.

“You’re fucking crazy!” he hisses with wide, fear-filled eyes.

I simply smile at him. I am crazy. Two years of starvation and loneliness leaves scars on your soul that I don’t think you can come back from.

He walks backward and spins when he’s far enough away and moves with purpose down the street to the beach. I watch from a distance as he catches up with Ezy and Kelly. The three of them talk. There are big arm gestures in my direction, scowls and frowns.

Kelly and Ezy go grab their boards and wait. Within twenty minutes, Gael shows up, and the three of them head out to the waves. I wander into the café and grab a coffee, and then go and sit on a chair and ponder the situation.

I wasn’t a fan of this plan. Right from the start, I didn’t want her to have them. I think she would be happier with us. They did their damage, and they can fuck off. I really just don’t want to share. But I can see Shale’s point.

I poke the bonds and watch in amusement as they flinch.

Shale and Beau both think she needs to heal emotionally, and if that’s what she needs, I will get it for her. My omega has suffered far too much, and I will do whatever it takes to save her from more pain.

She is the entire reason my world makes sense. The light that stopped us three degenerates from ending up somewhere we couldn’t have returned from.

The day I met her, I was sliding down a slippery slope of alcohol and aggression. I was so angry at the world, at being trapped on this island.

The misery of my life just didn’t make sense to me. How could this be it? Shale and Beau were as fucked up as I was. We were heading for death or prison.

And then we saw her.

She was so small, so cold. I couldn’t look away as she huddled against the side of the building, her clothes in tatters. Her eyes were huge as she watched us approach. It’s clear she was living rough.

We beat the absolute fuck out of the guy who was approaching her. He’s a tourist with a rape rap and just the thought of that happening to her made me sick. We killed that man that night. He never laid a finger on our omega, but he intended to.

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