Page 41 of Hide or Die

“I know,” I told him. “But it still means a lot to me.”

Flynn leaned back, resting his arms along the sofa back as he regarded me. He was taking up space—all alpha—and my omega was here for it no matter how hard I tried to push her back inside her box.

“What will you do now?” he asked.

The weight of the world came crashing back, slamming the lid of the box shut.

“I’ll need to discuss that with Kam, once we’ve both had a little more time to recover,” I said carefully. “But at a guess, we’ll keep doing pretty much what we’ve been doing—hiding in plain sight, trying to make a difference. Kostya Nikolayev and all the other monsters like him are still out there. So is the Beta Liberation Front, apparently—and at this point, that might almost be worse.”

“Back to saving the world, then,” he said.

I narrowed my eyes at him, but I couldn’t detect any sarcasm in his tone. Still, something about his words rankled. “You disapprove?”

His eyebrows shot up, as though I’d surprised him.

“No—I don’t disapprove. I just don’t want to see the pair of you get killed. You really think you can go it alone forever? Sooner or later, something bad’s going to happen.”

“Something bad already happened,” I pointed out. “Lotsof bad things happen, everywhere, all the time. That’s the point. But Kam and I managed for years. We’ll keep on managing.”

Until we can’t anymore. The words were unspoken, but they hung in the air.

He leaned forward intently, elbows resting on knees. “All I’m saying is, you two don’t have to be alone. You could have a pack.”

Warning klaxons sounded in my head. “We already have a pack,” I said flatly.

He didn’t break eye contact. “You could haveourpack. Both of you.”

Flashing red lights joined the klaxons.Danger, Will Robinson!

“That sounds like a good way for all five of us to get killed.” I paused. Took a breath. “Besides, I don’t get the impression everyone in your pack would be on board with that proposal.”

“Alex will get there eventually,” he said, with the same utter certainty Jax had said, ‘My pack will come for us.’ “It’s hard for her because of stuff that’s happened in the past. That’s all.”

I absolutely refused to acknowledge the bitter pang of yearning I felt at the idea of Kam and I being courted... being pursued by a pack of strong, reliable alphas who would pledge to protect and cherish us. Kam loved to talk about the old ways when we were cuddled together, alone in our temporary, makeshift nests—but that part of our culture no longer existed. It had been replaced by breeding pens, involuntary sterilization, and a furtive life spent hiding in the shadows.

“I don’t think something like that would be practical, given the circumstances,” I said carefully.

He smiled at me, sweet and open. “That’s a whole lot of words that don’t include ‘no,’ so I’ll take it for now.”

I opened my mouth to force out something a little less wishy-washy, but the front door opened abruptly before I could. Alex swept in with a face like a storm cloud.

“Flynn,” she snapped. “We talked about this.”

The whipcrack of her voice had my eyes darting to the side, my head tilting to bare my throat to her submissively without pausing to check in with my brain first. I felt the other two notice my lapse, even as mortification flooded me. Quickly, I jerked my posture straight and my eyes front and center, but it was too late. They’d already seen the supposedly cool-headed ambassador rolling over and exposing her belly at the first hint of an alpha’s bark.

Alex’s cheeks flooded red with a level of mortification equal to my own, and she straightened to military attention, eyes forward and staring into the middle distance. “My apologies, Madam Ambassador. Flynn wasn’t supposed to bother you with that kind of nonsense.”

Alpha hearing must have picked up the topic of conversation even through the walls of the cabin. If nothing else, it confirmed what I’d already guessed—Alex had no part in Flynn’s crazy offer.

“You know I’m right about this, Alex,” Flynn said. “But that’s okay. I can be patient.”

“I think there have been a lot of pheromones flying around for the past few days,” I began, channeling the same omega ego-soothing instincts that had made me a top diplomat. “And before that, a lot of crisis-induced adrenaline. Any omega would be lucky to have a pack like yours... but that’s not the world we live in anymore. Kam and I are trying to ensure that world can exist again someday—and unfortunately, that means avoiding any entanglements that might be used against us by those who want to destroy our people. Iamsorry, Flynn.”

He gave me a fond look. “I still didn’t hear a ‘no’ in there—so it’s all good, Leona.”

Alex shot him a quelling glare before returning her attention to me. “What you’re doing is important. Don’t let anyone distract you from it. And... let me apologize for barking earlier. You’re right that things have been...intense, lately.”

I tried on a smile for her. “I think you’re allowed a free pass for minor infractions after you’ve helped save our lives.”

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