Page 166 of Power Shift

“I’m just asking if you’ve got someone on the back door,” Landon barks.

Duke tightens his jaw. “It’s not your business if I do.”

“My omega’s inside this clinic, so yeah, it’s my business.”

“Do you think I’m a fool? I’ve had the back door covered longer than we’ve been at the front.”

“That wasn’t so hard to tell me, was it?”

“Leave it, Landon,” Jasper says, trying to pull him back to our group.

Landon allows him to, but only so he can get close enough for us to hear his low voice. “She’s been in there for too long without us.”

“She’s our omega. She’s got this,” Ronan declares.

“She’s also in heat. And has been for hours now. Any longer without us and she’s going to be in too much pain.”

My stomach turns. I know what he’s saying, and I’m struggling to keep myself composed for much longer. One look at Jasper and I know he’s in the same boat.

Ronan’s beyond pretending to be okay. He might be speaking words of confidence, but it’s obvious that’s for Landon’s benefit.

“You can’t go inside,” Duke says, only adding fuel to the fire.

Landon snarls, charging in his direction. “Tell me what I can and can’t do with my omega again.”

Jasper steps between them and shoves at Landon’s chest. “Don’t. This isn’t what Briar wants from us right now. You heard her earlier. Only Dash.”

“So go inside!” The command is close to tipping over into a bark.

It would have been the first time Landon’s ever used his true bark on me.

Wide-eyed, Jasper shakes his head. “No. Not unless he’s asked to.”

“You might have gotten lucky,” Duke mutters.

The four of us spin in his direction. Ronan speaks first.

“What does that mean?”

Duke pockets his phone. “Clover told me to send Dash inside. Briar needs him.”

“What’s wrong?” Landon asks, rubbing at the centre of his chest.

I stare at him. “I’ll find out.”

His expression shudders as he forces himself to nod. “Quickly.”

“I’m good to go in, then?” I ask Duke.

“Don’t go inside the room unless Clover explicitly tells you to. Knock on the door first. The receptionist will take you back,” he explains, clearly unimpressed with this decision.

“Got it.”I’m coming, Bright Eyes.

52

DASH

The receptionist iscautious around me as I rap my knuckles against the delivery room door and wait. She’s nice in an awkward way. Like she doesn’t necessarily want to be escorting me here but at the same time knows she doesn’t have a choice but to smile and pretend otherwise.

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