Page 9 of Into the Fire: Before

Releasing a sigh, I squeezed Lin’s thigh before standing and making my way over to my more distant packmate. His overly spicy cinnamon and blood orange scent made even my beta nose itch. I ran my palm up Caine’s spine, ending with a friendly squeeze right where his neck met his shoulders. I leaned sideways on the edge of the low wall, my focus on my broody second alpha. “How many Tylenol have you taken?”

A soft grunt was his only answer. He sipped from his water bottle, not meeting my eye.

None, then. I shrugged, affecting nonchalance. “Could always try a homemade piercing. Brow, maybe, or lip!” The corner of my mouth twitched as I suppressed a grin. “You’d look badass with a lip piercing, and your brain will focus onthatpain instead of the headache.”

“Says who?”

“Says the only one of us with a medical degree.”

Caine scoffed. “Since when does handing out band-aids and lollipops qualify someone to—”

“You can finish that sentence,” Lin called over from the sofa, posture still relaxed, “or you can not be pushed over the wall. Choose wisely.”

Caine chewed the inside of his cheek, color blooming there. He finally caught my eye and gave a single nod. “Sorry.”

I bumped his shoe gently with mine, a silent forgiveness. Pain was quite the ass-kicker, so I didn’t blame him for sniping.

The hospital handed out migraine medication samples by the bucketful, but no matter how many times I offered them, Caine refused anything stronger than aspirin, if that. So the samples I brought home sat untouched in our medicine cabinet, and Caine spent a growing percentage of his waking hours in pain.

Because that made fucking sense.

I sighed, spinning my bottle between my hands. “Could always come in and get a hydration IV,” I said softly. “Just fluids, no meds.”

Caine was good at blocking out his emotions in the bond. Early on, I’d been insecure that he regretted the choice to bond us; he’d been Lin’s friend first, had returned for Lin, and had been saddled with me. Now, I knew the alpha well enough to know he simply loathed any type of vulnerability. The fact he’d even bonded us at all was a marvel, honestly.

He must’ve been rundown as hell, because tiny inklings of temptation prickled the bond.

“I’m on shift tomorrow night,” I said. “I’ll set you up in my office. It’ll be quiet, and maybe getting some electrolytes in your bloodstream will help.”

He stood still as a statue for several breaths before giving a single, terse nod.

Well, he’d agreed to one thing. That was something.

May as well push my luck.

I gave him the bestYou can’t say no to these eyeslook I could muster and put on the smile I knew best accentuated my dimples. “Of course, there are more enjoyable ways to fight a headache,” I said, ghosting my fingertip up the side of his rigid bicep. “Why don’t you let us help you tonight?”

Caine turned away, a gentle growl in his chest. But not a no. My heart sped, sensing I was wearing him down.

My touch solidified, three fingertips running slowly back along his arm. “C’mon, Caine.” My voice was soft, almost pleading. “We hate seeing you like this. Let us—”

The low squeak of the rooftop door opening stole my attention. All our eyes snapped to the two women standing frozen in the doorway. One petite but curvy with cocoa brown hair that fell over her shoulder like flowers growing down a wall, golden tanned skin and plump lips and round eyes.

Omega.

The other, tall and athletic with dark red waves and sharp features, softened by the slightest roundness of her cheeks. Green eyes evaluated us with laser precision as she positioned herself just the tiniest bit in front of the woman whose hand she clasped.

Alpha.

The five of us just stared for several long breaths, locked in some kind of spell.

“The rooftop isn’t open to tenants,” Caine snapped. The bond pulsed with agitation. “How’d you even get up here?”

Mystery Omega didn’t move, but her alpha jumped into action. “There was a key in the door,” she said, stepping forward and holding her hand out. “Figured we’d see if we could find you to return it.”

“Where was this key?” Caine asked with suspicion.

“In the storage-level door.”

---