Page 28 of Shades of Scars

I’m just as well convinced she’d rather see him dead than lift a finger to help him with anything in life.

Predictably, Wren heads straight for the mini bar when we enter his office. I don’t bother to shut the door behind me. Lark’s down at his new office dealing with client appointments, and Apollo’s apparently watching over our omega.

I settle back on the small love seat adjacent to his desk, watching the muscles in his back ripple while he fixes himself a drink. I can see the clear lines of tension all throughout his shoulders, and that has me even more perplexed.

If I’d come home smelling like sex and our omega, I most definitely wouldn’t be sulking like this.

He’s hiding something big. I can practically smell it. Well, aside from theotherthings I’m clearly smelling on him that I totally will not admit are making me raging jealous right now.

Calm down, Caito. She’s ours.Wren will never intentionally hog her. We are taking this at her pace. As long as it turns out she was comfortable with whatever had gone down, I won’t complain.

Might need to run one out later, but that’s beside the point.

After a silent and tense minute or two, Wren finally turns to face me. I arch a brow at him as he takes a sip of his favorite whiskey. “Tell me about the interview.” He gestures to me with a hand and takes a seat at his desk.

“Tell me what happened with our omega.” I counter, expecting him to sigh and glare at me, but he just shakes his head, leaning back in his seat while sipping on his drink.

“She sucked me off.” He offers, and I feel my other brow hit my hairline. It isn’t often I’m surprised by Wren. I’ll give him this one.

“And?” I press when he doesn’t immediately elaborate, and I don’t like the pained, twisted expression that shutters across his face, taking a large gulp of amber liquor to maybe lessen whatever is haunting him about this particular subject.

It’s times like this that I wish I was a mind reader.

“Fuck. A lot of shit, man. First that fucking prick Peterson shows up to try to interrogate Scarlett in her own home. Then Kate-”

“Kate?” I cut him off, now leaning forward in my seat, my curiosity piqued.

“The omega room mate. She invited me in to check on Scarlett. I probably should have declined. I sat with them for a bit, and she told me about her identity as Ruby Rain-”

“Are you fuckin’ serious? Apollo’s going to blow his shit when he finds out.” I interject yet again before he can continue, and he gives me a dry, narrow-eyed glower.

“Stop butting in, asshole. I’ve got some important shit to share.” He grouses, pursing his lips and preparing to be silent until I concede. Ever the expert at hiding my emotions, I gesture for him to carry on. He studies me for a moment before he does just that.

“The room mate… I can’t tell if she tries to help Scarlett out, or purposefully attempts to sabotage her. She up and suggestedScarlett show me her nest, and then left us in the apartment to let the chips fall where they may.Fuck, bro. She showed me her nest. Let me tell you, I’ve never been so goddamned turned on in my life. And then she went and told me to get in it.Shit.” He breathes out in a harsh breath, tilting his head forward to rest into the palm of the free hand not holding his drink.

I frown when a tremor works its way through his body. “For the most part, I believe it’s a pretty normal reaction for an omega to want her scent matched alpha in her nest. Scent marking is a thing omegas enjoy, I know that much.” I hedge, already knowing that this particular detail isn’t the cause of his obvious duress.

“Like a fucking idiot, I let her suck my dick. It felt incredible, by the way. But when I offered to return the favor, already smelling just how aroused she really was, she turned me down. I could see it written all over her fucking face, Caito. I’m such a damn fool. I should have thought about it before I let her make such a large sacrifice.” He goes on, lifting his eyes up to meet mine, but I’m still lost.

The feeling made me extra stabby.

“She… turned you down? Why would she do that?” I ask the questions, but I already know the answer. Same as Wren. I come to the exact conclusion he must have when he’d left her earlier. Instantly, my confusion turns to white hot fury. “She can’t shield her emotions from that prick.”

Wren’s mouth tightens into a flat line. It’s all the confirmation I need. “She won’t allow herself to feel any sort of strong emotion out of fear that whichever fucker has bonded to her will feel it. She doesn’t want them to find out about us. It’s the only thing that makes sense. She wanted me, Caito.” He explains it all, even though I really don’t need him to. His words only serve to make my anger intensify.

“It’s just a hunch, but I believe Peterson knows the jackasses responsible for all of this.” I saythisas a broad term for the entire situation surrounding Scarlett. “He insinuated he knew that she’s already bonded, and that they might want to know that their omega is hiding out in a city of lost souls and rejects. So he either knows who they are, or knows someone who does. I don’t believe in coincidences. He showed up to her apartment already knowing who she was. He wants an interview with her.”

Wren’s expression morphs into something fierce and scary. “Like fuck is he getting within less than two miles of her at any given time.” He hisses in outrage, and I know he’s not going to like what I have to say.

“I’m sorry. I already agreed.” The look he gives me is enough to make a lesser man’s balls shrivel up right on the spot. I hold my hands up in a placating gesture. “He threatened to report back to them if we didn’t cooperate, Wren. Not in as many words, since the entire interview was recorded, but I couldn’t deny his request without putting her in danger.”

This makes him pause, but he’s still clearly not happy about this. “He doesn’t have a solid case to stand on. I’m sure Carson told him as much. Why would he need to interview her?” He asks the question, even though we both know he already has his answer. He shakes his head, agitation clearly etched into the lines of his hard face.

“Friday we will meet with Masters at Carson’s offices. That was the deal. Peterson does not get to do the interview. The partner seemed like he hadn’t been clued in on the true motivations guiding Peterson. We will use that to our advantage.” I assure him, even though I’m not feeling entirely at ease about any of this.

Fucking hell. I just found my omega. Now we have threats coming from multiple damn directions, getting in the way of what I want.

It’s a recipe for disaster. The fucking board will not tip in anyone’s favor but my own. I don’t care what it takes.

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