Page 64 of Shades of Scars

He comes over to me, and when he bends down to brush his lips against my temple, I lean into it. “I’ll keep an eye on our resident psychopath and make sure he keeps his hands clean of Erossi blood. Wren has something else he needs to discuss with you, anyway.”

My eyes snap to the alpha in question, and he scowls at Apollo, who ducks out of the dining room before he can be reamed a new asshole. Anxiety churns in my gut when Lark sighs. “What? What is it?” I don’t like the way Lark exchanges a look with Wren. Like they’re trying to decide exactly how much they’re willing to share.

I growl, and that seems to get their attention. “Apollo is right. We do have something to discuss. I just don’t know how to say it without upsetting you. It’s really not something you need to be stressing about.” Wren lays it on thick, but I can practically smell that he’s holding back still.

“If it involves me, I have a right to know.” I gnash my teeth, and both alphas quickly dip their heads in agreement.

“Caito and Apollo were late getting to the hospital because they were tied up with someone that was sent to track you and possibly grab you. They were able to glean that there are two bounties on your head, each from different sources with different amounts and criteria. I’m telling you this because it might be possible that you need to stay inside the penthouse until we can neutralize the threats.”

Wren’s words stun me to my core. For several heartbeats, I can’t take a single breath while I process. “Two…two fucking bounties? What? How? Who?”

Lark rubs at the light stubble on his chin, eyes flashing behind his stylish, purple-rimmed glasses. “We figured it’s safe to assume that one of the bounties is sourced from the Erossi pack. We had someone look into who posted it, and it traced back to them. That’s the one that wants you brought in alive.”

I can practically feel my heart stutter in my chest. I swallow.Hard. “And the other?”

Wren looks absolutely murderous when he says, “It’s a hit. Set at a much higher price than the bounty put out by Erossi.” His jaw ticks while I feel my world fall out from underneath me.

Someone else wants me dead.

Silence descends over the dining room for several long moments. A tremor works its way through me—one that doesn’t go unnoticed by my two remaining alphas. “We will keep you safe, Dream girl. You don’t need to worry. If you can agree to stay in the penthouse, nothing and no one can get to you here. We have this place locked down tighter than the White House. The only people that know the code to get through the doors belong to our pack.”

Lark leans forward in his chair, offering me a brilliant, reassuring smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. That’s why I can’t let go of the steady stream of anxiety pumping poison through my veins at a rapid pace with the thrum of my hammering heart.

“It has to be my father.” I whisper, so low that I’m not sure the alphas hear me. I squeeze my eyes shut when his last words flash through my mind, like a broken record on repeat. A goddamned horror movie tagline.“Don’t disappoint me, girl. If you do, I’ll make sure you don’t live long enough to regret it.”

“We will find out if it is, Sweetheart. Lark is right, though. No one will get to you here. We want to keep you safe, but the choice is yours.”

My attention finally shifts back to Wren at the head of the table, and my brows furrow. “A… choice? About what?”

His smile is heartbreaking and vindicating at the same time. “If you’ll do us the honor of moving in with us.”

40

Caito

I’m sitting at my desk deep in the underbelly beneathRavenwhen my open laptop blares a call request on Zoom. I jab my finger down on the accept button, but I school my features so I didn’t let the asshole on the other line know just how irritated I really am.

Fucker has kept me waiting for three goddamned days.

“War.” My tone is whiskey smooth, all of the tension from the last several days hidden deep beneath the bottoms of my booted feet.

The older alpha arches a dark brow at me, piercing onyx eyes practically glittering from the other side of the screen. “Archer. Calling to beg if I have a fight free for you tomorrow night?”

I roll my eyes, playing the cool act I’ve fucking perfected since I could toddle around on two legs for the first time. “I’m calling in that favor you owe me.”

Something flares in Warrick Arson’s gaze, but he plays it off quickly enough. He knows how to shield, just as I do. We didn’t make it through the circles we grew up in just to let a little bit of insult ruffle our feathers. “Now, Caito. Is that how you greet an old friend? We haven’t spoken in ten years. Where did you end up? Hopefully not some back alley fight ring. You know you’re more talented than that.”

I grit my teeth, and the corner of War’s lips twitch. Perceptive fucker. “We aren’t friends, Warrick. This is just another transaction. Help me out with this one thing, and I’ll consider your debt paid.”

I half expect him to snarl and snap orders at me like he used to, but he surprises me when he sits back in his chair and steeples his fingers in front of him, elbows on the armrests. “You wound me, Caito. I thought we were tighter than that.” He hesitates, reaching up to scratch at a spot on his chin. “What is it you need?”

Fuckin’ finally, we are getting somewhere. I’ve thought about how I want to propose this for the last few days, so I dive right in. “Harlan Erossi. Do you know him?”

“Aye. I’ve heard of him. Can’t sayhe’smy friend.”

“Do you know that he’s running a joint illegal omega trafficking ring with Sterling Reighn?” I arch a brow, and that’s when I know I have Warrick in the bag.

He snarls, the sound not at all nice. “Tell me you’re fucking joking.”

---