Page 122 of Cost of Courting

“He’s a switch. He can’t control when he’s an omega. That means he’s a liability to the club and to himself. I’m not going to see him getting…” Andy chokes off, his face turning red. “No! I forbid it.”

“It’s done. He can have the protection of the club or you can cut him loose, but we can’t undo the bonds.”

“I can kill you fuckers.”

“Not without hurting him,” Edric says flatly.

“He will get over it.”

“There’s something else,” I say and interrupt. “Have you heard of Selene?”

“Heard of her? Course I fucking heard of her. That beta’s savage defense of her neighbourhood is why we haven’t tried to take it back. I admire the crap out of her.”

I exchange a look with Edric.

“Omega, and she’s ours, too.”

Andy blinks. “And Bailey-”

“-Loves her.”

“So, you all just went and made a pack and left all your plans and everything to the wayside?” Andy stalks closer. “Are you giving up on your plans to run this club? To get revenge against this Tiger cunt? Are you walking away from your brothers?”

“Fuck no,” Mael spits. “We’re going to do it with them. Everyone here knows and loves Bailey. Selene is hardworking and fair. I have no doubt everyone will respect her, and she will be an asset to the club.”

Andy considers it for a long moment and then, to my dismay, shakes his head. “No. This isn’t going to work. You can’t have them both. You need to choose.”

I love this club. I love it so much. It’s in my blood, my sweat, my future, my dreams. These are my brothers. This is a pack that has been family to us.

“Don’t do this, Andy, please,” Mael whispers hoarsely. “We love this club. We’ve bled for it. You guys are family, you’re home.”

Andy grits his teeth and shakes his head. “You can’t have them both. It’s just not going to be possible.”

No one speaks. The heavy weight of loss tears at us already. I can feel it through the bonds, weighing us down.

There is no choice.

There’s only going to ever be one choice.

“We choose Bailey and Selene.”

Andy’s mouth turns down. “And that’s why you aren’t welcome here anymore. You need to be able to put the club first.”

“What about the help you promised us?”

“I promised a brother. I’m not doing favours unless you can pay for it.” Andy pauses in his walking away to look over his shoulder. “You could always ask Bailey for the money, hire an army to save your snake asses. See what he says about all this?”

I press my lips into a thin line. We can’t do that because he doesn’t know. He doesn’t know any of it, and if he knew how bad it all was, I’m not sure he would forgive us.

“Get out of my clubhouse.”

I watch him go, feeling the raw wounds of betrayal and abandonment, but, in the end, we turn and walk away. We’ve made our choice.

Chapter thirty

Selene

POP!

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