Page 38 of Pack Owned
“She did a great job stitching me up afterward, too.” Dane grins, and my whole face heats.
Not saying anything at first, Ryker chugs his beer, eyeing me over the rim of the can. He sets it down with a thunk.
“You know she can’t stay, and she’s not our Omega.”
An uncomfortable silence falls over the table. Liam shifts in his seat.
“Come on, man. Give her a chance, at least.”
“This isn’t about chances,” Ryker growls, his jaw clenching. “We were supposed to deliver an Omega, that’s it. We blow this, and it’s not just the money we lose. It’s our reputation. Who’ll hire us if word gets out we couldn’t handle a simple retrieval?”
“And you’re just going to ignore what my gut is saying?” Liam shakes his head. “She’s our Omega. I know you feel that.”
“She’s trouble.” Ryker’s jaw tightens. “We should hand her over to Nexus and be done with it.”
My stomach drops sickeningly at his words. So much for his intense look during the fortune cookies meaning anything.
“Like hell,” Dane snaps. “After what they did to her? We’re not letting those bastards anywhere near Kayla.”
“I don’t think it was Nexus who shot at us.” Ryker takes another gulp of his beer. “They weren’t afraid to take us out to get her.”
My hands twist into my lap at his words.
Dane’s eyes narrow. “Alphas then? Looking for a new… possession?”
“Or worse.” Ryker throws back his head and downs the rest of his beer. “The black market for Omegas is a whole other level of brutal. They wouldn’t hesitate to kill us all just to get their hands on her.”
Liam sets his jaw stubbornly. “We can protect her.”
“By getting ourselves killed?” Ryker shakes his head. “This isn’t our fight.”
“It is because she’s our Omega,” Liam says.
The muscle in Ryker’s jaw ticks, and he grabs another beer from the fridge. After he opens the bottle and takes a super-long drawl, he lowers it and gestures to Dane. “And what do you think, too?”
Dane looks between Ryker and Liam before his gaze lands on me.
“I think... Kayla proved herself today. She was brave and didn’t hesitate to help me.” He rubs the bandage on his chest. “She could have run, but she stayed.”
“And what about the Omega part? Liam’s claim?”
“I’m leaning toward what Liam says. There’s something about her.” Dane offers me a small smile before focusing on Ryker again.
My heart clenches at his words, grateful to have him and Liam in my corner.
“She’s one of us now, whether you accept it or not. And you know what’ll happen if we hand her over to Nexus.” Dane’s expression hardens. “I’m not okay with that.”
Ryker drains the last of his beer, the tendons stretched taut in his neck. “This is gonna come back to bite us in the ass,” he growls.
CHAPTER 12
KAYLA
Ipush aside the empty container of honey chicken—damn, that was good—and realize we’ve demolished the feast. A pang of guilt hits me for enjoying this moment too much, considering I’m supposed to be their mark. Even though the spicy chicken and egg rolls are gone, there’s still Lo Mein, fried rice, and pepper steak left.
“Let me clean up,” I offer, standing up and gathering the debris of our meal.
“Ah, just toss it,” Ryker says, waving a dismissive hand.
