Page 17 of Unhinged Alphas

Plague tilts his head, studying me. "Of course," he says after a moment. "But, Ivy... I meant what I said. You don't have to be alone all the time. We're here if you need us. If youwantus."

His words are another blow, cracking the walls I've built around my heart. For a moment, I let myself imagine it—letting them in, accepting their protection, their care.

Maybe even their love.

But that's all fantasy. Reality crashes back in, cold and harsh. I remember my mother, broken and haunted by the alphas who were supposed to protect her. I remember the Center, with its pretty lies about refinement and purpose.

I give a noncommittal nod and pull open the clinic door, stepping out into the drafty hall beyond it. Better to go back to my reclusive ways. Myferalways.

The more time I spend around the Ghosts, the harder it is to remember why I can't have them.

Chapter

Five

WHISKEY

Istroll into the meeting room, hands shoved deep in my pockets. We've been back a whole damn week and we're still no closer to having an action plan, and I don't fucking do inaction.

Starting to feel like I'm crawling outta my skin here. Doesn't help that Ivy is walking around like a ghost haunting the halls of the Chateau rather than someone who actually lives here. But her reclusiveness doesn't stop her sweet scent from being infuriatingly alluring.

Like a juicy steak always dangling just out of my reach…

If steaks smelled like honey and vanilla and the best lay of my fucking life.

I haven't been the same since Ivy's heat, that'sfor damn sure. Nothing is ever going to come close to what it felt like to claim her. To be inside her. And not just because of the sex itself.

I'm fuckingobsessedwith her.

Except for Ivy, the others are already here, their expressions grim and tense. Thane stands at the head of the table, his arms crossed over his broad chest, brow furrowed in thought.

"So," I drawl, plopping down into a chair and kicking my feet up on the table. "Are we finally gonna talk about what to do with the little bomb Nikolai dropped on us?"

Thane's gaze snaps to me, his dark eyes narrowing. "We don't have any proof that what he said is true," he says, his voice low and controlled. "Just the word of a gunrunner, which won't mean shit to my father."

Valek snorts, leaning back in his chair with a sardonic twist to his lips. "For all we know, your father could be in on it," he says, his accented voice dripping with disdain. "He clearly doesn't give a shit about omegas."

Kind of surprised Valek's implyinghedoes.

Thane narrows his eyes, but he doesn't argue. What would be the fucking point? We all know it's the truth.

The alpha takes a deep breath, visibly forcing himself to calm down. He runs a hand through his hair, his jaw tight with barely suppressed rage. "I'll deal with my father. I'm already planning a trip to the capital," he says, his voice rough. "To feel out whether he knows anything so we can figure out what to do from there."

He looks around the room, his gaze settling on each of us in turn. "In the meantime, I want someone else to go out into the field. Hit up one of the underground markets, find out if there's any talk of these stolen omegas."

Valek straightens, a glint of anticipation in his silver eyes. "I will go," he says. Always eager to run off. And considering he's only here because the alternative was an electric chair, firing squad, or hanging, I guess I can't blame him. "I told you, my contacts in the Outer Reaches may prove useful."

“Not alone, you’re not,” Thane says in a rumbling growl a hair off from an alpha bark.

"I'll go with him," I chime in, a grin spreading across my face. "I love the market."

Plague sighs, a long-suffering sound that's only slightly muffled by his mask. "I should go as well," he mutters. "To make sure these two idiots don't get themselves into trouble."

I flash a wide grin at Plague. "Wouldn't mind at all, Doc. Always a pleasure to have you along for the ride."

Plague visibly bristles at my words, his shoulders tensing. I can practically feel the daggers he's glaring at me from behind those gold lenses. But I don't let on about our little... encounter. No need for everyone to know about that particular indiscretion.

Besides, it was a one-time thing.