Page 66 of Unhinged Alphas

My brave little fox.

She reaches for the door. I catch her wrist.

Gentle. Always gentle.

She looks back. Questioning.

I sign.Stay behind me.

A soft laugh. "My hero."

Sarcasm? Mocking?

No. Her eyes are warm. Fond?

It hurts. In the best way.

I open the door. Step out first.

They are waiting.

All eyes on us.

On me.

Chapter

Fifteen

THANE

Ipace the common room, my boots wearing a path in the worn carpet. My mind races, replaying the scene we just stumbled upon over and over again.

Of all the places I expected to find Ivy, Wraith's room wasnoton the list. And yet, there she was, tangled up with him in a way that left no doubt about what had transpired between them.

The thought sends a strange jolt of jealousy, fear, and rage through me. And I don't know why. All I know is that my first instinct upon bursting into that room was to attack my brother.

I had feared the worst.

Feared he'd taken her by force.

He's never given me reason to think he would do something like that, but it didn't make sense. She isn't in heat. There are no external forces compelling her to override her better judgment.

And then Ivy told us to get the fuck out and stopped us all in our tracks. That was the moment I realized the truth of the situation.

It was consensual.

I rake a hand through my hair in frustration. I'm not sure what to make of this development. On one hand, Ivy is our pack omega, and she has every right to choose who she wants to be with.

On the other hand... it'sWraith.

My brother. The most unstable and dangerous member of our pack.

Gruesome memories of Wraith's past outbursts flashes through my mind. The times when his rage consumed him, when he lashed out indiscriminately at friend and foe alike. How many times have I had to physically restrain him, to talk him down from the edge of madness? Sometimes he doesn't even recognize me. His own brother.

He has no idea what he's doing with an omega. He could have torn her apart, even accidentally.

The protective instinct that's been growing sinceIvy joined our pack has fully roared to life. I want to storm back to that room, to snatch her away from Wraith and keep her safe.