Page 73 of Unhinged Alphas

"Stay the fuck away from my ass, bro!" Whiskey barks, his voice cracking slightly.

Valek purrs. "Such fragile masculinity."

"Bro, you threatened to shove weapons up my ass!"

Valek sheaths his knife and lazily drops his lanky body into the recliner, his long limbs spilling over the armrests. "I never said a thing about your ass,bro.That was all you,bro.Son of a fuck, do you ever say anything else?"

"Where else would you fuckin' put 'em?" Whiskey demands.

"Places," Valek says simply.

"I'm gonna tell Plague to neuter you when he scans your head for brain damage," Whiskey mutters, going to the mini fridge for a can of beer. He drains most of it in one huge gulp and pours the rest of it on his head like it'll cool him off.

Valek barks a harsh laugh.

I sag against the wall, my legs suddenly weak. What the hell just happened? My heart races, my skin feels too tight, and there's a persistent ache between my thighs I desperately want to ignore.

I should be annoyed by the display of alpha dominance and aggression, but annoyance is definitely not on the list of confusing emotions and feelings running through my entire body right now.

Did all that… turn me on?

"You know, it's too bad," Valek says with a dramatic sigh. "I suppose we'll have to do something boring then. Like watch a movie." He looksover at me. "Have you ever seen a movie, little omega?"

Valek's question catches me off guard. I blink again, trying to process the abrupt shift in conversation. My mind is still reeling from what just happened.

"No," I say, my voice hoarse. I clear my throat. "Not since I was a kid, anyway. My mother and I..." I trail off, unsure if I want to share this memory. But something compels me to continue. "We watched a drive-in movie from the forest once. It was some cartoon with talking animals."

The memory flashes through my mind. Crouching in the underbrush with my mother, straining to hear the tinny dialogue from the ancient speakers. The flickering images on the massive screen, larger than life. We had shared a can of sweet corn together. It had seemed magical then.

Whiskey's face lights up. "Oh man, we gotta fix that! Let's watchBros, Hoes, and Foes 3.Most culturally significant movie in the whole damn apocalypse."

Valek snorts. "It's not."

"It is!" Whiskey insists, more annoyed than he probably should be. "It's the last movie that was made where I'm from before civilization collapsedand everything went to shit." He pauses, a grin spreading across his face. "Plus, it's a feminist movie because the best character is a chick. Chicks can be bros and dudes can be hoes."

I raise an eyebrow, skeptical. But before I can voice my doubts, Whiskey's already fiddling with some ancient-looking black box hooked up to a battered screen. "I'll grab some blankets and snacks. We'll make this a proper movie night!"

As he leaves the room, Valek turns to me, gesturing at his recliner. "Take my seat, little omega. It's more comfortable than the floor, especially since we no longer have a couch thanks to our earlier... disagreement."

I glare at him, my jaw clenching. "I'd rather sit on broken glass."

Valek's eyebrows shoot up, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "My, my. Still upset about our little tussle earlier?"

"Yes. I am. You were cruel to Wraith for no reason."

The smirk fades from Valek's face. He watches me for an uncomfortably long time, his wicked grin and the flinty silver in his eyes softening with what seems strangely like remorse.

"Sorry."

I blink, caught off guard. "What?"

Valek's face twists like he's bitten into something sour. The word seems to physically pain him as it grates past his lips. "I said I am sorry. Do not make me say it again."

I stare at him, waiting for the punchline, the cruel joke.

"Why?" I ask, suspicion coloring my tone.

He sighs, running a hand through his bone-white hair. "It's just… I'm not sure you know what you're getting into."