Page 79 of Unhinged Alphas

As we tear down the mountain road, leaving the burning valley behind, I feel the tension in my body start to ease. It's only then that I realize how tightly wound I've been. How close to the edge.

I lean my head back against the seat, closing my eyes behind my mask. The roar of the engine and the whoosh of Wraith's gas mask in the back are the only sounds.

It's almost... peaceful.

And then it hits me like a punch to the gut.

We survived. We walked into what could havebeen a trap, faced down that smug bastard Raven, and walked out unscathed.

The relief is so sudden and intense it leaves me lightheaded.

"You sure you're okay, Plague?" Thane's voice cuts through my thoughts. "You're breathing like you just ran a marathon."

I force myself to take a deep, steady breath. "I'm fine," I growl, injecting as much irritation into my voice as I can muster. "Just thinking about how we're going to pull off this ridiculous plan of yours."

Thane chuckles, the sound muffled by his mask. "What, you don't think you'd make a convincing female alpha?"

"I will end you," I hiss, my voice dripping with venom. "Slowly. Painfully. With something that'll make you wish you'd never been born."

Wraith lets out a low, rumbling growl that might be laughter. Has he ever laughed before? That's new. I shoot him a half-hearted glare over my shoulder. "Don't encourage him."

Thane's chuckle fills the cab, and we fall back into slightly more comfortable silence as we drive along the winding mountain road. But my mind is still racing.

I've never had an omega to come back to.Someone who might actually give a shit if I didn't make it back.

It's terrifying.

And things are only going to get more dangerous.

Whiskey flashes through my mind. As if he'd care if I made it back. He wouldn't. It couldn't be more clear that what happened between us was a one-time thing for him. Hell, he's enough of a himbo, he probably thinks it was a goddamn dream.

And that's fine, I guess. Half the time, I hate him more than I like him.

Then again, I'm sure Ivy feels the same way about me.

Chapter

Eighteen

IVY

Mila Molotova struts across the screen one last time, her gun-arms swinging. The camera pans out to reveal she's walking into the sunset, leaving a trail of destruction behind her. Suddenly, the screen splits, revealing Brick's face. He grins, his overly white teeth glinting.

"You may have won this round, Molotova," he growls, "but the war ain't over. Not by a long shot."

Mila turns, facing the camera head-on. She cocks both her gun-arms with an exaggeratedclick-click. "Bring it on, sugar. I've got enough ammo in these babies to last me until the next millennium."

The credits start rolling from the bottom to the top of the screen as Mila and Brick start making outfor no apparent reason and the worst synth-pop song I've ever heard starts blasting through the speakers. I can barely understand what the singer is belting outside of a few select lines like "the taste of freedom running down my throat," whatever that means.

I blink, trying to process the sheer absurdity of what I've just witnessed. "That's... that's how it ends?" I ask, lifting my head off Whiskey's chest to stare incredulously at him.

Whiskey lets out a hearty laugh, jostling me. "Yep! Leaves it wide open for Bros, Hos, and Foes 4: The Reckoning of the Reckoning."

"You're joking."

"Nah, but it doesn't exist. The day after this one hit theaters, the world ended. It's okay, though," he says, giving my shoulders a squeeze. "I think it still has a happy ending even if we never know if Mila got her revenge on the cyborg cowboy ninjas."

"I don't know how I'll sleep tonight," I tease, letting myself sink further into his warmth. It's... nice. Comfortable in a way I never thought possible with an alpha. The steady rise and fall of his broad chest, contrasted with the softness of his stomach, lulls me into a sense of security I know I shouldn'tindulge in. Then again, it's like he was created in a lab to be as cuddly as possible.