Page 80 of Unhinged Alphas

"So, what'd you think, Valek?" Whiskey asks over his shoulder, his voice booming in the quiet room. "Good as you remember?"

Silence.

I crane my neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the alpha behind us. He's still there, a dark, imposing figure at the edge of the nest. But he might as well be a statue for all the life he's showing.

"Aw, come on," Whiskey goads. "Don't tell me you fell asleep."

More silence. Then, finally, a low mutter. "It was... adequate."

I can't help but snort at that. "The high praise is well deserved."

Whiskey's laugh reverberates through me, but I find myself worrying about Valek. Did he actually get hurt earlier? He's an unhinged force of nature, all violence and mayhem. But right now, he's just... quiet. Distant. It's unnerving in its own way.

"Told you it was great," Whiskey says. "Nothing like a good old-fashioned action flick to take your mind off things."

He's not wrong. For a couple of hours, I forgot about everything except explosions and terribleone-liners and the bear-shaped human furnace holding me in a nest of blankets and pillows.

I stretch, realizing how stiff I've gotten from sitting in one position for so long. My muscles protest, reminding me I'm not used to this kind of relaxation. As I shift, I catch a whiff of Valek's scent. It's still there, cold and smoky, but fainter now.

I twist around, peering over the edge of the nest.

Valek's gone. I didn't even notice him leave.

"When did he go?" I ask, frowning.

Whiskey shrugs. "Dunno. You know how he is."

"I guess," I mutter.

But I don't. I don't really know any of them at all.

That's the craziest thing about all this. In spite of how hard I've fought to not get attached to these alphas, to steel myself against their strange and unexplainable comfort so it doesn't hurt when I leave, I'm actually starting to feel like they're my pack. And yet I don't know anything about them other than the tidbits of information I've managed to pick up here and there.

I tilt my head back to look up at him. "What's your story?"

He stares down at me, his brow furrowing. "What do you mean?"

I roll over, my much smaller frame easily fitting on Whiskey's broad torso. His soft belly cushions me as I settle in, my forearms resting on the solid expanse of his chest. I prop my chin up, gazing directly into his warm honey-brown eyes. My body rises and falls with each of his deep breaths, emphasizing the size difference between us. It makes me feel like a doll.

"I mean, I don't know anything about you. Any of you, really," I say, studying the planes and angles of his face. The contrast between his rugged features and the softness in his eyes fascinates me. "And I want to."

Surprise flickers across his features, his eyebrows lifting slightly. "Huh. To be honest, we don't know much about each other either."

He scratches his chin, the stubble making a soft scraping sound against his short nails. The movement shifts me slightly, reminding me of how easily he could toss me aside, even accidentally. But instead, one of his huge hands comes to rest on my lower back, steadying me.

"I'm not that interesting, though," he continues. "Just a soldier from across the sea."

I find myself tracing the outline of a starburst-shaped scar on his upper chest with my fingertip. "Tell me anyway," I press, curiosity getting the better of me. "Where are you from?"

Whiskey's free hand comes up to play with a strand of my hair, twirling it gently between his thick fingers. "Columbia," he says after a moment. "Or what used to be Columbia, anyway."

I tilt my head, intrigued. "I've never heard of it."

He chuckles, the sound reverberating through my entire body. "Not surprised. It's a mess now, split into a bunch of warring city-states. Not much of a country to speak of anymore. Everyone's got their own idea of how to 'fix' it, but it ain't happening."

I frown, trying to picture it. "So you left because of the fighting?"

Whiskey lets out a bark of laughter. "Nah, the fighting's all I knew. Left 'cause I fucked up." He grins, a mischievous glint in his eye. "You wanna know how I got my name?"