Page 40 of Pack’s Pledge
The security guard swiped open the door to the long hallway leading to the staff area.
The emergency room, nodding at Conall as he passed through the threshold, where he paused.
“Hurry up, Britt,” he said.
“What?” I said stupidly.
“Beau needs us, Britt,now,” he snapped, teeth flashing. “Are you coming?”
CHAPTERTHIRTY
Adrian
“You fucking asshole,”I said.
We were in the back room–because it really existed, of course it did–at Ardor.
It was like a small hotel suite: an en-suite bathroom, a kitchenette with glasses and plates, a minifridge stocked with water and juices, granola and chocolate bars. A large bed that nearly filled the small bedroom, with crisp linens, a wardrobe filled with extra pillows and blankets at one end of the room. And on the bed, Beau. His shirt was unbuttoned, pants unzipped, shoes laying on the floor by the door. He was the picture of relaxed debauchery, except that his eyes were a little too bright, his breathing a little too shallow.
He managed a weak smile, his lips glossy and wet. I wanted to kiss him.Pheromones.
“That’s a prize fucking asshole,” he said, and my eyes filled with what I was sure were definitelynottears.
“You fucking asshole,” I said, “this is not the damn time for jokes.” I paced back to the door, staring at the lock, at the security panel. My omega was going into heat and we were in the back room at fuckingArdor. I’d thought we were past our awkward meetings at the Heat Center, but once again, we were waiting on a stranger to help us through a heat.
Britt wasn’t a stranger, though, not to Beau. Not to Conall.
It was only me who was going into this heat confused and lost. Disoriented. I wasn’t used to the feeling–I usually knew exactly where I stood: I was Beau’s alpha, but not enough for it tomeananything, not really. I was a satisfying fling for any number of women, but never a boyfriend, since I wasn’t looking for that–I was already mated, wasn’t I? I was second-in-command in a largely commandless pack. And I was the odd man out in this pack that Britt had chosen to… hang out with. It was too weak, but I didn’t have a better word for it–Ididn’t,me. Britt and I were hanging out.
Britt and Conall were falling in love, if they’d ever fallen out of it. By the smiles I’d seen on his face, I doubted it.
Britt and Beau were fucking. And maybe…
“It’s my coping strategy,” Beau said, but his voice was cut off in a low groan. “Hey,” he said. His brow was wrinkled, but with pain, or worry, I couldn’t tell. “I’m sorry, Adrian. I shouldn’t have–”
“Don’t, Beau.” It wasn’t ideal, to spend the next few days, what, locked in the bowels of a weird club, but… “It’s not your fault.”
“It is, I shouldn’t have come, I should have known–”
“No, Beau, it’s not. I mean, sure,” I said, sitting on the bed so I wasn’t quite so…looming, “it wasn’t the smartest thing you’ve ever done, but I don’t love you for your brains, right?” I asked. “You thought you’d have time to get in a quickie, and listen, I will never, ever, blame you for trying to get with Britt.” I tried for a grin, but suspected my face settled on some kind of uncomfortably sincere smile. “You didn’t know that you’d be so affected by the pheromones, or whatever.”
“Aww,” Beau said, pouting and fluttering his lashes. “You love me, A?”
“What?”
“You don’t love me for my brains, you said. So, whatdoyou love me for? You must love me forsomething…” he grinned, and I rolled my eyes.
“Yourprize fucking asshole,” I told him. “But I feel like it’s bad form to fuck you before Britt gets back. After all, she’s the one who has you looking like this.” I stripped off my shirt, jerking my head at him to get him to do the same.
“Fuck, Adrian. Alpha,” he whined, wriggling out of his pants and up the bed, sitting up against the pillows and reaching for the half-empty water bottle, taking a long sip. “I’m sorry–no, let me finish,” he said as I shook my head again at his apologies. “I’m sorry about all this,but–I’msoexcited to have her for my heat.”His eyes, when they looked up at me, were wild, glassy, but still held some of that teasing glint. When that was gone… That’s when we knew it was real.“Finally, my poor neglected cock will get some act–”
The door swung open, slamming against the wall of the small suite.
Conall and Britt had arrived.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE
Britt