Faith & the Dead End Devils (Sweet Omegaverse, #8)(114)

"She'd have a fight on her hands if she tried to take Chance," I muttered.

Rory, who'd brought plate after plate of food to the table until none of us could eat another bite, flicked a smile in my direction. He was nicer than I'd initially thought, he and Jamie quieter than the rest of their pack, steadying forces. I'd never seen alphas look at another alpha the way they did at Eve, covetous and proud at the same time, but they clearly cared for Adam too. An unusual pack dynamic, but it worked.

I searched the crowd as another alpha was booed away from the target board after a knife wobbled wildly left and into the desert. King was yards away, talking with one of his club members, their faces relaxed but attentive. He was using the night to work on his alliances, and it made me squirm in my seat. I didn't want to tear him away from the life he loved now, but I hated the thought that his position as president might prevent him ever actually making me his omega. I would lose him. One or both of us would eventually pull away. Maybe I would even leave with my pack. The thought of it made my stomach turn now. I wasn't ready to give up on King, and I didn't want to think about the moment I would be.

A warm arm draped over my shoulder at the same time as a large hand grasped mine. Ghost pulled me into his side as Bear drew my hand onto his lap, the pair of them offering silent comfort and a wave of warmth in the bond. The combination was as powerful as the heartache in my chest, and all together it just made the tears in my eyes swell into fat, hot drops. I turned my face into Ghost before they spilled over and he nuzzled against me, wiping those tears away with his beard. He smelled like cheap beer and smoke from the grill and that spicy sweetness that made my mouth water.

"Whatever it is, I've got your back, slick," he said softly.

I laughed, wiped the last of the wetness on my cheeks onto his T-shirt, and turned back to the game, only to find Chance watching us. He echoed his support in the bond as he rolled his wrists, knives at the ready.

"Here," Eve said, reaching through the tangled and trimmed branches staked to the target to point at a tiny and hidden branch.

Chance laughed and shook his head, arms shrugging. It was a nearly impossible target, hard to see in the shadowy night and difficult to reach, tucked behind other branches. But he didn't refuse as Eve stepped away, just shifted into position.

Bodies jostled at the edge of the crowd, rearranging to get a better view. I frowned as I watched Chance's brother, Rider, move toward the front. Ghost sucked in a breath, sitting up straighter at my side, and I reached over, resting my hand on his thigh.

"Chance can handle him," I murmured.

"Doesn't mean Rider doesn't need his nuts kicked," Ghost muttered.

I snorted but then Chance was in motion, slight and subtle as it was. I held my breath, ignoring the thunk of the knife hitting the board, watching Chance's shoulders tense slightly.

"Your baby brother is getting his ass kicked by a girl, Ride," Skid called from the other side of the crowd.

"Are we surprised?" Rider asked.

At my side Ghost growled and tried to rise, my hand on his thigh struggling to hold him down. Eve didn't turn, but I caught the quick flick of her hand, the knife tossed clumsily back behind her.

Or not clumsy at all, I realized, as the hilt struck at Rider, directly between his legs. He grunted and she turned slowly in his direction, eyes scanning him with false innocence. Garrett and Adam were snickering, Jamie shaking his head, and Rory watched with tense readiness.

"Whoops," Eve said, glancing down at Rider's crotch. "I missed. Small target, I guess."

Chance ignored them all, throwing again, and his knife struck the board once more, snuggly against the first. But this time, the tiny branch Eve had chosen tipped to the side, cleanly cut. A cheer rose up, louder and fuller than any laugh Rider and Skid had managed to get from their insults. Chance ignored the cheers with the same tense stillness he'd ignored the heckling, and he leaned toward Eve, speaking softly in her ear. She nodded, and the pair of them moved to our table in unison.

Adam yawned widely as Eve approached, and he was sagged against Garrett's side, eyes heavy.

"Ready to head out, sugar?" Eve asked him. Adam glanced in my direction, and she smiled briefly at me. "We can come back tomorrow."

Adam nodded eagerly this time. "Deal. I am tired. You're good?" he asked me.

Chance draped his arms over my shoulders, pulling me back to lean against him. "I'm good," I said to Adam. If anything, I could've used a day alone with my pack to rest. That's not right. You haven't seen your brother in months, I reminded myself.

Still, there was a little flicker of relief as we finished our goodbyes for the night and I watched Adam and his pack walk to their car.

Bear's hand stroked down my arm and I turned to him. My own eyelids were growing heavy too. We hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, and my new bondmark was itching for attention.

"You're…you're keeping me, right?" I whispered to Bear, the worry strange but persistent. Chance's hands tightened on my shoulder, and Ghost startled at my side.

Bear didn't look surprised by the question, as if he'd already read it in the bond. "Wherever we go, we go together, Butterfly," he answered.

I sighed and relaxed.

"How about we make that the nest for now?" Chance suggested.