Faith & the Dead End Devils (Sweet Omegaverse, #8)(116)

I stiffened in my seat, my hands gripping hard at the arms of my chair. "Excuse me?"

Eve blinked and shrugged. "Adam has his pack now, but he and Faith were close. They were fighting Omikron long before the rest of us showed up. I think he's excited to go after the last of them, now that he and Faith are reunited."

Anger boiled in my veins, sudden and swarming, the room going foggy aside from the sharp vision of this alpha sitting in front of me.

"No," I growled.

Eve arched an eyebrow. "No?"

"No," I repeated. "No, you're not fucking taking Faith. No, you're not putting her on dangerous missions. No, you're not sending her out to chase after the organization that kept her in a cage."

"Says who?" Eve asked coolly.

"Says fucking me!" I snarled back.

And I hated her with a ferocious strike in my chest for how unflinchingly calm she remained. "I'm not sure your opinion matters in this case."

I jumped up and my chair skittered backwards, and still she was loose and relaxed in that goddamn chair of mine. "Like hell it doesn't. Faith might love her brother, maybe too much to say no, but I don't give a shit about him or you or frankly, anybody but her. She's been through enough. And I would eat your little box of knives before I let you put her in danger again."

Eve's eyes narrowed slightly as I tried to loom over my desk. "You're not—"

"You're not fucking taking my omega!" I roared, the bark startling in my throat, but clear and determined.

My eyes were wide, hands clenched on the desk. Eve's lips were curved, and even though I suddenly understood the trap she'd laid for me, it was as if I was suddenly breathing fully for the first time in…years.

"I see," she purred.

"Fuck you," I spat, but my eyes were on the door. They flicked back to the alpha in front of me. "Would you really put her back into that life?"

Eve rolled her eyes. "I don't know if you underestimate women or omegas, or just Faith in particular, but I'm sure she's capable. She doesn't deserve an ivory tower."

I huffed. "No, she deserves a fucking pack that's going to make sure that she's living the life she wants. Not the one everyone keeps trying to…" I growled again, reaching up and scuffing my face with my hand.

Goddamn it.

"Adam wants his sister to be happy," Eve said, rising from the chair at last.

I bit back my answer, a new urgency building in my chest. I stared down at the list on my desk, every note crossed off, and listened absently as Eve left the room. I thought about Rider's accusations, about Bear's question that I couldn't shake from my head like a poppy song lyric, and the nest upstairs that I barely fit into. I thought about the stares Faith received from the other alphas in the club, the way they sniffed the air of my office, a flicker of hunger in their eyes every time.

This club was no place for an omega. And Faith would leave eventually, although I ought to have known better than to fall for Eve's trap. There was no way in hell Bear would put Faith in harm's way.

But what if, my head whispered poisonously.

Do you want the votes? I did. I wanted to know that the club would keep me, that I hadn't fucked up so badly I might be voted out of my position. I knew I had those votes now, and the victory was a faint satisfaction.

My omega.

I growled once more, but it was worthless with no one to hear me, and my feet—and the drumming animal in my chest—were already leading me out of my office. The bar was barely occupied, just a couple of my men drinking beer and staring out into the dark gray clouds outside of our windows.

A storm was coming. Which meant I knew exactly where Faith and the others would be.

"Ready for tomorrow, King?" Skid called from the bar.

I flashed him a rough grin, too big and manic, and he jerked back on the stool. "Almost," I said, and then I threw my shoulder into the back door.

The storm was coming from the west, a gray sheet far in the distance, and I found Faith easily in the lineup of my club and our few visitors, her small frame tucked in the huddle of her pack. Ghost had his arm around Chance's shoulder, and Faith held Bear and Chance's hands in each of hers. I knew where I wanted to be, and I stepped up to her back, my arms circling her waist. I swallowed hard at the catch of her breath, the way her head fell back to rest on my chest.

My omega.

She twisted, trying to face me. "Hey, you're—"

"Come with me," I said, suddenly too impatient.

She blinked. "The storm's coming."

"We can watch it together." I tugged at her waist, backing away from the crowd with her.

Her brow furrowed. "King…"

I leaned in and kissed the lines digging into her forehead. "Come with me, princess."

Her lips were parted, eyes flicking back and forth over my face, but she followed as I tugged her away from the others. Bear's expression was smug, and Ghost was grinning at Chance, who looked…well, not pissed off, at least. Not that any of them mattered half as much as the woman before me.

"Is everything okay?" Faith asked, jogging to keep up with my long strides as I dragged her away from the others, behind the garage to the picnic tables out of sight.

"Tell me what you want, princess," I said, stopping us, shrugging off my leather cut as Faith watched with wide eyes.