Chapter 22
It was pathetic how late it was, and yet Kai couldn’t fall asleep. Pathetic, and completely Sonnet’s fault.
The little firecracker hadn’t left his mind since she knocked on his door and made her demands.
Until that moment, he’d never seen her with such a spark before.
Normally, she’d cower, and her scent would burn, and then the boys would come and scold him for treating her the way he did.
This time, Sonnet grew some balls and put him in his place.
For a girl exploding with sunshine and rainbows, she had more of a backbone than he had originally given her credit for, and it was kind of hot.
Really hot. Just what the doctor ordered.
Kai rolled his eyes and tossed and turned on the bed for the thousandth time. Sleep shouldn’t be this difficult. Kai loved to sleep.
Beside him, Felix sighed and turned on the bedside lamp. He leaned over Kai, his hair sticking out in every angle possible, with this begrudging, why the hell can’t you hold still and fall asleep look that almost made him burst out laughing. In the past, he would have, but he held back tonight.
“What’s up?”
Kai raised his eyebrows, then looked up. “The ceiling, currently.”
Felix face palmed. “Dude, please. It’s midnight.”
“Like you even care,” Kai grumbled. “You’re the one who stays up late reading anyway. Isn’t midnight a little early for you?”
“Not on vacation when we get up at the crack of dawn. Whatever is tossing and turning in your mind, just make sure it’s not tossing and turning your body too.” Felix huffed, switching off the bedside lamp and laying back down. He added an extra huff to make a point.
“Geez. Does Sonnet know what a grump you are at nighttime yet?”
“Goodnight, Kai.”
He rolled his eyes and tucked his arms behind his head. Sonnet flashed through his mind, her puffed cheeks, narrowed eyes, and standing on her tippy toes to look more intimidating, but it just made her look cute. She was so serious earlier.
Geez.
“Hey.”
“What?” Felix growled.
“Dinner was…good.”
There was a long, awkward pause before Felix turned the lamp on again. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. You did a good job or whatever.”
“Or whatever? Huh. I guess I can take your weird compliment.” There was a pause again, and then a laugh. “Sonnet said something to you, didn’t she?”
Kai quickly rolled onto his side, hugging his pillow into his chest and grumbling. “Turn off the light already, will you? I’m trying to go to sleep.”
If an eye roll made noise, Kai was sure he heard Felix make it, but he said nothing else as he turned off the light and went to bed.
Kai’s face was burning up, and so were his ears. Shit. Was he coming down with something after just getting here? He wasn’t happy about the whole therapy thing or spending time with the pack, but shit; a vacation was a vacation.
It’s not the flu, his alpha laughed.
Then what the hell is it?
Embarrassment, dumbass. You got caught caring about our mate.
Like hell.
Kai wasn’t sure what came over him, but it wasn’t any of that weird, deep feeling shit his alpha had the nerve to say. They were the ultimate alpha! They didn’t need feelings.
That was before. Now we have a—
Don’t say it! He groaned.
MATE!
“Ugh, I hate you.”