7. Kai
Kai
“ A h, the Hiscoxes,” I beamed as Caspian and I stepped into their little private area in the party where they had cornered the two omegas they definitely shouldn’t fuck with. “You know, I was hoping you’d show up.”
I couldn’t see the third Hiscox, but I was sure he wasn’t far away. It would be a problem if he was using their packs's only brain cell.
Because these idiots couldn’t resist Camille when she was all alone and vulnerable.
The two Hiscoxes shot up, instantly tightening their grasps around Brandy and Camille. Their faces twisted as they realised Caspian was close to slipping into beast mode. Which would be fucking fantastic, but not at one of Zania’s parties.
My alpha was already swelling up as pure fucking fury whipped through him, curling around me like lava, my hands shaking at the fierceness of it.
Even without Caspian’s rage, seeing someone touching Brandy without my permission had my heart stuttering.
Big fucking mistake.
The main reason I’d gone over to Cas was to ask him if anything shifty had happened to Brandy, which would explain why her ears were bright pink and swollen, since he couldn’t take his fucking eyes off of her all night. But he hadn’t known either.
I sighed happily as Caspian rolled up his sleeves, and I gently extracted a hairpin at his signal.
Yeah, the Hiscoxes slobbering all over Camille was pretty shit and all, but it was just because she was doing her trembling act.
Sin was busy manoeuvring Lord Langlee away from Lily so he didn’t hit on her and end up getting kicked in the balls like last month.
So, really, there was nothing to hold us back.
I mean, maybe we were supposed to be on good behaviour because of our deal to protect Camille, but if Cas was getting ready to go, I wasn’t missing out.
He must have told his employees guarding the party to stand back, because they were watching us closely without making a move to help.
Brandy stared at us both wide-eyed, and I wished the bond was still in place so I could feel whatever the fuck was going on with her.
I’d already caught jealousy splashed over her face when Sin was introducing his sister.
But how ugly would she look when she saw how Camille and Cas really were together?
I threw Brandy a wink to let her know I was watching her and her fake worry. It pissed me off to no end that I went all happy and gooey inside when she’d relaxed for me. Like I’d fucking reassured her.
“No, no,” I cut back to the Hiscoxes, casually spinning my hair pin between two fingers. “Please, don’t stop on our account. I was enjoying the part where you said we couldn’t take care of our mate.”
“Don’t fucking start with us, Risler. You know you can’t do shit about it,” the shorter one growled.
I’d never bothered to learn their names. All I knew was that there were three of them and they were all cunts.
“Well, now, this is interesting,” I hummed, tapping my hairpin against my bottom lip. “I thought Zania would have told you about our little agreement with her about finding ourselves a mate. But judging from how confused you look, I’ll take that as a no.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” the taller one snapped.
“What’s the verdict?” Caspian asked, completely ignoring the tall Hiscox’s question. Sleeves fully rolled, thick muscles creaking under his strained shirt. He swelled beside me, his wide chest like a battering ram ready to take them down.
Amusement curled through me. “I think we’ve got two pissheads here who have overstepped their fucking bounds,” I purred. “And it sounds like someone needs reminding of their place.”
Camille’s face filled with tension as my mate growled, her face blooming into fear as Caspian sized up the Hiscox holding her hostage.
It was like she’d totally forgotten that the alpha could snap her boney arm with one clench of his hand.
And that lovely darkness took over Brandy again as she saw the way they looked at each other. It was way sexier than those angry glares and soft looks she’d given me the last time we were at one of these fucking parties.
Caspian moved forward. His aura thudded as his foot hit the floor, a sharp beat of energy slicing through us, and the Hiscoxes visibly flinched.
“Let her go,” Caspian said, all dark and low, just how I liked it.
He stepped in front of Camille, and her light intake of breath said everything as she vanished from my sight.
Then it was a line of Brandy, Camille, and two Hiscoxes, their backs to the wall as Caspian loomed over them.
I almost wiggled in excitement at the showdown as I glided in next to Cas.
“I said step the fuck back.” Caspian’s voice cracked through the air like a fucking whip. “Get your hands off of her.”
“She’s our mate,” the taller pisshead said.
“Camille would only be your mate if we couldn’t find a female omega. And we’ve got our omega, so back the fuck off.”
I hated that it took me a moment to figure out he was talking about our dear Brandy and not the little omega looking up at my alpha like he was her one and only.
The short Hiscox barked a laugh. “You can hardly call her your mate when she’s a fucking Knottinghill—”
A growl tore from Caspian as he shot forward. Quick as fucking lightning, his fist slammed into his face, and the Hiscox was thrown back. Camille screamed as he dragged her with him, and they nearly tumbled to the floor.
Chaos exploded as the other Hiscox roared, and Caspian leapt for Camille.
“Kai! Watch out!” Brandy shouted. But she didn’t need to worry.
One second the alpha was flying through the air towards me, the next he was yelling as I drove my favourite hairpin straight into the tender, fleshy, exposed part of his arm.
Fuck, I’d been wanting to do this since they’d made Camille cry when they announced the engagement.
“Remind me again who the fuck you’re talking to?” I sneered as he fell to his knees. I bent over him, twisting the pin, earning me another scream.
We were going to get in so much shit for this, but my fucks were low when Brandy’s face scrunched up in fear. She was the one I needed to protect here.
“Fuck you,” he snarled as he tried to rip my hand away, but there was no way I was letting go. “You’re just a male omega. You can’t do shit to us when—”
“Wrong!” I laughed as I yanked out the hairpin, and gasps echoed from the inconvenient crowd around us as blood spurted from his arm. “Try again! Think about who you’re talking to, pisshead!” I shouted, lifting up my hairpin for another stab.
A gloved hand slapped against my raised fist and vanilla burst around us as a low growl rumbled from above.
And my heart plummeted to my stomach as my alpha reared over me, purple eyes flared, his face a blank mask of fury.
“That is enough .” Sin’s aura rushed over us, spiralling through my body and hissing at the tips of my fingers. Brandy and the Hiscoxes gasped, and a whimper rang from Camille as Caspian pulled her to his chest.
“Sin…” I trailed off, a whisper of fear tremoring in me as his real anger churned in him.
“Where do you think we are?” he asked, his voice like a blizzard crushing us as he pulled my arm down.
“I was just protecting—”
“You are acting out. As is Caspian. You know this is too delicate a situation to be taking these kinds of risks. Yet, look at this mess.”
His aura cut through me, and I flinched. Suddenly, I wasn’t someone protecting his family from a threat. I became an omega being scolded by his alpha in public for being a naughty boy.
Two black-suited guards darted in, dragging away the Hiscoxes as they fought and snarled.
Caspian’s team were going to get a scolding as well.
I couldn’t see it going over well with Zania that he was the one who’d started it, but she had bigger things to worry about.
Like how to pass this shit off to the guests as nothing more than a little fun.
And the whole time the Hiscoxes struggled, Sin stood there clasping me, taking slow breaths to stay composed as Caspian smothered Camille with attention, his back solidly to Brandy.
Sin released me, shaking his head. “We have no idea what kind of effect this might have,” he said quietly, scanning the crowd.
It was obvious whose eye he caught as he actually fucking scowled, making me feel like the shittiest person in the world.
“I must speak with Mother before this gets out of hand.”
I didn’t even have a snarky comeback. My omega instincts were set to panic mode because my alpha was angry and I wanted to fix it.
Sin’s gaze dipped to the hair pin clutched in my hand. If I hadn’t already felt small, the way he frowned when he saw how blood dripped from the tip made me feel so tiny I didn’t know if I even fucking mattered anymore.
“We will discuss this later,” he warned before striding over to Camille, and I suddenly felt a million miles away from them.
“Are you okay?” Caspian asked Camille softly. He kept her close to his chest. Light wisps of her hair fluttered over her shoulders as she sighed at Caspian’s simpy concern.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her delicate hand inching up to brush his shoulder.
He bent to murmur something to her. If I couldn’t feel all his physical sensations, I would have sworn they were fucking kissing.
But my focus dragged to the luscious but tense omega draped in a green dress and covered in our horny-as-fuck scents.
Her lips parted as she rasped a question, but I was too distracted by the change in her scent to hear her.
“Brandy? What are you doing?” I asked as I stepped towards her, my hurt at Sin’s disappointment taking a back seat as I met her gaze.
She turned to face me, her eyes wide, her lips parted in that super sexy way that always got my cock up. But she kept glancing between me, and the three of them all cosied up together.
I was all hyped up on adrenaline, so it was only when Brandy’s face totally fell did I get that it finally clicked for her.
She’d worked it out. She saw what every other person in the world saw. The reason why the entire fucking planet thought I’d never be good enough for my alpha.
She saw the way Cas delicately held Camille, how easily she fit into his arms, and how Sin booted me to the side when Camille was on stage.
The worst part? As the slow production of Brandy’s reaction played out, guilt and shame flooded me. Because I kind of wanted us to be better than this. I sort of didn’t want her to learn we were actually a fucking mess. Not that we exactly hid it. But I wished we could be better, for once.
I hated seeing Brandy get fucked up over learning how Cas felt about Camille.
I’d wanted her to be all gnarled and twisted because I’d had to put up with five fucking years’ worth of that shit.
But the ache that crept into her rich scent was like feeling my own heart breaking all over again. Because my omega was fucking hurting.
That’s why my dumb ass was two seconds away from rushing towards her and pulling her into my arms. So I could hold her, comfort her, let her know she wasn’t the only person who Sin and Cas fucked up with their shit.
As I slid my blood-stained hairpin into my pocket, I swallowed a nervous breath. It was fucking dumb, but I couldn’t have her thinking I was some pushover for trying to make her feel better.
I just didn’t want her to be alone like I had. That was all.
But I lost my chance.
Like it was a choice between me and them, her gaze left me as she moved towards them. And the four of them huddled up together like they were the perfect family.
Caspian turned from Camille, and my heart plunged as he loomed over Brandy, a deep growl rumbling from him.
Sin comforted his trembling sister by giving her his jacket, Brandy met Caspian with a heated look as his cock stirred, and I was totally forgotten. Again.