Chapter 24
Chapter twenty-four
Malakai
Damn, that wily little fox.
He tricked me.
Even though he promised to stay in the corner of his pen, he only went and ran out from between my legs when I went to shut the door.
And now he is running loose around the house.
Ah, to hell with it; he deserves a bit of fun and freedom after allowing me to spend time with him in his pen the last few days, even though I have been a miserable asshole.
At first, the fox was wary of me, barking at me whenever I so much as dared to move. Yet after a few days of the same routine, he soon realized that I was no longer the threat he had always perceived me to be.
And lo and behold, last night, he even curled up beside me. Even though he stinks to the high heavens, he was warm and—I hate to admit it—adorable.
It started from the moment I grabbed his ball. His eyes lit up the moment I threw it across his pen, and then he accepted my challenge.
Catch the ball.
Now, I reek of his musky piss, and he must have peed on me at some point in the night as I make my way back to the house.
Honestly, I would take Fidget’s pee over the scent of her. I just hope her heat has died down now.
The fox is nowhere in sight when I enter the house, and I roll my eyes.
He has most likely run up to the Omega, since he seems to have taken such a strong liking to her.
He did so from the moment I tossed her inside his pen, and she didn’t even have to play ball with him. Fidget just fell for her instantly.
Not unlike his owner, I suppose.
I guess Wren and Gage are still with her in her nest, then. I haven’t even seen the inside of the Omega’s nest.
I haven’t even been in her bedroom.
Heavy footsteps pound down the stairs, and I turn, finding the stoic face of my pack lead and elder brother.
Gage folds his arms across his chest, and I make sure to keep a fair distance from him. He smells like her.
I hike up a brow when he gazes at me for far too long, and hold on... is he shaking his head at me?
He opens his mouth to speak. “So, you’re the one who set Fidget loose in the house.”
I blink at the comment. I know that is the furthest thing from his mind as I hold up my palms. “You got me. He just snuck out from beneath my feet. Crafty little fella.”
And now he gets to spend his time with the beautiful Omega upstairs. If you ask me, Fidget is a real genius.
Gage just continues to glare at me, and I know there is more he wants to say. I guess he is still pissed that I decided to avoid Lyra the past few days. Even when she was in heat.
I truly am the worst Alpha in the world, but truth be told, I just couldn’t. No matter how tempted I was to run upstairs and heed her siren’s call, I couldn’t let go of the fact that she is highly volatile and dangerous.
That at any moment, the king’s soldiers could come trooping toward our house to arrest us or worse... execute us for treason.
One of us had to remain on high alert. And that sorry sap just happened to be me. I always did get the short end of the stick growing up.
Middle child syndrome, I guess.
Another set of steps comes bounding down the stairs, and then Wren appears, a shit-eating grin plastered across his face.
Well, someone’s certainly cheerful. They both look good, while I stink of fox pee and have a stiff back from sleeping on hard ground for the last few nights.
Wren is still smiling when he moves past me, grabbing an apple from the bowl. He tosses it into the air before taking a leisurely chomp.
Then his gaze falls on Gage and me. “Whoa. What’s with the tension?”
I don’t look away from Gage’s challenging eyes as I say to Wren, “Gage is pissed because I let Fidget out of his pen.”
Gage’s eyes narrow, and there’s no missing the growl in his chest. I am deflecting like I usually do, but that doesn’t stop the smirk that grows across my face.
Wren is frozen in a half chomp as his teeth hover over the apple. He stares at me, bewildered, for a moment. Then he snorts, patting me on the back. “I knew you would come around to Fidget eventually. He’s cute, right? Such a funny little guy.”
“Yeah,” I reply, keeping my eyes pinned on Gage. “Very funny indeed.”
Wren is still ecstatic at my recent befriending of his smelly fox as he grabs a few more apples, then returns to the Omega upstairs.
Before he even makes it to the first step, Gage announces, “So... we have decided to run away with Lyra.”
Wren halts at the bottom step. Meanwhile, all I see is red as I glare at my older brother. “What?”
Gage returns to folding his arms. “That’s right. She is not safe in this kingdom. Not with the king’s soldiers searching for her. So, we are ensuring she gets far away from here.”
I can’t believe what I am hearing. I look at Wren to confirm if our brother has lost his marbles. But the downtrodden expression on his face speaks volumes.
Gage is serious.
Well, he’s an idiot.
“No,” I tell them next. “I refuse to leave.”
Gage arches a brow. “Weren’t you the one who called us sitting ducks the other night? We are leaving the kingdom, Malakai. My decision is final.”
A growl snaps from my throat. “But what about the life we’ve built here? Are you both just prepared to throw it away for an Omega you barely know? You know nothing about her. You don’t even really know why she was on the run from the king in the first place!”
They both stiffen at my words, and I knew it. They still don’t know a thing about her past, and to think they’re both bonded to her now—something else they both did without discussing it with me first.
Why am I always left in the dark?
A sly chuckle escapes me, and even I’ll admit that I sound evil. “She keeps throwing up a wall, doesn’t she? Through the bond... You have no idea of her past. Brilliant.”
Gage growls, looming closer. “You hold your tongue. Lyra is innocent. I know it in my gut. And whatever she is hiding can stay with her. She can tell us when she is comfortable. When she finally feels safe.”
I run a hand through my black hair, laughing up at the ceiling. “You’re both idiots.”
Gage tilts his head, narrowing his eyes at me again, and for the first time since he came downstairs from her nest, he acts as if he finally sees me. “You’re just as crazy about her, brother. Don’t deny your feelings.”
I don’t look at him now. Even when he probes further. “Well?”
Another heavy exhale escapes me. Then I roll my eyes, heading toward the front door.
“Deflecting as usual. Why am I not surprised?” Gage snarls.
Before I leave the house, I look over my shoulder. My gaze finds Wren’s. He pleads with me, hoping I see reason.
Running away with Lyra is the only way our pack can move forward. But I scoff at the notion, pushing my way out the door. “I’m going to set up more traps.”
Although I don’t see the point now if we’re leaving this place. Well, allegedly. I haven’t even decided what I want to do.
Neither of them asked me.
They just assumed I would go along with them because we’re a pack. We’re brothers, and we’re family.
We did promise our mother on her deathbed that we would always stick together, and I damn the clouds above.
Fuck.
I need some time to think.
There is one thing I do know: I refuse to let anything come between my brothers and I.
Even a pretty, doe-eyed Omega who smells of cherries.
I refuse to break up our pack.