Chapter 33
Thirty-Three
KAI
Grimacing as I pull up beside the dilapidated apartment building, I turn off the car and frown. She deserves so much better. Now, we can give her that. I only hate that it took us so long to find her. After the incident in the office, where she nearly passed out, confessing that she previously dated Ryan, Vic informed me and Linc that he’d been buying her groceries.
Apparently, Daria’s been struggling with money for quite a while. I hate it. I hate that she’s known one moment of suffering, all I can do, all my pack can do, is try to give her everything she might ever need.
It’s been six days since we agreed she’d move in. I was surprised to find that it would only take her a day to pack up her things. She sent us a message yesterday to let us know she was done, perfect timing for us to move her in today.
I hate that it’s Sunday, and we only get one night at home with her before we have to go back to work, but knowing we’ll all be in the same place at the end of the day is nice.
Vic’s knuckles rap on my passenger window.
I climb out and lock my car, eyeing the broken window of an apartment on the fourth floor. That wasn’t like that when I came to pick her up. That night, it hadn’t seemed so bad, but in the daylight, it’s clear this building is in rough shape.
“Are we going to sit here and glare at the building, or are we going to go get our omega?” Lincoln walks back toward the entrance. “The sooner we get her out, the sooner she’ll be home.”
“He’s handling this better than I expected,” Vic muses, glancing at me.
“This is real,” I tell him. “We’ve finally found her.”
The smile on his face gives me hope that everything will finally be okay. “Then, let’s go get her, hermano.”
Grinning, I clap my hand on his shoulder and head inside. A gruff-looking man is leaning against his door, scowling at us, so naturally, I nod and say hello.
He curls his lip. “You’re here for her?”
Pausing before I can take the first step up to follow Lincoln’s scent, I slowly turn and take the guy in. He’s stocky and has a hardness about him that I don’t like. This isn’t someone who has compassion. He probably only thinks of his tenants as dollar signs.
And that kind of pisses me off.
“We’re here to help Daria move,” Vic says, as tense as I am, his fingers curled into fists.
The business side of me gets that this guy needs to make money. The more primal part of me, the one that knows he made my omega cry, doesn’t give a fuck. I take a step toward him, ready to punch that smug face, but Vic steps in my path.
“Are we going to have a problem here, Bob?” he asks the landlord.
“My name is John.”
“Cool, I don’t care. If you keep looking at Kai like that, he’s going to find a way to get around me and, right now, I’m not inclined to stop him twice. So, I’m going to ask you again, are we going to have a problem?”
Bob or John or whoever the fuck flicks his gaze to meet mine and pales at whatever he sees. Normally, I try to keep my alpha urges in check, but this fucker caused my mate a lot of stress and panic. He deserves to suffer.
My growl fills the air between us, and Vic releases a heavy sigh.
“You’re wasting time,” he tells the landlord.
“No, we’re good. Leave the key under my mat.” With that, the fucker slams his door closed, and the snap of the wood hitting wood hits me hard enough that it breaks whatever hold my instincts have on me. Or maybe it’s the fact that I can’t see his stupid, sneering face anymore.
Vic turns and gives me a look. “You’re such an alpha.”
“Like you didn’t want to kick his ass too.”
“No, I did, but I can control myself.”
Shaking my head, I turn and head up the stairs. “At least that makes one of us. I don’t know what just happened.”
“I do. Daria is our mate, but she’s not marked. That guy threatened her safety, even if it was only an eviction notice. So, you went all Kai smash.” His voice deepens on the last two words.
“What’s Kai going to smash?” Daria asks, appearing in front of me with a box in her arms and a big smile lighting up her face. Sunlight spills through the dirty window at the end of the hallway, outlining her in a golden glow. She looks like an angel. Well, a sweaty, blushing angel, but still. She’s divine.
It’s the only thing that explains how quickly the tension leaves my body when her gaze skips from Vic to me. And as simple as that, I don’t want to punch anyone. I want to pin her to the wall and cover her in my scent.
She breathes in and her mouth pops open. “Oh, wow. Someone is horny.”
Vic chuckles and brushes past me to grab the box. “He’s a little out of sorts. He ran into Bob, the landlord, and almost kicked his ass.”
“John?” Her eyes drop to my knuckles, searching for blood. “Did you hurt him?”
“No.”
She frowns. “Aw, man.”
“Told you I should’ve kicked his ass,” I tell Vic.
“You didn’t tell me shit.” Vic rolls his eyes, holding on to the box with one hand. “I saved your ass from a lawsuit. That asshole wouldn’t think twice about trying to get money out of us.”
“Not to mention,” Daria says, stepping close enough to link her hands around my neck, “I’m not really a fan of blood.”
I smirk down at her, brushing an errant curl away from her face. “Well, good thing our beta was there to save the day.”
She releases a dreamy sigh and bats her eyelashes at Vic. “My hero.”
“Smart-ass,” he grumbles, but there’s no denying the smile tugging at his lips.
I bury my nose against her neck and breathe her in.
She wiggles in my hold and giggles when I playfully nip her pulse. “Behave.”
“Must I?”
“Yes,” she says, leaning away from me. “We’ll be home soon enough.”
Grinning, I glance at Vic. “Did you hear that?”
He nods. “Yup.”
“Oh, you’ve got to be shitting me. I’m in there, working my ass off, and you two are out here trying to seduce her?” Lincoln asks, scowling and carrying three medium boxes in his arms.
“We ran into the landlord,” Vic tells him.
Linc’s eyes narrow. “Oh yeah? Where is that fucker? I have a few things to tell him.”
“Seriously, you too?” Daria asks, shaking her head at him.
Vic snickers. “It’s an alpha thing, little doe. Roll with it.”
She sighs. “All this big alpha energy is making me hungry.”
“I have something you might want to put in your mouth.” Linc winks at her, and Daria giggles and buries her head against my chest.
“You’re embarrassing me in front of my friends,” she grumbles.
“ Good Fellas ?” I ask.
“ Bio-dome .” She steps out of my arms, taking all my warmth with her. “I’ve never seen Good Fellas .”
“Well, that’s a crime,” Linc says. “We have a lot to teach you.”
She arches her eyebrows. “Because you’re so much older and wiser?”
“Not that much older,” I mutter.
“Sure thing, old man.” She nudges me and tips her head toward her apartment. “There’s not much more to grab.”
Linc and Vic take the boxes they have down to Vic’s truck, and I follow Daria to her apartment. The walls are dingy, the floor is worn, and the light fixtures look older than me. That has to be a hazard. The fridge isn’t from this century—okay, that’s an exaggeration, but is that thing even safe? The Formica counters are bubbled and peeling.
I swear, if Daria gets sick because of asbestos, I’ll sue the building owner.
The only thing I like about this apartment is that it smells like her.
She deserves more.
Daria returns from her bathroom with a small box and pauses, flinching at the look on my face. “It’s not much, but it was home for a long time, you know?”
Fuck. I didn’t mean to make her feel the need to defend herself. She’s been struggling for a while, and although this may not be the best place, it’s given her shelter. That’s enough.
“I only think you deserve better,” I tell her with an apologetic smile.
“Yeah, well, some people can’t afford better.” She huffs, then glances away, shaking her head. “Sorry. I’m embarrassed, is all. This place is clearly so beneath you, and I feel like an imposter going to live in the castle.”
I move toward her, chest heavy with regret. “You have nothing to apologize for. I’m the one who was being uptight. There’s something inside here”—I place my hand over my heart—“that will never think anything is good enough for you.”
She slides her gaze over my face, eyes a little guarded. “Is this our first argument?”
“I think so.” I grimace, shoving my hands into my pockets and stepping close enough we’re nearly chest to chest. The only thing separating us is that little box. “Is there any way I can make it up to you?”
Daria breathes in and looks up at me through her eyelashes. “I might be able to think of a few things.”
“Again?” Linc asks with a dramatic sigh. “Are you going to help or not, Kai?”
“He’s so mad,” I whisper to Daria, leaning in and brushing my lips over hers. “Let me know when I can apologize.”
“What are you apologizing for?” Vic’s voice is edged with a warning.
It seems our beta also gets overprotective of our omega.
“For being rich.” Daria pushes the box into my arms. “Let me get you another box.” She turns, grabbing one from the closet.
“What did you say?” Vic asks with a frown.
“Nothing. It was my face that was the problem.”
Linc snickers. “See, I’ve been telling you that for years, but you never want to listen.”
I roll my eyes when Vic and Daria both laugh at my expense. The teasing doesn’t bother me. They can talk shit all they want, so long as she calls our house her home and she forgives me for judging her place.