Chapter 32
32
RONAN
I don’t like the thought of Briar anywhere near danger.
But I really fucking detest the idea of her being near it without me.
At least with me at her side, I can protect her.
Nobody she doesn’t want close will get within a foot of her if I can help it.
From what she’s told me so far about these two alphas, I’m ready to insert myself whenever possible.
“They wouldn’t have dared try this at the clinic. It’s pathetic that they’ve decided to harass her at home in the middle of the night,” she rants in the passenger seat of the SUV.
I’d have taken her out on my bike if it weren’t three in the morning and the wind wasn’t strong enough to rock the vehicle every time we’re on a straight road.
“She’s got a restraining order?” I ask, reaching across the dash to hold her thigh.
“Yes, but it doesn’t seem to be helping.”
“They’ve broken it by approaching her apartment like this. If she got the police involved, they’d be arrested.”
Her sigh betrays her exhaustion before a yawn does.
Fuck, she’s adorable.
The scrunch of her nose before she closes her mouth nearly does me in.
“I know. Sadie doesn’t want that mess tonight, though. I’m not going to make that call for her, either. Not if she’s against it. That’s why Clover and I were going,” she explains.
Eying her in the darkness, I try not to look as dumbfounded as I feel.
“What were the two of you planning on doing on your own?”
“I don’t know. Anything, I guess. She deserves better than this. Clover will want to check on her and the baby now, anyway. It’s safer that we go.”
“I’ll take care of them tonight, Petal. But from now on, she’ll need to be okay with calling the police. It’s not safe to have aggressive alphas hanging around her.”
She drops a hand over mine and laces our fingers.
“I know. Thank you for coming. It means a lot to me.”
“Just promise me that if you ever see them without me, you’ll call. It doesn’t have to me, but make that call to one of us. Your safety is our priority.”
The thought of her being accosted by these men on her own is enough to drag clawed nails down my spine.
It’s not going to happen.
Not in this life or the next ten.
“I promise. You don’t have to worry about me.”
I let out a disgruntled noise and follow the instructions on the GPS when it tells me to turn right.
We’re in an okay neighbourhood.
It’s better than the one Briar and my family live in.
Another thing I don’t like.
“That’s Clover’s car. You can just park behind her,” she instructs, already unbuckling her seat belt when I pull along the curb.
I reach for her hand when she tries to dive outside, halting her.
“Wait for me, Petal.”
“I will. I’m just—I need to get outside.”
“A few months ago, Dash was subject to a cruel article about his place in our pack,” I start, hoping to fuck he won’t care about me sharing this with her.
Briar turns her head to look at me with a hand on the door.
“As a beta, he’s always under more scrutiny than the rest of us are, even if he pretends otherwise. Usually, he can shake it off. That specific article just got under his skin, and seeing him so upset snapped something inside of me. I found the same reporter who published it outside of our next game and threw his camera at a wall so hard it shattered. Landon had to write a big cheque to get him not to pursue legal action.”
“You care about your packmates, Ronan. That’s not a bad thing,” she murmurs.
My appreciation for her multiplies when she doesn’t sound like she’s judging me at all.
The immediate understanding does things to me that should be terrifying.
“It’s not. I’m just saying that I get it. But it doesn’t always matter what our intentions are. Things can backfire anytime. And if you charge into Sadie’s place right now, we’ll both be dealing with the aftermath, prepared or not.”
She nods, flipping my hand and drawing a line up my palm with a rounded nail.
“Is Dash okay? I’ve never thought about what a beta would have to deal with from the public when it comes to being in a pack.”
“He’s okay. If you asked him, he’d tell you anything you wanted to know.”
“Really?” It’s a shy question.
I grunt. “He’s coming around to you quicker than I expected.”
“Alright, I will ask him, then. Are you ready to go up now?”
Turning off the SUV, I shove open my door.
“Let’s go.”
“I’m going to apologize ahead of time,” she says while climbing out of the vehicle.
We meet on the sidewalk before I rest a hand on her lower back and walk in step with her toward the duplex.
“For what?”
Ahead of Clover’s tiny blue car sits a familiar, lowered red showpiece with windows tinted so dark they’re black.
My hackles stick straight up as I shift closer to Briar, guarding her as much as I can without taking her into my arms and tossing her back in the SUV.
“I feel like I’ve brought a lot of drama into your lives in such a short time,” she starts, either not picking up on the change in my demeanour or ignoring it before it can affect the moment.
“With Landon and now this tonight.”
“Landon’s actions aren’t your problem, Briar,” I say immediately.
“Aren’t they, though? He’s not just the lead alpha of your pack, but he’s supposed to be . . . We’re connected, Ronan. I feel it so deep inside of me that I swear my entire molecular makeup has shifted these past few weeks. When I’m with you, Jasper, and Dash, I feel incredible. Like I’m breathing fresh air after spending my life in a cloud of pollution. But there’s still something missing. Someone.”
I roll my jaw to keep saying anything against Landon that I’ll regret.
Briar sighs heavily and leans against my arm.
“I don’t want you to think I’m not happy or that I won’t be happy if Landon never comes around. The three of you could give me everything I’d ever need,” she adds quickly.
“You’ll have us all, Petal. Every fucking one of us,” I declare, the unbreakable promise thick in my words.
It’s obvious from the quick smile she flashes me as we move around to the back of the building that she doesn’t believe me completely, and that’s fine.
I’ve never had an issue with proving myself to anyone before.
The only ones I’ve cared enough about to do that for are the same men she’s talking about.
She’s the perfect addition.
“Sadie’s place is just around the corner. She has the back . . .”
Her voice dies off when we turn the corner.
My first instinct is to shove her behind me, but she’s too quick.
My omega takes off toward the three people facing off in front of the front door.
Clover stands firmly in front of two males—alphas, with her arms crossed and feet planted wide.
The largest alpha towers over her and sneers at her.
Sadie is nowhere to be seen.
That’s for the best.
“Get the fuck out of the way, omega.”
“No,” she snaps.
“You can feel free to leave before I call the cops.”
“If you were going to, you would have already.”
I rush after Briar on full alert.
Panic threatens to shackle me, but I ignore it.
Fear has never done anything for anyone but make them sloppy.
She stands right beside Clover and squares her shoulders.
“Thorne, I’m assuming? You’re not allowed to be here. Do you not care about Sadie’s well-being at all? She’s nine months pregnant. This stress isn’t healthy for her.”
The shorter alpha beside this apparent Thorne looks Briar up and down, his eyes a bit too narrowed for my liking.
Fuck, any amount of eye contact from either of them in her direction is too much.
Depending on what happens next, maybe I’ll get to rip them out and eliminate their looking entirely.
“She’s nine months pregnant with my baby. It’s my right to check in on her whenever I please,” Thorne hisses, inching forward.
I’m there before he can get any closer.
He can be taller than my omega, but he’s not fucking taller than me.
Our height difference is so large that it startles him.
He falters, jumping back the step he’s just taken.
“I don’t recommend getting any closer to her,” I warn lowly.
His eyes are almost black as he braves a full glance at me.
“I didn’t know Sadie was making so many friends.”
“Is the red car out front yours?”
“Depends. Is that omega behind you yours?”
I pause, considering how to handle this.
The sheer possessiveness in his stare is coming from one place, and it isn’t because he wants Briar.
No, he wants to know if she’s mine so he can eliminate me as an object in his way of Sadie.
Pushing forward, I force him to move further back until the women aren’t directly behind me.
“If that car is yours, I want to know why the fuck it was parked outside of my omega’s apartment building.”
“Your omega,” he echoes, relief blooming as he gets approval that I’m not seeking out Sadie.
The relief evaporates when I curl my fingers in the top of his shirt and yank.
He curls his lip at me and struggles, trying to get away.
The fight only makes me tighten my grip.
“Answer me,” I demand, a bark lingering at the back of my throat.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I slide my eyes to the alpha beside him.
He’s too fucking quiet while his packmate is making a complete fool of himself.
Does he always stand by while he acts out?
Encourage him even?
“What about you? Are you capable of speaking?”
He swallows, glancing at Thorne for confirmation before speaking.
“There are plenty of red cars in Rayton.”
My laugh is hollow as I shove Thorne away, enjoying the sight of him stumbling over his feet.
“Not enough to keep me from picking out yours. If you go near her again, a visit from the cops will be the least of your worries.”
“She shouldn’t have taken Sadie as a patient if she didn’t want us hanging around,” Thorne snaps back, teeth clacking.
“If you’re going to make a threat, make it obvious. Come out with it loud and proud. I’m more than happy enough to beat your ass into the ground right here, right now instead of later.”
Thorne lifts a hand to fidget with the hoop in his earlobe, an anxious tell that I latch onto.
“Sadie belongs to me.”
To him .
Not them. Not herself.
The sense of ownership has unease coiling low in my gut.
Suddenly, there’s warmth seeping into my body, soothing me.
Briar’s lemon scent hits me before I sense her pressing against my back.
“She does not!” Clover screeches, stomping to my side.
Thorne turns his nose up at her, ignoring her declaration.
He’s too focused on me, reluctance beginning to build in his expression.
“I will see my daughter,” he promises.
The sharp hiss of breath behind me doesn’t go unnoticed.
“How do you know the gender?” Clover shouts, pouncing at him.
An arm snapping out from behind me tugs her backward before her nails can make contact with his face.
Thorne glares daggers at her, shoving a hand through his messy hair.
“I’m not sure such a violent person should be in the room with my omega when she’s giving birth.”
“That’s not your call. Just go,” Briar says.
I glance beside me and get a blast of pride deep in my chest. She might be small, but she’s braver than someone triple her size.
I don’t ever want to be the one she’s glaring at so fiercely.
Thorne shifts from one foot to another before stealing a look at the window behind us.
“Tell Sadie she can’t hide from us forever.”
Clover laughs darkly.
“She’s not hiding. You know exactly where she is and can’t stand that she won’t give you the time of day anymore. After what you put her through, you’re lucky you’re still able to smell the breeze tonight.”
He snarls one final time at her before shifting his attention to me.
“We’ll see the both of you again.”
“Only if you have a death wish,” I threaten.
The alpha beside him pales and waits for Thorne to start to leave before following him like a well-trained pet.
Only when they disappear behind the corner of the duplex do I let my shoulders drop an inch.
Briar clutches my arm and spin to my front, resting her forehead against my chest. She doesn’t speak, and I don’t blame her.
I don’t know what to say, so I follow her lead.
Shit, I never know what to say on a good day, let alone after all that.
Clover doesn’t have that same issue.
“Well, he’s downright awful.”
I grunt in reply.
Briar shakes with a quiet laugh, and I set my hands on her waist, needing the connection.
“Would it be weird if I said he wasn’t as bad as I was expecting?”
“Were you expecting the actual devil? That guy was a piece of garbage, Bee.”
“I know. I just thought he’d try tearing past us to break the door down or something instead of just standing there talking.”
Her confusion makes sense.
Alphas aren’t known for their habit of speaking about their issues instead of taking action, especially when we’re feeling territorial and pissed off.
Add the other issues Thorne has, and his behaviour was odd.
A pit grows in my stomach.
It’s almost like he was testing us.
I pull her flush against me and narrow my eyes on the corner of the house.
“Be careful, Petal.”
She nods, lips drifting over my shirt.
“I will.”
That has to be enough for now.
Until we can handle this situation as a pack. All five of us.