Chapter 31
THIRTY-ONE
ROGUE
By the time Thistle had finished drawing little red hearts onto Ace’s collar, a moonflower bomb might as well have gone off on our end of the table.
The packs nearest to us didn’t say a thing—in fact, I kept catching them giving us nervous looks, as if they were afraid they might offend us.
“Never thought to use them like that,” Lorelai Hunter told Thistle, coming over for a visit.
“You… haven’t?”
Thistle looked back at the table of guests, then at the little ‘xoxo’ she’d drawn on Ace’s collar, a frown creasing her brows. I felt a brief flutter of panic from her, as if she was running back through everything she’d seen to work out where she’d messed up.
The markers were the language of monsters—an indication to Bella of what taste her guests had when it came to unwitting victims. Of course no one had thought to paint all over their co-guests.
Very slowly, Ace cocked his head, the movement so careful that Thistle didn’t notice as he locked eyes with Lorelai.
Lorelai blanched, glancing between them. “No, no, of course I have. I just mean… the designs aren’t… ones I’ve seen before. You have great taste.”
“Oh.” A relieved smile split Thistle’s face. “Uh… thank you.”
She was trying desperately to fit in and not look like a crackpot Omega with an unhealthy obsession for her Alphas, but the benefit of hanging off Ace Maverick’s arm was that it didn’t matter.
She could do the strangest things tonight, and every anxious onlooker would smile and pretend it was utterly normal.
Another gift from Ace, I supposed.
I noticed Knox, in particular, was drenched in Thistle’s scent—frosted moonflower woven with ink and antique wood from the little floor visits she’d paid him. I didn’t know if it was a warning to the other Alphas in the room, to Bella, or to me—to go easy on him.
Not that I could do that.
We were here to put on a show. If I went easy on Knox, no one would believe this ruse for a second. He needed to be humiliated to a degree that not one prideful soul in this room had a flicker of doubt that this was as real as it got.
The one thing I could say about Knox was his ability to sacrifice for his cause—and that included his dignity.
I was just helping him.
The worse I made it, the more these idiots would buy into the lie.
I knew, however, he was clocking every single curve on my lips as I did it.
All evening I’d been making an effort not to focus on the white-clad servers who would sometimes offer food or drinks. I knew what they were—a Morgan pack special. But one in particular became impossible to miss.
She slipped beside Ace to pick up a drink.
“You’re, uh… really pretty, by the way,” Thistle whispered. My gaze snapped to them, and I found myself looking at a young Omega with long blonde hair, and olive skin.
Through the bond, Thistle became an instant bundle of anxiety and shyness.
The Omega paused, and I saw a flash of uncertainty on her expression—as if, compared to the other guests who had left a rainbow of colours across her dress, she didn’t know what to make of Thistle.
She settled on a quick nod before stepping back, but Thistle caught her arm.
Before either me or Ace could do a thing about it, she drew a little heart on the woman’s wrist in crimson marker, a strange surge of hope and possessiveness replacing the anxiety that had been there.
My heart tripped as I stared at it, but then Thistle let go, and the woman was gone.
I met Ace’s eyes for a moment, and for a flash, he looked as surprised as I felt. Thistle shrank into his chest like she was just curling up happily, but I caught the confused pinch to her brow, as if she didn’t even quite know why she’d done it.
I let my gaze slowly roam the room, hoping to find a distracted crowd. It was a small mark.
Hopefully, no one would notice.
The fight on the screen between the Alphas was finally over, and the guests had become drunk enough that the volume of talk meant no other entertainment was needed.
How long did we have to stay?
Not much longer, surely. We needed to make our point and go. If Ace had some trick up his sleeve on how to end this all tonight, it wasn’t coming together.
I noticed Thistle getting a little restless too, as if she’d noticed the same. “Where’s Bella?” I caught her whisper to Ace.
I looked around and realised I couldn’t see her.
Right as I searched, however, she re-entered from a side door. It was hard to miss that she seemed distinctly confident compared to her demeanor earlier. For the most part, she’d been sulky and quiet in her seat on the far end of the table.
I noticed a flurry of uncertainty from Thistle in the bond. She’d straightened on Ace’s lap and was watching Bella intently. Bella’s smile was glowing, and she was wiping her hands on a handkerchief before handing it back to Banner, who was flanking her.
Something was… off. I could feel it.
I glanced at Ace.
“I think we’ve stayed long enough,” I muttered.
He cocked his head, also watching Bella and not sparing me a glance. When he said nothing, I got to my feet, tugging on the chain so Knox would get the message.
Thistle’s discomfort was only rising, though, as Knox stood.
“Leaving so early?” Bella asked through a lull in the chatter at my movement. Instead of sitting, she made her way down the table toward us. “Without even giving me a chance to talk business?”
“Business?” I asked as Bella stopped before us.
At my side, Thistle slipped from Ace’s lap, on full alert.
“Since you’re not open to bids, I thought I could propose a… trade. You still have something that belongs to me, after all.”
Bella lifted a curled finger as if to brush Knox’s neck. My own instincts rose like a beast the same moment Thistle let out a growl, her panic stabbing through the bond. My fingers closed around Bella’s wrist, halting her in place.
“He’s mine.” The words came out before I could think about them, and… ah . They were… embarrassingly protective.
Well. Whatever.
Had been true since the day I claimed him from Bella all those years ago in that stupid arena. He just had to get over it.
The room, however, had gone still. Bella let out a hiss of indignation, eyes flashing in fury.
“Try again—” I pushed her back a pace into Banner. “—and I’ll snap your neck like a twig.”
“Alpha.” Thistle’s voice was tight as she ducked between us, violet eyes fixed on me. “I don’t want you to get icky Omega all over you,” she said, voice half a whine.
I heard a breath of a laugh from Knox at my side.
I dropped my hand but didn’t relax. Bella couldn’t take her eyes from Thistle, and there was something unhinged burning in them. She was on the brink of losing it, and we were supposed to be playing our cards right to get out of here safely—not pushing her to kill us all, consequences be damned.
“I won’t accept you leaving here with my mate.”
Thistle sneered at Bella, taking a step back until she was pressed up against Knox. Her hand wound around his, and he moved—likely on instinct—drawing her up against him. “Learn to read, bitch .”
If I were to pinpoint the exact moment I knew we were unequivocally fucked, it was the moment Bella’s eyes finally fell on what was written on Knox’s forearm.
Across Knox’s flesh in the crimson marker we’d been given to mark our claims, was scribbled: ‘Property of Thistle and Bunny’ right above ‘Bella Morgan smells like poo.’
And of course, Thistle—bright eyes locked with Bella—sank her little Omega fangs into Knox’s arm with a possessive chirp.
Well.
Fuck.
That was it.
Bella’s lips drew back in a snarl, and whatever she felt must have snapped through her entire pack bond by the way Knox stiffened.
I reached for my own gun, but knew it was too late.
Bella’s Alphas and her security had guns trained on us instantly. Mine remained in my grip, useless at my side. Banner kept his gun pointed right at my face as he stepped forward.
No one else in the room moved—no one coming to Ace’s defense. Not even the ones I’d seen him whisper to throughout the night.
Shit…
I’d banked too fucking hard on whatever plan he’d had in mind—played the part too well while my enemies pointed weapons right at us.
He’d miscalculated.
The stupid prick had miscalculated, and we were fucking dead.
I could see the relief in Banner’s eyes from behind the gun he was pointing at my face—as if they hadn’t known either what might happen if they challenged Ace.
“Come here, Maverick slut,” he growled, glancing at Thistle. “Or we’ll start putting bullets in your Alphas.”
“No!” I reached out on instinct, trying to grab her, but she staggered back as if she knew I’d try, violet eyes wide as she stumbled right into Banner.
She opened her mouth, but he clamped a hand over it, dragging her back against him.
Knox’s growl was low at my side, but the Alpha beside him jammed the gun against his head in warning, and Thistle let out a whine of panic, gaze darting between us.
Fuck.
I glanced back to find Ace hadn’t drawn a weapon at all—he hadn’t even stood up. Instead, he was tossing Bunny between his hands, watching everything with unnerving calm.
What the fuck ?
“Do you want to know why we bid on her?” Bella asked, taking a seat on the table before Ace and peering down at him.
“Banner wanted her. We don’t get enough fighters these days—the Ring is just too good at their job.
They’re all dull by the time they get on that stage, but she was like a feral cat. How could I deny him?”
Ace watched her silently, not speaking.
“But he has a lesson to learn—they were all supposed to see last time. I wanted her ruined, but they only half-finished the job and that won’t do.” She paused. “I’ll help you see the truth, too.”
“See what truth ?” Ace asked, setting Bunny down, slowly pressing his palms to the chair arms and standing, as if he needed to stretch—not as if half a dozen guns were pointed at him.