14. Adler #2
“I’ll stay out of your way,” he growls without even looking at her before stomping off.
As soon as Drax is out of earshot, Izzie grins. “He’s hot.”
Great, so now my sister thinks my omega’s ex is hot. Another reason to add to the list of why I don’t like him.
I glower at her. “He’s too old for you.”
“And? There’s no harm in looking.” She flicks her hair over her shoulder, turning her attention back to Sabs.
“Are you dating him too?” She doesn’t give Sabs a chance to answer before continuing, “I can see why you’d want to keep your options open.
I mean, you’re gorgeous. You could have your pick of anyone. ”
Sabs wriggles in her seat. “Uh…”
“You know, I’m detecting some tension in this house.” Izzie grabs the strawberry milkshake. It was supposed to be for Orin, but I guess he’s going to miss out. “What’s up with that? And don’t even think about lying to me, Adler.” She narrows her eyes at me. “You know I can tell when you’re lying.”
“What your brother said about us being complicated is true,” Sabs steps in to rescue me. “We sorta… kinda…”
“Bonded,” I jump in.
“You bonded?!” Izzie almost topples off her chair. “Oh my god! Why didn’t you tell me? You should have fucking called!”
“Language,” Luca tsks.
She waves her wrist dismissively. She’s just as much of a little sister to my pack as she is to me.
They know all about our upbringing. I always tried to hide the worst of things from Izzie and did everything I could to make her life easier.
We were a two-person team until we reconnected with Aunt Jade, who took her in as soon as she learned what conditions we were living in.
At that point, I moved in with Luca’s family.
Both Iz and I knew from a young age that the only way we were going to make it in this world was by doing it our own way. We’re in control of our own destiny.
“In my defense, it only happened yesterday.” I rub my eyes. “I was going to call after we had time to figure things out.”
“But you never even told me you were courting!”
“That’s because there was nothing to tell,” Sabs laughs wryly. “We’re responsible for helping SVU’s accidental bonding stats rise.” I feel a stab of pride when she brushes her hair aside to show Izzie my mark on her neck.
“Ohhhhhh. Wow.” Shocked realization dawns on Izzie’s face. “Now I get why there’s tension. And why the hot inked guy seemed pissed.”
“We’re just friends.” Sabs shakes her head. “We never dated.”
That’s news to me. Very welcome news.
“Before you got here, we were trying to get Sabs settled in,” Luca says. “It’s a lot for everyone to process right now. We’re all going to take it slow and get to know each other.”
“This is crazy.” Izzie doesn’t seem upset by the news. “This is like living in some Kardashian-style reality TV show. You’ve struck gold, Adler. She seems far too good for you.”
Sabs laughs. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“I think you’ll find that I’m a catch too.” I straighten my spine. “Apparently, I’m the number one most eligible alpha on campus, according to The Valley Voice.”
“And most modest,” Luca chips in, making Sabs giggle.
Izzie scoffs then sighs down at her buzzing phone. Her purple nails fly over the keys. “I better get back to Barbara House.”
“I can drive you?” Luca offers.
“It’s okay.” She waves him off. “My friend is on the way to pick me up. She’s booked a party cart, whatever that means. She’ll be here in a few minutes.”
Since when did my little sister get so capable? I remember when she used to be afraid of the dark and would crawl into my bed to avoid one of Mom’s many drunken rages. Now she’s a resourceful young woman who makes me damn proud. Still, I’ll never stop being protective of her.
“It was great to meet you.” Sabs stands to pull Izzie into a hug.
Usually, Izzie isn’t a fan of physical contact with people she doesn’t know, so I’m surprised when she hugs her back just as enthusiastically, like they’ve known each other for years.
“I’ve always wanted a sister,” Izzie muses. “That’s basically what we are now, right?”
“I guess we are,” Sabs flashes her white teeth. “I’ve always wanted one too, especially growing up in a house full of boys.”
“Hey!” I intervene. “I did a pretty good job. I even learned how to French braid for you.”
“Admittedly, you did get pretty good at it,” she agrees.
“And keep our bonding news to yourself, okay?” I tell her. “We don’t want all of Barbara House finding out just yet.”
“Your secret is safe with me, brother.” She holds up two fingers before thrusting her phone into Sabs’s hands. “Do you have Insta?”
Sabs loads up her profile, Iz doing the same for her after.
“If you have any more questions about SVU, you know where to find me.” Sabs gives her another quick embrace.
“I’ll take you up on that. It was good to see you again, Lulu.” She blows him a kiss. “Talk soon, okay? We’ll catch up again before I go.”
He grins. “Don’t get into too much trouble, okay?”
She gasps dramatically. “When do I ever cause trouble?”
After finally finishing her goodbyes, I’m escorting Izzie out when Orin bursts through the door, returning from his shift.
Izzie throws herself at him. “Orin!”
“It’s good to see you, kiddo.” Mouth stretched wide, he gives her a big hug. “What are you doing here?”
“A surprise visit,” she says. “And it’s a good thing I did because how else would I have found out that my brother bonded?”
“So you’ve met Sabs.” He leans against the wall, giving her his full attention.
“Yes, and she’s amazing.” Izzie is practically gushing.
Orin’s lips press into a thin line as he turns his focus to the large brown box on the floor. “What’s this?”
Izzie sneakily peeks inside the package, where the cardboard has come loose. “It looks like a disco ball.”
“Luca bought some things for Sabs’s nest. It’s an emergency delivery from Nora’s,” I explain.
“And where are you off to?” Orin redirects his attention back to Izzie.
“I’m staying with a friend in Barbara House.” She checks her phone. “Apparently, she’s right outside the gate.”
Orin nods. “I’ll make sure to increase patrols around OV tonight.”
“You don’t need to do that on my account.” Izzie rolls her eyes. “OV is one of the safest places in the entire country for omegas.”
Orin’s extremely protective of Izzie. Being older, he knew a lot about what was happening at home for us and helped when he could.
Once, Mom disappeared on one of her week-long benders.
We’d eaten everything in the cupboards, yet she’d ordered us to stay inside— not like we had money to spend to buy food anyway.
When an eleven-year-old Orin checked on me and found out what was happening, he spent all his pocket change at the corner store and snuck a bunch of food out of his house.
We lived on Twinkies and candy bars for the next few days, surrounded by wrappers.
Izzie kisses Orin on the cheek. “I’ll visit again before I head back home.”
“You’d better.” He ruffles her hair, causing her to squeal and smooth it over. “No talking to any alphas on campus, okay?”
After she reluctantly agrees, he heads into the kitchen, leaving me and my sister alone.
Izzie lingers with her hand on the doorknob. “How are you doing, Addy?” Despite her outgoing nature, she has a sensitive side—one she rarely shows other people. However, we’ve been through enough that we don’t need to hide anything from each other. “I mean, really?”
“I’m…” Honestly, I don’t know how I’m feeling.
On one hand, I’ve met my dream girl and can’t help feeling relieved that I won’t ever have to worry about another alpha taking her from me.
On the other, what happened was an accident.
While we agreed to give this a go, we both know that there is no real alternative, leaving me feeling guilty and also…
lacking. “It’s a lot, but I’m dealing with it. ”
“I really like her.” Her lips curve into a bright smile. “I think she could be good for you.”
“But she didn’t choose me.” I dare to voice my fears aloud. “Obviously we’ve bonded, so we’re kinda stuck together now, but what if she doesn’t like me when she gets to know me? What if she ends up hating me forever for what happened?”
“She won’t,” Izzie answers with conviction. “Despite your whole ‘being the Ace’ shtick, you’re a good guy. She’s lucky to have you. She’ll love you even more when she gets to know you.”
“Thanks, Iz.” I smile then shake my head. “I’m the one who should be giving you pep talks.”
“The only thing I’d be worried about is the sexy alpha sulking upstairs.” She points in that direction. “There’re obviously feelings between them. You’d have to be blind not to see that.”
“Yeah, I noticed.” My mood sours. “And you were just starting to make me feel better…”
“I know we’re used to people leaving.” She puts her hand on my arm. “But you have to let her in. She has to see the real you.”
“Since when have you gotten so wise?”
“I told you, I’m not a kid anymore.” She peers down at her ringing phone. “I better go before she totally freaks, but don’t worry, okay? Everything will work out. You’ll see.”
I wish I shared her confidence.