Chapter 34
Four days until appeal
CRESCENT
I joined Sin when he went to get contacts from the Redgrave pack the next morning. I wanted to thank them for the protection, but more than that—I was worried about him.
What I felt from him through the pack bond was hard to place, but it made me uneasy.
He was retreating from the bond, distancing himself from me. I needed him to come back.
I held Sin’s arm in mine as he led me through the halls. Vandle and Phantom were trailing the group, not wanting to split up if we didn’t need to. Vandle was holding the books he’d got from the library, eyes skimming the pages as he walked while Phantom stopped him from crashing into passers-by.
Justin, Bug, and Rick had joined us like usual, and Karma was at my side, talking with Finnian. Sometimes the hair would rise on the back of my neck when he was near, but I resisted the urge to look at him too long.
I trusted Karma to protect us.
Finnian just made me a little… uneasy. He always had a few stains from spray paint on his hands and arms, which might be fun, but his eyes were cold every time I met them.
I didn’t like having him at our back.
Sin must have felt my discomfort—he pulled me closer to his side as we entered the square, his lips coming down to possessively nip at my ear. I shivered at the touch, my focus back on him in an instant.
I was glad he did, because as we entered the square, it was the first time being in front of so many alphas since the cage, and it felt like every eye was fixed on me.
Sin strode confidently up to the man drawing with charcoal by the front door of the Redgrave’s cell. “Dominic in?” he asked.
The man tipped his head to the room.
Sin nodded, stepping inside. Karma followed, leaving the rest of our entourage to mingle in the square.
The cell had a couple of beds at the front laden down with various goods, with some of the pack members watching over them. Deeper in the room sat Dominic, and that’s where we headed.
Before Sin could start, I blurted out something I’d wanted to say.
“Thank you for your help, Sir.” I clutched Sin’s hand as I looked down at Dominic.
The Redgrave pack lead raised an eyebrow where he lounged in his ratty armchair, as Sin made an indistinguishable noise.
“Help,” he said, “isn’t free, so you don’t need to thank me.”
It didn’t feel like we’d paid him much, but maybe our payment came from all the alphas who’d watched.
Heat crept up my neck.
Whatever.
I’d been with Sin just where I was supposed to be.
“It’s still polite to thank you,” I said.
“You don’t need to be polite to him either,” Sin muttered. “You’re too nice, firefly.”
“Maybe I can take a page out of your book then, omega.” Dominic looked faintly amused at the exchange. “Thank you for the great show.” He held my eyes, and I could almost feel Sin’s hackles rise in the bond.
“Y-you’re welcome,” I said, trying to keep the flush from reaching my cheeks, and suddenly feeling as though the eyes in here were a little too… prying.
But… we needed Dominic to like us, didn’t we? So he would grant us another favour and give Sin the contacts he needed?
I didn’t see the harm in showing my appreciation for what he’d done for us already.
Instead of arguing, I shuffled closer to Sin and waited expectantly for him to make his request. It was probably more complicated than simply blurting it out—he wouldn’t be so stressed if it was simple.
I was here for emotional support, and hopefully not to mess things up for them.
“Niceties aside, what do you want? I know this isn’t a social call,” Dominic said.
“Coloured contact lenses.” Sin sounded way more casual than he’d been back in the cell. “My eyes might freak out the people assessing us at our appeal. Rather not risk it.”
Dominic’s expression flashed with interest, and he stood languidly from his chair. He stopped too close for comfort to Sin, and I tried to place myself between them, but Karma’s hand on my shoulder stopped me from moving forward.
He searched Sin’s eyes, and I wondered what he saw there.
“You’re just about out of bargaining chips, aren’t you? What are you paying with? Another show?”
“No,” Sin snarled.
“Oh, come on. We didn’t get to watch her suck your pretty cock in the last one.”
I froze at those words, and my heart skipped a beat. The panicked rushing in my ears didn’t stop me from hearing Sin’s growl. “No more shows.”
Dominic rolled his eyes with a chuckle. “No blowjobs, no contacts. I’ve had requests, Sin, and you two sweet little things don’t have long left here. Can’t afford to disappoint.”
Karma released me as I turned to Sin, holding him back with all my might as he tried to launch forward. The Redgrave pack members shifted, as if reminding us they were there.
Dominic didn’t flinch.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine at your appeal with your eyes on proud display,” he said with a smirk, though his gaze shifted between both of us. “But in case you change your mind, I’ll procure those contacts for you. Come see me when you’re ready to talk real deals.”
I clutched Sin’s arm, nails digging into his muscle as each of my breaths came faster.
We needed the contacts.
We wouldn’t get out without them.
But what he was asking…
I loved my pack. I loved Sin. I didn’t even hate being exposed in front of all those alphas if it meant being claimed by my mates.
But my chest got tight at the memories, the horrible feeling of Luke Anderson… everywhere. He’d… well he’d put his dick in my mouth and it was gross—and not all that impressive, I was realizing now.
And he… he shouldn't have.
I thought so, now.
I… I hadn’t wanted it. And he should have known because I’d never said anything to him.
He hadn’t been my pack. He hadn’t been Chosen—like Vandle was.
My fist tightened in Sin’s shirt, and his arm came around me, as if he knew.
He did know. He was so tuned in. Another omega, not one with golden eyes—and one who knew what he was doing, who commanded respect. Who understood who and what he was, and I wanted that.
He was the most grounded person I’d ever met, and he’d been so angry when I’d told him, it had changed me deep down. As if there had been something wrong with me for not understanding before now.
I didn’t want him to ruin it for me. For my pack…
But still, the shame I felt from all of it… bile rose in the back of my throat at the thought of being so exposed in front of a crowd of howling alphas like the last time. But if I closed my eyes like I had before and did… that… there was only one thing I could remember.
Sin was leading me from the room, and I realized I hadn’t heard the end of the conversation. He leaned close, desert eclipse smothering me like a blanket, so absolutely sure.
“We’ll find another way, firefly.”
I brought my stack of finished library books to Phantom that afternoon, holding it out for him to take.
He blinked down at me, hesitantly taking the books with a faint frown. “Did you… not like them? Were they not sweet like you wanted?”
I shook my head. “No, I liked them a lot.”
“Then why are you handing them to me? You can keep them for a few more days, Little Omega.”
“Well, I’m done. And I guess I could reread them all, but they had a lot of books in there, right? Surely there are more that I could try?”
He looked at the stack of books, all with thick spines and pages full of happiness. “You’ve read them all already?” he confirmed.
“Yes. Uh, is that… bad?” I sank my teeth into my bottom lip.
Maybe it wasn’t convenient to go back today.
I grabbed for the books, intending to take them back, but Phantom swept them up and out of my reach.
“It’s not bad. I just think the Archiva pack is going to be impressed.
They might quiz you on what happened in each of the stories to make sure you read them. ”
I beamed. “I could answer any questions they want.”
“Then let’s take them back and exchange them.”
Slipping my feet into my shoes, I bounced through the halls beside Phantom.
This time Vandle had stayed back in the room, leaving us with a couple of members of the Emerald pack for protection.
When we turned down the hall to the library door, Phantom stopped short, pushing me behind him before I could see what was going on.
“Someone stole the fucking keys!” An angry roar echoed down the hall to us.
My mouth went dry.
The… keys?
Could it be the keys that I… A memory from the day before rushed up and threatened to bowl me over.
I sat on the couch while Tyler grabbed me books that he thought I might like, his pack playing chess on the coffee table. A set of keys sat on a side table, silver glinting in the fluorescent overhead lights.
They kept catching my eye. My fingers inched toward them every time no one was paying attention to me, and I wanted to just… touch them. They were shiny, and a fundamental part of me needed to feel the cool touch of the metal against my fingers.
It had taken Tyler a long time to get all the books.
Vandle was with him in the stacks, talking in hushed tones.
Phantom was chatting with the other members of the Archiva pack.
There were so many opportunities to snatch them up and put them in my pocket with barely a jingle of key against key on the slim metal keyring.
And Sin would like them, right?
So I had, and then when they’d left me alone with my books in my nest, I’d taken them out again to examine them.
Shiny and perfectly shaped and weighted enough that I could throw them if I needed to. Mine, for sure.
And then I’d hidden them in the depths of my nest, inside a pillowcase.
Were those the keys they were wondering about now? Surely they had, like… a backup. I couldn’t have taken the only set of keys to the library… Could I?
Peeking out from around Phantom, I winced when I saw Tyler’s pack, ten alphas strong, all standing in the hallway. They were scanning the ground as if the keys could have been dropped and hadn’t been seen yet.