Chapter 16
Ethan
So this was going about as well as I expected.
“You pushed her too hard,” Tex said from the back seat. I sighed, sitting down lower in the passenger side one. “That’s why Nadia hasn’t been around. You said if we followed your lead, my mate would feel amazing.”
He couldn’t see the way Grey’s knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel.
“Well, we made her cry, Grey,” Tex continued. “I never, ever want to see her cry again.”
“Crying is a physiological response to any extreme.” By Grey’s cool tone, you’d think he was perfectly composed, but if you knew where to look, you could see past the mask.
It was a skill I’d learned so well growing up that I was now unable to turn it off.
The flex of his jaw, the way his brows creased as he made a show of staring fixedly at the road.
“Your mate started crying as a response to the incredible release.”
“No more tears.” If I looked behind me, Tex would have his arms crossed as he glared at us. “No more games, no more bullshit. I’m telling Nadia tonight.”
“What exactly?” I asked, but I knew. Tex was like a bull at a gate; pretty sure any obstacle could be smashed through.
“That she’s my mate. I’m her alpha, she’s my omega. I’ll tell her and see where we go from there.”
“After she’s asked for space.” Fuck it, I did twist in my seat and look into the back now. “Tex, you might not be one for the ladies—”
“Just this lady.” Fuck, what must it feel like, to be so completely certain of something.
I saw it in his silver glare. It felt like Tex was born in the wrong time, that if he was wearing a suit of armour or a kilt and a bloody big sword, he’d be more at home.
That way he could actually cut off the heads of Nadia’s enemies and then bring her the grisly trophies as proof of this love.
“I don’t need to know what other women need. Just Nadia.”
But she’d already told him.
It was there in black and white in the group text, but that didn’t mean much to Tex. As I settled back against the seat, I knew he’d do whatever it was he wanted, no matter what anyone had to say about it, so I may as well keep my stupid mouth shut.
“There,” I said as we drove along the street close to the bar Nadia was supposed to be in.
Somehow, the gods of parking had seen fit to leave an empty space just outside it.
Grey just nodded, then went to park the car, but before he cut the engine, Tex was out the side door.
“Here we go…” I muttered to myself. Once the car was stationary, I took off after him.
Only to walk into a busy pub filled with much younger people.
A glance around the room made me feel a million years old.
Were these kids even legally able to drink?
Before I could investigate that, a roar had us all turning to face the bar.
Not Tex, thankfully. Instead, I saw a cluster of well-dressed young men singing some bullshit chant and right in the middle was Nadia chugging a beer.
She finished with a flourish, then was met by a chorus of approval.
“This is a fucking uni bar,” Grey growled.
I followed him because he made a beeline for the bar and everyone who got in his way took one look at his expression, then moved aside. Of course, Tex beat us to it.
“There you are.”
Man, I loved this guy like a brother, but he had exactly zero chill.
His arm was around her waist and he had her in his arms seconds later.
The young fellas seemed to think they might say something about that, when we arrived.
I might be a weak-arse alpha, but I was big enough, old enough, and ugly enough to make them reconsider their next move.
“Tex…!”
Nadia was drunk and had never looked so beautiful. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes lit with a hectic light, and as I looked down, I could see why the young fellas were buzzing around our queen. That plunging neckline revealed a whole lot of cleavage that had my wolf stiffening.
What the fuck?
I heard his growl, probably because I was making a similar sound, only for the crowd to fall back.
“You came.” Nadia wrapped an arm around Tex’s neck and then gestured wildly at the crowd. “Guys, this is Tex. He’s an alpha.”
“Anyone can see that,” muttered one of the young guys.
“And that’s Grey. He’s always kinda grumpy, but he’s actually really nice.”
Yeah, they were not seeing that right now. Lips peeled back in a silent snarl, the space around us was getting bigger by the second.
“And Ethan…” Her eyes met mine, and I found I was bracing myself for her summary. “He’s hot, like so, so hot.” So, I might’ve smirked at that. “And he’s really good with his—”
“Time to go.” Grey surveyed the group. “Thank you for… looking after our omega, but it’s time to get her home.”
“And have her drink a whole bottle of water,” I said, watching her wave to everyone. “Along with a few painkillers, because I think Nadia will be hurting tomorrow.”
“Not if I can help it.”
Bloody Tex. He carried his mate out of the bar, then climbed into the backseat with her still in his arms.
“Ahh, big fella?” I said. “You’re gonna need to let Nadia go now. Seatbelt? Remember, safety first.”
Yet somehow I understood his reluctance. I knew I was included in things because Tex didn’t have a pack to help satisfy his mate, but as he placed her in the middle seat and went to pull the seat belt around her, I had to wonder what it would be like to be a part of a proper pack.
“Here we are.”
The drive home was… interesting. Nadia wanted to stop for kebabs, the perfect meal after a night of drinking, but the mystery meat in those things often meant you vomited from food poisoning rather than a hangover. We’d gotten her address and were now at the door of a very nice looking duplex.
“I got it,” she said, retrieving her keys and tapping, tapping, tapping the thing against her door before I stepped in.
“Maybe I can help you with that.”
Plucking the ring from her grip, I unlocked the door and then pushed it open.
“Water,” Grey said, opening cupboards in her bathroom. “I’ll find the painkillers.”
Walking down the hall, I saw that Nadia and Tex had beaten me to it. She had been placed on her kitchen counters as Tex stepped in between her legs.
“Thank you for coming to get me,” she said, smiling sloppily up at him. “There were like no cabs at all. Wouldn’t have needed one if I hadn’t drunk too much wine listening to the hottie.”
“The hottie?”
Tex said that in a low growl.
“Eh.” She flapped a hand vaguely. “He’s just some lawyer guy from work.
” And a dead man walking, apparently. “Talked on and on and on and it was so boring I drank lots of wine, but then I remembered.” She beamed up at him.
“You would never stand there and lecture me about going to the gym, so I left and texted you guys.”
“So you’re alright?” His big hand caressed her cheek, and she pressed her face into it. “Omega, I thought we’d hurt you.”
“Not yet.” She slumped forward, pressing her face into his chest as his arms went around her. “Not until you find her.”
Her little growl would’ve been comical if not for what she was saying. Who the hell was ‘her?’
“There’s no her.” He stroked her hair over and over. “There’s no one else in the world for me.” Shit, shit, shit, I moved closer. Confessing his feelings when she was drunk was not smart at all. “Just—”
Zzz…
I’m not sure what I intended to do to stop this car crash from happening, but her dozing against Tex’s chest would do it. Those little snuffling sounds she made before pulling back, bleary-eyed had me smiling.
“C’mon, princess,” I said, nodding to Tex and between us, we carried her out of the kitchen.
Grey watched the proceedings with a frown.
“Don’t think you’re gonna stay awake long enough to have some water and some meds, so tomorrow will be brutal, but…
” We walked into the room that smelled strongest of her to find a bed.
Pulling the sheets aside, we placed her down on the mattress.
“That’s for future Nadia to worry about. ”
“I’m staying,” Tex announced. At Grey’s scowl, he explained.
“I’ll sleep on the couch or something, but I’ve gotta tell her how I feel.
The last few days have been completely shit.
I know I’m supposed to wait, to prove myself worthy, but…
” When he gazed down at her, something shifted in my chest, but I had no idea what.
“I need her to know what’s going on. If she decides to give me a chance, I’ll spend my entire life proving I’m the right guy for her. ”
“We should go.”
Grey turned around and nodded to me, so why wasn’t I moving?
I had no place here. Tapping in for sexy times was one thing, but an alpha declaring himself to his mate?
Tex didn’t need me for that. I paused in the doorway, staring at the way the moonlight caressed her face before forcing myself to walk outside.
“I get why I’m out here,” I said to Grey as we headed to the car.
“My wolf isn’t likely to have a fated mate.
” With a hard swallow, I continued. “Probably wouldn’t even be able to tell me if he saw her on the street, but you?
” I could read people, because if I didn’t, there was no way to keep my mum safe from my father’s wrath.
“What the hell are you doing out here, when your mate is in there?”