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I love it.
A stupid grin fills my face, along with a burst of contentment in my chest. The combination makes it a hell of a lot easier to turn to Archer and sigh. “I didn’t quit. I was chased out.”
chapter
twenty-one
Meg’s eyes dart up to mine. Searching for disappointment.
I’m already addicted to the way she looks at me. Wanting approval. Direction. I’ve given it to her, and I’ll give her more.
This little one is going to be mine.
Ours.
I can feel it.
And there will be a day when she knows as surely as I do that I’ll never hurt her, that she’ll never lose me. Until then, I have to be careful.
For the first time in my life, my alpha instincts urge me to tone my dominance down instead of ramping up. Some part of me recognizes how fragile this girl is. She doesn’t like for anyone to see it, and she feels like she shouldn’t ask for help, for some reason. But it’s there. She needs nurturing.
Usually, I’d say that is not me. Let Archer and Theo cuddle her and compliment her. But, I don’t know. I feel like I should soften.
Yield.
Only for her.
I catch myself at the end of a snarl, swallowing down the rest. Under her sweetly curved ass, Archer is still as stone. Theo keeps chewing, his teeth grinding as he goes. He pops his knuckles like he’s planning to plant them in someone’s face.
Meg’s big, blue eyes land on mine, gaze seeking. The fact that I know exactly what she’s looking for fills me with endless satisfaction.
“This is hard to talk about but you’re doing so well,” I approve. “Do you want to tell us more?”
I watch her throat work while she swallows, imagining how beautiful the thin skin would look with a bond mark branded there. She hangs her head. “I guess I probably should. I don’t want you guys to find out later and?—”
Decide you don’t want me.
I’m not ordinarily one for subtext, but I can read hers. So can Archer. His arms bring her closer, his purr growing louder. “Sweetheart,” he murmurs into her hair. “That won’t happen.”
Meg’s gaze snaps to mine and darkens. She bites her lower lip and tries to talk around it. “I—It was an accident.” She sees me note the lie in her eyes and quickly adds, “I think.”
Not complete, immediate honesty, but that will take time. For now, she’s done well. I’m proud. “Good girl. I know it isn’t easy to tell us the truth, but we need to know so we can protect you.”
Her cheeks warm under my praise, her body looser. Archer tosses me a small nod.
“So what exactly happened, precious?” Theo chimes, his fists opening and closing. He’s pissed as hell. Half of his food sits uneaten—a dead giveaway where Theo is concerned.
Meg lets go of her lower lip, leaving it slightly swollen. Her fingers worry her hem some more. Until Archer notices and scoops her hand into his, massaging it.
I’m sure there’s some documented therapeutic benefit of hand massages for omegas. And, of course, he’s probably read every paper on the subject.
Whatever he’s doing, it works. Meg sighs.
“It’s always hard for an unbonded omega to get a good job,” she mutters. “And I knew I would need one right out of school, so I did a dual-degree program to get my Bachelor’s and Master’s together. I spent my whole senior year applying to dozens of places all over the country and networking as much as I could remotely.”
I’m already outraged, and we haven’t even gotten to the story. It just seems so obviously unfair that she had to work five times harder than I ever would have to get a job she deserved.
“I found a position at the marketing firm,” she goes on. “I was the assistant to one of the VP’s when I started. An alpha. And he always acted…interested. But he has an omega and a pack, so I just figured he was a skeevy perv who liked to check out unbonded omegas and left it at that.”
