Page 103 of False Catch

"My father arranged it months ago—"

"You could have said no."

"Not without consequences—"

"You could have told me." Her voice rises. "You could have trusted me enough to tell me the truth instead of sneaking around like I'm some dirty secret you're ashamed of."

"I'm not ashamed—"

"Then why hide me?" She stands, and despite being a foot shorter, she seems to tower over me. "Why not bring me to your precious gala? Why not tell your father's friends about me?"

"Because they'd eat you alive! Because that world is toxic and cruel and—"

"And you didn't think I could handle it? You didn't think I deserved to make that choice myself? I grew up in that world just as much as you did, Gray!"

I have no answer for that.

"Final race," the official calls. "Five minutes to launch."

"We have to go," Tyler says quietly.

"Can we win this?" Eli asks.

Reese looks at all of us, her pack of broken Alphas, and her demeanor shifts. She’s not forgiving me yet, but she’s determined not to punish the others for it.

"Get in the boat," she commands. "All of you."

"Reese—" I start.

"I said get in the boat." Her cox voice is back, full of authority. "We're going to race. We're going to win. Then we're going to go home and figure out what the fuck to do about this mess. But right now, we're going to remember that we're Sable Ridge Crew, and we don't lose to Oakwood and Pine Valley. Understood?"

"Yes, cox," we respond automatically.

"I can't hear you!"

"YES, COX!"

"Then move!"

We launch with two minutes to spare. The anger is still there, the hurt, the betrayal. But underneath it, something else. Stubbornness, maybe. Or the unwavering pride that refuses to allow us to fuck this whole day up. To lose again.

"This doesn't mean you're forgiven," Reese tells me under her breath as we row to the start.

"I know."

"I'm still furious."

"I know."

"But we're going to win this race. Because that's what we do."

"Yes, cox."

"All eight, ready?"

Behind me, seven voices respond with more unity than we've had all day. Not perfect, not healed. But ready to fight.

The starting official raises his flag. We have one chance to salvage something from this disaster of a day.