Page 65 of A Nest of Maple & Mist

The full weight of my Apex took control. Blood hummed in my veins, pulsing with static energy. My lip split down the middle as I smirked, the tang of copper sliding along my tongue.

Miller flinched, his chin dipping as he instinctively tried to protect his throat. The only smart thing he’d done. Fingers gently squeezed along my nape, a thumb pushing into the knot there.

A sharp breath whistled through my teeth. I tapped Ty’s arm before turning all my attention back to Miller.

I knelt down in front of him, my frame casting him in shadow as I blocked the sun from the windows.

“Go ahead. Call the police. I have the resources to keep you tied up in court for the next fifty years. And while your lawyers are busy filing motions, I will be busy destroying this company. I will peel back every illegal transaction, every corner you’ve cut, every person you’ve taken advantage of. I will burn your reputation until there isn’t enough left to fill an ashtray, and then I’ll spit on the charred corpse of your legacy.”

I’d always considered myself the kind of alpha who nurtured and protected. Never did I see myself in this position. Nor did I think I’d be the type of person willing to do the dark and twisted things seen in movies.

But here I was, willing to burn everything to the ground, just to see my omega smile.

I leaned closer, my teeth bared in a silent snarl.

“And after I’m done with your career,” I said, my voice dropping to an eerie whisper, “I’ll bury you somewhere no one will find you. Do you understand me?”

Absolute silence followed. Miller didn’t breathe. He nodded, the jerky movement oddly satisfying. While I doubted whether I’d actually follow through with my threat, it pleased my Apex.

“One month, Miller,” I said, rising to my full height and reaching for Ty.

My arm wrapped around his waist, and we walked out without another word.

As we stepped out into the afternoon sun, the tension in my body melted away.

I stopped outside the glass doors, the city noise rushing back in. I turned to Ty, grabbing the front of his jacket and hauling him toward me. A startled noise fell from him, but vanished once my lips fused to his.

My knot throbbed as the blood in my body rushed south. Spiced clove flared near the bond bite. He tasted of espresso and chocolate. His toned body pressed against mine, the weight comforting.

I pulled back enough to look at him, my hand coming up to cup his jaw. Something dark glittered in his eyes, his lips twitching in a lopsided smirk.

“Come here, handsome,” I murmured, dragging him back into me by his nape.

Ty was a drug. One I was horribly addicted to and there was no cure for. I loved him. And watching him stand toe-to-toe with an alpha to defend our omega made me catch fire.

TWENTY-FOUR

SHANE

Dust coated the back of my tongue. I swigged the last remnants of water from my thermos. My back ached as I straightened my spine, reminding me of all the hours I’d spent hunching over the sawhorse.

My cotton tee stuck to my back. I blew out a breath, dragging a clean cloth over my brow. I welcomed the incessant pulse in my muscles, a twisted part of me feeling like I deserved the burning ache etched in my veins.

The worn leather grip of the hammer slid under my dirt-caked fingers. I drove a nail into a support beam. If I focused on the pain in my shoulders, I didn’t have time to dwell in the prison of my thoughts.

This house had once been full of life. I remembered the way the light used to hit the hallway. Or how Mia’s mom would greet me at the door, pulling me into a tight hug when I arrived.

Emotion choked me. They had been so good to me. This house had been so good to me. It had been the home and the family I never had.

And I threw it all away. Over the years, I lamented how I handled everything. A slightly wiser version of myself knew there had been other options. Ones that didn’t shatter the girl I loved.

I cursed under my breath as I drove the hammer into another nail, smashing it hard enough to strip the wood.

“Shit.”

The hammer clattered to the floor with a thud. I dragged my nails across my scalp. I was wallowing, as Ty called it. This wasn’t about me. It was about Mia, about our pack.

At least now it was all out in the open. Mia hadn’t completely dismissed me. She asked for time. Something I could give. Even if my alpha was an impatient bastard.