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He and Lotus go down to check on Acker.

They don’t sedate her again.

No one has come to a decision about what we’re going to do with her.

I try to take charge a few times, but Knight pushes back against me, and I feel this thing between us, something that’s happened because I let him bite me, where we’ve done something to disrupt the natural way this pack is organized.

I’m supposed to be the dominant one and everyone’s supposed to listen to me.

We’re all supposed to listen to Lotus.

But none of these things are happening.

I find myself trying to explain to people, in a measured and even voice, that we can’t get anything done if we’re all just arguing amongst ourselves. We’re not going to come to a consensus by arguing, and that’s why someone has to be in charge.

I know this from working in the church.

You’d think that people who were all getting together to help others and do charitable work and to volunteer their time would be good at getting along and making decisions, but nothing could be further from the truth.

People, it seems, would much rather talk in circles thandoanything. If allowed, they’ll discuss a thing to death. I think people just like to come up with objections to hear themselves speak. They’re like, “Oh, no one has mentioned this very unlikely eventuality, I bet I should say something.”

Anyway, I learned quickly that it was best to put rules down on everything. I’d say that we’d discuss for twenty minutes and then we’d put things to a vote. (Weirdly, once I did this, therewasno discussion, which worried me that I’d made people think that I didn’t want to hear their voices and I was impatient. Except. I guess I was.)

I have to admit, in this situation, I agree with Knight, anyway. Not just because he’s bitten me and he has the tightest, sweetest little asshole either. But he’s right, we should probably leave.

Lotus can’t compete in some tournament against another omega.

Regardless of whether she could win or not, it’s barbarism.

So, even though I’m in favor of someone being in charge, if she’s going to decide she’s competing, I don’t know if I can agree with that.

How does this even work? How can five adult humans be in one romantic relationship together? Admittedly, this is a pretty heated discussion we’re in the middle of, with very high stakes, so maybe it’ll be easier when we’re trying to figure out things like who does the laundry or how often to vacuum the house, I don’t know.

But I have to say I’m not looking forward to the rest of our lives together if this is how it works between us.

Someone needs to be in charge.

And I’m not just saying that because I’m the one who should be in charge.

I swear I’m not.

But hours drag on, and we’re not even getting close to any kind of agreement. We’re not even really on sides.

Lotus thinks we should stay and that she should fight in the tournament. Arrow is basically backing her up, but he’s also voiced agreement for just killing Acker.

Knight thinks we need to leave and we need to kill Acker.

I’m fine with leaving, but I don’t want to kill Acker, partly for reasons of my conscience, and partly because I think we might have a shot at getting some useful information out of her at some point.

Calix thinks we should leave, but he’s going back and forth on killing Acker.

One thing we’ve gotten nowhere with is where we would evengo.

We still have some cash that we got from raiding Knight’s stash of ill-gotten gains from back when he was a mafia hitman, but it’s not enough for a longterm plan. We talk a little about contacting our families and loved ones, but no one wants to put them in danger.

Eventually, we’re all shouting at each other.

I bark at everyone, shutting down the discussion. “We will all go to separate places and calm the fuck down right now,” I inform everyone.