Page 71 of Alphas Like Us

All I want is to protect him, and all he wants is to protect me. It’s been our motto since the damn start. But Farrow is used to people mocking me, hating me, shitting on me. I’m not used to seeing him beneath a burning spotlight that leavesscars.

“This isn’t easy,” Iadmit.

“I know,” he says like he’s met this irritation, this frustration and anger time and time again while we’ve been together in private. When he’s not allowed to bear his fists to protectme.

Just take thehit.

I tilt my head back, my sore muscles begging me torelax.

“RIDE HISDICK!!”

Farrow raises and lowers his brows in a teasingwave.

I lick my lips, heating up in a better way. “Neverhappening.”

He cocks his head and whispers, “It’s definitely alreadyhappened.”

“Has it?” I feignconfusion.

He rolls his eyes into a short laugh—and then he notices the same thing as me. “Cobalt, what the hell are youdoing?”

My best friend straps a sequined purse across her grannie jammies. She has a switchblade and pepper spray in there, and we watch her quickly fit on fuzzy catslippers.

“Janie,” I call out, already figuring out why she’s angry. “We can post an Instagram video. You don’t need to confront them on the fuckingstreet.”

Jane ties her hair in a low pony. “There is a bold line, Moffy, and these fools have crossedit.”

“They’redrunkfools,” I remind Jane. “They’re here to incite one of us. This is what they fucking want.” I’ve said all of this a million times to myself. Right before I land a fist into a heckler’s jaw. Sometimes these facts feel meaningless, but we have to repeat them for each other. Forourselves.

Or else we’ll all go out of our goddamnminds.

Charlie and Beckett watch their sister carefully, but they don’t stand up and joinJane.

She unzips her purse and procures her pepper spray canister while marching to the door, guarded byThatcher.

Jane reaches him and lifts her chin since he’s a whole foot taller. “Excuse me, Thatcher, but there are people I need to have words with on my best friend’s behalf. Moveaside.”

Yeah, alright, I’msmiling.

Thatcher never budges. “I can’t,Jane.”

“PUT YOUR DICK INHIM!!”

Farrow suddenly reaches for the bedsidedrawer.

For acondom?

No.

There’s absolutely no way he’s grabbing acondom.

Jane clears her throat. “Mr. Moretti,” she tries again, “I need to go break a few dicks. Can you please step aside?” Her angry face crinkles hernose.

“No—”

“MAXIMOFF HALE IS GONNA FUCK A PORNSTAR!!”

The attic goes silent. No one isspeaking.