Page 95 of Alphas Like Us

Voices collide together, everyone asking the sameshit.

I peel off my gloves and then comb my hair back. If anyone had known about Luna Hale suddenly having a boyfriend, it would’ve been her olderbrother.

And Maximoff knowsnothing.

I question whether this “boyfriend” is real. “Have you seen him?” I ask on top of the mountingquestions.

“When?” Donnellyasks.

“For how long?” Akarawonders.

Quinn runs two frustrated hands through his thick, wavy hair. “MyGod,” he snaps. “Shut the fuck up and I’ll tellyou!”

We all goquiet.

Quinn breathes out. “It’s been about a week.” He shifts his weight and before Akara asks, he says, “Yeah, I did a background check. The guy pannedout.”

Donnelly slips a pen behind his ear. “Does he live inPhilly?”

“How old is he?” Iask.

“What does he do?” Oscaradds.

Quinn hangs onto the fireplace mantel. “This stays between us.” He tries to send a warning look my way, but I’m not havingit.

“I’ll tell you upfront,” I say easily. “There’s absolutely a hundred percent chance that I’ll share this withMaximoff.”

He frowns. “Why?”

“Because he’s my boyfriend. It’s as simple asthat.”

Oscar leans forward on his stool. “Redford can leave the room. I want the fuckingdetails.”

“Same,” Donnelly says, unsnapping his gloves. Just to remove his septumpiercing.

Quinn expels a breath and then nods to me. “It’s alright. Stay. I’m guessing Luna will tell Maximoff soon, so it shouldn’t matter.” He starts unleashing the news. “So the guy is named Andrew Umbers. Twenty-two. He’s originally from Houston but now lives in Philly. He created some kind of start-up for a parking app. And yeah, I’ve seenhim.”

Everyone is quiet.Processing.

Thatcher straightens letters in his hands. “Did Luna tell you not toshare?”

“No…I have no fucking clue what she’d think if I told everyone,” Quinn admits. “And look, before you guys say anything, you should know that their dates have consisted of eating takeout at his apartment and listening to NPR. It feels like he’s just usingher.”

I grit down. I’m not happy about anyone using these families, let alone the Hales. This is exactly why most of them have trust issues. And I sense the real irony here: the public believesI’m using her brother forfame.

But I’m not going to apologize for loving him. And wanting to be withhim.

We all talk about Luna and the intentions of her new boyfriend. Mainly ways to protect her, and I hang back and look at eachguy.

This isit.

I’ve had some of them in my lives long before I joined security. So I’m not losing them. But I am leaving behindOmega.The camaraderie, the brotherhood. A protective force of men who will jump into the wildfire, no questionsasked.

And I’ve been here before. Way back when, I believed I’d lose my job once the families and security found out I waswithMaximoff. I was ready to accept that, but there is more peace in choosing this path now than being forced here backthen.

“Redford,” Oscar calls out. “What’s going on?” He’s been reading into myfeatures.

“I have something to say.” I comb both of my hands through my hair and step off the brick wall. My shift in demeanor causes the living room to gosilent.