Page 49 of Eclipse Sector

I needed to ensure Ashlyn was okay first.

ThenI would deal with the two simmering Alphas.

Find out how she actually fell in,I told Fritz, wanting him to gather statements from Grey and Henrik.

Meanwhile, I’d focus on Ashlyn’s point of view.

Waving a hand forward, I said, “After you.”

She stared at me for a beat, her blue eyes seeming to see right through me. Then she nodded and started walking.

I trailed behind her, my mind still locked on the Alphas behind me. They were too busy sizing each other up to care about me taking the Omega from them.

But that left Fritz to deal with their aggression.

He was big for an Omega, and apparently quite skilled with a gun. However, I wasn’t sure that would be enough to put Grey down.

Henrik, maybe.

Grey… Grey might actually prove difficult for me to take down. His Z-Clan half made him an unknown. And his mind didn’t feel all that vulnerable.

I could hear his surface thoughts, but nothing too deep.

Granted, that could be because he was currently consumed by Henrik throwing insults his way.

You shouldn’t even be here.

You’re not one of us.

Just because she’s a Z-Clan Omega does not mean she’s yours. So don’t get any ideas about dragging her off to some cave and claiming her against her will.

The words rolled through Grey’s mind on repeat, his own mouth seeming to remain shut during the onslaught of negative statements coming from Henrik.

So what? You’re just going to stand there? All silent and brooding? Youpushedher into the fucking pond!

I did not,Grey thought, but from what I could tell, he didn’t voice the statement out loud.

Which just further pissed off Henrik.

See? He’s not even denying it. Make him leave.

I snorted, unsure of whether that whining tone was just Grey’s mental interpretation of Henrik’s voice or an accurate depiction. Regardless, it was amusing.

“He didn’t push me,” Ashlyn said quietly, her gaze catching mine as she glanced back at me. “I just didn’t see him coming, so his appearance… surprised me. Which is rather uncommon, to say the least.”

“You knew he was part of the mating pool, though, right?”

Her lips curled slightly. “Yes. Quinn asked me if I was okay with him joining. I’m not one to fight destiny, so I agreed.” She shrugged. “Although, I thought our paths would cross later. Not today.”

She picked up her pace a little, her gaze no longer on me, leaving me to study her from behind.

Her cryptic words swirled in my mind as I tried to piece them together.

Z-Clan Omegas were extremely rare, primarily because their Alphas didn’t cherish them the way they should. Quinnlynn asking Ashlyn for permission to add Grey to the list of suitors made sense—if anyone would object to a part Z-Clan Alpha joining the mating pool, it would be a Z-Clan Omega.

Ashlyn allowing him to participate meant that either she felt his V-Clan side would balance his Z-Clan heritage, or she’d seen something that made her comfortable with him.

Her words just now made me suspect the latter.