Page 130 of Pack Choice

“Probably not. But to be honest, as much as I think they want to see me mated, I don’t think they’ll ever actually think anyone is worthy of me. They’re shitheads like that.”

“When they find out what happened to my packmates …”

“You really believe Silver hired you without a full and thorough background check?”

“My military record is private.”

Molly snorts. “Silver will have seen it anyway and he wouldn’t have hired you if he thought you were a screw up.” She rests her hand on my shoulder, the pressure comforting. I thought it was alphas who were meant to be the ones to look after their omegas. I’m greener behind the ears than I realized. Because clearly, it works both ways.

“They’re still going to kick the living daylights out of me.”

“I’d like to see them try,” she says darkly, unbuckling her seatbelt and slipping out of the car before I can stop her with that special knack she possesses.

We don’t make it to the front door before it swings open and her eldest brother comes striding out, a look that would probably terrify every occupant of hell itself drawn across his face.

“Where the hell have you been?” he barks at his sister.

I’ve seen omegas crumple to the floor when an alpha uses that tone. Molly doesn’t even blink an eyelid.

“Do you want the truth, big brother, or an edited version?”

“Molly,” he warns.

“The unedited version, huh? Well, I went into heat earlier than I was expecting to, so Ford here and my boss Colten, the one you met, remember, took me to River Caspian’s apartment and laid me out on the bed, and first River opened my legs and–”

Axel covers his ears with his hands. “La la la,” he yells.

Molly grins with satisfaction. “Oh, so you do want the edited version. In that case, I had my heat. Now it’s over and I’m home again.”

Axel gulps with relief, although he still looks a little green around the gills. “Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you? Take advantage of you?”

“I’m fine, a little tired and sore and–”

“Molly!”

“Axel, I’m fine and no one took advantage of me or hurt me. It was all consensual and utterly mind blowing and–”

“Molly!” Axel steps towards his sister and places his hand over her mouth. “Cut it out!” His eyes snap up to me. “You were instructed to bring her home.”

“It wasn’t safe to, Sir. I had to make a call.”

“And did you take advantage of my little sister while she was in heat?”

“Muh mwah mah mama,” Molly says into her brother’s hand.

“I don’t believe I did, Sir. She asked me to take care of her, and I did that to the best of my ability.”

“The best of your ability, huh?” Axel says with a growl that turns into a yelp. He jerks his hand away from Molly’s mouth, shaking it. “Did you just bite my finger?”

“Don’t give Ford a hard time, or I will be tempted to tell Bea about all the evil stuff you did to me as a kid.”

“Like spending my allowance buying you a new barbie doll when you caught the flu and missed that school trip. Or the time I gave you all my Halloween candy because you fell over and dropped all yours down a storm drain.”

“No, the time you and Angel locked me in a cupboard for two hours when we were playing hide and seek. And the time you dissected that frog I was keeping as a pet in the backyard.”

The two siblings glare at each other.

“Fine,” Axel says with a grunt, “but if you’re sleeping together, then I’m taking him off babysitting duty.”