Page 53 of Storm

Elena steps forward and embraces me, her arms surprisingly strong for her small frame. She smells like baking and home.

"Take care of yourself, Alexander. And watch out for your brother. He needs you more than he'll ever admit." I nod against her shoulder, allowing myself one more moment of comfort before the hell I'm heading into.

"I will." With one last look at Fox, I step out into the crisp mountain air, toward the car that will take me back to Crescent City. Back to Jonathan, to Reed, to the Kingsley name and all the weight it carries. And to Storm, the wild card none of us planned for.

The drive back to Crescent City gives me too much time to think, to worry, to plan and re-plan how to handle this situation. Jonathan's explanations over the phone have told me the basics.

Storm rigged the lottery to pull our pack's name, likely as a distraction so she could escape to her beta-born alpha, Rook. Instead, Jonathan not only claimed Storm, but he also resigned from the Omega House and took her home, making it impossible to simply let her go without drawing attention to ourselves, the entire lottery, and how easy it is to rig a winner.

What a mess.

Part of me understands exactly what Storm was trying to do. If anyone knows about forbidden love and desperate measures, it's me. I've spent four years hiding Fox from the world, protecting him from a system that would either destroy him or use him.

I can't bring myself to hate someone who was just trying to get back to the person they love. But another part of me is terrified of what her actions might mean for all of us.

Our fathers are watching. The public is watching. If this goes wrong, if our carefully constructed façade cracks, it won't just be Jonathan and Reed who pay the price. It will be me. It will be Fox. It will be everything we've built.

I push those thoughts away as I near the city limits. The rain starts as if on cue, thick sheets of it streaming down the windshield as the mountains give way to suburbs and then to the gleaming towers of Crescent City. By the time I park in the underground garage of the building, my shoulders are tight with tension.

The private elevator requires a security code. I punch it in, watching the numbers climb to the penthouse level. What am I walking into? An angry omega? A brother at the end of his patience? Reed caught in the middle and being a dick? And now a pack beta I know nothing about, thrown into this mess as a last-minute solution to our fathers' demands?

The elevator doors slide open, and I step out into the penthouse, mentally bracing myself for whatever awaits me. What I find is not what I expected. Storm is smaller than I anticipated, with wild auburn curls and fierce gray eyes that widen in surprise when she sees me.

Her legs are bare. She might have shorts on underneath, but they are swallowed up by the oversized hoodie she wears that hides the rest of her frame. Despite her size, there's something magnetic about her presence that catches me off guard. An energy that immediately draws me in.

The scent hits me immediately—dark chocolate, rich and intoxicating, filling the penthouse with its intensity. My body reacts before I can control it, an electric current running down my spine and heat pooling low in my stomach.

Unlike my brother, who probably fights this attraction every moment, I allow myself to appreciate it, to let her omega fragrance wrap around me like a welcome embrace.

It's mixed with something sweeter—toasted marshmallows and cinnamon—that must be the beta. They're both flustered, standing too quickly, a deck of cards scattered between them.

I find myself smiling, relaxing into the unexpected pleasure of her presence. "Hi," I say, breaking the awkward silence. "I'm Alexander. You must be Storm." I can't help the slight drop in my tone, the natural warmth creeping in.

Her eyes narrow slightly as she studies me, clearly noting the similarities between Jonathan and me.

"Must be," she replies, her voice carrying an edge of defiance. "Let me guess—the approachable twin?"

I laugh, the sound surprising even to myself. It's been a while since I've genuinely laughed in this city.

"I like to think so, but Jonathan would disagree."

"Jonathan can kiss my ass," she says, then tenses slightly, as if expecting me to react badly to her disrespect. Instead, I laugh again.

"I'll be sure to pass that along. He'll be thrilled." She relaxes slightly, confusion flashing across her face. She clearly doesn't know what to make of me yet. I turn to the beta, extending my hand.

"And you must be Frankie." He steps forward hesitantly, his hand warm as he shakes mine.

"Yes, sir. Nice to meet you."

"Please, it's just Alex," I correct him. "Can I get either of you something to drink? Water? Coffee?”

"Water would be great," Frankie says, still looking slightly overwhelmed.

"I'll take something stronger if you've got it," Storm declares, defiance in every line of her body. I grin at her.

"Woman after my own heart. Unfortunately, it's barely noon, and I don't think Jonathan would appreciate me getting his omega drunk while he's out."

"I'm not his omega," she fires back, but without the venom I expected.