Page 23 of The Forgotten

“I’m somehow unsurprised that you rejected me to continue to fuck your brother,” I tell him in a bored tone.

It doesn’t matter that I’m holding zero favorable cards, I’m going to continue to run my mouth. Aled snarls at me, his feet moving forward, and Gareth throws the knife he was cutting my food with in his direction. It must be much sharper than I originally thought, because it slides like butter into Aled’s thigh.

My eyes grow to the size of saucers as I gaze between them, and Gareth moves protectively toward me to brush his lips over my temple.

“Mine,” he snaps, making me almost believe that he means it. I can’t though. Fairytales are for silly, innocent omegas, not jaded ones. “You lied to me, Aled. Therefore, you can lay in the lonely bed you’ve made for yourself.”

“You’re seriously saying you’re going to bed alone? You haven’t slept in your bed in years,” Aled complains.

“Who says I’ll be alone?” Gareth asks, winking at me. I should be very afraid of his words, but something tells me he’s serious about not forcing me. “For context, Little Angel, I’m afraid of the dark and a cuddler.”

Yeah, I don’t know what to do about any of this. I’m very over my head.

“Maddox, Cai, I found Gareth!” Aled yells as if he’s tattling on him.

“Oh, you’re brothers alright,” I say under my breath.

“It’s two against three,” Gareth says, feeding me another bite as I turn forward. The awkward angle was bothering my neck. “Personally, I like those odds. I’m the best shot.”

“You threw a knife at me,” Aled complains, coming into view as he pulls it out. “Are you at least going to stitch me up?”

He tosses the bloody knife onto the counter, making my stomach turn. Gareth slaps Aled over the head, pulling the chair around so I can’t easily see the blood.

“Call the doctor,” Gareth recommends. “I bet Doctor Royal would love to make a house call.”

“What’s going on here?” Maddox roars, storming into the kitchen.

The drama team has assembled. Wonderful.

Chapter

Six

ALED

“What’s going on here isthat Gareth stabbed me for the woman,” I say with derision, my lip curling. “You can’t keep her, Gareth. She’s not a dog.”

As if I called the monster, Balthazar bounds into the kitchen with a loud bark.

“He didn’t mean it,” Gareth soothes. “Go lay down in your bed. I’ve got this. Maybe since I’ll be sleeping in my own room again, I’ll move your bed.”

“You’re fucking serious about this?” Maddox asks, a strangled laugh releasing from his lips. “I don’t typically particularly care where you plug your hole, but the omega is missing a dick for that.”

“You could just send me home,” Olivia huffs out. “For people who are trying to fly under the radar, I’m not a good person to kidnap and still go unnoticed.”

“We noticed,” Cai grunts, coming around the counter. When glass crunches under his shoes, he glances up. “What did you break?”

“My ego,” Gareth mutters. “Last bite, Olivia. Be a good girl for me.”

Olivia shifts in her seat with a small whine, but Gareth just smiles as he taps the fork against her lips. If it was anyone else, he’d have stabbed her with it. Instead, he waits until she parts her lips to take the offered food.

“This is unacceptable, Gareth,” Maddox reminds him, standing across from him.

“No, I don’t think so. You rejected our pack’s omega without speaking to me first, which means she is mine,” Gareth says calmly, helping Olivia drink a sip of water since she’s tied to the chair.

“You can’t keep me,” Olivia says gently. “You’d have to hide all the knives, and even then, I’d find a way to die.”

My heart cramps hard at her words, and I feel as if I’ve missed an entire conversation. The only reason I found them is because I followed the scent of chocolate and angel cake. While my adopted brother is a beta, I’ve always been very sensitive to his scent. He’s mine and bonded to me, but will never be what I’d call settled.