Page 42 of Unhinged

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

ARROW

I don’t usually sleep in, but today I lingered too long, tangled up in thoughts of her. Her scent still on me, days later. Like that bed branded me. Like she did.

Brydgett.

Gidge.

Our omega.

I close my eyes, and I see her everywhere. In that cage, bloodied knuckles and wild eyes, moving like she was born to destroy. I see her with a knife pressed to Nikola’s throat, steady and sure, daring anyone to stop her. She’s chaos in motion. A fucking tornado wrapped in a sinful, sexy package.

And she’s mine .

I’ve barely scratched the surface of her. Just the tip of the blade, the edge of what makes her tick. But I’m obsessed already. She’s in my blood, behind my eyes, carved into every damn thought I’ve had since I laid eyes on her.

A low rumble builds in my chest. Feels good, knowing I’ve started to figure her out. Like my instincts knew she was mine before I did.

I make her coffee just the way I’ve seen her take it.

Half a sugar, splash of creamer, hot but not scalding.

I’ve been paying attention. Little things.

Like how she scratches the back of her neck when she’s thinking too hard.

Or how she checks the locks twice when she tucks Judge in, like muscle memory.

Like a habit from a life that didn’t give her many chances to feel safe.

I don’t knock. Don’t have to. She’s curled up under the blanket, one bare shoulder peeking out like a tease. Her hair’s a mess. I love it.

“Morning, Gidge,” I say, holding the coffee out like an offering.

She blinks at me. Not startled, just… watchful. She’s always watching, like she’s waiting for the world to swing on her. Then she sees the coffee, and her face relaxes just a bit.

“You remembered,” she says, voice scratchy from sleep. She takes the mug with both hands.

“Course I did.” I lower myself onto the bed beside her. “Kid’s in the kitchen with Acid. Eating Toaster Strudels like it’s a damn buffet.”

She snorts into her cup, shakes her head. “He’s always up early. Always been that way.”

I nod. “We like him. Little guy fits right in.”

I reach over and tug her close. She doesn’t flinch—something I don’t take lightly.

I tilt her chin, eyes meeting hers. I lean down and kiss her, slow.

Not pushing. Not rough. But the second her lips part for me, something changes.

Her scent goes a little sweeter, like a warm orange peel just torn open, the kind that leaves oil on your fingers.

Like she’s saying yes without saying anything at all.

It wraps around me. Makes something deep in my chest rumble. My alpha side likes it way too much.

She kisses me back, and when she whines low in her throat, I chuckle against her lips. My cock twitches, but I ignore it. Barely.

“We’re having a party Saturday night,” I murmur, brushing her hair behind her ear. “We want you to come.”

She sips her coffee like she’s thinking, even though I can see the smirk tugging at her lips. “I’m here already, so I guess I can make an appearance.”

“You know much about club parties, Gidge?”

She leans back, eyes narrowing a little. “I know there’s tons of booze, drugs, and a man’s known to fuck a club whore or two.”

I nod, no sense lying. “Yeah. That’s about right.”

Her brows pull together. “Where are the club whores? Or the other members? I haven’t seen much of anyone but you three.”

I grin. “They’ve been keeping their distance. Gears told ‘em you were our Kismet. Our Ol’ Lady.”

She glares. “Don’t look at me like that.

It’s just so they keep their damn paws off you.

I don’t need you murdering our members. We just had a brother go nomad after he found his omega and had a rough time of it.

You’ve seen Keg. Bat and Nitro were at Kenny’s house with us, but you’ll meet the rest officially at the party. ”

She sets her cup down, but I see the tension in her fingers. “So the whores will be at the party?”

“Yeah. We only have two right now. Stacy and Aubrey. We had a third—Logan—but he found someone and bounced.”

“Logan was a male?” She’s surprised.

“Yeah. Male whores are harder to come by, but we’ve made it work.”

Her mouth presses into a line. “You haven’t been fucking them, have you? Acid or Gears?”

I laugh low. “You jealous, Gidge?”

“Nope. Just don’t want that influence around my son.”

I hide my smirk, though it tries like hell to break through. “Whatever you say, babe. But no. None of us have touched a female since we found you. That day at Kenny’s... you in that bed... with the corpse.”

She flinches.

“Did you fuck them before?” she asks, quieter now.

“Nope. We’re not blushing virgins or anything. But we’ve been waiting. For you. And when we had to blow off steam... we didn’t do it with anyone connected to the club.”

Her nostrils flare—just the slightest shift. She's scenting for lies. I let her. I got nothing to hide.

“So, what time does this party start?”

“Nine. Mom already offered to keep Judge. Dillon will be there too.”

She exhales, some of the steel leaving her spine. “Perfect. Thank you.”

“Welcome.” I pull back before I lose my goddamn mind. “Come to the kitchen when you’re ready. I saved you bacon and eggs.”

“I will.” She smiles.

I stand, my hand lingering on her thigh longer than it should, not quite ready to let go.

She takes another sip of coffee, eyes flicking toward the window. “I should call the school. See what I can do for Judge. And I need to check in with Ike... make sure things are still clean on his end.”

I nod, brushing my thumb over her knee. “Alright. Let me know what he says. And if you need anything...I got you.”

Her gaze meets mine. There’s that quiet strength again.

Again, I kiss her, soft and slow. She leans into it, and I swear she melts. One second longer and I’ll be dragging the blankets back down.

I force myself to walk out before I give in to the pull of her all over again.

She keeps letting me in—little by little—and if she’s not careful, she’s gonna end up with an alpha in her bed full time.

The second I shut her door behind me, I drag a hand down my face and take a breath. Deep. Slow. Useless.

She wrecks me.

It takes everything I’ve got not to turn around and climb right back into that bed.

Instead, I head down the hall. The scent of Toaster Strudel hits before I even turn the corner. Sugar, fake cherry, and whatever suspicious-ass icing packet came with it.

Judge is perched on one of the chairs, swinging his feet. Acid’s across from him at the stove, tattooed arms crossed as he watches the kid eat like he’s running intel.

The door opens and in walks Bat, grease on his knuckles and a smirk on his face. Keg’s right behind him, carrying some kind of toolbox and a bottle of Gatorade.

“Morning, little man,” Bat says, ruffling Judge’s hair as he passes. “You saving any of that for me?”

Judge grins around a mouthful of strudel. “Nope.”

Keg chuckles and bumps Acid’s shoulder with a fist. “He’s one of us already, huh?”

Acid just shrugs, but there’s the faintest twitch of a smile on his face. “Smart kid knows not to share.”

“You know,” I say, tapping the back of Judge’s chair as I pass on my way to the coffee pot, “you keep feeding him sugar like that, he’s gonna start climbing the damn walls.”

Acid doesn’t look away from the kid. “Kid was already up and had one in the toaster before I even hit the hallway. Can’t blame me for speed.”

Judge just shrugs, mouth full. “They’re good. And the icing’s the best part.”

I smirk and pour myself a cup. “You hear that, Acid? You’ve been replaced by a six-pack of frozen pastries.”

“He’ll learn.” Acid finally cracks a smile, short and sharp. “The icing’s a lie. Like peace treaties and brake warranties. Brydgett coming down soon?” he asks, side-eyeing me like he already knows the answer.

“She’s drinking her coffee,” I say, sipping mine like it doesn’t taste like absolute shit compared to the one I brought her. “Said she’s calling the school about Judge. Checking in with Ike.”

Judge shifts in his seat at the mention of school, pretending not to listen but clearly catching every word.

Acid leans back, rubbing a hand over his jaw.

“She mentioned school yesterday... but she’s not talking about keeping him local.

Wants him in that fancy private school across town.

Said she was saving for it.” He pauses, eyes flicking toward the hallway like he can still see her.

“I could see it in her eyes, Arrow. She wants to get back to work. Back to her life. She don’t like being dependent on anyone—especially when it comes to the boy.

She’s fighting her nature every damn day, trying not to rely on us like an omega’s wired to. ”

I tense up. The words hit hard, like rocks in my stomach.

Judge must pick up on the tension. Without a word, he slides off his chair and heads down the hall, the soft patter of his footsteps the only sound as he disappears.

“I thought you had a good time yesterday,” I snap, a little harsher than I mean to. “So what’s with the change of attitude?”

Acid shrugs, lazy and unconcerned. But I know him. That tick in his jaw says he’s thinking about it more than he’s saying. “I don’t know. She’s just... here, but not. In, but not. She’s driving me crazy. I ain’t never wanted someone so bad who doesn’t wanna be wanted.”

I exhale slowly, dragging a hand through my hair. “She’s rough around the edges, Acid. Just go slow.”

“ Rough around the edges, ” he scoffs, then snorts. “Brother, the omega is like hugging a barbed wire-wrapped teddy bear.”

Despite myself, I laugh—just a short bark of sound. Yeah. He’s not wrong.

“She’s not running,” I mutter. “She’s just... checking the locks. Making sure the fire escape still works.”

He glances at me. “But what if she bolts again?”

I meet his eyes, steady. “We chase.”