CHAPTER 11

SPARROW

As the moon began to climb the sky, Thaddeus and Thea returned, their arms laden with the loot they'd salvaged from the yacht. We'd abandoned it earlier when we noticed the guards patrolling the island in the wrong direction. 

Thaddeus set my folded clothes on the table, the suit in relatively good condition considering how I left it on the beach. 

Thea has the envelope of cash in his pile, along with a laptop bag and several other items from our trip to the mainland. 

"Where's the girl?" Thaddeus inquired, his brow furrowed in confusion as he found me alone in the kitchen. His voice, though soft, carried a hint of concern, his gaze scanning the room for any sign of her.

"She's taking a nap," I whispered, my voice barely a murmur. "She hasn't made a peep since I left her." I glanced at the clock on the wall. It had been nearly an hour. I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Perhaps I should have stayed with her, but I'd been so engrossed in my work.

“In the guest room?” Thaddeus’s tone and expression tell me he knows she is not there because her scent had gone subtle on this floor. 

"Nope," I grinned, already picturing his response. "I tried to tell her, but she found a more cosy spot downstairs."

His brows furrowed deeply, casting long shadows over his eyes. "Where?" he demanded, his voice low and laden with a growing sense of unease.

I shrug. “You won't have a problem finding her if you just follow your nose, that would make it easy for you to find her.” 

But the way his eyes narrowed told me that he already knows. “Fuck. Tell me you didn't let that Mongrel into my room?”

I frown at him, but it's forced and mocking. “You’re asking me to lie? I thought we had built this brotherhood on trust and truth.”

“You fucking dick,”

"You know, I thought we had a deal," he said, his voice low and menacing. His eyes, usually soft and warm, had hardened into cold, calculating slits. "No unauthorised access to my personal quarters."

"I know, I know," I said, my voice soft. "I can't resist her. She's too sweet when she looks at me with those big, pleading eyes."

"I mean, I'm a sucker for a good performance," I confessed, a twinkle in my eye. "She's got begging down to an art."

He growls in annoyance. “I would throw your suit back down to the beach, but I know you wouldn't even give a fuvk.” 

“Not one bit,” I agree. “But feel free to do it anyway.”

Thea distracts the grumbling Alpha with a beer. “She’s scared and chose your bed because it made her feel more safer. Why don't you take it as a compliment,”

“Yeah, because I'm the only one that loves fresh black fur in my bed,” he mutters at him, taking the beer and nearly breaking the neck of it. 

I return to the burner, flipping the meat ball once more to sear the opposite side. “If it makes you feel better, she rolled in all our sheet but yours was just her favorite.”

“That doesn't make me feel any better, Moron.” He bites back.

I shrug. “At least her black fur comes with a sweet perfume that is quiet inresistable”

“Great. So I will feel grimy and want to jerk off.” He slams his beer down on the counter causing a little to spill over. “I’m going to go see if I can coax the human out of her furry shell so we can have an adult conversation about boundaries.”

“Try not to go too hard on her,” I call after him. “She is damn to adorable to resist.”

He grunts, disappearing from view as he enters the living area. 

“Someone's in a mood,” I say, glancing at Thea. “The beach party didn't go well?”

"Bruno challenged him," Thea said, picking up Thaddeus's beer for a quick swig. "But 'T' wasn't going to stand for it. He put Bruno in his place right then and there, but I could tell he was still worried."

“Worried.” I repeated. “Wait, about the girl?” I questioned. 

Thea nods. “Her scent is like an addictive drug, very hard to wave off.” 

“Like an Omega, you mean.” I have scented a few before and they were all sickly sweet, just like the little darling downstairs.

“Yeah. It's going to rip this whole pack apart.”

Thea took another sip of his beer, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon. "I'm not sure what Bruno's problem is. He's always been a bit of a troublemaker, but this is a whole new level. I hope Thaddeus doesn't get dragged into any more of his nonsense."

As the sweet sauce bubbled gently on the gas top, I carefully removed the meatballs from the pan. After ensuring the burner was off, I slid the tender meatballs into the fragrant sauce, ready to combine them with a batch of al dente pasta.

“It also may be exactly what we need right now.” I say, thinking out loud. “An Alpha isn't complete without his circles.”

Thea took another sip of the beer, his eyes glinting with a silvery hue that seemed almost metallic. Their colour, like a chameleon's, shifted with his mood. When they turned a fiery orange, it was a clear signal of his anger. 

Silver and grey, however, often indicated a more relaxed or content state. Tonight, as the amber liquid sloshed against the glass, his eyes held a serene silver, reflecting the contentment he found in the quiet solitude of the room.

Orange is a rare look on him though.

Silver is the most common. 

“Maybe fate brought her here for a purpose,” he suggested after a beat. “He needs an Omega. Maybe she's ours.” 

A low growl, echoing up from downstairs, sends a loud thud in the house. The sound, deep and menacing, pierces the eerie silence of the house. My hear

t pounds in my chest as I exchange a frightened glance with Thea.

“Well,” Thea drawls, clearing his throat. 

“I hope he doesn't kill her first.”