Page 18 of Alpha Brock
“She wouldn’t be a bad choice,” Reid continues, glancing over at Astrid himself. “She’s got alpha blood. And she’s pretty damn hot.”
My wolf charges forward, rattling my cage.What the fuck is his deal today?Maybe he just needs to be let out for a run.
I shove him back quickly, turning to Reid again. “Sure, if you can get past the whole cheerful, little-miss-sunshine act,” I grind out. “Trust me, it’s twenty-four seven, and it’s annoying as shit.”
“Says mister fuckin’ doom and gloom.” Reid shakes his head, chuckling. Then he pulls his hands out of his pockets and claps me on the shoulder. “Y’know, most people actually look at a positive attitude as agoodthing.”
I shrug his hand off and roll my eyes. Hard.
“Hey, if she’s annoying you that much, I could take her off your hands,” Reid offers. “I’ve got plenty of space here for her to stay…”
And there goes my wolf again.
“Nah,” I reply quickly, shaking my head. “I’ve gotta do my part. It wouldn’t be right to pawn her off on you.”
He shrugs, watching Astrid with obvious interest. “It’s really no big deal. I don’t mind at all.”
I shake my head again, more adamantly this time. I don’t know why the hell I’m suddenly fighting to keep Astrid under my roof; the girl’s been driving me fucking crazy. “It’s fine. Really. Besides, Jared and Brent like having her around.”
“I bet they do,” Reid laughs, sweeping his eyes over Astrid’s form appreciatively.
A long pause settles between us, most of which I use to shove my wolf back. I don’t know why he’s suddenly so fucking wily, but the more he pushes forward, the more agitated I get… and the more agitated I get, the more he tries to surface. It’s a vicious fucking cycle.
He’s obviously defensive over Astrid for some reason, which makes zero fucking sense in the context of how much the girl irritates me. I’ve tried to push the other night as far out of my brain as possible and just keep my distance- but at the same time, I’m having trouble letting her out of my sight, which doesn’t do much for said distance. It makes no sense, but neither does my head right now. It’s all fucked up.
Thankfully, Reid doesn’t push further. Instead he sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face and changing the subject. “So what do you think about the Jax and Quinn thing?”
I’ll bet he’s been waiting to ask me about this. Reid and I have always had a lot in common, being the oldest of our friends and having similar personality traits. That, and while Jax and Theo were fucking around with all sorts of women and Gray was mister ‘I don’t need a female’, Reid and I were the ones that actually wanted to find someone to settle down with. Of course, that changed for me a few years back, after I got burned. But still. Now Reid and I have even more common ground as the only two unmated alphas in our group.
I draw a deep breath and exhale, combing over his question in my mind. “I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “I’m happy for them, but a little fucking bitter.”
“Yeah,” Reid murmurs. “I get that.”
Out of everyone, Reid’s probably the only one who gets it. I don’t know how he’s not even more bitter than I am at this point. Then again, he wasn’t stupid enough to fall in love and get his heart trampled on like I did years ago. He doesn’t carry the same baggage or have the same cynicism about love that I do.
After a beat, I turn to Reid, narrowing my eyes. “Does it ever bother you that all those guys have found their mates and we’re still waiting?”
He presses his lips into a tight line. “Of course it does, man. But what the hell am I gonna do about it?”
He’s got a point. It’s not like it’s as easy as deciding you want to find your fated mate; the stars have to align for you to actually find her. I’ve pretty much given up on hoping they’ll align for me. After all, if you don’t hold out hope, you won’t be disappointed.
“When’s the next group supposed to arrive?” I ask, glancing down at my watch. Changing the subject again before I start thinking about it too much and wind up in even more of a funk.
“Ten. And about that, there’s something you should know,” Reid says quietly, leaning in.
“What’s that?”
He blows out a breath, pausing. Hesitating. “Wes and Annalise offered to host some of the refugees from Denver.”
I swear I feel a stab of pain in my gut upon just hearing her name. Even after all these years.
“Of course they did,” I grumble, my head falling back against the wall.
“Just wanted to give you a heads up,” he sighs. “I don’t know which one of them is going to show up here, but they’re on the list for the next group.”
I don’t respond- instead, I just gnaw on my lower lip, turning to watch Astrid with her pack again. Still fascinated by her air of authority with them. Trying to focus on that rather than the fact that the girl I once loved may be headed here, and how I’d better clear the fuck out if I want to keep my sanity.
“How is she?” I ask. Even though I shouldn’t ask. Even though I shouldn’t care.