Page 22 of Alpha Brock
I take it from him gratefully, raising it to my lips and swallowing down a couple of gulps before responding. “Yeah, after practice with the squad.” I set my cup down on the kitchen counter, looking around. “Where the fuck is Astrid?” I growl. “We’re gonna be late.”
“She’s already gone, bro,” Brent says, hopping up to sit on the counter. “Didn’t she tell you?”
“What?” I blink at him as his words register. “Gonewhere?”
“The complex,” Jared supplies, sipping his own coffee. “One of the twins came to pick her up earlier. I figured you knew.”
I shake my head, frowning. “No.”
Fuck.I scrub a hand over my face, thinking back on last night. Did she mention she was getting a ride from someone else?
No, I would’ve remembered that. And because she didn’t mention it, I somehow doubt this was pre-planned. I’m willing to bet that her disappearing act has everything to do with what happened between us last night.
I swallow down a few more gulps of coffee before stepping over to the sink and pouring the rest down the drain. “I’m gonna get going,” I grumble to the guys. I look up just in time to see the two of them exchanging glances, but I don’t have the energy to call them on it- not when a heavy, guilty feeling is starting to settle in my gut.
I grab my keys and hit the road, driving a little faster than normal down the forest streets. Listening to Astrid’s constant chatter every day on the drive to the complex is annoying as fuck, but being alone with my thoughts this morning is even worse.
I’m probably just reading into this. I don’t even know why I give a shit. I shouldn’t care.
Arriving at the squad complex in record time, I pull the Escalade into my usual parking spot and climb out, heading for the practice field. Squad members are still trickling out of the doors from the barracks, while many others are scattered on the field already, stretching and warming up.
I quickly spot the other squad leaders circled up together, and as usual, Quinn, Fallon, and Astrid are with them. I head their way, lifting my chin in greeting as I approach and pulling an arm across my chest to stretch.
“You wanna pair up again today, little sis?” Theo asks Quinn, waggling his eyebrows and ruffling the top of her hair with a hand.
“Ugh, what’d I tell you about doing that?!” Quinn protests, elbowing her brother and sidestepping away from him with a scowl. She smooths out her hair before folding her arms across her chest. “Sure, I’ll partner with you. If you wanna get your ass handed to you again.”
“Ooooh!” Jax laughs, coming up beside Quinn and sliding an arm over her shoulders. “You know, Theo, I kinda like having a mate who can kick your ass,” he teases.
“Make that two of us,” Gray chuckles, glancing over at Fallon adoringly. “I’m pretty sure my mate could kickallof your asses.”
Fallon grins deviously. “Absolutely. Who wants to be my next victim?” She raises a brow and looks around at all of us. “Any takers?”
The fact that nobody’s jumping at the chance is a testament to how good Fallon really is. And to how possessive Gray is. Then again, all of these guys are fiercely protective of their mates.
I shoot a side-eyed glance at Astrid, who is unusually quiet this morning. Typically, we all group up before squad training and shoot the shit for a few minutes until we get started. Jax and Theo rib one another, Fallon threatens to kick everyone’s butts, and for the past few days, Astrid has teased me, giving me a hard time about my cynical attitude or subdued demeanor. Today, though…crickets.
Yeah, this is definitely about last night. I try to look her way, but she’s actively avoiding eye contact with me. Instead, she plops down on the ground in her navy leggings, sticking her legs out on either side of her and stretching her body sideways over the top of one, her light brown curls spilling over. That unpleasant, guilty feeling takes root in my gut again as I watch her, taking in the curve of her spine and the gorgeous caramel color of her smooth skin as her white t-shirt rides up. Unable to tear my eyes away.
I decide to bite the bullet and break the silence between us by suggesting that we partner up to spar today, but before I can, Fallon beats me to the punch. I think she likes sparring with Astrid because she picks up new things from her every time- and although the girl’s small, she can hold her own, even against the Barbie Beast herself. I wind up partnering with Theo, which works out because I can take out all of my aggression on him without feeling bad. Chances are high that he’s said or done something lately deserving of a punch.
We train for a few hours and after we call it quits, I look around for Astrid only to hear that she’s already gone off to IT to make a call to Denver.
It’s for the best, really. I’m not sure where things would’ve gone last night if it weren’t for Astrid’s vision interrupting things, but surely no good could’ve come from where they were headed. I shouldn’t allow myself to be distracted from the upcoming battle. I collect my keys, water bottle, and phone, jump in the Escalade, and head back to Riverton for the afternoon.
Except all afternoon, as I work with Jared on pairing up the Denver refugees with members of our pack that have offered to house them, I can’t stop thinking about it. I was freaked the fuck out last night when Astrid asked me who Anna was- I felt like she’d violated my mind by sneaking a peek at my most vulnerable moment. Can you blame me for going on the defensive? All I could think was that Astrid had no right poking around in my head like that.
I typically react first and ask questions later, which maybe isn’t the best approach. Because now that I’m thinking about it, Astrid clearly didn’t intend to have that vision; she was just as surprised as I was about it. She wouldn’t have known how sensitive of a subject Annalise is for me, or how significant that night in the forest was.Damnit… I fucked up, didn’t I?
I shouldn’t have let myself start feeling guilty about this, because now I can’t let it go. I should’ve just pushed it out of my mind and forgotten about it, but instead I’m driving back up to the complex, parking the Escalade, and making my way to the IT unit. Hanging around in the hallway until they call it a day and people start filing out.
Astrid’s walking out with Quinn and when she looks up to see me standing there, slumped against the hallway wall, she’s like a deer in the headlights, those big brown doe-eyes widening.
“Wh… what are you doing here?” she breathes.
I push off of the wall, taking a step toward her. “Had to come back for a meeting,” I lie through my teeth. “Need a ride?”
Astrid looks to Quinn, then back to me. “I mean, Quinn was gonna take me, but I guess since you’re here…”