Page 63 of Alpha Brock
Brock
I should’ve known that things were going too well. Whenever that happens, it’s only a matter of time before something comes along to fuck it all up. That something in this case is pretty boy Sam from Denver, showing up and putting his hands all over Astrid like he fucking owns her. Like he’s got a death wish.
My wolf hates the smug little fucker. I’d love to teach him the hard way that I don’t tolerate other people touching my things. At this point, the only thing preventing me from tearing his stupid face off is the fact that Astrid cares for him… and the whole alliance with the Denver pack, of course. Can’t forget that.
Sam has spent the entire day glued to Astrid’s fucking hip, so she and I haven’t had a moment alone to discuss why the hell it is that he showed up here. I can only go off of what she’s told me in the past- that her and Sam grew up together, that they used to date, and that while they’re no longer romantically involved, the two of them are still close friends. From the way Sam’s been with her today, though, I’d say that they’re maybe a little too close. That he might’ve missed the memo on the ‘just friends’ thing.
Most of my energy today has been devoted to not flipping the fuck out. I’ve had to make a concerted effort to keep my wolf in check, especially when Sam suggested that he and his buddy stay the night here rather than heading back to Denver. I was put on the fucking spot, so now the asshole is staying in my packhouse. And that bar night out in Goldenleaf to blow off some steam before inevitably heading into battle next week? Yeah, they’re joining us for that, too.
We arrive at the bar just after nine, and I slide an arm around Astrid’s slender shoulders, leading her over to the table where I usually sit with the guys. Sam and Chris trail behind, and not long after we get there and Astrid makes introductions, Sam suggests that they go up to the bar to grab drinks. My wolf suggests that I rip the guy’s throat out in response, but the bar is packed tonight and there’s no sign of Kelly the waitress, so I suppose his suggestion isn’t completely out of line.
Until he uses that fucking pet name that he has for Astrid and my blood starts to boil.
“You coming, lovely?” Sam asks, giving a little flick of his head as he and Chris turn to head for the bar.
Astrid looks to me, and she must see my wolf peeking through because she presses a palm to my chest, a gesture that she’s used in the past to calm me. “They came all this way, I don’t want to be rude,” she says quietly, leaning in.
“It’s fine,” I growl, picking up the beer that Gray slid me when I arrived. Trying to play it cool, though I’m anything but.
Astrid gives me a reassuring smile, spinning around to follow Sam and Chris. As she retreats, my eyes go straight to her delectable little ass- and damn her for looking so good tonight, driving me fucking crazy. Dressed to kill in a tight backless dress and heels. She disappears into the crowd and I raise the beer bottle to my lips, guzzling the whole thing down in a few gulps.
“Everything alright?” Reid asks, arching a brow as I slam the empty beer bottle on the table, wiping my mouth with a sleeve.
“Oh just fuckin’ peachy,” I grumble, shooting him a glare.
Jax grins mischievously from his seat on the other side of me. “You ready to tell us what’s going on between you and the princess of the Denver pack?”
“None of your fucking business,” I snap, rifling through the empty bottles on the table in search of a fresh beer. Reid picks up on what I’m doing and slides me his full one. He must know I need it more than he does right now.
“Whatever, bro,” Jax chuckles, sipping on his own beer. “I told you it was only a matter of time before a female was driving you crazy, too.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Quinn challenges as she approaches our table, folding her arms over her chest and raising a brow at her mate.
Jax freezes, immediately backpedaling. “Nothing, babe, I was just giving Brock a hard time…”
Quinn teases Jax and the other guys keep chatting amongst themselves, but I barely hear a word of it. I chug down the beer that Reid passed to me, looking through the crowd for Astrid. It doesn’t fucking help that the girl’s so damn small- she’s not exactly easy to spot amidst the masses.
“You guys need anything?” Kelly asks, finally showing up and leaning in between Gray and Theo to grab some of the empty bottles off of our table.
“Whiskey, neat,” I snap. “Make it a double. And none of that cheap shit.”
Kelly winks at me from across the table. “You got it.” She looks around to the others. “Anyone else?”
The other guys order beers and as soon as Kelly shuffles away, Reid turns to me. “She must really be driving you nuts for you to be going for the hard stuff,” he comments.
He’s right- I rarely go for liquor. I generally stick to beer so I can stay in control at all times.
I scowl, shaking my head. “You have no fucking idea.” Mostly because I’m not the ‘sharing’ type- in any sense of the word. My feelings or my women.And speaking of…
I glance toward the bar, looking for Astrid again. This time, I actually spot her- she’s sandwiched between Chris and Sam, and they’re chatting with Vienna and the twins.
I don’t like how Sam’s looking at her. I don’t like how close he’s standing to her. And I definitely don’t like how much he’s making her laugh. She tosses her head back, reaching out to give him a playful shove. It makes my fucking skin crawl, my wolf fighting to tear through.
Kelly appears in front of me, blocking my view of Astrid as she slides a glass of amber colored liquor onto the table. “Sixteen even, honey.”
It’s a welcome distraction at this point- watching Astrid with that idiot only riles up my wolf. I take a twenty out of my wallet and tell Kelly to keep the change, turning away and returning to the conversation with the guys. Sipping the whiskey to dull my senses and drown out my inner animal.
It works, for a time. Kelly delivers me another double-whiskey and I’m just starting to sip on it when Chris approaches our table, positioning himself between Reid and me.