Page 73 of Brutal Reign
I grunt in discontentment, still staring off across the barracks at River smiling and laughing with her friends by their bunks.She never smiles at me like that.“I’m not in a bad mood,” I mutter.
He snorts a laugh, not buying my bullshit for a second. Slinging an arm around my shoulders, he leans in, murmuring, “Just talk to her, bro.”
“It’s not that easy,” I huff, shrugging his arm off.
“Yes, it is. You’re overcomplicating it.”
“Not everyone’s good with words, alright?” I snap, whipping my head around to face him.
Ace’s brows shoot up in response to my harsh tone, eyes widening.
“Sorry,” I grumble, heaving a sigh and scrubbing a hand over my face. “But see what I mean? I suck at this.”
“Maybe, but you’ve gotta start somewhere,” he quips. “And just trying to talk things out will go a long way. Trust.”
Idotrust him– it’s myself that I don’t fucking trust right now. I grind my molars as I stare back at my best friend, wishing things with River were half as simple as he’s making them out to be. They’re easy for him; he’s great at communicating.Me, not so much.
“Just… don’t be an asshole,” he adds, a smirk creasing his lips.
I roll my eyes, grunting as I push past him to go for my cubby. Trading my gym shoes for boots, I grab the keys to my bike before stepping back around to find Ace still chuckling to himself. “If this goes bad, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” I grit out, giving him a pointed look.
“You’ll be fine, Alpha,” he barks, clapping a hand down on my shoulder. “And hey, if you piss off our girl, just send her my way. I’ll be happy to smooth things over.”
I narrow my eyes on him as he grins smugly, winking.
“Fuck off,” I grumble, giving him a shove before turning to start across the barracks.
River’s now messing with something in the cubby at the end of her bunk, and every step in her direction makes my heart rate spike higher. Despite the erratic beat, I keep my cool as I approach her, casually leaning a shoulder against the frame of her bunk bed.
“Hey, can we talk?”
She pauses rummaging through her cubby, eyeing me suspiciously as she twists to face me. “Uh, sure,” she breathes, running a hand through her dark hair as she darts her hesitant gaze around the crowded recruit barracks. “Did you wanna go outside or something?”
I hold up my keys, jangling them in invitation. “How about for a ride?”
Her hazel eyes light up with excitement, a genuine smile splitting her face. She tries to hide it by turning back to hercubby and bending down to grab her boots off the bottom shelf, but that smile has already seared itself into my memory. It’s been too long since I’ve seen it. And like the greedy asshole I am, I’m already craving another.
Just wait ‘til I get her on my bike.
Stuffing her feet into her boots, she grabs her leather jacket off the hook inside her cubby, slipping it on and reaching back in for her keys.
“You don’t need those,” I say as she slides them into the pocket of her jacket.
“I’m not riding bitch on your bike,” she deadpans, pivoting to face me. Our eyes lock, and her lips tip into a smirk. “But feel free to hop on the back of mine.”
I clench my jaw, biting back my retort as River flips her long hair back and shoulder-barges past me, boots clomping against the floor as she heads for the exit. My fists clench at my sides. I suck in a deep, steadying breath before turning to start after her, my long stride allowing me to catch up easily.
I’ve been wound up tight all afternoon– ever since I caught River and Ace making out in the woods during war games. I would’ve hopped up on that platform and stolen a taste of her for myself if it weren’t for my teammates running up behind me and Riv wanting to keep this whole thing under wraps. I get why she wants to keep it from her old man, but the secrecy around training camp is bullshit.
I want everybody to know that River Jacobsen ismine.
Not publicly staking my claim goes against my Alpha wolf’s possessive nature, but then again, so does sharing my mate with someone else. If it were anyone but Ace, it’d be a deal breaker. I’d just take the other guy out of the equation and keep her all to myself.
We push through the double-doors of the squad complex side by side, making our way over to the gate and passingthrough it to head for the parking lot. My shoulders are bunched with tension, posture stiff and movements jerky. And if the side-eyed glances she keeps sliding my way are any indication, she’s clearly picked up on my mood.
“So what’s up?” Riv asks as we round the corner of the building and tread the path alongside the parking lot. My bike’s parked down at the far end, and I still fully plan on getting her on the back of it. She’s just being stubborn, and I’m no stranger to this game of push and pull between us.
I flicker a glance in her direction, unsure how to even begin to articulate what’s going through my head. “Have fun with Ace today?” I grumble.