I can handle that…I think.
Chapter 24
Forrest
Claire doesn’t messageus for a long time and it has my nerves on edge.
Wells has a calming hand on my back rubbing circles as we sit on the pool deck.
“She trusts him. She wants him. This isn’t a bad thing, Forrest. We came on this ship to find a pack, remember? An Omega who is at the center and this is what she needs.”
Doesn’t mean I have to like it. Or like that it’s him of all people.
He could have had Claire for years and now he shows up and takes her away from me? I’m not bonded to her. She’s said I’m her Alpha, that I’m in her future, but what if he ruins all of that? The fucker is too damn good looking, likely exceedingly rich, and from the same circles as she is in New York.
“You need to try to like him, to get to know him,” Wells chastises me, somehow able to read my thoughts.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You’re sitting there nearly growling, counting each second she’s alone with him. We’re not losing her, we’re getting another pack mate. If you want to be pack lead, then you need to set an example and try with him.”
That has me blinking over at Wells. I hadn’t considered pack lead, and the idea of it being him and not me has me ready to hurt someone.
“Okay, so that clearly wasn’t the right thing to say.” Wells sighs, removing his hand as he lies down on the lounge chair, soaking up the sun. “I know you haven’t had many people you could depend on and that everyone is pretty much your enemy until proven otherwise. Just please give him a chance. If not for me, for Claire. She needs more than one Alpha for her heats, and she clearly has deep feelings for him.”
None of that really makes me feel better, only more inadequate that I can’t rise to the challenge of being less selfish along with the thought that she may like him more than she likes me.
“Claire comes first, that’s what it means to have an Omega,” he states plainly.
It’s a language I can understand as I give him a nod and lean back in my seat. I’ll be polite, I’ll hear him out, but there’s no promise that I’ll like the guy or ever be okay with sharing him with Claire. But for her? I’ll try anything.
We finally get a message on where to meet her for dinner and I know it’s going to be the true test to see how things are going to go moving forward.
Wells smiles at the other Alpha, shaking his hand before we sit down.
Claire sits tensely between me and Elliot. She smells like him and it pisses me off. My leg shakes under the table so frantically that Wells grabs my thigh and squeezes hard.
“So. You and Claire go way back?” Wells asks the man in a friendly tone.
“Our families have always been close. I’m three years older than her, the same age as her brother Axel, so I spent a lot of time at the Sørensen’s growing up,” Elliot replies and Claire smiles.
“Elliot’s mom and mine go way back. My mom was the biggest Deja Fox fan and my dad knew his dad from hiring his security agency in the past. He scored her some backstage passes, and they became best friends,” Claire says easily and Wells gapes at Elliot in a new light.
“Hold on, your mom is Deja Fox?”
“And his sister is Sophie Smith,” Claire says and Wells leans back into his seat.
Am I supposed to know who these people are?
“Knot Thot,” Wells says to me, “and House of Alpha and Omega.”
Those things I do know, and when I glance over at the Alpha, I suppose I see a resemblance to his sister, the woman who plays the main character on the huge hit show about ancient designations and kingdoms.
“Soph is a good friend of mine, too. It’s just been really hard to keep in touch with her schedule. She’s been in New Zealand for a few years now working on the show,” Claire says, and I can tell there’s a sadness there that she isn’t as close to her friend anymore.
Elliot and I both put our hands on the back of her chair at the same time, shooting each other glares.
“What took you so long to realize you wanted to be with Claire?” I ask bluntly.