"You think?" Cassidy asked.
"He is treating you well, right?" Mia asked plainly.
Hope nodded. "Yeah. Sure. I mean, he doesn't beat me or anything," she said. "It's just…"
The women both arched their brows expectantly. "Just what?" Cassidy asked.
Hope let out a long sigh. There was no point in hiding it. With all the emotions that alphas could sniff out, her dirty laundry would be all over the Boundarylands in no time flat anyway.
"It's just that I don't think Maddox likes me very much."
The women looked at each other. Sly grins pulled at their mouths. Their devilish smiles turned to laughter.
"Oh, honey," Mia said. "You really don't have to worry about that."
Hope's brows pulled together. "Why do you say that?"
"Not once in my research have I come across an alpha who failed to fall for his mate," Cassidy said.
"Research?" Hope echoed.
"I earned my doctorate researching the Boundarylands," Cassidy said. "Now, I'm helping the university develop its new Omega Studies program."
"She's about to publish a book about us," Mia said proudly. "She's the world's leading expert."
"That's amazing," Hope said. "I didn't realize that omegas pursued their own interests after they found their alphas."
"Oh, I'm not an omega," she said. "Samson and I are mated, but I'm a beta."
Hope's eyes widened. "I'm sorry. I just assumed. I—um, didn't even know that kind of bonding was possible."
"Don't feel bad. No one knew until Samson and I came along," Cassidy said with a wave of her hand. "The important thing is that if an alpha can fall for a beta, there's no way he could keep himself from falling for his omega."
"It's true," Mia agreed.
It was a sweet sentiment, but Hope wasn't convinced. "You obviously don't know Maddox."
"True," Mia admitted. "But I know what he did for you after you were shot. He took you to Gail's uninvited. He trespassed on Randall's property to save you. In alpha culture, that's an unimaginable insult, punishable by death."
Hope remembered the look of fury in Maddox's eyes when he first saw her, his rage at someone trespassing on his land.
"But he told me he didn't even want to find his omega," she said. "If I had died that day, he'd still be free. So why would he risk his life to save mine before we'd even bonded?"
"Why, indeed?" Mia said, grinning.
"We always get together at Gail's house on Tuesdays," Cassidy said. "You should join us."
"Yes," Mia agreed. "You have to come. Paige still needs to meet you."
"Paige?"
"Another omega," Mia explained. "Our little community is growing fast."
The other women laughed, and Hope gathered her courage.
"Thank you," she said. "You both been so kind already, but I have a favor to ask."
"Of course," Mia said. "Do you need to order some things? I can arrange to have your clothes and belongings shipped in."
"That would be amazing," she admitted. "But what I really need is a phone."
Hope took a deep breath and explained her desire to get word to Dave and Sandra's families about what had happened to them so that their bodies could be retrieved and given a proper burial.
Cassidy took Hope's hand. "Of course."
"And don't worry about getting in touch with the authorities," Mia said. "Ty's on good terms with a beta FBI agent who has helped us before. Though he may want to question you about their deaths."
Hope nodded. She expected nothing less. "I will tell him anything he wants to know. Dave and Sandra deserve justice."
And so did she.
Chapter Thirteen
Maddox needed to get home.
He'd spent more time in Evander's Bar today than in the entire last year. All this conversation was making his brain buzz and skin itch.
Though it hadn't been all bad. He had expected that convincing his alpha brothers to help him get rid of the betas would be an uphill battle. After all, the drug runners weren't their problem. No one had breached their land or threatening their omegas.
But bizarrely, everyone who Samson had talked to wanted to help. All in all, six of his brothers had agreed to come over at nightfall tonight to stand guard until the betas returned.
Honestly, it was five alphas too many. Maddox didn't need six men. One would have been plenty.
He'd figured Kian was the only one who would have agreed, and only because the other alpha owed him after Maddox had helped Kian kill the betas who'd come after his omega.
Kian's involvement made sense. He was paying back a debt.
But the other five alphas?
The best Maddox could figure was that they were gathering debts of their own, stockpiling them for the day they needed help of their own. Then they'd call in the debt and Maddox would have to pay them back. It was the only thing that made sense.
There was a reason Maddox kept to himself. He didn't like thinking about other people. Didn't like wondering why they did the weird shit they did.
Of course, he didn't like having to hunt down intruders either. He didn't like having to constantly test the wind for traces of chemicals, or listen for the faintest of footfalls.
And he sure as hell wasn't in the mood for it now, when he had way better things to do with his time. Like hunting for winter, or spending the night buried between Hope's legs.
Maddox tried to be patient as Zeke and Troy argued over the specifics of the plan. But eventually, he couldn't take it anymore. He had to get the hell out of there.
He swallowed down a growl of annoyance as he pushed away from the bar. "I'm going to take Hope home," he said without any other explanation. "I'll see you all tonight."
They didn't stop chattering as he strode away. Maddox shook his head. He would never understand people. Not even his brothers.
Fortunately, he knew where to find Hope. The sweet timbre of her voice carried through the wall, practically pulling him outside. Once out the door, her scent practically enveloped him, soothing the annoyance in his blood instantly.
"Thank you so much for bringing
