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17
ASTRID
It’s after dark by the time I return to the packhouse that night. I stayed late working with the IT unit and Quinn was kind enough to give me a ride back here afterward. I was so busy all afternoon that I didn’t have much time to think about Brock or how dismissive he was on the practice field this morning, but it returns to the forefront of my mind as I make my way up the front walk and twist the knob on the front door to let myself in.
When I push the door open, my eyes immediately land on Brock. Damnit. He’s straight ahead in my field of vision, lounging on a couch in the great room in a t-shirt and a pair of grey sweats. And of course, as soon as my eyes land on him, he looks up and our gazes lock like magnets.
I quickly look away, stepping over the threshold and pushing the door closed behind me with a hip, toeing off my gym shoes and sweeping them aside under the bench. I can still feel Brock’s ey
C.J. PrimerHope you enjoyed this super-sized, super steamy chapter! Thanks for reading!
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Alpha Brock 18
BROCK“Damn, you’re up early,” Jared comments as I stroll into the kitchen on Saturday morning.“Don’t get used to it,” I groan, going straight for the coffee pot and pouring myself a cup. My nose twitches as a delicious scent wafts my way from the oven. “Damn, what’s that smell?”“Your mom brought a quiche over,” Jared says, folding his arms over his chest and leaning back against the kitchen counter. “I think it’s bacon and tomato this time.”“Nothing gets me out of bed faster than the smell of Mom’s quiche,” Brent laughs, sauntering in. He looks my way, narrowing his eyes. “Bacon and tomato again, really? Isn’t that your favorite?”“Sure is,” I smile smugly.When we were growing up, my mom would make a quiche every Saturday for breakfast, changing up the types of veggie
Alpha Brock 19
Astrid I blink as I look up at Brock, his words registering. He didn’t just call me ‘Anna’, did he? But the look of horror in his eyes tells me that he did. Behind me, I hear Jared choke and Brent snort. Yup, he just called me ‘Anna’. And from the things I’ve heard about his past and the vision I caught from him last week, I’ve already put two and two together as to who Anna is. The ex. My mouth drops open, but no sound comes out. I’m truly at a loss for words. “Shit, I didn’t…” Brock grumbles, shaking his head and scrubbing a hand over his face. “I meant…” He’s completely panicking. Thanks to my intuitive abilities, I can feel his panic register as if it’s my own, prickling my skin like icy shards. While I haven’t yet processed my own reaction, my immediate reaction to his panic is to calm it. I reach out, pressing my palm to his chest as I look up into his eyes. “I
Alpha Brock 20
Brock As soon as I turn the key in the ignition, I know that the drive back to Riverton is going to be tortuous with Astrid sitting beside me, looking and smelling like sin. The girl is hot as fuck; way too damn tempting for her own good. So fucking sweet, too, but with the heart of a warrior. I know I shouldn’t let her get too close, but how can I resist her? I pull out of Goldenleaf onto the main road, glancing sideways at the beauty seated next to me. I can’t help myself from reaching over to touch her exposed thigh, gliding my fingers all the way from her knee to the hem of her little black dress. It’s way too fucking short- every guy in the place was checking her out tonight. Probably why me and my wolf were both slowly driven into a frenzy watching her, and why I couldn’t waste another second before getting her out of there. Her eyes are alight with the golden shimmers of her wolf as I run my fingertips along the hem of her dre
Alpha Brock 21
ASTRID“Astrid!” Quinn calls from her desk in the back of the room when I walk into the IT hub on Monday, peering at me over her computer monitor and waving a hand to beckon me.I smile brightly, making my way down the aisle between the desks in the hub to her workstation. I really like Quinn- we’ve always been friendly over video chat, and since meeting her in person we’ve become fast friends.“Hey!” I chirp, rounding the corner of her desk. I set my butt on the edge beside her, leaning back on my palms. “What’s up?”I hear the whir of the wheels of Brooke’s desk chair against the floor as she slides over from her spot on the other side of the aisle, positioning herself in front of me with a look of determination on her face that rivals Quinn’s.I glance suspiciously from one girl to the other. “What?”“Are you gonna s
Alpha Brock 22
BROCK “You good to go?” I ask, twirling the keys to the Escalade on a finger. I had to come back to the complex this afternoon for a meeting with squad leadership, so I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone and hang around for a bit afterwards to give Astrid a ride home. She looks up at me as she walks out of the IT hub with Quinn and Brooke, surprise playing on her features when she sees me. “Oh, yeah!” she smiles cheerfully. “I didn’t know you’d be around today, I’d already talked Quinn into giving me a lift.” She turns to Quinn, nudging her with an elbow. “Guess you’re off the hook.” Quinn sweeps her long brown hair over a shoulder, eyeing me with interest. “Good thing you just happened to be here, huh?” she comments, her lips pulling into a smirk. I shrug. “Had a meeting.” “I’ll see you girls tomorrow,” Astrid says over her shoulder as she breaks off from the others and starts toward me.
Alpha Brock 23
BROCK I hate the way that Astrid makes me feel out of control. I tell myself that I’m going to keep my distance, and then as soon as I see her, I’m instantly yanked to her like a magnet. I can’t resist her scent, her sexy little body. Her bright smile and that airy giggle. Her eternal optimism. Somehow all the things I used to find annoying about her are suddenly adorable, and it frustrates me to no end. Like my body and my instincts are betraying my rational mind. Practice with the squad on Tuesday morning isn’t enough to take the edge off, so I decide to extend my workout by hitting the weight room at the complex with Jax and Theo afterwards. It’s the best time to go because most of the squad is in the dining hall for lunch, and we walk in to find that we’ve basically got the place to ourselves. The three of us alternate spotting and lifting, and a half an hour in, my muscles are sufficiently burning. It’s a good burn. The k
Alpha Brock 24
ASTRID “No way, you’d love it here!” I laugh, looking at Sam’s smiling face on my computer screen. I’m so thankful for video chat- it’s tough being away from the people I love back in Denver and seeing their faces on a regular basis makes the distance easier to bear. “If you say so,” Sam chuckles, rolling his eyes. “We just miss you back at home, that’s all.” I heave a sigh, sliding off of my bed and picking up my laptop, holding it in front of me as I walk out of my room and head down the hallway. “I miss you guys too. You keeping Cole out of trouble?” “Always,” he laughs, running a hand through his golden hair. I pad into the kitchen on bare feet, rounding the island and sliding my laptop onto it, spinning around to pull the fridge open. “Good, you better,” I say as I take out a bowl of grapes, tearing one from the stem and popping it into my mouth as I spin back around. “The last group from h
Alpha Brock 25
BROCK “So we’re looking at a week to ten days,” Reid sighs, cracking his knuckles in front of him and leaning back in his chair. “Meaning we should’ve already sent the first half of the squad down there.” The five of us squad leaders are gathered in the conference room at the complex, and the tension in here is so thick that it’s almost suffocating. “So let’s send them in the morning,” Theo suggests. “We already split ‘em up, told them to be ready at a moment’s notice…” “We’re gonna have to,” Gray agrees. A grim silence settles over us, because this right here, this moment, is when it becomes real. We’re sending off our warriors, knowing full well the real cost of war. That some of them won’t be coming back. It’s a reality that, fortunately, our squad has never had to face until now. As the leaders, all five of us feel responsible for the squad members, so the thought of taking casualties is a h
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