007

DOMINIC POV

"Five!"

I groaned, lifting the dumbbell over my chest, the sound of music from my AirPods serving as my companion. My back was damp with perspiration, a zigzag of sweat rolling down my sideburns despite the AC.

I'd been in the gym for close to three hours, which was an hour longer than usual, not that I minded if it meant I could clear my head.

Apparently everyone was mad at me, which sucked since I was supposed to feel guilty but wasn't. I was going to apologize anyway since I was wrong, and that was that.

Ashton had avoided me like an Egyptian plague, his glares were like laser beams that followed me around each time we shared the same space, which barely happened since the second time I kissed Rosie.

Once or twice, I was tempted to apologize, but I stopped myself simply because there was no need. I never said things I didn't mean. That was the highest level of hypocrisy; hence, I wasn't going to participate in worthless promises because I hurt his ego—and most especially because he was my brother.

Hopefully, he would get over it.

I hummed along to a few lines from the music playing loud enough to drown out the sound around, yet barely enough to calm me.

I tapped once on the left ear, and the music paused. Fuck Juice WRLD.

"Eight!" Slowly, I lowered it to my feet and reached for my water bottle. I'd barely twisted the lid when the door flung open.

Well, well. The instigator herself had cracked first. Cassandra had tapped into my mind link a few hours ago to tell me we needed to "talk," and I had ignored her, then shut it when she began to question my whereabouts.

I lowered my fingers to my toes and let out a satisfactory sigh when I felt my spine loosen. One thing about me was that I was going to do my shit on my own terms. The glare directed toward me didn't make a darn difference. I was only going to entertain her because I wasn't planning on shutting my mind link forever.

"Get those fucking AirPods out. I've been looking for you for forever," her hands moved to my ears as she pulled them out.

Now she was in front of me, I could see her better. Her lips painted in peach lip gloss were set in an angry pout, brows knitted into a scowl, the furious blaze of an angry vixen swirling in her eyes.

"You kissed her!" she gasped, blinking furiously. "How could you do that to me!" Cassie stomped her foot, poking my chest so hard that I could feel the hard edge of her acrylic nails against my chest.

"What the hell were you thinking when you dared her to kiss me, Cassandra?" I deadpanned.

Cassie stepped forward, her chin tilted slightly so that she could meet my eyes. "I didn't say she kissed you, I said you kissed her. Don't play dumb with me, Dominic. You could have walked away," she hissed, her jaws set in a rigid line that made her already sharp features more harsh.

"You could have picked a different dare then." My voice was louder this time. She was beginning to get on my nerves. She and Rosie didn't get along and I really didn't give a fuck. But using your ops as bait to test me?

"I just wanted to test your loyalty." Poke. "If at all anything happened, she should have been the one to initiate the kiss and not you! Damn it! You made me look so stupid. You already know how much I hate her, and you did it!" Her voice was now loud enough to pass for a scream.

"You made the fucking rules. No one was leaving the game till it officially ended. Rosie was going to get sick, and I was only doing her a favor." I paused for a second, then stepped close enough so that I could tower over her, my eyes narrowing as I yanked her forward, gripping her by the jaw.

A low whimper and a wide-eyed stare replaced her brazen features.

I lowered my voice. "And the next time your stupid ceramic nails hit me, I'll remind you that I'm your Alpha. Get out!"

My grip around her jaw slackened, and I ripped my AirPods out of her palm.

A simmering silence followed afterward. I couldn't read her thoughts, but I knew she was surprised. And in my opinion, she should be. I'd never raised my voice at her, but today was different.

Torn between confusion and anger, she remained fixed to the same spot, still staring at me with that awe-struck expression.

"Now." Her pencil heels moved clumsily as she quickened her pace, and in no time, the solitude of the gym was back. Good.

---

"What do you want?" Xylus blocked his doorway with his body so that I wouldn't come in. I was actually fine standing by the porch. I came to him first since he was not only the most reasonable of my offenders but also the least hurt.

"I came to apologize about what happened with your sister," I said calmly.

Xylus seemed to regard me with silent pessimism. I didn't blame him. No one wanted their sister to be a playboy's plaything, especially when he was your friend.

"Fuck you," he murmured and moved away from the door. My lips curled on the sides, a smirk threatening to creep up.

I stepped inside, glancing around the minimalist room. The house was unusually quiet, meaning Rosie most likely wasn't around, which was just perfect.

I shut the door behind me and leaned against it, folding my arms. "You gonna let me talk, or you want to punch me again?"

Xylus hissed, reaching for a jar of coffee beans. "You're a fucking dick, you know that?"

I nodded, moving farther into the kitchen before I pulled out a stool. "I've been told." I shrugged.

His jaw tightened as he stared at me. "You knew I'd be pissed. You did it anyway."

"I did."

"And you don't regret it? Do you? Please leave Rosie alone, Dominic. She deserves better."

Right.

I rolled my tongue against my upper teeth and sucked in a breath, my fingers drumming against the marble counter. Lying to Xylus was pointless. He saw through me like no other person.

My silence answered his question. Xylus snorted. The shrill sound from the doorbell vibrated through the room and I was grateful for its interruption.

"Be back in a sec," Xylus grunted and moved away. When he came back, he was with Ashton.

Probably it was intentional, or Ashton didn't give a fuck, but Xylus had automatically stepped into the role of big brother. Each time he asked Xylus about what he thought he should get for Rosie on her birthday, what he should tell her... it reminded me of several weeks ago when he'd shyly asked me to help him and I'd said, "Anytime."

"I think she'll prefer black roses," I blurted. His excluding me was killing me. I was supposed to be the one he looked up to, not Xylus.

"And you'll know because?" Ashton snapped. I could feel his rage seething through his pores. We remained in a staring contest for close to a while before Xylus cleared his throat.

"I'll walk you to the door, Dominic," he offered. But I could tell he'd already picked sides with Ashton.