Chapter 3: Dibs

Chapter 3: Dibs

~Sebastian~

“Oh, oh shit! Dibs. I call dibs!” Nickolai whispers loudly.

Day two and I already want to kill him and blame this pack for it. It’s just Nickolai and I exploring today while Tank does whatever the hell he wants to do. This is how it always is, though, the never-ending life of the Alpha babysitter.

“Nickolai, you don’t have to call dibs on the things you are buying. You just pay for them and they are yours.” I remind him.

He doesn’t pay me any mind. As he walks through the crowd the following something, no, someone. His eyes are glued in front of him as he eases around people, gently pushing past them. How sweet of him to care.

I, however, do not, so I square my shoulders and walk straight ahead, knocking into person after person, feeling an odd sense of satisfaction. Am I looking for a fight? Bet your ass I am. I want to punch someone, feel the crunch of their jaw under my fists. 

I groan internally. This is what he does to me. He makes me hate the world because he loves it so much. He is so damn cheery that I just naturally have to balance him out by being an asshole. There is no rhyme or reason to it, just me being annoyed with his cheerful outlook on life.

“Where are you going?” I growl at him when he finally stops staring straight ahead, eyes wide in wonder.

“Before I point it out, just remember that I called dibs and I am not above using the ‘I’m the alpha’ card,” he levels his eyes on me and I give him a credulous look.

"Whatever."

I follow his eyes and my stomach flops, my chest tightens, and I feel sick. Only ten paces ahead of us is the pretty little pickpocket. She looks different. I’ll grant her that. No, who am I trying to fool? She looks downright stunning. She had before, but I can tell she is trying to be more, which is absurd because she is…

Shit. nope. Come back here, runaway thoughts. No thinking about her or anyone like that. I have nothing to offer anyone. This is why I actively avoid finding my mate. I am good for one thing and that is protecting the one person I consider family. Even if the majority of the time I find him annoying as all get out. He called dibs, and I respect him enough to respect that. 

But why do I hate it so much?

As she laughs at something someone said, her auburn hair shimmers in the sun. Her eyes find mine right away and I can see a hint of laughter there, something reserved just for me, our little secret that she somehow knows I haven’t told. Her eyes are lined with black and her lips are covered in a gloss that looks sleek and inviting. I notice Nickolai has noticed her lips as well and I steel my face to not show my disappointment.

She saunters over, fixing the glove covering her arms up to her mid-bicep where it kisses the hem of her shirtsleeve. I tilt my head, trying to understand why most people in the outliers wear sunglasses or long sleeves, yet here in the inner wall, everyone dresses like we are back in our pack. Maybe it’s a status thing? A way to tell who is on the lowest rung? Another stab at whatever dignity they had left.   

“Gentlemen,” she says with the dip of her head.

“Madam” Nickolai responds. She lifts a brow and wears a look of feign offense.

“I look like a madam to you?” She says, the corner of her lip tipping up in a smile. Nickolai misses that she is messing with him and his cheeks flush red. I roll my eyes and move away from them, not missing her gaze lingering on me for a moment. It thrills me that she is watching for some reason, and I hate it as much as I enjoy it. 

I make my way to a building and lean against it in the shade. The sun is beating down today and though the air has a chill factor to it, the direct sunlight is enough to make my brow sweat. I pull my hood over my face so I can track them with my eyes while my head is turned in another direction. This is what I do, what I’m good at. 

I lurk in the shadows, letting him live his life out to the fullest, and not once have I ever cared. Not once have I felt the pang of jealousy and desire for something that, by birthright, would never be mine. Until right now. I’m not daft enough to think she is after him for anything other than the treaty she believes he has. The treaty that I have on me.

She laughs at his jokes, and he rubs the back of his neck. Shit. He is nervous around her. Nickolai isn’t hurting in the women's department. It’s probably one area where he excels and I fail. Not from lack of trying on my part. I’m rough around the edges where he is refined and his tongue is made of silver and mine. Well, I don’t like words much. Not serious words anyway.

The fact that he is nervous means she is either doing a great job or he is starting to like her. Both of which are very dangerous options. I move to break up the conversation, bored now of waiting, but I freeze the moment I take my first step. Nickolai reaches out and brushes the hair from her face, and she blushes. The slightest hue of pink dancing along her soft cheeks and a shy smile on her lips. 

I frown at the exchange. It shouldn’t bother me as much as it does. I should be more upset about the fact that she is trying to swindle us, but the blush still sits on her cheeks and my heart rate has ticked up a notch. Fuck. I want to make her blush like that.

I step out of the shadow and I’m next to Nickolai in a second, my hood still up, casting a shadow over my eyes.

“Nickolai, let’s keep moving,” I grunt. He smiles at me looking like a kid who had won a toy at the fair and he reaches out, slumping his arm around the woman’s shoulders.

“Seb! I found a guide.” He is grinning.

I stare at him for a moment, then sigh heavily.

“Told you,” he whispers to the woman, removing his arm. “Man, of very few words.”

“Don’t tell people about me,” I grunt, annoyed already, and our day has only just started.

She throws her head back and laughs. I freeze, my fingers itching with the desire to just touch her. Her laugh is light, airy. A carefree laugh, like the burden of life, hasn’t torn her down just yet.

“You like to remain a mystery?” she asks, with a twinkle in her eyes.

I frown at her. This seems fake, forced, and I don’t want to interact with her. Hell, I’m not sure I know how.

I turn on my heels and leave them following behind me at a distance. After a few hours, they find their way to my side and I frown at them, annoyed that they can’t just stay a certain distance away from me. She makes me uneasy and I don’t like it. Nickolai runs ahead to grab us some food from the store on the corner and I move closer to monitor him.

“You care about him?” she asks me.

I say nothing, give her nothing.

“Ah, I see. You either are just the dumb brute force or you are one of those guys who hates women.” She says.

I snap my eyes to her face in shock. She watches me carefully, waiting for a response. 

“I am neither of those things,” I respond, looking back at Nickolai through the front window.

“So he speaks.”

“We have spoken before. Why would you think I do not speak?” My words are cool, giving nothing away except my desire to not talk to her. She looks a little alarmed and I smirk. She didn’t think I would recognize her.

“You spoke more freely last time.”

I shrug. My jaw is aching from all the clenching I’m doing.

“You dislike me?” She asks, amusement fluttering in her eyes.

“No, I distrust you.”

“Oh, come on, it was a small little…”

“What do you want the treaty for?” I ask her. 

This time her face is cool, unreadable, and she watches me, weighing her answer. 

“Ah, so she does shut up,” I mutter before Nickolai saunters out with a bag of snacks, tossing me a water bottle.

“Ohhh, this is a fun tension to walk into.” He says, grinning. “Let me guess. You tried to talk to him, didn’t you?”

“Tried being the operative word.” She says, her face lighting up when she looks at Nickolai.

“Seb, you need to be nicer to Wren. She is going to be our guide until we leave.”

“Wren?” I ask my voice light, tasting her name on my tongue, enjoying the way it rolls off my lips. She smiles.

“Yes. I’m Wren.” She offers me a gloved hand and I stare down at it. And then look back up at her.

“Wonderful,” I say flatly. And then I turn to Nickolai. “Tank will take over your detail for the duration of the day,” And I turn and walk away.

-Tank, you’re on Nicki, I need a run- I tell him through the mind link.

-Already on him- 

I can feel their eyes on my back and my muscles ripple as my wolf growls for a run. He wants out to run free and far, and for once I let him take the helm because I can’t trust my mind right now.