Chapter 94
Nikolai
As soon as Alyssa and Mace disappear into King’s office, I exchange a look with King, lowering my voice so Zuri doesn’t hear. “When the fuck did we start having sidebars?”
King doesn’t answer, but by the way his jaw is set, he doesn’t like it either.
Alyssa’s been distant since we got back. I thought things might settle once we were h
home, but it’s like she’s slipping further away every day. She told us she needed space, and we’ve been giving it to her–even if it’s been hell. No touching. No kissing. No fucking. Not even a goddamn cuddle. It’s been killing me, but for King? It’s a whole different kind of torture.
Since finding out she’s pregnant, something primal in him snapped into overdrive. He’s been restless, constantly on edge, trying to control the pull that wants to consume her, to keep her attached to his hip at all times. To ease his pain, I’ve stepped in, letting him use me as much as he needs.
My poor ass. Don’t get me wrong–I love it when he fucks me, but it’s not the same without her. I miss her touch, her taste, the soft, breathy moans she lets out when we’re making her feel good. It’s like now I can feel just how badly she’s distanced herself from us, and it fucking stings.
Whatever happened between her and Mason seems to have brought her back, at least a little. And now they’re in King’s office having a private chat that doesn’t fucking involve us,
tell it
After Zuri announces she’s “all done” with breakfast, we move to the living room, purting on, “Ms. Rachel King doesn’t complain, but I can te annoys the shit out of him. Still, he wouldn’t dare change it. It’s our baby girl’s favorite show
Instead, he pours a small glass of whiskey, his eyes locked on the office door like he’s deciding if he should storm in there or not.
When Alyssa and More finally come out, Alyssa Jooks…fragile. Her checks are thushed, and there are streaks of dried tears on to hide it, but I can see it in her eyes–the same fear 1 felt when I noticed her pulling away.
her fo
rface. She’s trying
We sit there, not saying anything She won’t look at us. Her fingers play with the hem of her shirt, her bottom lip caught between her teeth, like she’s waiting for the flour to swallow her up so she doesn’t have to do whatever this is.
Mason steps forward, his voice calm but firm. “We need to have a family discussion”
Alyssa takes a step away from him, and I feel the sudden shift in the air. She’s putting up a barrier again, not wanting to let any of us in. But Mason doesn’t let her go. He grabs her arm gently, holding her in place. “No, Stay, Alyssa. This needs to happen
Well,
shit. When did he stam getting so
o assertive!
“What needs to happen?” King drawls, his voice laced with irritation and an undercurrent of hurt that he does well to hide
Whatever it is, I can tell by Alyssa’s body language that she’s fucking terrified. Is it because of what we might say! How we might react!
on, sweet girl?” I ask, raising a brow
1 force an easy grin, even though my chest feels right. “Yeah, what’s going on, s
Alyssa sucks in a deep breath, and raises her chin, meeting both of our gazes. She opens her mouth to speak, but then quickly closes it again. She glances at Mason, whispering, “I–I don’t know how to say it without sounding insane.”
“Don’t worry,” Mason assures her. “They’ll be fine.”
I’ve never seen her like this before. It scares the shit out of me, Baby, if you’re trying to tell us you’re pregnant, we already know that. You don’t need to get all dramatic on us,” 1 tease, trying to lighten the mood.
Her eyes flash with irritation, but the tension in her body cases just a little bit. I can’t help but smile.
“Yeah, no duh,” she mutters, rolling her eyes at me
There’s our girl
“Then what is it?” I ask, pushing past the humor. “Or does King need to spank it out of you? You’re making both of us nervous as hell right now.”
She groans. “Fine. Okay. 1- But before she can get the words out, she slaps a hand over her mouth and bolts for the bathroom
Mason lets out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Okay, we’re not getting anywhere like this. I’ll just summarize what she told me, and we’ll go from there.”
King and I stay silent as Mason explains what Alyssa’s been feeling–how even though Alyssa asked us to keep our distance, she’s jealous and feels left out. She’s convinced we’re eventually going to leave her
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Chapter 94
Fuck. She’s been feeling like this all week, and we didn’t notice? Maybe King was right..she didn’t need space. She needed our dominance and control to keep her grounded, and since I’ve been making sure we respect her boundaries, she thinks we don’t want her anymore. She thinks we’ve chosen each other over her.
I glance at King. His face is blank, but I know him too well. He’s thinking the same thing, and he’s furious–at himself, at me, at the whole damn situation.
We really fucked up.
Alyssa’s the glue that holds us together. Without her, we’d fall apart. She brought us closer, made us stronger. And now, because we held back, she thinks we’re done with her! That we’d toss her aside just like that?
I can admit when I’m wrong, and I know King will make me pay for it later. Right now, we need to fix this. Those rears on her cheeks earlier! We caused that. She’s been carrying all this hurt, thinking we don’t love her, and I can’t stand the thought of her feeling like that.
Mason’s just finishing as Alyssa returns to the room, her face pale and eyes glossy. She hesitates by the wall, studying our expressions like she’s preparing for the worst.
“You told them” she whispers, her voice hoarse.
Mason nods. “Now let’s talk a
about it. Thoughts, guys?
1 grin at her. “Yeah, I’ve got some thoughts. Why don’t you come sit on my lap, sweet girl and I’ll tell you just how insane what Mace just said
sounded!
I use the word I heard her whisper to Mace earlier because it seems she needs a firm reminder of just how insane she makes us
Her lips part, but before she can answer. King cuts in “Wait until Zuri’s down for her nap,” he says, his voice cold, brimming with restrained anger. His eyes never leave.Alyssa’s silently commanding her to trust him.
Then, he stands, slowly walking towards her. She stiffens, her eyes wide and uncertain. She’s not afraid of him, but she’s scared of what he might say. She’s scared he might confirm her worst fear.
Instead, King cups the back of her neck and bends down to kiss her, slow and passionately. “Don’t look at me like that, kitten” he murmurs, pressing his forehead against hers. A soft shudder runs through her body, and she relaxes under his touch “We’ll finish this family discussion once she’s adeep. You need our undivided attention. You need to know just how wrong your assumptions are my beautiful little kitten.”
She swallows hard, nodding “Okay, I can wait.”
Although he’s somewhat calmed her, the weight of her insecurities still lingers in the room. We’ll handle it, though–together. She’s our fucking queen, and she has three kings that worship the ground she walks on
When we’re done with her, she’ll know exactly where she belongs–right between us, forever.
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