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How fucking dare he talk about the deaths of the Cole pack in their own house?
The words ghost across my lips.
I’m shaking, but I need to find out why Devlin is obsessed with Paige.
He never normally notices Omegas.
I can sense my crew moving in close behind me, itching to back me up.
I hold my hand up subtly in a move that means hang back.
This conversation has been a long time coming.
“It’s better than playing the bully,” I reply as levelly as I can.
Devlin’s dark eyes flash. “Careful, Cole. You reckon that being the descendant of founders will save you? I’m the new power around here. You destroyed any respect when you bonded with the loner.”
Rage surges through me. “What?”
I must keep it together, for now.
Devlin runs his finger through the mashed potato, licking it off and then grimacing. “You had a duty to bond someone who could network. But he doesn’t even turn up to events like this. Doesn’t drink. Socialize. Have any of the crew met him?”
I clench my fists. “Luca doesn’t have to—”
“He’s a strange son of a bitch. Walks around like he’s too good to talk to anybody.”
“He talks if someone is worth talking to.”
Devlin’s expression darkens. “Is that why he hides out in the woods like a mountain man? He probably prefers deer.”
I hold his gaze. “They’re better than some Alphas.”
“Whole town reckons he’s an asshole.”
“Not the whole town,” Walker calls.
I can always rely on my crew.
Devlin shoots Walker a glare. “Everybody who matters.”
“Funny.” I quirk my brow. “Luca reckons the same about you.”
Devlin looks shocked, as if he didn’t expect me to talk back.
He wouldn’t be such a monster if only more people had stood up to him when he was younger. But his hold over Oak Hollow stops now.
Devlin hurls his soda across the lawn, and the drink sprays over me.
He appears even more enraged when I ignore it, staring at him like he’s a misbehaving puppy.
Behind me, my crew circle closer. Judd is now standing at my shoulder.
Devlin glances between them, anxiously.
He points at me. “Then you made it worse for this department’s reputation by bonding an ex-biker.”
My shoulders stiffen. “You investigated my Alpha.”
