The Amber Shift

Forty-Two

Asher

Killian looks like shit this morning, like his nose has been broken for the ninth time. He has faint bruises on his jaw and a cut on his neck.

"What the hell happened to you?" I ask as we sit down to breakfast, and I spread my napkin over my lap.

He chuckles as he takes a sip of the coffee that's steaming from the mug in front of him. "Elijah and I kicked each other's asses last night," he says matter-of-factly, like it's something that happens every day.

"What?" Remi blurts before I can respond. "After we left? Why?"

"We?" I ask, but no one answers me.

"Yeah, I said some shit. He said some shit. We fought it out, and now we're good," he says with a shrug of his broad shoulders.

"Uh, okay," I say, but I still want to know what drove them to fisticuffs. It wasn't often that we fought within the pack unless it was something serious. And the only thing serious I could think of right now is—

I don't get to finish my thought because the dining room doors swing open. The two figures strolling through them act like they're walking on fucking air. My heart shatters and my blood boils, both threatening to throw me into cardiac arrest.

Elijah and Noelle are hand in hand, and he's looking down at her with such adoration in his eyes that I'd love to take whatever punch Killian threw at him last night and multiply it by ten.

And Noelle. She is so fucking beautiful with the morning light from the windows washing over her delicate skin, making each freckle pop out and shimmer in the sun. Her hair is braided over her shoulder, her crop top showing just the right amount of belly and her short shorts riding up her thighs, making me shift uncomfortably in my seat.

But the thing that makes me the craziest is the apple cinnamon I can smell from here. It's 8:00 am, and the girl is already turned on. No doubt Elijah has been in her room all night, touching her the way I want to, with his mouth on her. Just like he said he'd never do.

They approach the table, and Killian grins up at them. "Well. I guess I did beat some sense into you after all, huh, boss?"

Noelle laughs and lowers into the chair Elijah holds out for her. "It seems he just needed a hard hit to the head."

Elijah shakes his head and smiles. He fucking smiles. The last time I'd seen him so much as lift a corner of his mouth before lunch was when we were kids.

"Don't give Killian too much credit. His ego doesn't need to be any more inflated than it already is," our commander says, taking his seat.

"Don't listen to your mate, sweetheart. Keep bringing the compliments."

I fold my hands on the table and lean forward. "And what exactly are you giving Killian credit for?" I ask Noelle.

She draws her bottom lip between her teeth and meets my gaze. "Elijah and I are together. Officially. He and Killian had a heart-to-heart about it last night, and Elijah decided that we couldn't keep doing what we were doing."

I'd known the moment I saw them come in the dining room together, but to hear her say it fractures my heart. I thought I was going to have a chance with her. To show her all the ways I could take care of her that Elijah couldn't. But no. He's going to claim her. And I'm going to have no choice but to fucking watch.

I glare at Elijah and the smug set of his lips. Just the mere sight of him makes me want to wrap my fingers around his neck and squeeze. "How fucking selfish can you be? You are putting her in danger? And this," I point between them, "is something you never wanted."

Elijah's voice is cold as he says, "I'm well aware of how I felt in the past, and it has no bearing on what I feel now."

I pound my fist on the table. "I won't let you do this to her."

"I didn't realize my and Noelle's bond had a third member. You have zero say in what goes on between us."

The doors swing open again, and this time it's Corbin and Bennett who appear on the other side. "What the hell is going on in here?" Corbin demands, his silver eyes jumping back and forth between all of us.

We are all silent until Noelle finally speaks, her voice clear and strong. "Uncle Corbin. Elijah and I are together. He decided that he wants to give us a try. Not everyone at the table is happy for us," she says, shooting a glare in my direction.

Corbin's eyes soften as his gaze settles on his niece and most trusted member of his guard. It's shit like this that enrages me—the obvious favoritism on the part of our alpha.

"I'm glad you two finally came to a decision. You know it comes with its own set of challenges, and we'll need to talk later," he says, and both Elijah and Noelle nod. He turns his attention to me. "Asher, what's your problem? Why did you feel the need to disrupt breakfast by yelling and pounding? We should celebrate that our brother and my niece have been gifted something so special."

"You can't be happy about this," I sneer. "You know what this means for her. Elijah might as well place a gun to her head and get it over with. He is giving her a death sentence."

Killian leans back in his chair and pops a grape in his mouth. "Why are you so doom and gloom? Shut up and be happy for them. We take care of our own and we won't let anything happen to Noelle."

"She has my oath to protect her until my dying day," Remi says, giving her a cheeky grin.

They are mad. Every single one of them has a death wish and this can be avoided. Elijah simply has to keep it in his pants, but he won't. Every time they are together, his resolve crumbles. He will solidify the bond and when he does, her father will come for her head. I refuse to sit by and watch it happen.

Bennett leans down and kisses Noelle on the forehead. His dark-brown cheeks are two round balls on either side of his wide smile. "I'm happy you found Elijah. The goddess gave you a good match, and she knows your mate could use a free spirit in his life to keep him on his toes."

Noelle's smile she gives Elijah is radiant, and I don't even hear her response to Bennett. All I know is I wish that smile was for me.

Knowing it never will be is going to kill me before this is over.