Screw My Childhood Sweetheart His Alpha Brother Marked Me First novel Chapter 73

Chapter 73

My stomach pitched. “Why would they want to target me?”

Caspian sent me a sympathetic look. “Plenty of people want to be at the top. And they might not appreciate the new girl coming in and taking that spot.”

“You’re here!”

A small form slammed into me, wrapping me in a hug, and I couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled out of me. “Crispin, I missed you.”

He tilted his head back, smiling widely at me. “I missed you too. Dad said you’re going to be here for a while.”

I looked up at Sam as he strode into the lodge. “I am. Hi, Sam.”

“Hey, Senna. The little man was over the moon when I told him you were here.”

“I’m not little,” Crispin growled.

Sam pressed his lips together to keep from grinning. “Big man, sorry.”

Crispin slipped his hand into mine. “We’re having breakfast with you today, but no one else gets to come.”

My gaze met Sam’s in question.

He sent me a reassuring smile. “Mason didn’t want to overwhelm you right off the bat, and I think there were some things he

wanted to talk about.”

I fought the groan that wanted to surface. What else was about to throw me for a loop?

“Breakfast is ready,” Caspian called as he peeked his head out from the dining area. He gave Sam and Crispin a chin lift. “Hey,

guys.”

We made our way towards what smelled like a delicious feast. My stomach growled. After the scene with Jasmine, I hadn’t had much of an appetite yesterday. I’d spent most of the day sketching on the back deck, while Knox holed up with his dad and the rest of the guys worked on homework.

I’d needed to lose myself in pastels on paper, processing the events of the past few days. The guys seemed to sense that, sticking close but giving me the time to disappear into my own head for a while. I didn’t find any real answers, but I felt a little

less frenetic.

One of the back doors to the lodge opened, and Vaughn appeared. Crispin stepped between me and Vaughn, as if he might protect me. Vaughn’s lips twitched. “Morning, Crispin.”

“I like Ro, and I don’t want you to hurt her.”

My heart stuttered in my chest. There was warmth at Crispin’s care for me and pain at what Vaughn faced on a daily basis. I

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Screw My Childhood Sweetheart–His Alpha Brother Marked Me First!

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Chapter 73

stepped around Crispin and moved straight to Vaughn. My arms circled his waist, and I pulled him close in a hug. “Vaughn won’t hurt me.”

Vaughn froze for a moment, and then his arms slowly came around me. I swore my soul sighed, feeling less strained somehow. Vaughn squeezed my waist. “You can’t do that. I might not always be in control.”

“I trust you,” I whispered.

“You shouldn’t.”

A throat cleared and Vaughn dropped his arms, stepping away from me. Mason gave us a tight smile. “Please, come eat. We have things to discuss.”

My appetite fled at his words. I twisted the tail of my bracelets around my finger, cutting off my circulation.

Vaughn placed a palm on the small of my back. “It’ll be okay.”

I sucked in a slow breath and nodded, moving forward. The dining area was on the other side of the fireplace. There were at least twenty tables scattered around, and guilt pricked at me that I’d probably ostracized the pack from their normal breakfast tradition.

Caspian’s gaze zeroed in on me and his brother, and he smiled. “Jase made biscuits and gravy. Ro, they’re the best thing you’ve

ever tasted.”

Vaughn and I took a seat next to Caspian. Sam and Crispin sat on one side of Mason, while Knox and River sat on the other. Anson strode in from the kitchen and set a Diet Coke in front of me, winking.

The simple gesture made my eyes burn. “Thank you.”

He bent, giving me a quick kiss. “Gotta take care of my girl.” Vaughn let out a soft growl, but Anson just rolled his eyes. “Our girl, you know what I mean.”

The platter of food was passed around, but Caspian served me before I could take it from him. “Trust me, you’ll want seconds.”

I took a small bite and almost moaned, the flavors were incredible. “This is amazing.”

“Told ya,” he said.

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