Alyssa
Gray joined us for breakfast. Just seeing him sitting across from me sends last night's dream looping in my mind again. I don't have much of an appetite, but the guys insisted I eat something. I sip on a strawberry-banana smoothie, watching as Zuri feeds herself oatmeal.
"These withdrawals are a bitch," Gray mutters, looking worn out. "Stayed up all night, sweating and throwing up."
Niko frowns, his voice tinged with irritation. "Damn, man. She really should've just tapered your dosage, not cut you off cold. Does she know you could've had a seizure? I looked that up this morning."
Gray rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah, she said it was a low chance. And since she's ovulating next week, she hopes I'll be able to...perform. It's not like I wasn't ready to start having kids too, but I didn't think it'd be this damn hard to make one."
Niko claps him on the back. "It'll happen, just keep busting nuts in her. Eventually it'll have to work, right?"
Great. Now I've officially lost what little appetite I had left.
Niko catches the grimace on my face and grins. "Sorry, Alyssa. Forgot you were here for a second."
Sure he did.
I go back to half-listening to their conversation, absentmindedly stirring my smoothie with a straw. The dream flashes in my mind again, making my stomach churn. Could my brother really sit here pretending everything's fine, knowing the truth about our father? Is that what caused his Xanax addiction in the first place?
"Earth to Alyssa." Gray's voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and I blink, refocusing on him.
"Huh?"
He gives me a questioning look. "You okay? You're quiet today."
"I'm fine," I say quickly, looking down at my glass.
One brow lifts. "You sure?"
I'm just having a full-blown existential crisis because of a nightmare I'm 99% sure actually happened, I want to tell him. Instead, I just nod, trying to keep my expression neutral.
"Oh...must be your time of the month or something." His voice is light, but it sets me off.
"What?" I snap, my eyes narrowing.
Mason mutters under his breath, "Stop talking, Gray."
Gray sighs, looking sheepish. "Right, sorry. What can I do to be more supportive right now?"
I roll my eyes. "I'm not on my damn period, Gray."
A sudden thought crosses my mind. When was my last period, anyway? I know it was at least a month ago, but I haven't exactly been keeping track.
I brush the thought aside. I've got more important things to focus on right now, like whether my brother is some kind of fucking sociopath.
"Hey....Gray, there's something I wanted to ask you," I say slowly, watching his face.
He tenses slightly. "What?"
"I haven't gotten the chance to ask Nina, but she knew who I was when I first came here. So I was wondering if we came to the clubhouse often when we were little. I mean, obviously my memory's kind of messed up."
Or maybe certain things have been selectively buried.
Gray's face remains unreadable, but a subtle twitch in his jaw tells me he's about to lie. "Maybe once or twice. He tried to give Mom breaks sometimes...you know, when she was going through chemo."
I nod as if the answer makes sense, but inside, I feel sick. He's just sitting here, lying to my face. My arms fold across the table, my voice dropping as I lean in, barely containing my rage.
"So, is this how we're going to play this, big brother?" I ask, my voice dripping with quiet malice.
Gray's eyes flicker over to King before they come back to me, hardening. "What did he tell you?"
"King didn't tell me any-fucking-thing," I hiss. "I had a dream last night-no, a memory-that Dad used me as some kind of...pedo appetizer. I wasn't even going to say anything, didn't even think it was real, until you started lying to me."
Gray's eyes darken, storming with emotions, but he stays silent. So do the guys, though I can feel their eyes on me.
I grab Gray's shirt, pulling him closer across the table, my voice a low whisper. "I know since you've stopped drugging yourself numb, you must be some kind of guilty conscience now. They say the truth sets you free, Gray." My grip tightens. "So, set yourself free. Quit the bullshit. Tell me what the hell is going on."
Before he can respond, Christine's nasally voice cuts through the tension. "What's this? A little sibling fight?" she asks, her annoying laugh making me cringe.
I force a laugh, releasing Gray's shirt with a final glare. "Not at all. Just talking to my big brother."
Gray shifts his gaze away, and something unspoken passes between him and King. King's hand finds its way up my thigh, squeezing gently, steadying me. Leaning in, he murmurs, his breath warm against my ear, "Put those pretty claws away, kitten. We'll talk more about this later when she isn't here."
I open my mouth to argue but think better of it. Yeah, I don't want Christine knowing any of this. She seems like the type who'd twist it around to make it my fault, and then I'd have to kill my brother's wife right here in front of him.
Christine slides onto Gray's lap, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. The dress she's wearing barely covers her ass, and her boobs are propped up on display as always. "How are you doing today, hubby?" she purrs.
Gray grunts, "Better."
She strokes his jaw. "I know this is hard for you, but I've taken off the rest of the week to make sure I take care of you, okay? We're in this together."
Gray's jaw tightens as he musters a strained smile. "Yeah, we are, babe," he says, leaning in to kiss her again.
I roll my eyes. "Simp," I mutter under my breath, low enough that they can't hear, though I wouldn't give a fuck if they did.
Christine turns to us, her voice filled with that forced sweetness that makes me want to strangle her. "Oh, congratulations to you and King. Sorry I missed the ceremony. It must feel strange, though, wrong even...being claimed by another man while you're still married."
King tenses beside me, his hand tightening on my thigh.
"King," Niko shoots him a warning look.
I instantly fire back. "Why don't you worry about yourself, Christine? Like the fact that my brother's suffering because you cut him off his meds cold-turkey, not even caring how dangerous that is so you can use him as a sperm donor?"
She smirks, unfazed. "Gray understands how important it is for us to start a family. Unlike you, with the broken home you're creating for your daughter. Poor thing's going to be confused about who her daddy is."
Something in my brain snaps, and all I see is red. I'm ready to launch myself across the table, but King's strong arms lock around me before I can move. In my peripheral vision, I see Niko scoop up Zuri and hurry her out of the room.
"Let me go, King!" I scream, thrashing against his hold.
"Kitten, you can't just fight the president's wife," he says firmly. "He'll be forced to punish you in front of everyone."
Punish me? I wish he fucking would!
Meanwhile, Christine's smug smile is still plastered on her face, convinced she's untouchable. I fight against King's grip, the urge to beat her ass only growing stronger. King shifts his grip and, before I can react, hoists me over his shoulder as I pound on his back.
"Let me go!" I shout. "If she wants to start shit, she better back it up!"
As King heads for the hallway, I catch one last glimpse of Mason leaning over to say something to Gray, who's staring at me, his expression tangled with guilt and something raw I haven't seen before-pain.