Three sets of eyes appraised me, taking in my festive outfit as their mouths twisted in sneers. Such a contrast to my pack’s reaction.
Assholes.
Their scents were a mix of thick herbs and spice that made my stomach turn. All I associated with it was lies.
“Get away from me,” I demanded.
“Now, why would we do that? We came all this way for our omega, and you’re going to shove us away like we meannothing?” Trent asked as he moved closer, leaning in and trying to breathe me in. He froze as his eyes locked on the bite on my neck. “What the fuck is that?”
“My alpha told you on the phone that I was mated now. I don’t want anything to do with you.”
They were truly idiots if they thought for a second that my pack wasn’t going to hunt them down and make them pay for ever touching me.
“Get your fucking hands off of me,” I said again, enunciating each word to make sure there was no confusion.
“I don’t give a fuck who put their teeth into you, omega. You belong tous,” Luke growled.
I opened my mouth to tell him to fuck off when he suddenly went flying out of view. A sick thud sounded off, almost sluggish in my brain.
Then it was an eruption of yells, growls, and flying fists. I barely registered someone yanking me back.
I startled, trying to wrench away until I realized it was Karina holding me close. Ellis was right there with us, shielding us both from the fight that had broken out. It was no longer just my exes against my pack, Hayes and Julian had jumped in as well.
I could barely make sense of what I was seeing, more men joining the fray, many I didn’t even know. Not that it mattered. What mattered was that this town was here to support my mates.
“She was ours first!”
“She’s not your fucking possession!” Jack bit out, dragging Gavin up by the scruff of his shirt before slamming his fist into the asshole’s jaw.
Cole now had Luke pinned against the side of one of the food trucks, while Trent was grappling with Hayes. They were quickly thrown into the center of the crowd, boxed in by a show of force.
“What the fuck is this? Look at you, taming the whole town with that pussy. It’s the only redeeming quality you ever had,” Trent sneered.
To my shock, it was Julian who punched him this time. “Don’t talk about my daughter like that.”
My breath caught at his words. Even my own fathers would have never done that for me.
“You’re family now, Aspen,” Karina whispered in my ear, holding me close. “They don’t get to hurt you ever again.”
“Don’t ever let my mate’s name cross your dirty fucking lips. Do you hear me?” Cole thundered. He had Luke by the throat now, who was quickly turning a sickly shade of blue.
I was so angry they dared to show their faces here, that they ruined the excitement of Christmas.
Then I realized… they didn’t get to hold that kind of power.
Trent’s eyes were boring into mine, his lips twisted into a snarl. “You humiliated us. Left us at the altar all to come to this town?—”
“Don’t you dare disrespect Pine Ridge. This is my home now.Theseare my people,” I shouted back. “I left you behind because you were too busy screwing your little sister’s best friend on our wedding day to care about the marriage you were about to commit to. I knew in that moment I couldn’t let myself be tied to you. And every day after that has gotten even better. These men treat me like I deserve. And frankly? I hope she gave you something that makes your knot shrivel up and fall the fuck off. Now get out of this town and never contact me again.”
“Tell me that you got a restraining order against these men,” Ellis said on a growl,.
I hadn’t even considered that, but he was right. “Actually… yes. They do that automatically when you have to involve the Omega Network. I signed it before we went to their house to retrieve my things.”
“Perfect,” Ellis said, giving me a wink before calling out to the sheriff, who had been turning a blind eye to the beating these assholes were getting.
“Scott. She has a restraining order against them!”
Scott’s eyes lit up like someone handed him a Christmas present.
