“May I?” a low voice offers.
I glance up quickly, surprised at the offer. Green’s arms are held out, and I cast one last look at the yard before nodding quickly. I don’t think I’ll make it otherwise.
He sweeps me up, strong arms drawing me into his chest as he turns and strides for the vehicle. The director and Brown are standing next to the open door. Brown looks furious, speaking in low tones to the expressionless director. He breaks off as we reach them and throws his arms up, disappearing around the side. A door slams.
Green growls in disapproval, and I stiffen in his arms. He doesn’t even look down, just rocks me gently from side to side. His grass scent gently nudges me, reminding me of summertime and lazy afternoons reading books in our garden. The soothing motion makes my bones soften and I list against him. God. These alphas are like my very own kryptonite. I wonder how many others are in their pack. If they all smell as good as these two, I might actually be tempted to roll over and play ‘hide the knot’.
Looking towards the open door, I realize what the issue is. The cage sits neatly in the back of the van. The metal door is open, the scent of the hard plastic mat making my nose wrinkle. Green takes a step away from it and the Director leans in, putting a hand on his arm and speaking quietly.
“There are eyes on us,” he mutters. “Just do it.”
Green drops his gaze to mine, and it almost looks like an apology in his emerald depths as he gently places me down on my feet. When I wobble, he grabs my elbow, the steadying warmth sending a pulse through me.
“Thank you,” I whisper quietly, and he grunts.
Green and the Director wait patiently as I climb awkwardly into the cage, shuffling backward on my ass and pulling my knees up until I can wrap my hands around them. The cold bars press into my back through my camisole, making me shiver.
Green scans my face with one last searching glance as he shuts the door, and then there’s silence. I can’t see the front from where I’m sitting, but the soft sound of breathing tells me I’m alone with Brown. His breath hitches and I wonder if he’s going to speak. Before I can find out though, the other door slams, and we’re pulling out.
I crane my neck to try and see through the tinted glass, barely able to believe I’m leaving the compound walls after all this time. A pang of sorrow hits me as I think of Ava. I might not ever see her again.
On the bright side, every turn of the wheels is taking me further away from Jason. Just the thought of him makes me tense. Something tells me that when I finally have a chance to breathe properly, to have a moment to myself…
That’s the moment I might break.
ChapterTwelve
Ace
Gabe and I are watching a film in awkward silence from opposite ends of the snug when the SUV lights flash into the room. Sharing a brief look, we both spring up and race into the kitchen. They’ve been gone for hours, and I’ve been sitting here wishing that I could have gone with them. The silence has been deafening. Three would’ve been overkill though, and I didn’t want to push it when Dev asked.
Gabe is practically shaking. He forgets himself in his excitement as he leans up next to me to look out of the window, the pack contact relaxing my tense muscles. He stiffens when he realizes how close we are. I wait for him to step away, bracing myself for rejection, but he surprises me and stays where he is. He cranes his neck, but it’s too dark to see anything useful.
“Relax,” I laugh, carefully nudging him. “It’s not like they’re going to rock up with a girl. There’s probably weeks of paperwork to get through.”
He deflates slightly but doesn’t stop straining for a look. “I know, but I want to know how it went. What if they met some of them?”
“I doubt Dev would’ve been up for that. Guess we’ll find out, though.”
Gabe made the right choice bringing our pack dynamics up last night. The last few weeks, we’ve all been on edge, me especially. I’m starting to make rash decisions and it came out in the mission, which was unacceptable. Rogue was right to pull us over the coals. I’d never forgive myself if one of my pack were hurt because of me.
I’m excited too, but there’s also a dull ball of pain sitting in my stomach that I’m trying my best to push down so it doesn’t flicker up the pack bond and tell everyone exactly what I’m feeling. Pack bonds can be really fucking inconvenient.
Our pack is close. Closer than many families. With omegas thin on the ground and it being hard to find a beta that will accept a pack, it’s common to have at least one inter-pack relationship between alphas. A strong alpha relationship helps to center the group - especially with so few omegas out there.
Gabe and I used to be that for our pack. We used to joke that we were the glue holding the pack together.
But then he got hurt. And our bondsnapped. It’s a miracle that the pack has lasted this long without tearing each other apart. And I can’t stop feeling like I’m the reason our pack is so destabilized.
Casual sex doesn’t help, not that I’ve had any in months. It doesn’t have any impact on our pack bonds. There have to be feelings involved.
I glance down at Gabe’s disheveled blonde hair, wondering how he’d react if I pulled him closer. If I pinned him up against the counter and ran my nose up his neck, breathing in the scent of fresh bread, comfort, andhome. I stir uncomfortably, swallowing hard and willing my scent to stay down. This is the closest I’ve been able to get to him for months. I don’t want to scare him off.
What happened with Elinor hurt him deeply, and he has the scars to show for it. Mentally and physically. I don’t give a flying fuck what scars he has, but I don’t think he’s ever truly believed me. I’ll never push him, but I miss him. I missus.
This new omega? She might help Gabe come to terms with what happened, might help him settle. And maybe he’ll want to be with me again.
On the other hand, she might rip us apart forever.
