The realization washes over me like ice water. Willa is on the other side of that door.
I kick the chair out of the way with enough force that it skitters down the hallway and clangs against the far wall. My hands shake as I wrench the door open, and her scent overwhelms me.
Thick and cloying, her normally sweet buttercup and honey scent turned sour and acrid. It burns my nose and makes my eyes water. The wrongness of it, her distress soaks into every fiber of my heart.
When my eyes land on her, she’s on the floor, as far away from the door as the tiny space allows. Curled into herself on her side, knees drawn up, arms wrapped around her body. Trying to make herself as small as possible. As protected as possible.
Alone. She was alone and terrified and?—
“Willa!”
I’m across the small space in two strides, dropping to my knees beside her. I gather her into my arms, pulling her against my chest. She’s so hot I can feel it through both our shirts. Her body’s on fire.
But she responds to me lifting her. Some instinct recognizing pack, recognizing safety. She burrows into my chest, making a small sound that breaks my heart into pieces.
“I’ve got you, Wildcat. I’ve got you.” I hold her in a death grip against my heart, and the protective rage that floods through meis overwhelming. How anyone could hurt her—could hurt any Omega—is so fucked up I can’t even process.
“Beau! Charlie!” My voice comes out rough. “We need to get her out of here. Now!”
Behind me, I hear Charlie having to physically pull Beau off Felton. Hear the struggle, the snarls, Beau’s reluctance to let go of the useless sack of shit.
I glance back just long enough to see Felton slumped on the floor, bleeding from his nose. Maybe his mouth, too. Unconscious.
But alive.
Part of me wishes he wasn’t.
“Jake.” Charlie’s voice is tight. “We need to call security.”
“She can’t wait.” I’m already standing, Willa cradled against my chest. “I’m taking her out of here. You handle security.”
“Jake—”
“She. Can’t. Wait.” Each word is bitten off. Final. “Look at her, Charlie. She needs to be somewhere safe. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere that doesn’t smell like him.”
Charlie looks at Willa, and his expression cracks. “Okay. Go. We’ll handle this.”
I don’t wait for Beau to chime in. I carry Willa through the service corridor toward the back entrance, silently thanking the stars that it’s so close. There’s no way I’m taking her through the crowds at the main entrance.
She’s shaking in my arms. Making small sounds of distress that tear at me. I keep murmuring to her—nonsense words, soothing sounds, anything to let her know she’s not alone anymore.
“I’m so sorry, Wills. I’m so fucking sorry. I should have been there. Should have protected you. But I’ve got you now. You’re safe. I promise you’re safe.”
The back service entrance is just up ahead, and I shoulder through the door into the parking lot. Willa shivers, burrowing deeper into my chest as the cold air hits us both.
Charlie’s Land Rover is parked in the competitor section. I make it there in what feels like seconds, my legs eating up the distance.
I try to lay her in the back seat, thinking she’ll be more comfortable stretched out. But the moment I start to pull away, her hands fist in my shirt, and she makes a sound of pure distress.
“No, no, don’t.” Her voice is barely there, weak and hoarse. “Don’t leave.”
“I’m not leaving. Never leaving. Just trying to get you comfortable.”
“Don’t leave,” she repeats, and the desperation in it destroys me.
“Okay. Okay, I won’t.”
I pull her back out and position her in the front passenger seat so she’s partially in my lap. Her head rests against my thigh, my arm wrapped around her ribs, holding her close. It’s awkward and uncomfortable, but she settles immediately, some of the tension leaving her body.
