I climb the last seat to sit beside her, wrap my arms around my friend. Mira follows, embracing us both from Lowe’s other side.
“We can’t lose hope,” Mira whispers. “Rai wouldn’t. He’d do everything in his power to find his brother…” she trails off with a small hiccup.
Arlowe’s body shakes, wracking with quiet sobs, until she spits through her tears, “That fucking jackass.”
My brows pinch. She’s giving me emotional whiplash.
When there’s movement at the doorway, Arlowe stills. I look up and find Erich and Zeph there, basically being held back by Mira’s mates, Colt, Rai, and Aubrey. In the back, I can see the two Alphas from outside, Lucas’s face worried, the giant’s severe.
And then, Mira and I are hugging each other as Lowe vanishes from between us, and the whole room grows brighter.
My sigh is defeated, my shoulders slumped. Mira rubs my upper back as she stands, then makes her way down the bleachers to her pack, who embrace her.
Erich and Zephyr are suddenly taking the bleachers two at a time to reach me, their arms enveloping me and one another as I’m squished between their chests.
“We could feel raging emotions coming from you,” Zeph says against my cheek.
“We had to find you,” Erich adds, his jaw bouncing on top of my head.
“They weren’t my feelings,” I try to explain. “Sorry to worry you.”
My arms wrap around each of their backs and hug them to my body. I never realized how nice it could be to have peace and love within my pack.
Or, part of it.
I catch Mira’s eyes and she waves at me, the sadness still showing in her gaze, before she and her pack turn to leave.
Arlowe’s Alphas have already gone.
“What the fuck do you mean he lives with you now?”
Well, there go the warm fuzzies. I wince at Erich’s angry outburst, but thankfully, Zeph had the sense to keep quiet and retreat into our room.
I let out a slow breath and take Erich’s hand in both of mine as I peer up into his icy eyes, his gaze pinched with frustration. “Erich,” my voice is low, above a whisper, “he needs me.”
“Ineed you.” His admission is pained, those eyes going soft before they shut.
Without a word, I wrap my arms around his waist, hug him tightly and speak into his chest. “I want you to be with us, but you need to be on good terms with Zeph before we invite you to live in our space. You know this.”
His sigh is loud as he rests his cheek on the top of my head, holding me close in kind. “He’s such a pain in the ass.”
I choke on a laugh. “Only to you, Erich.” I tilt my head upward and he tilts his face down at me. “Just try. For all of us. Please.”
His lips purse silently, and I roll to my toes to kiss them gently. When he sighs against my mouth, I pull away and caress his cheek.
His next words sound like they cause him great pain.
“I’ll try.”
Andrew
Everywhere I look, I see them together.
Nyx. Erich. Zephyr.
Though they bicker at times, they seem happy enough.
Without me.
