I’ll be damned if I ever give up on Blair.
She’s my scent match. The best fucking thing that’s ever happened to me.
And, should that day come, if the chance hasn’t been taken from me…
She’ll be my mate.
26
BLAIR
I waita whole hour before I allow myself to cry.
And when I do, I weep shamefully into my half-made nest with Mervin and Marlin by my side, kneading into the blankets and purring.
It happened again.
Rowan’s car was wrecked, the windows smashed…
They had to crawl out of the car.
They could have died.
They could have?—
The sobs turn to waves of nausea, and I hurry to the toilet, heaving up stomach acid until my throat burns.
Would their families blame me again, if the worst had happened?
Would I be invited to the funerals this time or kept in the dark?
More bile comes up.
I ignore the buzzing of my phone, too much of a coward to talk to anyone.
I still smell like the pack, too.
Travis’ smoke and fire, Rowan’s sea salt and storm, and Ryland’s moss and rain.
They almost—they could have?—
I slump against the toilet, letting out a wrecked cry.
This was because of me.
They were coming to pick me up for a date.
If they hadn’t done that, if I hadn’t been in the picture, none of this would have happened.
Just like what happened two years ago.
“Mrow.”
Mervin interrupts my panic to press his cheek against my side, brushing past me with his body.
“Thanks, buddy,” I croak. I give him a gentle pet, and he closes his eyes in bliss.
The accident isn’t even the worst part.
