If only Kellan could be there with us.
CHAPTER 18
EMME
Cora and Warrick showed up in their very shiny Range Rover, and I spent the few seconds it took for them to stop in front of our house, trying to figure out who cleaned all of these alphas’ cars. I couldn’t imagine them out there washing and waxing them, and yet they always looked so shiny. Maybe it was magic. A far nicer magic than the one Kellan dealt with.
Hunter approached the driver’s side before I even made it down the outside stairs. I heard him inform Warrick that they would be taking me to the forest, and to meet us there. Ignoring him completely, Cora tumbled out of the car and raced up to meet me.
We collided in a mess of limbs and tears; it was hard to tell at this point who was crying harder. It wasn’t that I’d been holding it together with my pack—the shower breakdown with Hunter was evidence that I wasn’t holding anything, but there was just a weird freedom in blubbering on your girlfriends. The comfort as Cora held me and rocked back and forth was nicely different to the guys.
Eventually Hunter huffed. “Time to give my omega back, Cora.”
She snorted out a laugh into my neck, and to my surprise, held on for just a few more seconds. It wasn’t in her nature to rebel against the very dominant shifters of this city, but for me she made an exception.You go, bestie.“She’s not just yours. I know you have the strongest claim, but you can’t dismiss bestie rights.”
It was the most deferential I’d ever heard Cora be, and to my relief, Hunter took it well. Not that I’d have let him disrespect her either. “While that might be fair, you do need to hand her back before my wolf decides he wants to step in.”
With a shake of my head, I rolled my eyes at him. “You slept in the same bed as me last night. You’ve had plenty of omega time.”
Cora opened and closed her mouth a few times as she looked between us, but she didn’t comment before Hunter leaned down, his face hovering near mine. Despite everything that had happened between us, we’d never really kissed, and having his lips so close had my heartrate spiking hard enough for everyone to hear. My scent grew stronger too.
“I didn’t sleep inside you though,” he rumbled, and everything went a little blurry as the blood rushed to my vagina. “Therefore, I did not, andwill never, have enough omega time.”
Cora released a hushed gasp, but I couldn’t look away from Hunter long enough to catch her expression. The entitled alpha kept me enthralled, captivated, and completely ensnared.
My tongue darted out to moisten my lips, and Hunter’s gaze lowered.Was he going to kiss me?Our first real kiss, right here in front of everyone?
Before I could hyperventilate and swoon like the most pathetic damsel, he smirked and straightened. “Come on, little omega, let’s go on our pack run.”
Too stunned to respond, I barely squeaked when he gripped my waist with both hands and threw me over his shoulder,striding away from Cora and back into the house. He moved fast toward the garage, and I swear I managed less than two breaths before I was gently deposited in the passenger seat of his Bentley Flying Spur. I’d never been in this dark green car with its cream interior, and as I sank into the soft leather, my distracted brain could only focus on the interior of the vehicle.Oh, this was nice.Really nice.
The back doors opened as Slade and Finley slid in, or more accurately, wedged themselves inside. Slade was behind me, and I fumbled until I found the control to pull my chair as far forward as I could. “Happy to switch and let one of you have the front,” I said, my knees almost in the dash. “I’m the smallest.”
Multiple growls and rumbles filled the space, which appeared to come from Hunter and Slade. “Stay right where you are, Snow,” Slade said shortly. “I can manage a small space for ten minutes.”
Luckily, claustrophobia wasn’t part of his touch aversion, and Finley, who was planted against the far door, didn’t come close to touching him.
Hunter started the car; the powerful engine rumbled to life, filling the garage with the delicious rev of all those cylinders. Twelve, if I knew my engines correctly. A W12, and it was a beautiful,beautifulpiece of machinery.
“I enjoy that look on your face,” Hunter said casually as he reversed out of the spot and headed for the exit. “It’s this mixture of awe and desire, and honestly, as frustrating as it is that a carofall fucking thingsgets you off, it’s worth it for that look alone.
A snort escaped me. “You can’t possibly be jealous about me lusting after your cars.”
Slade leaned forward, just enough that I got a whiff of his toasted marshmallow goodness. “You’d be amazed at whatHunter can get jealous over. Don’t look too closely at the toaster or he’ll toss it right out the window.”
Hunter shot him a dark look, whichoddlymorphed into a smirk. “Now that I think about it, that fucking toaster has been getting a little handsy with our omega lately.”
Another. Joke. “The world’s ending,” I muttered, shaking my head.
Hunter threw his head back and laughed. It was a deep, husky reverberation that sent sparks of heat down my spine and through my limbs. “Feels weird to laugh when Kel isn’t here with us,” he said, sobering as he turned out into the main street, leaving the family compound, and heading toward the forest where most of the city ran in their beast forms.
“He’d be pissed if he knew we were all moping around because of him,” Finley added in the heavy silence. “When they figure out how to bring him out of this spell, he will ask how we all reacted, and it’s best if we don’t disappoint him. Who knows what his revenge will be.”
“Have we had any updates from Jewels?” I asked, a stupid sliver of hope seeping out when I knew better. “She said we didn’t have an infinite amount of time, so she must be working on it, right?”
Hunter nodded, glancing away from the road toward me. “Yep, she updated me this morning. Her coven has managed to find a possible counterspell, and she made it clear that it would be his only chance…”
He didn’t need to fill in the blanks. I refused to consider this spell failing. I was all about manifesting Kellan’s recovery.
