Riley pets my hair. “It’s okay, Hails. Look at them defending your honor. Pretty fucking hot.”
He’s joking all while Sterling has Clinton by the shirt, Nate is pounding on Lenny, and security is separating Terrence and Hayes. I feel like I’m going to pass out.
Thankfully, more security intervenes, including Mr. Martinez, who looks more pissed than I’ve ever seen him.
“What the actual fuck? Get them out of the club, all of them, they’re banned,” he says.
I glance over at Hayes, who has a busted lip. Sterling’s knuckles are all fucked up, and Nate’s brow is bleeding, and I just can’t handle it. They’re being dragged out by security, and I can’t leave without them even if they probably don’t want me any more.
“I’ll bring your stuff out to you,” Riley says as I go to chase after them.
Before I do, I turn to Mr. Martinez.
“Sir, I want to thank you for giving me this job and?—”
“Go be with your pack. If anything happens, you have a job if you need it. Just don’t bring them back here,” he says.
“Thank you,” I whisper, all choked up.
There’s no way I can show my face in here again after the humiliation of my mom’s Alphas and what’s soon to be this pack breaking up with me.
I can tell they’re resisting security as they drag them out and I chase them as fast as I can in my stripper heels. When I finally reach the outside, the cool desert night slaps my skin, and it feels amazing. I didn’t even think about the fact that I was wearing next to nothing when I came out here, just that I couldn’t be in there another minute.
“Shit,” Nate hisses, taking his shirt off and putting it over my head, and helping me slip my arms through. It hits my knees, and it being drenched in his scent is soothing.
It’s a double-edged sword. How much longer will I get to enjoy their scents until they realize they could do better?
“Go, get the fuck out of here,” security is yelling to my mom’s Alphas.
They’re all glaring at Nate, and it’s then that I realize our secret is out of the bag. Not that it was truly a secret. I honestly didn’t think I’d ever have to deal with my mom and her pack again. The optics of it aren’t great. It makes it look like my mom was completely right for kicking me out because Nate had a reaction to when I perfumed.
“Come around me and my pack and I’ll release the thumb drive,” Nate shouts as he points a finger at Lenny.
Their eyes narrow as they take in his words before turning their glare on me. I have to look away in shame. Sterling has an arm around me, and I have a fist full of Hayes’ shirt.
Instead of engaging further, her pack leaves. I stand on the street with the three men who fought for my honor looking like disheveled messes and there’s a pang of guilt that I caused this. I feel dizzy, like everything that just happened was a dream.
Riley is wearing a jacket as he jogs out of the entrance with my bag of stuff.
“You guys should probably get her back home as soon as possible,” Riley suggests.
“Is that what you need, Hailey?” Sterling asks as he holds my face and looks into my eyes.
I’m not sure what he sees, but there’s a flurry of emotions running through me right now.
“My nest.” I somehow get the words out.
“Alright, baby girl, we got you,” he says, as he collects me in his arms so I don’t have to walk to the car. I bury my nose against his neck, taking a deep inhale.
I cherish his scent, but there’s a sadness attached to it that’s affecting me too.
What if Lenny and Clinton were right about me? I mean, I’ve felt it all along that something wasn’t right with me. They’re probably noticing now howdefectiveI really am. Sterling strokes my hair. His scent has this anxious tint to it and it’s probably because he doesn’t know what to do with me.
The car ride home is quiet, I sit in the back with Sterling and wonder if I just ruined it all. They’re going to see I’m not worth the effort. They’re going to take my nest away and I’ll have nothing again. No job, a run down home, no pack. Right after I got a glimpse of how good life could be.
“Shhh, we’re going to take care of you,” Sterling’s voice says, and I want to believe him, but the word pathetic keeps rattling in my head.
I sniffle and he pets my hair.
