The drive to the airport feels faster than it should, and the efficiency of TSA is almost unnerving. By the time I’m escorted across the tarmac toward a small private plane, my nerves are stretched thin.
As we approach, I see another car pulling up ahead of us. The doors swing open, and one by one, the guys climb out, their movements casual yet deliberate. Each of them makes my heart skip a beat and my palms go clammy.
Todd adjusts the strap of his guitar case as he pulls it from the trunk, his stance confident but relaxed. Jake steps out next, his phone in one hand, scanning something with his usual calm focus. West follows, running a hand through his hair, his expression unreadable. Last is Xayden, a grin already tugging at the corner of his mouth as he tosses a drumstick between his fingers.
They haven’t noticed me yet, their focus on the plane and the crew bustling around it. I watch from the car, my stomach flipping at the sight of them together, a unit I left behind and now somehow find myself slipping back into.
The driver pulls to a stop, and my door opens. I step out, smoothing my jacket as I glance toward them.
Xayden’s the first to notice, his gaze locking on mine almost instantly. As if he has an alert that tells him when I’m around. His grin widens, and he nudges Todd, who turns, his expression softening slightly when our eyes meet. Jake and West follow suit, their stares steady, unreadable, but carrying emotions I can feel even from here.
And just like that, the air shifts.
This is real now. No cameras. No audience. Just us.
And I have no idea how this is going to go.
I hesitate as the driver steps around to grab my bag, holding it out to me. Before I can take it, Jake is there, reaching for it instead.
“Ash,” he says, his voice steady and warm. “I’m glad you could make it.”
I glance up at him, caught off guard by the sincerity in his eyes. He means it. He’s happy I’m here.
It eases something inside of me, a knot of tension I didn’t even realize I was holding. A part of me was sure they’d resent this—the fact that I’ve been sent to tag along for the first two weeks of their tour, disrupting whatever rhythm they’ve already built.
But Jake’s expression is calm, reassuring, and it takes the edge off my nerves.
“Thanks,” I say quietly, my gaze dropping briefly before I look back up.
Before I can take another step, Xayden is there, twirling a drumstick in one hand while the other tugs lightly at the strapof my carry-on. “I can carry this one for you, Ash. Don’t want you breaking a nail now,” he teases, his grin playful but his tone gentler than usual.
I roll my eyes, but the tension in my chest eases a little more. “I think I can manage without your help, Xayden.”
He chuckles, stepping aside but not without tossing me a wink. “Sure, sure. Just trying to make a good impression.”
Todd strolls up next, his hands shoved into his jacket pockets, his gaze flicking between me and the plane. “You sleep at all?” he asks, his tone casual, but there’s something deeper in the way his eyes linger on mine, like he wants to say more.
“A little,” I admit, shrugging. “It was an early morning.”
He nods, his lips twitching into a faint smile. “Well, we’ve got a few hours in the air. Plenty of time to catch up. Or nap. Whatever you need.”
The warmth in his voice is unexpected and tugs at something deep inside me, a memory of the Todd I knew as a teen. The one who could make me feel safe with just a look, who always had a way of grounding me no matter how chaotic things got. The warmth spreads through my chest, soothing the edges of my nerves. I can’t help but smile back, even if it’s small, even if it feels like I shouldn’t.
West is the last to approach, hanging back just enough that I almost don’t notice him until he’s right in front of me. His expression is hard to read, as always, but there’s a hint of vulnerability in his eyes.
“Hey,” he says, his voice low.
“Hey,” I reply, feeling the weight of his gaze as it settles on me.
His jaw tightens briefly before he exhales, stepping aside and gesturing toward the plane. “We should get moving. Long day ahead.”
I nod, following as they lead the way toward the steps.
They form a pack around me, their movements natural, instinctive, enveloping me in the center of their unit. It feels like the past. Like slipping back into something I’ve missed so much it hurts. But it also feels dangerous—dangerous to my heart, my carefully constructed walls, and the life I’ve built without them.
Each of them moves with an easy confidence, a kind of unity they’ve honed over the years. They’re a seamless group, a pack that doesn’t need words to communicate, and yet, as I walk with them, it feels like I belong. Almost like I never left. It would be easy to pretend that we were the same, that I never choose my career.
I imagine what it must look like from the outside—an omega surrounded by her alphas and beta, a complete pack in every sense. The thought sends a pang through me, raw and bittersweet. Because this isn’t that. Not anymore.
