For a long moment, no one moves. We stand in the aftermath of Rafe's explosion like survivors assessing damage after a storm, waiting to see what has been destroyed and what remains standing.
Then the atmosphere shifts.
It lifts.
Like a pressure that has been building for months has finally been released, the apartment feels suddenly lighter. Easier to breathe. The tension that Rafe brought with him, the constant edge of hostility that I have been navigating since I arrived, simply evaporates with his departure.
Cal exhales loudly.
"Well. That happened."
Etienne sinks back onto the couch, running his hands through his dark hair.
"It has been building for a while. We just did not want to admit it."
Raphael pushes off from the counter, crossing to stand near me with an expression that carries genuine regret.
"I apologize on behalf of my brother. His behavior was inexcusable, and his words were deliberately cruel. You did nothing to deserve that."
I shrug, surprised to find that I mean it when I say, "I do not take anything he said to heart. I have heard worse. I am not a kid like before, when he and his friends bullied me in sixth grade. His opinions do not define my worth."
The three Alphas exchange glances at that revelation, a new piece of history clicking into place.
Cal clears his throat.
"Right. So. Breakfast." He moves back to the stove, rescuing the bacon that has been sitting neglected throughout the entire confrontation. "MaeMae, what do you like on your eggs? Cheese? Hot sauce? Both? I have both. I have everything because I stress-grocery-shop and now we have enough food to survive a minor apocalypse."
"Cheese," I answer, grateful for the shift in focus. "And hot sauce. Both sounds perfect."
"A woman after my own heart." He cracks eggs into a pan with more force than necessary, channeling residual tension into culinary violence. "Laurent, you want your usual boring plain eggs, or are you feeling adventurous today?"
"Plain is fine."
"Boring. Confirmed."
Etienne ignores the jab, his storm-blue eyes finding mine across the room with an intensity that tells me he has not forgotten the conversation we left unfinished.
"We should talk," he says quietly. "About what I asked last night. About the temporary pack situation."
Cal's spatula pauses mid-flip.
"The what now?"
"Last night," Etienne continues, "I asked Mae if we could be her temporary pack until Valentine's Day. While she figures out her permanent situation. Cal, Raphael, and I discussed it briefly when we brought her back from the nurse's office, but we never formalized anything."
Cal sets down the spatula, turning to face the group with an expression that suggests he is rapidly processing new information.
"Okay. So. Temporary pack. To help her stay enrolled and access the stuff she needs. And now Rafe is out of the picture, which changes the dynamic."
"Significantly," Raphael agrees, moving to lean against the kitchen island near me. His vanilla and musk scent mingles with the cooking aromas, creating a combination that is distracting in ways I refuse to acknowledge. "Without Rafe, we need to figure out a new structure. The university requires documented pack status for Omega students by Valentine's Day. If Mae does not have that documentation, she loses access to athletics, housing assistance, and potentially her scholarship."
I frown.
"Wait. If Rafe is no longer part of this pack, how is he going to continue playing hockey? Does the athletic requirement not apply to Alphas too?"
Etienne's jaw tightens.
"He probably made a deal with Bastien," he mutters, the name landing with a weight that I recognize from earlier conversations. "He always goes to him to get out of shit. Bastien has connections, resources, and absolutely no moral objection to bending rules for people he considers useful. If Rafe neededa pack sponsor to stay on the team, Bastien would provide it in exchange for future favors."
