“We’re fine.How long until you’re back?”
“Ten, maybe fifteen minutes.Shouldn’t be too long.I can’t wait to be home.”
“Me neither.”I can’t wait for Mathew and Jorge to get back, for the whole pack to be together.
That’s the only way I’ll feel safe.
I’m waitingin the doorway between the garage and the rest of the house, shifting my weight from one leg to the other, as I watch the doors of the garage open and two cars drive inside.I stay in my spot until both cars have stopped, and then dart to the one with Mathew and Jorge, opening the door on Mathew’s side.
He immediately pulls me into the car, into his lap, his nose in my neck, taking deep breaths.
The whole car reeks of distress, even Mathew’s pheromones are mixed in.He must have felt really bad, if his pheromones were strong enough to seep out this much.
I wrap my arms around his neck and look at him, trying to meet his gaze.His eyes are weary, his face pale, and he looks like he’s about to fall apart from exhaustion.Then he pulls me closer, giving me a hard kiss, his lips demanding, desperate, before another set of arms surround us and Jorge’s cedar pheromones flow around us.
“Let’s go inside.”Jorge carefully tries to move us, and Mathew complies, carrying me, as he slides out of the car, still holding me tightly.
The moment we get out, we’re surrounded by our other three mates, everyone pushing close, everyone trying to be near each other.Our pheromones mix, creating our woodsy-flowery-sweet pack scent, trying to soothe each other, trying to feel whole in a situation that’s out of our control.
After a couple of minutes, Mathew moves slightly and our pack becomes individual people again.“Let’s get to the office, see what’s going on and what we’ve got to do.”The others nod solemnly.He still doesn’t let me down as we all walk into the house.
Derrick and Timothy are waiting outside the office, deep in conversation with Eli, as Milo is waiting near the stairs, ready to follow any of us anywhere.
The first couple of days Caleb and I were here, we were mostly locked in Mathew’s bedroom, but even though we can go basically anywhere we want right now, just as long as the security team is with us, this feels a lot more stifling.That’s probably got more to do with the fear of the outside world than any real restrictions of where we go.
Back then, Caleb and I had been on the run from my promised husband for years and knowing that he was finally dead, even if we were suddenly in an unfamiliar situation didn’t feel so confining.This time, we’ve been able to go and do whatever we wanted for months, and to suddenly have to fear every person, every time someone looks in our direction, those things, it feels like a step back, not a step forward.
Mathew sits down behind his desk, keeping me in his lap, as he wakes the computer up.“Let’s see what we’re dealing with.”He seems so focused, but I still feel his nerves and fear in the way he holds me, how he’s keeping me close, like having me with him is the only way he feels safe.
Riley pulls her laptop from under the couch —I have no idea how or why it ended up there— and lets herself fall onto the couch, immediately focused on her screen.Jorge also grabs his laptop —from a drawer next to the couch, a much more sensible storage location— and sits down next to her, also getting to work.Both of them used to have their own freelance jobs before joining the pack, so they’ve got their own systems of getting information, separate from Mathew’s systems.
My eyes are drawn to Caleb, who’s standing next to the door, his focus on each of us, making sure we’re safe, making sure we’re all okay, before he does anything.
He meets my gaze, giving me a soft smile and a nod that let me breathe a little easier, that let me relax just a fraction more than before.
Years of being together, years of trusting him, are easy to tap into in stressful situations.It might not be rational, but as long as Caleb is there, I feel like we can overcome any situation.
“Here.”Luca slides my laptop in front of me, his voice is quiet, nervous, and I take his hand before he can pull away.
“Are you okay?”
He nods, but his eyes keep shooting all over the place, his movements are jerky.He’s trying, but this is definitely freaking him out.
The rest of us are used to dangerous and unexpected situations, we’ve all been living lives where we’ve had to get used to them quickly.But Luca hasn’t, this is all brand new to him.
“Let’s go somewhere a little quieter.”All the loud noises, the strong and alarmed pheromones and everything else going on must be wrecking havoc on his mind.
I turn around, give Mathew a quick kiss, and then slide from his lap.I pull Luca to the storage room we’ve converted into a quiet space.It’s not exactly a nest, and it’s definitely not big enough for our whole pack to fit into comfortably all together, but it’s a quiet space attached to the office that lets us calm down without having to be away from our mates.
4
Caleb
My heart calmswhile I watch my pack for a couple of minutes as they settle down, as much as they can.Mathew behind his computer, Riley and Jorge on the couch and Vera and Luca in the storage-room-turned-quiet-space.Everyone is doing what they can to get a grip on the situation.
The moment I turn to join Derrick, Timothy and Eli in the hallway, Milo slips past me, taking up my spot near the door to keep an eye on everyone.It’s not like much can happen when everyone is in the office, the whole building is well-protected, but having him stand guard still feels safer.
“Any obvious threats that have shown up yet?”I look at Timothy, who’s frowning at his phone.
