LENNON
Valak turns me from my front door, guiding me to Gabe’s arms, waiting until I look at him before he says, “Let me just fix a few things here first, Lennon.”
He’s quiet, but the care and compassion in his words and his bergamot scent speak volumes. But it’s the endless pools of emotion swirling in his brown eyes that has my ears ringing. How on earth did we find each other?
He goes to step away. I know he’s eager to get inside to check the house and the yard out, but I nab him by the back of his jeans and stop him from entering.
“Thank you, Val. I want to pick up all Ares’ toys and his beds, okay? I know you want to save me from it but I need to do it.”
“Of course,” he says, leaning forward, leaving me with the softest brush of his lips on mine before he disappears with Noah inside.
Without asking, I know the two of them will be making a full sweep of every room, like Ares would have.
Being back here, I’m sure Valak feels a sense of responsibility for what happened, but I was lucky he and Lincoln were with me. I’m sure if they weren’t, I’d be locked in an obscure property in the middle of nowhere, suffering a fate worse than a grief filled heart.
But everyone is already on edge. We’re overly tired and got careless on the way home. The first paparazzi was lucky he only got his camera smashed by Henley, and that was before we even exited Pack Bailey’s driveway. Apparently, they’re a regular feature around their house, which makes sense, but is still a pain in the ass. Since my entire pack and I missed seeing him at all, we’ve been hyper focused since. The second paparazzi that tried to follow me into the ladies’ bathroom at the gas station on the way to the airport, ended up with a broken nose and a broken camera.
Valak and Noah take ages to make a sweep of my home, and I know it’s because of what happened earlier. Despite the assurance from the security firm that there’s been no activity since we left, this is something my pack needs to determine for themselves and probably will for a long time to come. Which is fine.
Having the same people involved in security and protection here as Lincoln does at Scarfe Island makes it that much easier. As soon as we landed, the security team was waiting to meet with us. A debrief followed, but by that stage my head was thudding a vicious beat, so I left my alphas knowing they’d want all the details, while I sat with Joe Junior, listening to stories about his pregnant partner eating curry in the middle of the night to try to induce labour. Once the update was complete and the new processes agreed on, the security team escorted us home.
And then they wait in their cars for the all clear.
Valak pulls the door closed, obviously not wanting me to go in yet. “I want to see what time their rounds start tonight,” he says as he jogs over to them.
I take a step after him, Lincoln stopping me with a small growl.
“Don’t say a word about this being overkill, will you, dove,” Lincoln says, interrupting me from saying a word about all these additional security measures being a little over the top. “We do this and more on Scarfe Island. I expect them to do the same here.”
“I wasn’t going to,” I lie, and both he and Gabe chuckle.
And then the car drives off and we’re finally alone. Valak walks back over to us, looking semi-relaxed.
“We’re safe?” I ask, sliding under his arm when he reaches for me.
“We are,” Lincoln says slowly, his eyebrows pitching together, probably wondering why I’m asking when I was just going to question them.
“Okay,” I say, pulling in a lungful of their swirling scents before I turn away and walk over to the side gate. I can feel their attention on me; I know they already get what I’m doing.
Using the electronic keypad, I nearly turn back to them when the first thing I see is Ares favourite frisbee. Chewed and broken, he never let me throw it out, no matter how many times I tried. One little thought and all of a sudden I’m getting sucked into a vortex of memories that threaten to level me out before I’ve taken five steps inside the gate.
It’s a rush of sweet honey, and a hug that stops me falling this time. And that’s when the reality hits me. Ares is really gone. My throat feels like it’s going to close over, but I really don’t want to cry.
“Len,” Gabe turns me in his arms, pushing down my hoodie as he undoes my hair. He cups my face as he leans down and puts his forehead to mine. All I can see and smell is him, it’s incredibly grounding. “I asked them to let me do this with you.”
“Why?”
He takes a long time to answer. There’s a swirling storm in his eyes but the most tender look on his face too. “Because, baby, this is my heat gift to you.”
My chin wobbles, but he stops it with his hands, engulfing my face while he fills my senses with his sweet warm honey scent, so comforting and dependable. “Come on,” is all Gabe says before he takes my hand and leads me through my backyard, taking me to the exact spot where Ares was killed. And then I stop fighting the tears from falling and stare in stunned amazement at the garden swing chair that sits in the exact spot. In the middle of the seat is a letter, Gabe’s handwriting on the front.
Letting his hand fall away, I step into his arms instead, and he holds my back to his chest and speaks quietly into my ear. His voice is so soft it’s like he doesn’t want to interrupt the moment. “I thought this would be the best place for part of my gift. And since the fence is gone, I think you and Ares are going to have the most spectacular view of the mountains.”
“How did you know?” I stammer.
“I hacked into your security system and used your cameras, plus my brother has a mind like a steel trap. But I can see what you need, too, Len,” he says, kissing the top of my head, and then he pulls me tighter, resting his chin on my head, rocking us slowly as tears stream down my face.
I can feel his heavy breathing against my chest, and even through my own tears and my storming emotions, I know Gabe is feeling them too. Which makes me cry more; my omega heart feeling the way he struggles.
