I also call a few of our long-time employees, two alphas and a beta. After the graffiti incident, they each offered support, told me they’d be here in minutes if we needed anything at all.
Sage has quickly won the hearts of everyone who works here, and I’m proud to call on them for that favor now. Even if it wasn’t for Sage, we all care about this community, the garden, the farm, and the gift shop. We won’t let some out of town thugs threaten one of our own.
Chapter Sixty
Sage
Before I even thought to ask, Brooks walked in the back door with a lamb under each arm. Daisy licks and nibbles at his shirt sleeve, while Bramble bleats her protests at being man-handled. My heart skips and if it weren’t for such dire reasons, I’m pretty sure my panties would be instantly slick at the picture of him carrying my baby sheep. I throw my arms around my thoughtful alpha, not letting myself think about what could happen to the babies if Josh and Steve knew about them, and we put up a pen in the living area to contain them for now.
Then I snuggle up on the couch with Brooks while Riley pulls up all the camera feeds on his tablet. My thoughts are swirling too fast for me to keep up with, and everyone’s scents are tinged with nerves. Mostly anxiety and fear (me) and anger (Riley, Vee, and Brooks). I know my pack will do anything to protect me.
Logically, I know that.
But my emotions aren’t getting the memo that I’m safe.That even if Josh and Steve show up here, they won’t get to me. I’ve lived in fear of them, knowing how depraved and vicious they can be, for years. Unfortunately, a few good weeks with these three hasn’t been enough to wipe away those harsh lessons. My body remembers, and it’s all I can do not to tremble as anticipatory stress courses through my veins.
I try to slow my breathing, focusing on Brooks’s solid presence next to me and Riley’s competent typing as he concentrates on his screen. Neveah is on her phone doing who knows what, when someone knocks on the door, making me nearly jump out of my skin. Brooks strokes his hand down my arm, attempting to soothe me, but my hackles are up and I don’t think there’s anything in this world that could make me feel okay right now.
Neveah opens the door for a couple alphas to walk in, and she leads them to the kitchen table, thanking them for coming. My brain is still spinning, and I blink at the empty doorway, wondering if I’m so overwhelmed that I imagined the alphas. Moments later, a beta and another alpha show up, and Vee does the same thing. I realize that I recognize a couple of them as employees who work on the farm, but the others I’ve never seen.
Before I know it, a handful of alphas and another few betas are hanging out in our living room and kitchen, a couple of them wielding baseball bats like they’re ready to knock someone’s head off.
“What’s happening?” I ask softly, turning to look at Riley and Brooks.
“Vee called in reinforcements,” Riley says, his eyes darting over his screen.
I frown, still confused—still overwhelmed—and open my mouth to ask what that means. Then the omega gardening club spills through the door, towing a few more alphas along with them.
Siobhan tears inside and makes a beeline for me. She doesn’t give Brooks or Riley any mind as she comes right into my space and pulls me into a hug.
“What are you doing here?” I say, my voice muffled against her shoulder as I take in Claire, Wren, Bea, and the mystery alphas clustered in the doorway.
“Psh, of course we’re here,” Siobhan says, pulling back and waving her hand in the air like I’m being silly. “Where else would we be?”
“But—” I sputter. “How did you?—”
Claire rescues me, stepping forward to snag Siobhan’s arm and tug her back to give us some space.
“This town gossips like you wouldn’t believe,” she says.
“As soon as Vee called old Dave, the word was out.” Bea shrugs. “Someone thinks they’re coming after one of ours? Well, we’re here to make sure they fail.”
My eyes turn glassy as my emotions surge. They came without being asked? Omegas, the most vulnerable of us. My friends.
And a whole group of people I’ve never met before. It’s hard to believe that all these people are here because they care about not just the farm, but about me, too.
“Thank you,” I murmur.
Siobhan hops the low make-shift pen into the lamb’s enclosure and plops down, pulling out a slice of bread for Daisy and then another that she optimistically offers to Bramble. Unsurprisingly, Bramble shrieks at her and steps away, then settles on the other side of the pen.
“Don’t take it personally,” Brooks says. “She yelled at me the whole time I carried her in here, and I had her favorite snack to bribe her with.”
Siobhan giggles, letting Daisy climb over her legs. She starts to nibble on the tassels on Siobhan’s boho skirt, butbefore I can scold her, Riley stiffens, his back shooting ram-rod straight.
“What is it?” Brooks says, immediately on alert.
Riley taps a camera feed and enlarges it, tipping it our way.
Sure enough, a familiar lifted pickup trick is pulling onto the property.
