I must have whimpered or made some sort of noise because a wave of bitter pine washed over me, and then Gray was in front of me.
“Oh, love.” He picked me up, carrying me to the couch and settling me in his lap.
“Sorry.” I tried to move off his lap, but he held me firm. Liam, Henry, and Bear all looked on with concerned expressions. Ineeded to get a grip. How weak was I that I couldn’t listen to them talk about the attack without falling apart?
“I’m sorry you had to hear that, princess. I promise we’ll keep you safe,” Gray murmured.
“You shouldn’t hide things from me. It’s my problem,” I said.
“It’s fucking not,” Bear said, moving over so he was next to us on the couch. “You belong to us, which means it’sourproblem.”
“And before you start worrying about being a burden, stop it,” Henry said, his arms crossed as he stared at me from across the coffee table.
“Just… stop?” I asked.
“Yes. I don’t like it.” He looked deeply disgruntled as he stood up and walked out of the room, muttering something about needing to get me breakfast.
A surprised laugh escaped me, but the movement caused a shard of pain to explode in my skull. I closed my eyes and breathed through it.
“What’s wrong?” Liam asked. The look in his eye told me he wouldn’t tolerate me playing it off.
“My head still hurts,” I admitted.
“Give her here,” Liam said, walking around the coffee table.
For a tense moment, I didn’t think Gray would let me go. But then I was in Liam’s arms.
“What else is hurting besides your head, kitten?” he asked.
I scrunched my nose. “I guess that nickname is sticking around.”
“Don’t pretend you don’t love it. And answer the question.”
I shifted my weight, fighting the urge to run away. “My neck, too. And I’m dizzy.”
He pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. “Good girl for telling me. I know that was hard.”
“I don’t know why it’s so hard,” I said. “It’s stupid, really.”
“Don’t say that. It’s hard for you because of how you’ve been treated in the past. It will get easier with practice.”
“Forced practice,” I said dryly.
“Whatever it takes.” He carried me into the kitchen and settled me on the island. “I picked up some new meds for you this morning. I’m sure the doctors in Sol can get you better ones, but hopefully, these will take an edge off the pain.”
“Thank you,” I said as he handed me two pills. My fingers closed around them. Even if they didn’t do anything for my pain, the fact that he’d gotten them for me was enough.
“Do you feel well enough to be in the car?” Henry set a plate of food beside me and ran a hand down my back.
“I’ll be fine,” I said.
Henry held up a forkful of pancakes to my mouth. I pursed my lips, but his expression told me I wouldn’t win. I parted my lips, the sweetness of the maple syrup hitting my tongue.
“Wow, the beta taking charge,” Bear said with a whistle. I scowled at him, but he came over and kissed me on the cheek. “I’m sorry you’re not feeling well, baby.”
“Thanks,” I said softly before accepting more bites of food from Henry until my stomach started churning and I couldn’t eat more.
The guys packed up the car while Liam hovered over me, his hands never leaving my skin. In the end, he carried me out to the car, which I thought was overkill. I caught Gray’s glare at Liam being the one who got to carry me, and it put my omega on edge. They both said we could be a pack, but how could that be if they hated each other?
