“Wait, no, this is…” I trailed off, not knowing what to say. What I wanted to say wasa dream come true. But the past few years had taught me not to dream. “You don’t even know me or each other. We can’t possibly be talking about becoming a pack.”
Henry put his phone down and grinned. “You’re telling us we can’t do it, but from where I sit, we’re all in agreement.”
I bit my lip, frustration growing in my chest. Right now they were holding on to some fantasy, but I knew that once reality set in, they would realize they were better off without me.
Henry’s face softened and he walked over to me, pressing a soft kiss to my temple. “How about this—what if we go to Sol and use the trip as a trial run? We can get to know each other and decide whether to become a pack.”
“I don’t need a fucking trial run,” Bear muttered.
Henry ignored him, keeping his gaze on me. “What do you think, darling? Take a chance on us. Maybe things don’t work out and we go our separate ways—” He was cut off by Liam’s growl, but then continued. “Or maybe they will work out. Either way, we’ll know for sure.”
“But what about your jobs? And I have a job. We can’t just leave. Maybe we should just wait a while and get to know each other here,” I said.
Gray spoke up from his spot on the couch. “This might actually be the perfect time to leave in terms of your safety. We don’t know who hired your attacker. And—” He paused, his expression contorting into a grimace. “The alpha who attacked you was released on bail.”
Ice shot through my veins and some noise must have escaped my lips because Bear’s arms were immediately around me, pulling my back to his chest.
“You should have told me,” I said softly, meeting Gray’s gaze.
“I know. I was going to.” He looked tortured. “But then you went to the hospital, and I didn’t want to add to your stress.”
I swallowed down my feelings and took a deep breath. I guessed I couldn’t really blame Gray with all the shit that had gone on the past couple of days.
“We won’t let anything happen to you,” Bear promised, his lips brushing against my ear.
“What about your shop?” I asked, turning in his arms.
“Spider can take care of things while I’m gone.”
I turned to Liam, but he spoke before I could say anything. “I’m owed time off from the hospital. Even if I wasn’t, I would stay with you.”
Henry grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. “We’ll figure out all the details. You just have to say yes.”
I should say no and save all of us from the inevitable disappointment when this all fell apart. But as I looked into Henry’s eyes, I couldn’t find the words to reject his proposal. “Just a trial run?”
He nodded. “Let’s see if we work as a pack.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
And then Liam’s arms were around me, strong and steady. “Nothing’s going to happen that you’re not ready for,” he murmured. “We’ll court you and prove that we’re all in.”
“You can’t know that.” I pressed my face into his chest.
“But I do,” he said.
“So, we’re all agreed that it’s time for a road trip?” Henry asked.
“Isn’t that a fucking long drive?” Bear asked. “Shouldn’t we fly?”
I’d never been on a plane and the idea of it sent a thrill of excitement through me. But then Henry reminded me why that wouldn’t happen.
“Omega IDs aren’t approved for flying,” he muttered, a muscle flexing in his jaw as if the law was a personal affront to him. “But your basic ID will allow you across the border via car.”
“Are you going to be okay in the car? It will take several days.” Liam brushed his hand down my hair.
“I’ll be fine,” I said, still bewildered at having so many people care about my health.
“We can split it up into shorter days of driving,” Gray said.
