“Talk, murder, either one,” King said with a low growl.
I shot him a look of disapproval, even though my protective instincts were also surging. I didn’t want to kill Wilder, but the idea of putting some rose stems on his chair so the thorns poked him in the ass was rather appealing.
“He loves her. There’s something more going on.”
King shook his head. “What could be worth rejecting her? Devastating her like this?”
I didn’t respond because I couldn’t think of a good reason, either. What I did know was that Wilder was intensely loyal, deeply in love with Lucy, and part of our family. I wasn’t going to give up on us.
63
Lucy
HoroscopePisces
Pisces, you beautiful, sensitive romantic. Your love and empathy are your strengths, but don’t forget, there’s a whole world out there.
The mattress shifted beneath meand I whined, tightening my hold on King, who was trying to get away from me.
“I have to get to my meeting, baby girl,” he murmured.
I shook my head and pressed my face into the hollow of his neck.
He cupped the back of my head. “You can come with me.”
I growled in frustration. It had been five days since Leo and King had carried me out of the hospital and driven me home. I’d stayed in my nest ever since.
I needed to pull it together. Wilder and I weren’t bonded. Hell, he’d only come into my life a month ago. So why did it feel like there was a gaping hole in my heart? Like the loss of him was destroying me from the inside out?
Leo shifted on my other side, and a bolt of panic shot through me. He had to leave to fulfill a large flower order, and my arms weren’t strong enough to keep both of them in bed.
“Come into the shop with me, jigaram. We can set up a little nest for you in the back room.”
I shook my head. I didn’t want them to go, but the thought of leaving my nest was worse. My omega was sad and bruised, the blankets and pillows around me my only shield.
Leo groaned and squeezed me to his chest. “I’m worried about you. Maybe we should go to the fire station—”
“No.” They’d gently suggested we call Wilder or even track him down and force him to talk to us, but I’d refused. If Wilder didn’t want me, I wasn’t going to try to convince him to love me.
I’d spent the entirety of my last relationship doing that.
I knew if I really wanted Leo and King to back down, all I had to do was tell them Wilder had used his bark on me. I didn’t quite understand why I hadn’t, except that I knew it would turn them against Wilder, and for some inexplicable reason, I didn’t want that.
I released Leo and King. “I’ll be fine on my own.”
“Lucy,” King’s voice was devastatingly tender.
“I promise. Just come back as soon as you can.”
He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. “Always.”
I stood in frontof the open fridge with unseeing eyes. My layers of clothing—Leo’s sweatpants, King’s T-shirt…and Wilder’s flannel—kept me from feeling the cold air.
With Leo and King gone, there was nothing to distract me from how much I missed Wilder. I didn’t know if I wanted to run across town to scream at him or hug him.
I was a good multitasker. I could do both.
My phone vibrated on the counter, but I ignored it. It was probably a text from my friends. Or my moms. They’d all come over when they found out the news, but I’d refused to see them.
