Florence
“I’m not leaving her,” Piers says, stubbornly. “The rest of you can go, but I’m… I’m choosing her.”
My stomach bottoms out like it does on a rollercoaster and I sway on my feet.
This can’t happen. Piers can’t stay here. He can’t leave the pack. It’ll ruin him. It’ll ruin them. Their bond. The distance alone will… And he’s on the verge of finally having them the way he deserves.
“No,” I whisper and the conversation stops, all eyes turning to look at me. “No,” I repeat louder. “You can’t-You can’t stay here. You can’t leave them. You love them.”
Piers gives me a frustrated look. “I loveyou, little bird.”
That draws me up short. It's the first time any of them have told me they love me. “You do?”
A flash of a grin that shows his dimples as he reaches for me, tapping a knuckle under my chin to snap my mouth closed. “I do.”
My entire being sings at this realization. A giddy sensation swells in my chest and a giggle bursts out. One that takes me entirely by surprise. It's been a long time since I’ve felt the urge to laugh. It fades as quickly as it came, dimming under the weight of him leaving his pack to stay with me.
“But the queen has just given your relationship her blessing, Piers. She’s going to accept you into the royal family. You can’t give that up for me.”
Piers runs a hand through his hair, making it stand on end. “This might be a case of too little, too late.”
And then I’m swaying again, my eyes rolling. Shit, I think I’m about to faint.
Strong hands grab me, keep me upright, guide me to the couch where I’m pulled onto a lap with a pair of damp arms wrapped around me. “Jesus,” Courtland mutters against my hair. “None of us can leave her. She won’t survive it.”
My eyelids flutter open to find all of them crowded around me, hands against my skin, because they know that helps.
But I can’t afford to let it.
I brush all of their hands away and focus on Piers kneeling in front of me, eyes wide and worried. But also determined. I shake my head. “You can’t stay, Piers. I won’t be the reason you lose your pack.”
His hands slide up my legs from my knees until he’s gripping my thighs. “You aren’t the reason, you’re the fucking prize.” He flicks his gaze at the alphas standing around us, before returning to me. “You were right, that I’m not really a member of the pack.”
Forsythe makes a hurt noise, but Piers doesn’t let him interrupt. “For years I’ve been fooling myself that if I’m goodenough, dedicated enough, protect them well enough, the queen will see my worth. Thatthey’llsee my worth. But it hasn’t happened. It won’t happen. The queen has forbidden it. If I stay with them, I will always be a secondary pack member, always be on the outside. I love them,” he chokes on the words as he lifts his eyes off of me again. “I do. I love you all so goddamn much, but this isn’t enough for me. Just like it’s not enough for Ren. We deserve better.”
I want to argue. I do.
But it’s not my place. He’s made his decision. And some small part of me… Or not so small, I suppose, is fucking grateful that he’s choosing me. Us.
“Piers,” Courtland chokes out from under me. “You know that’s not how it is. We can claim you now. We love you. We need you.”
The beta shakes his head slowly. “No, you don’t. You never have. It's why you went along with what the queen wanted. Why you hid me away, pretended I wasn’t a part of the pack. Even when you were picking a new pack member. The only person who cared about my opinion was Florence.”
“We cared,” Thayer says.
“Not enough.”
I lift my eyes to Forsythe, who is standing removed from us, hands folded behind his back. Agony in his eyes.
“You should all stay,” he says, holding my gaze. “All of you. I’ll separate from the pack. Thayer, you can be prime and take care of our family. I’ll-” He pauses, hesitates. “I’ll bond with Isadora and the rest of you can bond with Florence.”
“What!” I leap to my feet, nearly knocking Piers on his ass, as the alpha scents around me turn bitter. “No! Absolutely not.”
He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, likely calming his alpha. “Which part exactly do you take issue with,cor mea?”
“All of it.” I growl back. “I’ve seen what breaking a pack bond looks like, Sythe. If you want a firsthand account of it, you can ask Creed. It is fucking painful, like ripping out a part of your soul.”
“Florence, this is for the best. This is the best we can give you. I have a duty to my family. The rest of the pack does as well, through me. If I’m not a part of the pack, the duty is mine and mine alone.”
