I tilt my head so she can see each bondmark on my neck and pull on the collar of my shirt to show her my shoulder. “Yeah, they’re amazing. I was running from the best thing that ever happened to me. Besides you, of course.”
“So it sounds like we’re not gonna be neighbors anymore?” she says with a fake pout.
I shake my head. “I’m not sure where we’re going to live, actually. There was talk of a pack house a few weeks ago, but I’m not sure what’s happening with that.”
“We have a tour next week,” Alric adds at my back.
My pack is behind me. Alric is wearing a sweatshirt andjogging pants that are a little too tight. But he says, “Thank you for bringing me a change of clothes, Harper, that was very kind.”
She tries to hide her laughter. “Sorry it’s such a tight fit. I don’t have much experience shopping for alphas. It’s usually the other way around.”
His smile back at her is genuine. Harper has definitely endeared herself to him for life. “I appreciate it.”
“Mads is like my sister, so I guess you’re all my brothers-in-law now. Welcome to the family!”
“I have a sister, too,” Zachary says. “You’ll need to meet her. We can all get drinks sometime.”
I’m so used to not having a family, I forgot now that I’m in a pack, their family is mine, too. A bit of nervousness creeps up on me. I wonder what Hunter and Zachary’s families are like.
Probably absolutely wonderful, if they raised these two gentlemen.
“I’d like that.” She looks between all of us. “Right, well, I’m gonna go back home now and finally get some real sleep, but I have someone for you.” A little meow comes from a cat carrier on the floor.
“Bellini!” Oh, my little angel. I drop down and open the door, scooping her up. She purrs and rubs her face all over mine in greeting. “Thank you for bringing her!”
“I figured you would need all the comfort you could get after what happened.” She gives me one last hug and whispers in my ear, “I’m so happy for you.”
“You’re next,” I whisper back.
Her smile is slightly strained, and before I can ask what’s wrong, she waves and heads out. Belatedly, I realize that she doesn’t smell like her usual peaches and Chantilly cream. Did she get on scent blockers?
“Harper!” I call after her.
She turns, but she keeps walking backwards. “We’ll talk later, okay? I needed to see you were okay with my own eyes. Girl’s night soon?”
I want to ask her where her scent went, but maybe this isn’t a conversation for alphas’ ears. “Absolutely. Call me!”
Once Harper is gone, one of the OPS officers speaks first. “We need a moment of your time for a statement.”
There is a collective tired annoyance in the bond from all of us, but this probably needs to happen. We sit down and each give our side of the events. I thought speaking about it might be unbearable, but my alphas flood me with love and comfort.
I’m able to tell them the whole story of Jensen’s harassment, messaging with a fake omega, foolishly sharing details about my location, being kidnapped, and the start of my heat. The guys fill in the rest of the gaps in the story, including how they found me, while I pet Bellini wishing we could leave. I require rest and recovery far away from here.
“That’s all the information we need at this moment. This case will stay open until trial, but it sounds like he deserved it, and you have the law on your side. Jensen’s brother, Arnold, confessed to everything. Claimed it wasn’t his idea and his brother tricked him into it. His medical license has been revoked and the hospital he worked at is investigating him too, but so far they’ve found nothing to suggest he was harming his patients.”
I breathe a sigh of relief at that.
“If that’s all you need,” Hunter says, “we’d like to take our omega home now.”
“Of course. Glad you are alright, Miss Hayes.” He tips his hat at me.
Once they leave, it’s just me and my pack. “Whereishome?”
“Right now, it’s my place,” Zachary answers. “Mostlybecause it doesn’t have a gym in the living room or the cold essence of a museum.”
I laugh when both Hunter and Alric protest at the description of their homes.
Zach ignores them. “I vote we hit my couch, watch movies all day, order too much takeout from ten different restaurants, and look at available listings for extravagant pack houses.” He takes Bellini from me and holds her up to his face. “Ready to meet your new best friend? You must be gentle with him. He only has one brain cell and he uses it to love your mom.”
