My jaw drops. “What? Just like…that?”
Maverick nods. “Just like that. It’s what our omega wants.”
“But…but you have jobs. A life…why would you just pick up and move for me?”
Brennan takes my hand. “Song Bird, first and foremost, believe me when I say we would do anything for you. Secondly, we’d have to at least move houses anyway, considering we’ll need a pack house and we all live separately at the moment—besides Ethan and Teddy. And thirdly, we can do our job from anywhere. There are always people in bad situations anywhere you go. We can operate out of Starbrook City just as easily as Hope Springs.”
“But…I don’tneedto be in Starbrook City. If you can do your job from anywhere, so can I.”
I’m about to tell them how I’msonot worth picking up an entire life and business for, when a hand grips my chin, turning my face up to look at him.
Ethan.
“Little Bird…” he murmurs, looking between my eyes and my lips. “How many different ways do we have to say it for you to understand that whatever you want is what we want? None of us have any particular attachment to this place. We’ve all just sort of been…skating by, the last fewyears. You give us a purpose again. So please…don’t take away our means of proving how much you mean to us.”
“That’s the thing, though.” My bottom lip juts out slightly. “You don’t have toproveanything.”
“Then let me rephrase it.” Ethan arches a brow. “Don’t take away theprivilegeof showing you how much you mean to us. You may know how we feel, but that doesn’t mean that we stop showing it.”
His words sink in, leaving goosebumps along my skin. I’ve never felt like this before. So…seen. So cherished.
My voice is soft. “I don’t know what to say,” I admit, breaking eye contact and looking down at my plate.
“How about, ‘look at this house I found’?” Ethan smirks. “We can use my computer after dinner and look at houses for sale in the area. What do you think?”
My mouth gapes open as I look around the table, wanting to see what everyone else thinks about that suggestion. To my complete surprise, they’re all nodding. “That’s an excellent idea,” Maverick agrees before tilting his head at Ethan. “You know all our finances.”
Ethan shifts in his seat, sounding a little sheepish. “I…uh…I’ve already run the numbers, actually.”
Maverick only grins. “I know.”
I know I didn’t balk before, when Brennan mentioned a “pack house”, but as soon as the mention of money comes up, it suddenly feels much more…real.
We aren’t even bonded yet, and we’re going to buy a house?
It’s not the thought of moving in together that scares me. I want them. But…what if they get tired of me? What if we don’t bond, but I pick out this house and make them move, and then they come to their senses? What if—
“Dove? Wots goin’ through that pre’ty ‘ead of yours?” Teddy’s curious voice snaps me out of my thoughts.
I’m shaking my head before I even realize I’m doing it. “Nothing,” I squeak out, trying to keep the tears at bay.
“No.” Maverick’s stern voice has me looking up at him. “Don’t lie to us, Baby Girl. Tell us what’s wrong. Are we moving too fast?”
“I just…” I choke on the words. The stupid words that are clawing at my throat. “If I help pick out this house…what happens if you get tired of me? We aren’t bonded, and I’d have to leave the perfect house I picked out, and you—”
Every single alpha at the table stiffens, their eyes falling on me with stares hot enough to burn.
Multiple voices start to speak out in protest—but it’s Maverick that continues.
“Baby Girl,” Maverick’s voice is nearly a growl as he takes my face between his gentle hands. His thumb wipes away a stray tear as I try to avoid his gaze. “Look at me,” he commands softly, but there’s not a hint of bark in his tone, “please?” Swallowing, I look up, meeting his gaze. “We have been holding back so we don’t scare you off. I don’t think you realize that we’ve all been lost to you since before we stormed into Pack Caruso’s home.” He sighs, closing his eyes like he’s debating on whether or not he should continue speaking. Then they open, hard with determination. “The night you met Teddy, he didn’t turn off his camera—”
“I know,” I say quietly, catching Maverick by surprise. “Brennan told me earlier.”
He huffs, letting out a small chuckle, before shaking his head. “Then you know,” Maverick kisses another tear that had been rolling down my cheek, “that Brennan looked you up multiple times a week, and that Ethan screenedall the packs that wanted to court you to make sure no sleaze balls got through—”
“What?” I gasp, looking up at Ethan as he stiffens.
His face is flushed, and he gives Maverick an incredulous look. “How the fuck didyouknow that?”
