Phoenix was here for the conversation. There was no avoiding it, and I was acting far too crazy. We’d have to talk about it eventually. I just couldn’t tonight.
I wanted to make sure that she was safe, and honestly, being with my best friend meant she would be safer than she would be with me right now. Something that made me want to throw up.
There was no reason for her not to be safe with me. I was her guardian.
I wouldn’t let him take this from me, too.
Dinner ended quickly after that. They tried to keep the conversation light, but I couldn’t join in.
It didn’t go unnoticed that Corvin boxed up my food and even ordered one of every dessert available on the menu for later. It was such a simple gesture, but it was the fact that he was trying to make me feel better that had me blinking back tears.
The guys quickly got me into the car after I said goodbye to Phoenix. Dani planned for them to stop by our place on the way back so she could grab her things before heading back to their packhouse. I loved them for stepping up like this. It meant a lot to me.
Instead of buckling me into my own seat, Ezra climbed into the back first and then pulled me into his lap, holding me the entire way back to Willow Lake. I was thankful for the fact that they didn’t try to talk to me yet. They gave me time to process the fact that my past had literally come back to haunt me.
I was carrying another pack’s baby, and if there was anyone that could take this from me, it would be Cameron.
He wasn’t the sharing type. He was the jealous type, the type that would make sure that I paid for everything he thought I did to spite him.
A small sob burst out of me before Corvin pulled to the side of the road. We were in the middle of nowhere, just the country roads that led us back to Willow Lake.
He was out in a second, he and Apollo climbing into the backseat with us. The moment I was surrounded by all three of my mates, I couldn’t contain it. The sobs came faster now, the fear so strong I felt like I was going to pass out.
“Talk to us.” It was a heartbroken plea and I could barely decipher who said it through my sobs.
The last thing I wanted to do was relive everything that Cameron did to me, but I had promised this pack that I wouldn’t push them away again.
I had to trust that they’d be here to protect our baby and Phoenix above all else.
So, I did the only thing I could do. I opened my mouth and gave them every horrible detail of my past: the fire, how I barely made it out alive, the recovery, his bullshit trial, every gory detail.
“He was at the game tonight?” Corvin asked carefully.
“Yes,” I whispered, fresh tears falling down my cheeks. “He found me, and he’ll hurt me if he gets a chance. He won’t like that I have a pack, or that I’m pregnant. He’ll kill me.”
Corvin let loose a low growl. “He won’t ever get close to you,” he promised.
“Let us move in,” Ezra pleaded. “Let us protect our pack. You, Phoenix, and our baby will be safe. Give us a chance to show you we can protect you.”
“We can even have one of the rookies rotate shifts around so one of us is with you at all times,” Apollo suggested.
“No, you can’t rearrange your life for me,” I argued, but it was weak. Hope was blooming in my chest, chasing away some of the fear.
“We want to be here with you, and I’m so proud of you for telling us this time and not shutting us out,” Corvin said, a purr filling the car.
“I’m so scared.” The purr amped up as they whispered reassurances at me.
“We’ve got some contacts in the police department. I need you to point him out so that I can take a picture and take it in,” Corvin urged as gently as possible. He knew it wasn’t an easy request.
“He shouldn’t be here,” I said, hand shaking as I pulled up the feed, freezing the screen at the moment that he stared right at the camera as if he knew I’d see him.
“Let us help,” Ezra urged, squeezing me tight.
“Okay,” I finally relented.
What choice did I really have?
The three of us took turns holding Bea until she settled. Though, not one of us truly rested.
