Page 194 of All Packed Up

Wait.

That was…

A staccato vibration filled the car, and from the corner of his eye, Grif was able to see Nic fumble for his phone.

“Stella?” Wendy read the name on the screen, confused curiosity in her tone.

The name caught Grif’s attention.

Nic parted and closed his lips a few times like a fish before he shook his head in wonder, swiping his thumb across the phone, and answering without another word.

Grif just had one question. Who the fuck was Stella?

Chapter 43

NIC

Nic stared down at the call lighting up his screen in surprise for only a second before he swiped to answer.

“What the fuck happened?” was his greeting. “Are you okay?” the omega asked. “I just drove by the gym.”

Nic sighed at the sound of Stellan’s panicked voice, tilting his head back against the seat. For now, he ignored Griffith’s curious stare through the rearview mirror. “Hey, man. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Is everything okay?” he questioned, hearing someone in the background.

Nic’s chest cramped, but he… couldn’t. “How’s pack life?” Nic asked instead, attempting to steer the conversation away from himself. The story was too long and complicated to get into.

“Fan-fucking-tastic as ever,” he answered. “But don’t go changing the subject. I was on that side of town and about wrecked the Jeep when I saw the gym.”

Nic blew out a breath. “You beat me to it. I’m on my way there now.”

“You haven’t even… Nic, what the fuck is going on?” Stellan pressed, voice dipping from surprise to sharp concern. “Where are you that you haven’t seen your pride and joy yet?”

Stellan had a point. When they’d been close, Stellan knew the gym was the place to find Nic, never mind his own apartment. They’d drifted when Stellan reunited with his childhood love, but that was normal when one found a pack.

“I was just out of town, we’re on the way back now.”

“We?” Stellan said, interest piqued. “Oh, dude, please tell me you found someone!” he gushed. Nic heard the squeal of a feminine voice in the background and rolled his eyes.

His gaze settled on the omega staring a hole in his face, curiosity stamped on her expression before it drifted to the alpha behind the wheel. “Well… I guess technically you could say she found me. The rest kind of just… happened.”

“Oh my man’s found a pack,” he gasped. “Elise! Nic found a pack!” he yelled over the phone, and the girlish squeal returned for a second.

Nic shook his head at the omega’s excitement, cheeks flushing in the dark of the car. “Shh, don’t jinx it for me,” he teased.

“I’m glad to hear that. But I’m still sorry about the gym. Is there anything I can do to help? Was it just a freak accident?”

With a shake of his head, Nic huffed. “I wouldn’t go so far as to call it an accident.”

How did I get myself in this mess?

Wendy squeezed the fingers of the hand not occupied, and Nic lowered his head to share a soft smile with her.

Stella was silent on the other end, and Nic frowned. “St—”

“Nic, tell me what happened. Right now.”

“Uh… Stella, the thing about that is it’s not my story to tell,” he admitted, catching Wendy’s eyes.