Page 45 of All Packed Up

“Wha—”

Part of Wendy wanted to tell him that he was silly. Why would she keep his blanket? But the other part of her recognized that it had their scent on it, and she liked their scent, and she wanted to keep it. She claimed it just like those biscuits Nic burnt had claimed that pan, and tightened her arms around the bundle.

“We’ll be down in five minutes. We can follow you,” Tate said, ushering them to the door. “But text Arlo the address just in case.”

“Come on,” Nic urged, and she followed. After the door shut behind them, she ran with Nic down the stairs, holding Knuckles tight so she didn’t jostle him as she tried not to trip over her blanket cape.

“They are really coming, right? You didn’t just say that to get me out of there?”

“You’re too smart for your own good, you know that?” Nic asked.

Wendy came to a stop on the stairs. “Nic! We are not leaving them here!” Knuckles meowed, echoing off the stairwell to back her up. “See? He agrees!”

“I was just kidding,” he urged. “Come on! I already sent Arlo the address.”

Wendy glared at him but followed down the last few steps and out to the sidewalk. His vehicle waited right next to the front of the building, and Wendy jogged to catch up to him.

She’d said they needed to leave now and… they’d listened. It was refreshing.

As Nic closed the door on her side of the car, she held Knuckles a little tighter as she watched him walk around the hood, all furrowed brow and hurried pace. He meant business.

It was kinda… hot.

It wasn’t long before Arlo and Tate ambled out the doors, bags in hand. They waved, and at Nic’s hurried hand motions, they ran for the parking garage.

“How long will it take us to get there?” she asked

“Not long enough,” Nic muttered. “Let’s go.”

Wendy watched him in the dim lights from the dashboard. The blue glow highlighted his sharp cheekbones and aquiline nose, his full lips.

Letting the silence settle as Nic directed them onto the freeway, Wendy stroked her hand over Knuckles’s fur. He’d gotten so soft in the past few years, and he tilted his head up to her, eyes closed as he purred loud enough to fill the quiet. She turned her head to the window and watched the city rush by in the distance, not daring to tap at the bond, even though it was an ever-present thrum in the back of her head.

And it’s always going to be there.

She swallowed and leaned her head back against the seat, closing her eyes against the bright lights of the oncoming cars. Maybe she could sleep on the way there. Dreaming would be nice, escaping for a bit, even if it was just an hour or so.

Because what had been a beautiful, memorable day had turned into a nightmare.

Chapter 11

NIC

The beta wrapped his hands around the steering wheel and tightened his fingers, knuckles turning white from the pressure.

Walking up to the alphas’ door, he’d caught Wendy’s scent and the bitter note to it. His heart had dropped right through his stomach, splatting on the floor, only for him to step over it and rush past Arlo. He’d found her and Tate in the middle of the apartment, Tate hovering his hands around her as if he didn’t know what to do, all while Wendy muttered about that fucker Derek. Arlo grabbed his arm when Nic tried to step forward, and Nic only paused because Wendy’s voice melted into the same weepy one she’d cried into his shirt all night. He’d never wanted to hear it again, and yet here he was, there she was, still being tortured by those motherfucking alphas.

When Tate framed her face and kissed her, the only thing Nic felt was relief, because Wendy gasped into him and went still. His heart slowed as she leaned into him, and he watched the tension leave her body.

At least until she pulled back with a gasp and a demand for their departure. If anyone knew how close the alphas were, Wendy would.

And the last thing he wanted to do was endanger her.

Nic didn’t want her to be alone in this. She wasn’t going to battle these alphas by herself. But Wendy was right about what she’d said, loath as he was to admit it. He couldn’t take on four alphas. Not anymore. And now that Wendy’s safety was his top priority, he couldn’t risk failing. Running was the best option, at least until her heat passed.

Even if they were running toward an alpha Nic thought he’d never have to face again. Strong, muscled biceps and a furrowed brow flashed in his mind. In the same instant the memory sent a spark of heat through his chest, dread curled in his stomach.

He eyed the headlights of Arlo’s vehicle behind them and glanced to Wendy, who was bopping her head to the music she’d chosen. Knuckles was asleep in her lap, and her tired eyes stared blankly out the windshield.