“Yeah, we spoke the night before Aidan...” he trails off, shifting slightly in his chair.
“Tried to abduct Emily? Threatened me?”
Ryan winces. “I’m sorry, Fia. I get it. This was unforgivable. I’m not asking you to stop being pissed at me. I'm sharing with you what's necessary as a key piece of this pack. We will be working with Caleb and his brothers to free these omegas, and I’m hoping you can put aside your feelings about me as a brother and alpha—justifiable as they may be—to help us. You’re the smart one in the family. I need you.”
His plea lands somewhere raw inside my ribs—part obligation, part kindness. The word ‘need’ wraps around me and presses in. I stare at my hands, flexing my fingers, buying time I don’t need but wanting to make him sweat a little longer.
Damn him. It’s not as if I can say no to saving a bunch of missing omegas.
“What do you need me to do?” I ask. Ryan manages a small grin, one that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. His shoulders rise and he rolls them back—like he’s rolling off the tension of the past few days. He looks five years younger immediately, and shit, now I regret adding to the burden he carries.
Only a little, obviously. I’m still pissed at him.
We spend the next half hour mapping out logistics—looking at what I can do to take some of the load of being Alpha off his shoulders while Ryan coordinates with Caleb about the other potentially involved packs. When we’re done, he pulls me into a hug and kisses my forehead.
“Love you, little sis.”
I don’t melt. I don’t forgive all in that embrace. But I let the contact hold me for the length of a breath—long enough to steady me, to remind me that while he fucked up monumentally, he’s still my brother. My only family.
“Yeah, yeah. You’d be lost without me,” I say, rolling my eyes and pushing away his affection.
“Completely lost,” he says, pulling me back for another squeeze.
Chapter Five
Sofia
“Did Ryan tell you about the omegas?” Jackson asks through mindlink, the familiar internal tug waking me up. Morning light slants through the blinds. I’ve been enjoying sleeping in the past couple of days for a change. Luca is running warrior training while Jackson has taken a few days off to tend to Emily. Obviously, I’m skipping until he is back, so I don’t have to deal with Luca.
“Yeah, he gave me a little info yesterday,” I reply, my voice thick with sleep even through the mindlink.
“Emily thinks she might have some information. I’m bringing her to meet Ryan. Can you come too? She would be more comfortable with you there. And she’s not the only one.”
I breathe a sigh of relief, and my eyes instantly prick with tears. Emily still wants to be my friend. She still feels safe with me, even when I completely let her down. The guilt of letting us get cornered by her old pack and then getting restrained by Luca has been weighing on me. I’m better than that. Ishouldbe better than that.
But I was caught up in the distress of thinking Emily might leave me. That she might leave the pack. For her own safety. Fates, I hate my abandonment issues.
“Tell me when and where?” I’m already out of bed and finger combing my wild curls.
“Ten minutes?”
Shit, okay, no time to shower then. I let Jackson know I’ll be there and scramble to change into something more presentable than the oversized T-shirt and sleep shorts I’m currently wearing.
I practically sprint to the pack house to make it to Ryan’s office before Emily and Jackson arrive. My sneakers hit the gravel in quick, impatient beats; my chest is hollow with the fierce protectiveness you only get for people you consider family. My friend wants my support? Damn right I’ll be right there for her.
I don’t bother knocking, a subtle way to let Ryan know that he’s not in my good books again just yet. The door swings open, and I’m hit by the heavenly scent of coffee. And ugh, of course, Luca is here too.
“We’re in the middle of something here, Princess. Some of us actually show up for our responsibilities.” His voice—flat and irritated—goes through me.
I scoff and roll my eyes so hard I’m lucky not to dislocate them. “Emily and Jackson want me here. You know, because unlikesomeof us, I actually had their backs.”
Luca glares at me, but before he has a chance to reply, Jackson and Emily arrive. Jackson sits down in a chair in front of Ryan’s desk and pulls Emily onto his lap, burying his head into her neckand inhaling deeply. Drinking her in and steadying himself. My heart clenches at seeing them for the first time since Emily woke up.
A healthy pink blush tinges her cheeks as she nestles closer to her mate, anchoring herself to him. I’m not sure if her blush is related to how possessive Jackson is behaving or because of what they might have been up to before getting here. Judging by her scent, it’s the latter. Either way, it’s freaking adorable.
“Emily has information that might relate to the missing omegas. Can you video call Caleb? I don’t want her to have to repeat herself unnecessarily,” Jackson finally says.
Ryan inhales sharply, and then he moves. He opens his laptop and begins getting the call ready. The soft whirr of the laptop fan and the faint click of keys slice through the silence in the room. Luca crosses his arms in front of his chest and stares at me. His blue irises flicker with the silvery color of his wolf.
