Everyone pitched in with cleanup, knocking it out in no time. Not that we’d ever let her do it alone.
“Alright, baby,” Mason yawned. “Everything’s done. Can we go home now?”
“You poor thing,” she teased. “Let’s get you home.”
She started to chat with the alphas about the game. It meant everything to have a mate who met our passion with enthusiasm.
When we pulled up to the house, the porch was stacked with boxes, each one bigger than the last.
“Did someone order something?” Kieran asked as he climbed out, the rest of us following him to the porch.
Lana went still as she picked one up to read the label. “It looks like they found me,” she muttered. “My name’s all over these and I haven’t ordered anything.”
“What the hell do they think they’re going to accomplish?” I growled. Maybe they needed a second beating to drive the point home.
She shrugged. “I haven’t checked my phone all night and I’m not even logged into my shopping apps on the new one. But, I think we’re about to find out.”
Whatever their plan was, it wasn’t going to work. She was our omega now, and that was never going to change.
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
Lana
All I could think about were the boxes that were growing into a small mountain in the entry way. More came every day, and I had yet to open a single one. I wasn’t sure why they thought they could buy my forgiveness, but it wasn’t going to happen.
My exes didn’t stop there either. My phone was full of voicemails and text messages. I hadn’t had the motivation to listen to them or clear them out. Honestly, I should’ve blocked them, but until all this gossip blew over, something told me not to.
That didn’t mean I had to entertain it.
A knock on the front door had me tensing beside Wilder and Kieran. He convinced me to come in here and read with him, but I’d stared at the same page for at least an hour. The stress was finally catching up to me.
All of those gossip sites had twisted the story, painting me in the worst light. The rumors that I was openly cheating on the biggest pack around were their favorite to focus on.
Everyone was dying for me to say something, to defend myself, but I hadn’t given a single word. At some point, I knew I’d have to.
No matter how they treated me, I wasn’t trying to ruin my exes’ careers. I didn’t need validation to know that I had made the right choice in leaving. They were an awful pack and should learn from those mistakes, but it was no one’s business but ours.
“It’s alright,” Wilder said gently. “The guys already handled it. You can breathe.”
I let out a breath and nodded, finally closing the book. It was useless at this point.
“Come on, reading is clearly not what you need tonight.”
“I don’t know what I need tonight,” I admitted. “Except for the world to leave me the hell alone.”
“That’s understandable, princess. But, no matter what, we’re here for you. The whole pack has your back. Hell, the whole team.” He stood up and held out his hand for me. I slid mine into his, letting him pull me to my feet.
“I’m so glad I have you,” I said as he folded me into a bear hug. No one else hugged like my beta.
I breathed in Wilder’s scent, soaking it in for a moment until the scent shifted. Kieran’s warm, brandy and spiced pear mixing with the ink and old books filled my senses. It was a warm and comforting mix, and I melted even more as he pressed himself into my back, surrounding me.
I didn’t speak until I was positive that I could handle it without bursting into tears.
“What was it this time?”
“Flowers. I’ve already contacted the post office and asked them to block them from sending anything else, but if they use some kind of site, we won’t be able to block it. I’m not sure what to do,” he admitted quietly. “I want to fix this for you.”
