I even pause, shirtless, and try to catch his eyes, which are glued to my breasts, a slight frown accentuating the scar above his eye. His scent shifts, his feelings breaking through the guard he put on our bond. Desire. It pulses out of him.
Just as quickly, it disappears, and he turns and gives me his back, letting out a frustrated sound.
This time, after I dress, I snatch the backpack, needing something to hold onto. Silas doesn’t protest, and we begin walking.
I hear a high-pitched whistle in the distance. Silas looks up toward the bird’s sound but keeps walking. I know it’s a signal, some type of communication between the two, but all I hear is Ghost hovering just out of reach.
“Why don’t we stay in wolf form?” I ask, since we’re just walking now. Running, shifted, seems faster.
“Waiting for a ride.”
“From who?”
Silas fidgets nervously. Oh.
Oh.
I’m so eager to see Grayson and Orion, I nearly squeal, gasping with excitement. But then I take in his expression.
I can’t imagine what this is like for him. What he’s feeling right now. He’d never admit it, and he’s not telling me anything through the bond, but he’s probably feeling pretty anxious about seeing his pack mates for the first time in five years.
My heart flutters as I try to look around, to give myself something else to focus on, to obsess over. Silas walks with determination. His muscles flex beneath his shirt, and again, I have to look away.
A few cars pass us as we walk. Almost all of them slow down. Not many people live out here, so two strangers walking down a long dirt road in the middle of nowhere in Maine stand out.
There’s nothing distinct about the next car approaching, but something inside me tells me to stop walking. To turn. Silas notices and does the same. The SUV barely brakes before the doors swing open.
I freeze in place. My vision clouds with tears. My heart beats so fast it nearly explodes in my chest. Elation. Joy. Love and happiness, the fucking angst from being away from them, it all leaks out of me, my scent, my pheromones, grasping for my mates who barrel toward me.
Grayson reaches me first, and I’m swept up in his arms. I’m sobbing, and I suck in gulps of his cinnamon fire scent. He holds me so tightly I can’t breathe, but I’d never tell him to let go. I want to drown in him.
Orion barely manages to work his fingers between Grayson and me before I’m peeled off him and then buried in Orion’s arms. Chocolate and hazelnut, warm and sweet and so fucking wonderful. He’s crying, and he holds me as if he’ll never let go.
Grayson presses against my back, both men whispering frantic sweet-nothings, promises, vows, apologies. It’s too much to absorb, and I can barely see straight through the tears.
“I never should have left,” Grayson breathes. “Please forgive me. I love you so much.”
Between peppering me with kisses, Orion murmurs, “Firefly, I missed you so much. I’m never letting you out of my sight again. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“We need to get off the road,” Silas abruptly snaps.
Finally, Grayson turns and sees his brother. Silas’s face contorts, his upper lip curling back, revealing sharp teeth as his gaze sweeps over the three of us.
And I feel a moment of guilt that he’s left out. But then I remember what he said at the cabin. He doesn’t want me. This. Us.
I squeeze Grayson’s hand. “He’s right. Deidre isn’t far behind. Apparently she’s got a bunch of my blood and is tracking us.”
“What?”he yells.
Orion places one hand on my lower back, urging me toward the waiting car. Eli is grinning in the driver’s seat. He tilts his head in greeting, but doesn’t interrupt the intense reunion. Grayson doesn’t know what to do or say about Silas.
So, he does what he usually does. Slips into alpha-mode.
“How much time do we have?”
Silas shrugs. “Enough to get back to the clan.” He points to the sky. “Ghost is cloaking us for now, but we need to get moving.”
Grayson nods. “The Ghost is the one who called Kendrick, told us where to pick you up. Good he’s following us back, I’d like to thank him before he takes off.”
