“We’ll be back on the game tomorrow,” I promised, trying not to show how damn happy I was to run today.
“Sure,” he said, not looking like he believed us. The old man was our mentor, the one keeping the station running. I was his second in command, and letting him down had me feeling even worse.
Tomorrow would be better. It had to be.
Grabbing the other two, I dragged them out with me, explaining our unexpected day off. They didn’t protest, they simply followed me down the path to our packhouse.
“We’ve got an address. There’s no going back now,” Ezra said firmly. He’d been the most optimistic. There was trauma behindBea’s actions, but I had a feeling something else had happened as well. She was confident before we took that call but never showed or answered after.
A million possibilities had burrowed their way into me over the past month. It felt like I’d failed as an alpha. My omega clearly needed me and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to fix it.
Fuck. I had to get myself together.
“I’m going to shower and find something decent to wear for our omega,” I announced, rushing away from them the moment we were inside.
Even the hot shower couldn’t shake the weird, unsettled feeling. I didn’t think anything would fix it until I saw my girl in person.
Time seemed to drag on, all of us lingering around the kitchen and living room, dressed and ready, simply in stasis.
“It’s time,” Apollo said stiffly, standing up and looking at me.
“Let’s go,” I agreed, grabbing my keys. We’d be a bit early but she’d have to understand. The omega has kept us waiting and pining for her for weeks. A few minutes would be fine.
Honestly, I’d take her annoyance, too. Anything to know she was real.
Ezra let out a breath, putting on a smile. “Let’s go get our omega.”
The drive was silent and tense, Ezra checking the GPS to figure out which direction to take. We knew the town, but those lake houses could get confusing.
The house was cute. Bigger than I expected for a single omega, but well cared for.
“Text her,” I told Apollo. I heard the phone in my pocket ding but simply climbed out of the truck, leaning against the front and crossing my arms, waiting for the first glimpse.
The front door opened a minute later, Bea stepping out. She was gorgeous. Her dark hair was hanging in curls around her pretty face. Those big, brown eyes were terrified. As if she was just as afraid of us as we were of losing her.
Something shifted in me and I uncurled my arms and held them out. She made a sound, then launched herself at me.
We both let out a collective sigh as I held her tight, breathing in that warm caramel and toasted almond scent. There was a slight burnt edge, but the longer I held her, the more it ebbed away.
“I’m so fucking sorry,” she said on a sob, burying her face in my chest.
Ezra and Apollo moved in, our pack surrounding her. Something big must have happened. This reaction wasn’t just her feeling guilty for running.
“You’re scaring me, honeybee. Please tell us what’s happening,” Ezra begged.
“We’re here, no matter what,” Apollo said gently. He pressed his head to her shoulder, breathing her in and taking a shaky breath in.
“There’s so much that’s happened,” she said. Her voice was thick with tears and she didn’t look up at us, simply stayed hidden. We had to listen to hear her since my chest muffled her voice.
“Then let us in. Tell us what happened so we can help,” I said. It was a command, not a bark, and it seemed to help her pull herself together enough to speak.
She pulled out of our embrace, wiping a hand over her tear-stained cheeks.
“You’re breaking my heart, Siren.”
She let out a noise that was half sob, half laugh.
“So, the day I was supposed to meet you for lunch, my twin sister showed up at my door. She’s a terrible person,manipulative and we’ve been no-contact for years. She had my niece in tow. Then… she split. Leaving me with a fourteen year old I hadn’t seen in eleven years.”
