Page 81 of Pack End Game

"No!" Freddie's eyes widen. "Of course not. Simon believes in upholding the mascot code of conduct."

Zak whispers to me, "Is that a real thing?"

"I don't think so." I shake my head at Freddie's nonsense.

If it is a real thing, it’s probably because Freddie wrote it himself. And even then, I doubt he’d deem anyone else worthy of reading or upholding the code.

Mia continues, "So, tell me the truth. Did you guys bribe someone at city hall?"

"Well..." Freddie pauses for a dramatic length of time. "Technically, we made a large donation to a charity of the mayor's choice in exchange for him calling some guy back into work to stamp our paperwork. The guy was apparently already in bed and everything." He looks at Zak, then me. "That is a bribe still, right?"

Zak drops his chin and shakes his head at the ground.

I close my eyes.

There are moments in life where being the head of the pack feels so noble and meaningful. A protective role. Sacred, even.

And then there are moments like this. When being the head of the pack is reduced to trying–and failing–to stop Freddie from cheerfully confessing to something I like to think of as a convenient gray area, rather than a full-blown crime.

I mean, c'mon, I offered the notary tickets for his whole family to our next home game as an apology for being woken up.

Opening my eyes again, I look at Freddie and slowly say, "Remember how we all agreed we didn't need to tell anyone about any of that?"

"Oh." He frowns, looking perplexed. "Right." He glances over at Mia, who thankfully doesn't seem too bothered about this development. "I forgot because this is the square of trust."

"The what?" Zak asks.

Freddie gestures vaguely around all of us. "This." Another gesture. "A square. Of trust. I thought all secrets could be shared in a square of trust."

"Square?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Freddie nods with wide-eyed patience as if we're the ones obtuse here. "There are four of us. Did you want to be a rumba?"

"Do you mean a rhombus?" I tilt my head at him. Fortunately, Freddie is creative, because geometry certainly isn't his strong suit.

Annoyed, Freddie rolls his eyes. "No. I meant a square."

Luckily, Mia chooses that moment to dissolve into a fit of giggles, because I don't think I have the patience left in me today to explain to Freddie that it's usually called a circle of trust, no matter how many people are involved.

The second the laughs, I stop caring about anything else.

Not the city council meeting. Not the mayor. Not the paperwork.

My omega is happy.

"This is the best surprise ever," Mia gushes, clasping her hands to her chest as she breathes in another smell of our new home.

I smirk. "Oh, this isn't the surprise. Only part of it, anyway."

"What?" She tilts her head with a puzzled smile. "What else is there?"

"Come with me and find out." I wink at her and offer her my hand. She takes my hand easily, her eyes brightening as I begin to lead her further into the building.

I'm so glad we didn't fire Trevor after he spoke with Zak and me at the stadium, because he managed to make magic happen for us today. He got the contractors working double time to make the necessary arrangements so we can bring Mia here tonight. There wasn't time to do even close to all of the work we'll ultimately need to make our new home fully functional–that will take months.

But we did what was most important.

I lead Mia until we turn and stop in front of the door to what used to be the medication storage. There's now only a single lock, one which operates with a keypad, so no one has to worry about hanging on to keys if things get a little... chaotic.