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Chapter Twenty five
Calai
“Did Great Mother really just get arrested, or did I imagine that?”
If this was all in my head, I will need to find some professional help.
Kit grabs me and crushes me to him, squeezing behind Colter’s protective stance. James and August are still in front of me as well, but once the police began filing out, they relaxed a bit. Colter was my last hold out for actual body shielding.
“Fuck. Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm kind of angry I didn't get to kill either of them.”
I sink into Kit’s hold, letting his warmth and familiar smell begin to ease my nervous system. Everything that just transpired was terrifying, but for some reason, I'm more upset that my night was ruined than the fact that my fake deity tried to kidnap me again.
“You don't have to cry, pet. We’re going to take care of you. We’ll do whatever it takes to help you move past this, okay?”
I cling to him as I cry harder, the adrenaline beginning to fade from my system and leaving me feeling weak.
I hear music start playing from someone's phone, and then James starts cracking up about the same time that Kit is asking someone what the hell they're doing in a surprised tone of voice. Everyone is shuffling around, changing positions, including me. But it’s almost as if I’m underwater because everything feels distant and muted. All my senses are sort of in a flat line right now.
“Seems to me we have an omega that needs cheering up. Feel free to join me at any time.”
I know I should be translating for August, but I can't seem to really make my hands work. I can barely follow the conversations around me after that whirlwind that just happened. I'm sitting on the concrete now, still against the wall I was when the policeman was asking me questions. I don’t even remember when I sat down, I just know that I am now.
“OK omega, eyes up here.”
Colter’s alpha bark snaps me out of whatever trance I’m in, making me do exactly as he says. But then I freeze for a whole other reason.
James drops down behind me, pulling me into his lap. We’re both dressed way too nicely to be sitting on a dirty cement ground, in an alley, but no one really seems to care about that right now. James stretches his bad leg out, but the cast on it makes me frown.
“Do you guys realize your lives have been nothing but trouble since you brought me into them? All this stuff that’s been happening, James getting hurt, this issue at your place of business, it’s all been because of me. When does it stop being worth it? Surely at some point, we will reach a point where you realize that having me in your life just makes things too complicated.”
In the next heartbeat, there are three snarling alphas, and a very angry beta staring me down.
“I’ve had less time with you, but I’m sure they will agree with me, when I say that that point doesn’t exist. None of this is because of you. Everything that has happened, has happened because of decisions other people made. You never chose to be kidnapped. You never chose to tear your family apart. That was all that woman they got carted to the hospital a little bit ago. It wasn’t your fault that James got injured, he chose that instead of fighting back, because he didn’t want to upset you. He didn’t want Parker getting hurt, and he didn’t want to escalate the situation. So, he chose to take the hits. Do you see where I’m going with this?”
I try to smile for August, but I think it falls really flat.
“Thingswillcalm down. Right now, we are all trying to adjust to this new life that we’re building. Any pack starting out will run into their fair share of problems.” Kit comes and squats next to me, staring me down with those blue eyes that make it impossible to look away from him. It's pretty dark out by now with only some flood lights on the back of the building. The shadows they're throwing onto his face makes Kit’s whole profile seem sharper. But I still know it. I reach a hand up to trace his cheek, to feel his lips with my thumb. Right now, he sort of looks like an avenging angel. His eyes are still holding onto some of the manic fury from the altercation, and it’s clear to me that he’s still fighting his instincts to make sure I’m safe. That this pack is safe. Maybe he has more words he wanted to tell me, but all I really want right now is to kiss him.
I pull his face closer to mine, lining our mouths up. He’s quick to cage me in, pushing me farther into James’ chest. It’s a kiss I want to get lost in, but he’s insistent on clearing the air. “You are worth everything to us, Calai. We chose to go get you, to bring you into our world. We take full responsibility for everything that has happened, for everything you’ve had to deal with. Even if your life at the compound wasn’t necessarily a happy or a very good one, it had to have been more peaceful than this. For that, we are sorry. Not sorry that we took you, but sorry that you lost that peace. We are going to fight as long as it takes to bring that back to you tenfold. All we want is for you to be happy.”
I nod, accepting all their reassurances. I let go of the idea inside my head that tells me I’m not worthy, that this is too messy. I’ve accepted them as my mates, which means I must accept them at their word. It feels as though everything sort of shifts with that realization. I accept that they mean what they say, when they tell me that they don’t blame me for any of this. I choose to believe them when they tell me that nothing could prevent them from pursuing me more. This is as real for them as it is for me. This is a commitment.
“Now, do you want to stay out here, or do you want to come back into the restaurant? I want to take you home so you can decompress, but I need to know what you want. We could just as easily go and get a hotel room and get you safe and comfortable immediately. We could go inside and have the dinner that we wanted. We could drive home right now, get dinner on the way. Whatever you want to do.”
Maybe it was seeing Great Mother being taken away, seeing her interact with this real world that she swore never existed. It was a finality I needed, to close the chapter of my life that took place at the compound. I feel like maybe I’m ready to be a little bit bold, to actually live this life I’ve been given, because I know I only get the one.
“I really appreciate that you guys were willing to take me out tonight. I think I enjoyed getting dressed up and going somewhere new. I’m not going to say sorry that the night got ruined, because I understand that it wasn’t my fault. I think that Great Mother has taken far too many happy memories away from me, and this will not be one of them.
“I don’t think I feel stable enough to go sit back inside and enjoy dinner, but I would love it if we could take some food home with us. I feel like I just need some quiet family time. I want to put on soft, comfortable clothing, and surround myself with you guys. I want to be held and comforted. I want to eat dinner somewhere familiar and safe.”
James puts his hands on my hips, rubbing soothing circles. The side of my face is pressed against his neck, my forehead touching his jaw. It’s not a lot of skin contact, but that little bit is so nice. “That sounds perfect, love. Honestly, it would make me more comfortable to have you home as well. With all the bullshit that just went down, we haven’t even talked about the fact that your heat tried to start tonight. It might have been a fluke, or it might have just paused because someone tried to fucking take you from us again. Either way, I think all of us would be more comfortable if you were home. If it does decide to come back, you’re going to want your nest.”
I feel my breathing hitch, just thinking about that. For those brief moments before everything started, the way that Colter was tending to me was absolutely everything. I felt completely out of control, but he seemed to know exactly what I needed. I also feel like I kind of need a shower. My panties are beyond used, because they’re not the sort of material that was meant to absorb this much fluid. The reading I’ve done on heats said to expect a lot of slick, but I vastly underestimated what that meant. There’s got to be other stains on my dress right now as well, in addition to the ones I no doubt made sitting on this filthy ground.
“If that’s what you want, I’m going to go inside and have the kitchen make us some new dinner. Then, I’m going to bring the car around, so that you don’t have to go anywhere. James can rest until I get here, because at this rate that leg will never heal. Let him and August feel that you’re safe, while stripper boy entertains you.”
Kit kisses me again as he walks away, leaving me with a hint of what’s to come once we get home.
