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“I . . . I can’t promise you anything. Not yet. I can’t think of anything beyond my need to find Riley.”
“We understand, little bit. She should be our priority. The rest of it can come when it does.”
“Our priority?”
“Yeah. You don’t think that we are going to leave you to figure this out on your own, do you? Let us use our connections and help you. When we find her, we can all go get your girl together,” I told her.
“You . . . You would do that?”
“Of course. There is nothing more important to us than our pack. Well . . . future pack in this case.”
Her eyes softened, and she softly whispered, “Oh. Wow.” Ryan moved to step out of the nest, drawing her attention back to him. Her gaze narrowed and she gasped. “Wait, you said you loved me!”
Ryan bit his lip. “Yeah, firefly. I do. I have for years.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because it wouldn’t have been fair to you. You are an omega and needed to find your pack. I wasn’t holding you back from that.”
“But Ry . . .”
“It all worked out though, Storm. I cannot believe we were lucky enough to be a part of the same pack. This is everything I ever wanted.”
I looked down at my shorter beta and a soft smile touched my lips. He had such a big heart. I was so proud that he had agreed to be mine and Declan’s. I turned back to look at Storm. She had an awestruck look on her face.
“I want that,” she said.
“Want what, little bit?” Declan asked.
“Someone to look at me like you do him.”
“Don’t you know? We already do, Storm.”
Chapter27
Riley
The days were bleeding together. I had no clue how much time had passed, just that we were creeping into the autumn months; I wasn’t sure what day it was. It felt like foreversince I had seen my omega. Nothing mattered anymore. Not my family. Not my friends. Not me.
I just wanted to close my eyes and wake up from this bad dream. The problem was, being awake was a nightmare. My dreams were where I was happiest. It was probably why I didn’t spend more than a few hours awake each day. I missed Storm like an extension of my body. Life didn’t seem worth living without her in it.
I pulled my thin blanket over my head, burying my nose in the one item I had to remember Storm by, a tee shirt. When the academy had “packed” for me, they had grabbed only a few things: two of my shirts, a pair of jeans, and this tee. I didn’t bring home as much as I took there, which was laughable. I had brought so little and got next to nothing in return.
Leaving that schoolescortedby the alpha was horrible. He spent the entire drive flirting with me and trying to convince me to stay with him instead of coming home. My only reprieve was that he had set me in the back seat, but he engaged the child locks and I couldn’t open the doors.
Every mile we traveled away from the school felt like a knife slicing off a piece of my heart. My soul was screaming out for Storm. I needed her like I needed air to breathe. Without her here with me, everything was gray. It was like a fog was descending over me. The closer we got to my home, the more apathetic I felt.
The alpha finally stopped trying to get my attention after the eighth hour of me steadfastly ignoring him. We were about an hour from my house when he suggested stopping at a motel for the night. I had snarled so viciously at him, he didn’t mention it again and continued driving. When we got there, he all but kicked me out of the vehicle and tore off before my parents had even come outside to see what was wrong.
To say it surprised them to see me would be an understatement. The school hadn’t even bothered to call them to let them know I was returning, let alone why. I couldn’t talk about it. I burst into tears as soon as I saw them and they bundled me up and into my room, and I hadn’t left since.
I had never hated how little my family had in the way of money until that very moment. We didn’t have a computer. Or cell phones. Nothing connected us to the digital age. I couldn’t look Storm up or try to find her to reach out. Every day that went by was like another weight landing on my shoulders, dragging me further into the depths of depression. I’d never felt heartbreak like this before.
I tried a few times to make a replica nest like the one Storm and I had back at the academy, but I failed miserably. Not only did I not have the space, but I also didn’t have nearly enough materials to suffice. I had to settle for lying on my bed and burrowing under my covers and holding her shirt to my nose. Her fragrance was fading and practically gone now, but I couldn’t let it go. It was all I had of her.
I heard my door creak open. No one knocked anymore. They just came in several times a day, trying to talk to me, to get me to eat something. In the beginning, I tried. I would nibble on the toast, sip the water. But now, it was all I could do to open my eyes. Food tasted like ash. Water didn’t quench my thirst. So, what was the point?
“Riles? Are you awake?” my brother Dell asked softly, creeping toward the edge of my bed.
