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The no touching Ava rule went out the window, as I realized these really were her people, and mine now too.
“You got me my giant hug,” Maia whispered, and laughter broke out around us.
eighteen
Holyshit.Weknewwe were facing formidable foes and needed allies, but this group was something else. I looked at my twin, and he subtly nodded. He felt it too. The power in this room. In these people. Not just their physical strength, but the energy their connection forged. We’d always been a perfect unit, Ryder, Ava and me. I’d worried briefly when I’d seen her with Wolf, Cary, and Nick, that we’d lost her. We hadn’t. We’d just grown.
I was on board with that. Perhaps having had a twin bond our entire life had prepared both of us for a pack bond. We didn’t question it. I also didn’t need time to get to know who these people were. They were out here living their truths for everyone to see. I’d heard rumors of Damon, and Sam to a lesser degree, but nothing could compare to meeting them in person. Both were highly dominant alphas, in the same way as Wolf. Something beyond ordinary alphas. Even me, I could admit.
Despite accidentally setting off Wolf earlier, I could sense that these alphas were not driven by power. Or dangerous, unless you messed with their pack. Many less potent alphas seemed to flash their dominance around at will, beating people with it at any opportunity. These two highly dominant alphas toned theirs down as much as they could. They even appeared to share their energy between their pack. The power that rolled off them tasted more of protection and care than tyranny. They were a rarity in this world.
Footsteps approached, then stalled in the entryway. Neither Ryder nor I turned our heads. We’d already catalogued those light but surefooted steps. But most of the others turned theirs.
“Hey, uh…nevermind,” came Emma’s voice from the entryway, and her footsteps rapidly retreated. I got it. The primal power cycling through this room right now was potent. Yet, to me, it felt harmonized. As if these dangerous men and the people that loved them were balancing each other out.
We pulled away slowly, as if by some secret signal, to let the girls in the middle breathe. Ava had an angelic smile on her face, contentment shining through as she looked up at Wolf. I wanted to see more of that smile instead of the worried frown she’d worn far too often since we found her.
Wolf looked a little shell-shocked, but so much calmer and clearer. As if the group hug had been cathartic for him. I’d felt him relax instantly when we’d all touched him earlier. When Ava had stepped out of his arms and he’d tensed, we’d reached for him instinctively. It seemed he needed us just as much as Ava did. We had to step up. For them both.
The curtains parted abruptly behind us, and a quick movement had the guys tensing. But I’d spied the tiny foot poking out from underneath the curtains when we’d walked into the room. Ryder flashed me a grin as a tiny, cherubic face with a shock of blonde curls darted out and climbed Cary like a tree. She then launched herself onto the couch and wriggled herself into Wolf’s lap alongside Ava.
Ava shook her head and tried to hide her grin. “Was Emma looking for you?”
“Yep,” the cheeky imp stated, a proud grin on her face. “Hi, I’m Angel,” she announced to the room. I tried to hide my own smile. Angel was precocious and completely adorable.
I’d already put her on the list of things I wanted to find out more about. It was usually hard to tell if a kid was going to present as an alpha, beta, or omega, yet Angel had a clear otherness about her. My alpha had recognized her as an omega instantly.How the hell had they found her so young, and why was she so different?
Wolf was sitting perfectly still and watched her with wide eyes. He looked spooked to suddenly have a child in his lap. “I’d heard people talking about an omega named Angel, but I hadn’t realized you were so little,” he said.
“I never realized you were so big,” Angel shrugged, as she looked up at him.
“You knew about Wolf?” I asked her, intrigued.
“I heard them talking, and I thought they were hiding a real wolf here. I tried to find him to pet him. But I figured out he was just an alpha. So I lost interest.” Wolf grinned at being called just an alpha. He looked highly amused by the little omega as his shock wore off.
“What else did you hear?” I asked her. Ava shot me a warning look. I knew better than to interrogate a child, so I raised my eyebrow at her in return. I was only curious about the girl.
“A lot. Adults are dumb sometimes. They think because I’m small, I can’t hear them when they’re talking right next to me. Or I won’t understand. But it’s not that hard.” She was a sassy little thing.
“Did they sometimes not know you were there, too?” I asked dryly, trying for a stern glare. She just gave me another cheeky grin. She knew I had her number. But she also had mine. My protective instincts had flared the moment Ryder picked her up the other night, and she’d immediately snuggled into him.
She yawned, a big fake yawn and snuggled down into Wolf as she closed her eyes. “I’m sleepy. Can I nap here?”
I wondered how many times she’d used that trick on her handler. She peeked at me out of one eye and shut it again quickly when she saw I was still watching.
Wolf started purring, and both her eyes flew back open. “Oh, I like that.”
“Yeah, it’s nice, makes you feel like a marshmallow,” Ava admitted, as she stroked Angel’s hair. She didn’t seem to mind Wolf purring for someone else. Seeing Ava with a child in her lap, while curled up in Wolf’s arms, made something shift inside me. I wasn’t sure why Wolf had purred for Angel. Maybe he sensed an anxiety in her we couldn’t. It wouldn’t surprise me. The world was in turmoil, and Angel was perceptive. She may act mature for her age, but she was still a kid.
I glanced at Ryder, feeling him so much clearer after airing our shit this morning. As if our blocked emotions had been blocking our bond, too. He felt pained. I remembered him talking last night about his vision of the future, the night Ava presented. The one he felt he’d lost. There was an ache in his eyes now that was hard to watch as he stared at the two of them snuggled up together. I’d had a different reaction that night. There’d been so many people around, my protective instincts had rushed me, and I’d focused solely on getting her somewhere less exposed, safer.
I could see it now, though. The dream Ryder had clung to so tightly, yet also mourned. I wanted it too, with a sudden yearning that took me by surprise.
Angel’s eyes drooped and as much as she tried to fight it, she was out in seconds. I focused in on her and heard her heartbeat slow down and her breathing even out.
Emma stuck her head around the corner again. “Do you want me to take her?”
Ava wrapped an arm more securely around the little girl and shook her head. “No, she’ll only come back. We’ll take her for a while.”
