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She nods and sobs into my neck, and I couldn’t care less about her tears. Even her tears smell like little drops of her that I want to savor. That’s it, I am never washing this shirt again. Ever.
“Well, that solves that,” the dean announces, her patience finally wearing thin. “Get the hell out of my office.”
She doesn’t haveto tell me twice.
I lift Seraphina, and my girl wraps her legs around me.
Ashton holds the door open, and my entire pack steps into the hall with our mate. Is it ideal? Of course not. If she didn’t put up a fight, I doubt she’d ever truly belong to us. Seraphina’s fiery spirit and her determination to make her own choices is part of what makes her irresistible. I can’t help but admire her for it. She deserves a reward.
I don’t pause. I keep moving forward, not stopping until we’re outside and halfway down the steps, headed toward the parking lot. The beep of a car alerts me that we’re not alone. I glance at Devlin, who’s walking beside us, his head swaying from side to side as we cross the parking lot.
“Hey,” I say, slowly lowering Seraphina when we reach Dev’s car. “Do you want to play passenger, princess?”
Seraphina lets out a snotty chuckle, followed by a snort. She flips her hands in her hoodie sleeves and uses the fabric to wipe her tears, looking at the car. “Yeah, I want shotgun.”
Max grunts, opens the door to his truck, and slides in. He’s a man of few words, but his actions speak volumes. He’s fiercely protective of Seraphina, just like the rest of us.
I open the passenger door for Seraphina and lift her into the seat. Savoring her squeak of surprise, I lean over her to inhale her sweet, delicious scent. My heart races, and every fiber of my being tunes into her. I buckle her in, my fingers trembling slightly with the need to touch her, to claim her, but I resist. I don’t kiss her, even though I’m itching to taste her lips again. Patience is key.
Slamming the door, I turn to my brother and Devlin, standing outside the truck. I put on my serious face now that our girl is secure. We’re a pack, and we’ll protect her with everything we have.
“Did they figure out who did it?” I cross my arms and plant my feet, ready to guard our omega with my life if need be.
“No one knows,” Devlin answers, his eyes fixed on Seraphina behind me. “I’m heading into work. Who’s on the first shift?”
Ashton yawns, giving it away and making me smile. Are we twins? Yep, but we are also night and day, with him playing the knight. His sense of duty and responsibility toward our pack is unwavering.
“See you at nightfall?” I ask.
He waves at me, still yawning. “Yeah, I’m going home.”
“I’ll drop you off,” Devlin offers, taking one more long look at Seraphina before physically turning Ashton around and walking away. He’s the anchor, the steady force that keeps our pack together.
Perfect. I have hours alone with our girl before my brother takes over. I can’t wait to show her that she belongs with us. This is the beginning of our journey, and I’m determined to make her see that we’re the missing pieces of her puzzle.
CHAPTER 12
Seraphina
If I don’t dosomething soon, I just might lose my mind. The tension inside the truck is palpable, and I’m torn between strangling one of the men or silently begging for Max’s knot. Frankly, I’m not quite sure which one will occur first, or maybe all of them will happen simultaneously. That’s precisely why I shut my mouth for the entire ride home.
As Max pulls into the bakery parking lot, I turn to him, a mixture of surprise and curiosity in my eyes. Not once did I tell him where I lived. Sheepishly, he side-eyes me, his admission laced with a hint of embarrassment as he throws the truck into park.
Avery pushes his head between us, causing me to back away slightly, my suspicion growing. He’s been unusually excitable this entire time, and quite frankly, it’s starting to disturb me a lot. “Yeah, the dean gave it to Devlin last night after your preheat attack.”
I groan and shove the door open, eager to get away from the overwhelming testosterone building in the car. I also snatch the bag of chicken nuggets they stopped to get me on the wayhome. The truck is far too big for my short, curvy frame, but I’m determined to make it down to the ground without their help.
“Wait!” Max shouts as he exits the truck, but my feet are already on the pavement.
Avery still wears that disturbing smile as he leisurely gets out and softly shuts his door. That one is going to be a problem.
I turn to face the steps of my apartment building and look around. From here, I can see the edge of the park, the rest hidden behind a building. It’s so close that a chill works its way up my spine, knowing that it could have been me. I left this building alone this morning without keys, needing to escape Devlin’s scent, and now I’m returning with half his pack.
“You guys really don’t need to come in.” I clear my throat, not looking back as I climb the steps.
Hands grip my waist, causing me to squeal, as Max physically lifts me and hands me off to Avery. All Max does is place me between them and grunt out, “Code,” pointing at the door.
I mutter my apartment code, and the door swings open. We enter the foyer. I watch Max’s gaze sweep the hall, his eyes scanning up and down then resting on Violet’s apartment and mine. In two long strides, his hand is on my unlocked doorknob. Max freezes, his eyes glued to the doorknob as he inhales before finally twisting the doorknob.
