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We watch him leave, and when I turn back to Taylor; I see the tiredness and exhaustion, but I can’t let this go.
“I know about the arrangement.” I growl softly. “She’s leaving in three weeks? Did you ever think about discussing it with us? That’s a pack decision.”
Taylor sighs and shoves me off. “No, it’s a safety decision, which, as per our discussion and agreement, makes it a, my decision, and b, it was her choice. She chose the number of days, not me. Now, get out of my office. I have work to do.”
I glower at him for a full minute, wondering how he got this cold without us noticing.
I find Bar in his bedroom, curled up in a ball in the middle of the bed. Retreating behind the wall of the bond where we almost can’t feel him.
I sit down on the edge of the bed. Gold’s sitting on the floor against the wall, his knees drawn to his chest, his face bleak. Acton steps out of the bathroom and appears with a wet cloth that he uses to wipe down Bar’s back.
There’s an ache inside that I know is mine alone. I reach out and stroke his hair.
“She’s going to wait for us at her house. We’re going to pick her up on the way.” I say cheerfully.
Bar turns his face away. The thick, cloying, sickly scent of his shame fills the air.
I glance at Acton in confusion.
Mentally, I retrace the steps and come up with several moments that could cause this reaction.
I take a breath, relax my body, and lay across the bed on my side. I put my head on my hand, and carefully, making sure I’m close but not touching him, I force myself to get comfortable. With a warning glance at Acton, I put on my happiest smile and visualize how I felt when she attacked Taylor. I take a deep breath.
“Oh, my god, you should have seen how magnificent she was. Hot, too. She stalked through the halls like a tiger, didn’t even realise she was naked. I swear, she was like some Amazonian queen.”
“Really?” Acton asks.
I flick a look at him and find he’s actually curious. Gold’s watching, too, which means I’ve got my omegas attention. Yes!
“I gave her my t-shirt to wear, and she put it on without breaking a stride. She stormed into Taylors’ office, slamming the door open. Framed perfectly to pause, glaring at Taylor. She marches right up under his nose, her eyes glittering, her chest heaving, all that thigh bare and sexy, smelling like omega, and she looks at him and says ‘where are the people who hurt our omega?’”
Bar jerks his head up, almost strangling himself in his effort to twist in the blankets.
I look straight into Barren’s eyes. “Gold says, ‘they got away.’ She huffs up bigger, almost incandescent with rage and says ‘why aren’t they dead? Tell me, and I’ll take care of it because I protect my own.’” I’m paraphrasing and editing like a fucking pro here, but my omega is back to life, on his knees, with tremors running up and down his spine.
I almost laugh as I imagine what Taylor would say with just how quickly I undid his line in the sand.
“She claims us?” He whispers. “She was angry for me?” There’s a distinction there that I can’t quite wrap my mind around to understand right now, but I make a note to address it later.
Gold shoots me a murderous look.
Acton kisses the side of Barren’s head. “Go get dressed and get an overnight bag. I’ll take you there.”
I’m stunned at Acton’s offer.
Bar shoots off the bed and exits the room before anyone else can speak.
I meet Gold’s and Acton’s gazes one at a time.
“What the fuck are you playing at, Jet?” Gold growls, low and menacing. “Taylor says-”
I bare my teeth at him. “Fixing our pack. Get on board, Gold, or get the fuck out of my way. I don’t give a shit what Taylor says right now.”
Gold just slumps, his head hanging low. “I’m not in the way. But she has a pack.” He says sadly, then he climbs to his feet and leaves the room. The only way he’s ever going to heal is if Bar heals. I need to tackle one wounded pack member at a time.
I turn to Acton and stare at him with a raised brow. He stares at the twisted blankets, the scent of her and our omega twined together. He finally looks up at me.
“Change the terms of the agreement.” He says quietly, a deep frown marring his forehead. “It’s all wrong. Built on fear and past transgressions. On both sides.”
