Page 80 of Pack Plus Three

A weary, bone-deep tiredness had settled over me. I wanted nothing more than to get home, grab some food, and pass out until the next day, when court was in session again.

My pack knew that I was busy, and they texted me periodically. Devon had sent me a message, letting me know about Daisy's recent medical discovery.

Our home was going to get a lot noisier, but for some reason, that didn't horrify me. I wasn't a monster who hated children. I actually really liked children. I just could never see myself having any after the severing sickness had taken hold.

The rain was coming down in torrents, and darkness had long since fallen. Nights like that always set me on edge. I purposely bought one of the safer car models. One that could handle heavy rain and uneven terrain.

Jeremy and Devon also drove fairly safe vehicles, but now that they were driving Daisy around, I had considered purchasing even safer ones for them. I would never have wished my ailment upon my worst enemy, so I would do absolutely anything to ensure my packmates never had to experience it.

The house was quiet, with no lights on, as I pulled into the drive. Jeremy had a game, so Daisy was either with him, or she had turned in early. Hopefully she was resting. The dark circles under her eyes were hard to miss. I was fairly certain that Devon had planned to go to the game as well, or maybe he was lurking somewhere nearby.

With a groan, I pulled myself out of my seat and started making my way, like a sleep-deprived zombie, into the house. There was a random leftover pasta dish in the fridge, so I pulled it out and grabbed a fork, opting to eat it cold while leaning over the counter. Heating it up and sitting down felt like it would require too much energy. As I ate, I pulled out my phone and started scrolling through the notes I had made for court the next day.

I was about halfway through my notes when the front door opened and closed, the sound echoing through the kitchen.

Turning to see who was entering the kitchen, I knew immediately it was Daisy; her footsteps were far lighter than those of either of my packmates. She rounded the corner with a smile on her face, wearing a large yellow raincoat that I was pretty sure belonged to Jeremy, and holding a plastic bag in hand. She was soaking wet, dripping onto the tiled floor of the kitchen.

“Hey, Nate! How's work?” she asked happily as she placed the plastic bag on the countertop and started removing the raincoat. Her face was flushed, and she looked content. She was adorable, and were it not for my rather shitty situation, I would have been trying to woo the socks off her.

“Tiring,” I said, looking back to the doorway where she had come from. “Is Jeremy or Devon with you?” I asked.

Daisy shook her head lightly. “No. Devon’s giving Jeremy a ride to his game.”

“So, where have you been? Why are you soaking wet?”

She rummaged in the plastic bag and pulled out several packages of candy with an excited smile. “I had a killer craving, so I had to go and get some sweet gummy treats!” she declared.

“Where did you get those?” I asked. Had she gone out herself to get candy? She couldn't possibly have. It was raining buckets outside.

“There's a cute little store three bus stops away from here. It's very expensive, since this is a fancy neighborhood, but it had a really good selection of gummy candy,” she said as she gathered all her sweet treats.

I stared at her in abject horror. She had taken the bus? Public transport? In the rain?

Blood pounded in my ears as my stomach churned uncomfortably. Dots appeared in my vision as my entire body shook with rage.

How could she be so careless?

“Are you fucking stupid?” I snarled.

Daisy stilled, turning to look at me with wide eyes. “Stupid?” she asked with a frown. “I just went and got some candy.”

“Why the fuck would you go out in the rain and use public transport? Why did you think you could be so fucking reckless? Do you really not give a shit about Jeremy?”

She looked at me, both confused and hurt. “I'm not sure I follow you,” she said.

“You are bonded to Jeremy, and you think it's okay to just go prancing off recklessly without giving a shit about your safety? Do you want him to suffer if you get injured? Do you really care that little about him?”

“Of course, I care about him,” she said in a small voice. “I love him.”

I snorted. “Great fucking way to show your love. Putting yourself in dangerous situations so he has to deal with the consequences.”

And the pain? If anything had happened to Daisy, Jeremy would have been in indescribable pain. Having felt it myself, I knew it would have been the worst thing he would have ever experienced, and I didn't wish that on anyone.

“I wasn't in a dangerous situation. I just went to the store to get some candy,” she said, tears filling her eyes.

“That's the problem. That's all you could think about—what you wanted. I knew it was a bad idea to bring you into our home.”

She looked at me in horror as the tears spilled over, but my anger had reached a boiling point, and now that I’d started, there was no stopping.

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