Page 80 of Out of My Flocking Mind

He sighed, a half-smile on his lips. He saw right through the attempt, didn’t he? Instead of calling me on it, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against his chest. I breathed in the scent, one I used to hate. Was it because of our bond? Had that changed it? I didn’t know, but it didn’t matter right then, either. All I knew for sure was I needed to feel like things were steady.

The way Harrison had looked at me still haunted me, that look of betrayal, Ryder’s words. I’d done it to save him, but I might have lost him at the same time.

“It’ll be okay,” Kelvin said.

“How do you know that?” I asked. “How can you be so sure?”

He pulled back enough to look down at me. “Because I know you. You are an annoying little pest who never gives up—but that’s one of your strong suits. I know none of this went the way you wanted it to, but you’ll get through it. You’ll figure out a way to make it okay, because if anyone could, it would be you.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my forehead, the touch achingly sweet. It made me realize just how tired I really was.

And instead of fighting it, I wrapped my arms around him and held on tight.

I’d have plenty of other things to deal with later. My life was still a fucking mess, after all. I was still a seat on the Council, I had a job to worry about, a werewolf who insisted I become his mate, a vampire who had made me his thrall and one pissed-off Mind who might just hate me now.

I’d won, right? I mean, we’d dealt with the Cloud dealer, we’d found my stalker and we’d come out on top. Trey was healing—so far as I knew. He had to live with Galen for safety, and he certainly wasn’t entirely sane, but who amongst us was? Harrison and I had gotten closer, learned to rely on each other, had some mind-blowing sex, but now?

It felt like Harrison was light years away. He’d woken up—Ignis had called me to let me know—but he’d yet to reach out to me. And I, being a coward, hadn’t tried either.

I was supposed to be happy, wasn’t I? We’d succeeded even when it didn’t seem possible.

However, as I wrapped my arms around Kelvin, as I let him support me because I just couldn’t bear the weight of even my own body, I knew the truth.

Everyone was a little bit out of their flocking minds at the end of the day.

Epilogue

I looked around the empty council room, my stomach somewhere in my throat. Even if I knew that wasn’t physically possibly, it sure as fuck felt that way.

“We could have pushed this back another week.” Ruben came to stand beside me, the bastard somehow looking entirely at ease here. Then again, this was home field advantage for him, wasn’t it?

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I crossed my arms, more than willing to pretend that nothing was bothering me.

Of course, Ruben knew. The bastard seemed to know everything, so the events that happened that night, everything with Harrison and Ryder, Ruben somehow knew it all. He wasn’t the type to come right out and talk to me about it, to ask me how I was feeling—neither of us were that type—so instead we pussy-footed around the truth.

Which was that even after almost a week, I’d yet to hear from Harrison. I’d been ghosted enough times in my life to see it coming.

So when I heard that the monthly council meeting had been called—and I was expected to attend—I said yes. Could I have had Ruben move it? Probably, but why?

I had a feeling that anything that bothered me now would bother me in another week as well. None of that would resolve, so why put it off?

“Is everyone coming?” I asked to change the topic.

Ruben sighed but nodded. “As far as I am aware, yes. This will be your first official meeting, but I don’t expect anything will be too bothersome for you. You will most likely be able to simply sit there and remain silent.”

“If you think I can do that, you clearly don’t know me that well.” I smirked as I sat in the chair in front of the blue crystal, the place set out for me.

Ruben opened his mouth to say something back, but the opening of the door shut him up before he could.

Galen walked in, his expression softening when he spotted me. I smiled back at him while he went to his seat. Next came Kelvin, who had the nerve to come over and steal a kiss before taking his seat, the show off.

But fuck if it didn’t feel nice… We were just about at the point where I’d need him to bite me again, and I hadn’t started to think about how to handle that. I had a feeling Harrison wasn’t interested in helping out there again.

Next came Porter, making me realize it had been a while since I’d seen him. Then again, he behaved like a skittish deer, someone that lived his own life and cared little for being a part of others’. Even still, he nodded my way despite ignoring everyone else.

Which left just one person…

My stomach tightened when the door opened one last time, and I sat up, unsure what to say but certain I needed to say something. Except it wasn’t Harrison who walked in. Instead, it was Beth, dressed up and looking every bit the part of Council Head.

A line appeared between Ruben’s brows, telling me he hadn’t known about this, either. “I was under the impression Harrison would be here.”

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