Page 13 of Pixel Perfect Pack

“I sent you a pin on maps, how far away are you?” Adair asks suddenly, clearing his throat of tears. I pull out my phone and click on the location pin, calculating the distance from where we are now to there.

“About forty minutes,” I reply. “We’re just about to pull off the motorway.”

“Good,” Adair breathes. “I’m about thirty minutes out so I’ll wait for you there and then we can head over to hers together. It’s probably best if we go in one car, I don’t know what the parking situation is but I know she lives out in the woods.”

With Adair somewhat settled, that rippling feeling of excitement begins to flood my veins again. It spreads out to the tips of my fingers and warms my chest. The thought of seeing JJ in person is enough to drive me wild. Even if she wants us to stay away during her heat, we can make sure she’s taken care of. Make sure she has food and water, that she’s clean and comfortable. I just have to hope that three alphas turning up on her doorstep isn’t her idea of a nightmare.

***

Falwood is even smaller than I’d anticipated. Driving through the village at past midnight there isn’t a single person or car on the move. So far I haven’t seen a house with its lights on and the only sound is the water running under the bridge where we’re meeting Adair. Although he said he was thirty minutes out, he hasn’t arrived at the meeting place yet. Panic sets in as Kito and I hover at the bridge end, the cool night air making my skin prickle with goosebumps. In a dark hoody and jeans, I thought I was under dressed, but Kito looks even more out of place in his cropped band tee and cargo trousers.

“How is it so fucking cold?” he moans, rubbing his hands up and down his arms.

“Maybe because you’re wearing your ten-year-old nephew’s t-shirt you fucking idiot,” I reply with a grin, resulting in him throwing a fake punch at my gut. We fight for a few seconds in the middle of the quiet village, only stopping our immature actions when we see the flash of headlights in the distance.

“Is that his car?” Kito asks, stepping back and running his hands through his hair to tidy it up. “I can’t tell.”

“We haven’t seen another person for thirty minutes, it’s gotta be him.” I step away from the side of the bridge and shield my eyes from the headlights as the car comes to a standstill in front of ours.

The window rolls down and Adair sticks his hand out to wave. “Sorry, I had a thing…”

I know that what he wants to say is that he got close to JJ’s fishing village and turned the car around, probably multiple times before deciding to meet us.

“You’re here now, that’s all that matters,” Kito says, pulling the car door open and letting Adair step out. The minute he’s out of the car Kito wraps his arms around Adair’s shoulders. They’re about the same height, hovering at a respectable six feet five inches, the average height for an alpha these days. But Adair’s body language screams anything but alpha, he’s curled in on himself, wide shoulders slumped. He’s thinner than he was the last time I saw him, his white t-shirt clinging to his lithe muscle.

“Hey man,” I say as Kito releases him, making it my turn to capture him in a bear hug. “Proud of you for coming.” My hand lingers in his soft golden hair and I press a kiss to the top of his head before letting him go.

“Well, what do you say?” Kito bellows with a grin, clapping his hands together. “Shall we deliver three emotionally unstable alphas to what’s probably about to be an absolutely raging JJ?”

My eyes lock with Adair who smiles weakly. “Let’s do it.”

Nine

Jess

The fire has just about gone out but I’m too comfortable beneath the mountain of duvets and throws to move. If I tried, I could grab a couple of the pieces of wood and toss them towards the fireplace but it’s probably not the safest idea considering I’m wrapped in combustibles.

Instead I choose to burrow further into my nest, wrapping a fluffy throw around my head and shoulders and cuddling a feather pillow to my chest. Since my phone call with Mourning the ache in my stomach has dissipated enough that I’m no longer writhing in pain but I know that it won’t be long until it comes back. I know I should utilise this time to get some food and guzzle down water but I just can’t seem to bring myself to move.

Embarrassment edges in at the corners of my mind, I should be humiliated that Mourning made me come with just his voice. My lack of sensible thought might just have ruined or at least changed our entire relationship dynamic. What if Quietek and Minxy know? What if they find out and they’re mad at me or jealous or….

What if I’ve just fucked up the one good thing I have in my life?

I’m momentarily distracted by the glimmer of headlights through my living room window, making my eyes water. They light up the room just long enough for me to see what a mess it is in here. All of the furniture is pushed back and out of the way and my nest takes up the majority of the space on the floor. Who the hell would be coming here in the middle of the night?

It isn’t long before I hear heavy footsteps and hushed voices. I spring to life, keeping myself bundled in the covers I reach for my phone and dial 999. My finger lingers over the call button, waiting to find out if whoever is out there in the dark and rain is coming here to kill me.

Which would be ridiculous considering I don’t know enough people to have enemies and I certainly don’t have a stalker. My only thought is that Jack has somehow come to his senses and left Loch Lomond to come and be with me and help me through my heat. Even if it is him, I wouldn’t want him here. I’m over this whole push-and-pull relationship we’ve had going on for so long. He was never interested in something serious with me, not unless I changed to fit his high standards.

A knock on the door leaves me pressed against the wall, wrapped in my bedsheets in the hope that whoever it is will get the message and leave me alone. That is until I hear it.

“Open up, Princess.”

It has to be a dream. My heat has me running a fever, maybe I’m hallucinating? This is all some twisted figment of my imagination that just feels so incredibly real.

I move closer to the front door, my hand lingering on the heavy key inside the lock. I’ve been meaning to update my security in the last few months with a deadbolt or something but I never got round to it. It seemed unnecessary considering I live in a village with less than two hundred people. The most excitement we get around these parts is if one of the farmers’ sheep escapes and reappears in one of the gardens.

“It’s us, JJ,” another voice says from behind the thick oak door. “We’ve come to make sure you’re alright.”

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