Page 107 of Bonding the Band

“She’s the one who hurt Meadow,” I bellowed. “Stop her!”

Ellie bolted before the staff could get their bearings, sprinting back out to the front doors and into her vehicle before anyone could chase her down.

“Hendrix, calm down,” another nurse ordered.

Another growl vibrated through me. “Calm down? You just let the woman who’s been drugging me for weeks run out of here.”

One of the program directors poked her head inside the door. “What on earth is going on?”

I took a deep breath, and then another. “They let in one of my abusers.”

The director paled. “Excuse me? Sorry, one moment, let me make sure the authorities have been called. The license plate on the vehicle that she signed in with will have been recorded.”

She dashed away to make sure that was taken care of, and the staff slowly released me, realizing I hadn’t been in the wrong. They let me go back to my room, where I instantly stripped down and showered to get every molecule of Ellie’s scent and fake omega perfume off my skin. I had just changed into fresh clothing when the director appeared to meet with me.

“I’m very sorry about the intrusion.” She frowned. “The ID she presented to us said Meadow Reed.”

“I assume it was fake,” I replied. “She dyed her hair, too, so I wouldn’t notice immediately.”

“Our staff did their due diligence with your visitor, but unfortunately she wasn’t truthful with us. The police are looking for her vehicle now, though. I truly apologize for the stress of this situation. Is there anything you need?”

“No,” I grumbled.

“Should I arrange an additional therapy session for you after seeing her?”

I sucked in a breath. My body was still thrumming with fury and lingering adrenaline. “Probably not a bad idea.”

She tapped away on her phone and nodded decisively. “There’s a slot available for you in half an hour. Why don’t you go for a walk, work off some of your nervous energy until your appointment time?”

“Sure.”

The grounds were genuinely beautiful, but I couldn’t fully appreciate them as I traversed the manicured trails through the gardens. My craving for Meadow was ten times worse now that I’d had my hopes raised and dashed about seeing her. I couldn’t fathom what Ellie had thought would be accomplished by coming here. She was lucky I hadn’t gone fucking feral on her after what she had done to Meadow and me. Thinking about everything that she and Gary had done tomewas somehow still easier to take than the thought that she had been targeting Meadow, risking our baby.

I squeezed my hands into fists, digging my nails into my palms as an anchor point. I had defended Gary to the guys for so fucking long, too blinded by his lies to see how much he had been hurting me. Were Ellie’s credentials even real? Had Gary lied about that too and brought her in just to fuck with us?

Therapy put me through the fucking wringer as I poured out all of my helplessness and anguish. It was good to talk to someone who understood the nuances and insidiousness of the kind of abuse I had been through. Even so, I felt like I could betold that Gary and Ellie were the ones in the wrong a million times, and I would still harbor the thought that it was all my fault.

“Therapy isn’t a magic fix, Hendrix.” My therapist offered a sympathetic smile. “There are a lot of things for you to unlearn and unpack, a lot of time that will have to be devoted to healing. I’m proud of you for being so open and honest.”

I didn’t cry, but the words hollowed me out. I was fucking trying, and no one in the world could say that I wasn’t. I would suffer through anything to be the person I needed to be, for Meadow, for my pack, for our child. They didn’tneedme, and in many ways would probably be better off without me, but I wanted to be there. I wanted them towant meto be there, but I had to restore their trust first.

My dreams were a mess of grief and panic, but every so often, a rush of affection would eclipse all of it. More often than not, Meadow would flare bright as the sun through the bond, more love than I deserved flowing into me.

I would get back to her. The staff was well aware of my situation with a pregnant mate at home. They wouldn’t keep me here longer than I needed to be, and plans were already being made for me to continue my therapy at home, appointments being made to check my progress.

I couldn’t wait to hold Meadow again, to breathe in her perfect floral scent and tell her how much I loved her.

Soon.

Soon, I would get back to everything that mattered.

Chapter 42

Phineas

December, Los Angeles

“Sweets, we’re home!”

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