Page 51 of Bonding the Band

“But girls are so much better than boys,” she pouted, a smile in her eyes. “You can’t be eternally outnumbered by dicks!”

I snorted. Pack life in general usually meant there was an excess of testosterone around.

Clover pulled back, turning to Arlo with a sickening smile. “Remember our talk? It still applies.”

Arlo nodded, a shit-eating grin on his face. “I’ll keep our girl safe! I promise you.”

“Don’t you forget it!” Clover gave me an extra-tight squeeze and kissed my cheek. “Don’t let those boys push you around. And let me know when and where you want me to fly out to, so we can hang if you get lonely.”

“Come on,” Beckett said softly. “We have thirty-six hours of driving ahead of us, at least.”

Arlo went in first, settling into the driver’s seat. “Everyone, buckle up. I’ll get us as far as Missoula, and then we’ll have flat enough road that the rest of you can handle it. No stops until then, except for gas, but we’ve got road trip snacks and an onboard bathroom. Let’s rock!”

I waved goodbye to Clover as we pulled away. Arlo had insisted I sit up front with him until we were at least out of Seattle, and the others were buckled in behind us. The guys didn’t give me time to dwell on the sadness of leaving my best friend. Arlo made me give them a tour of my home city on the way out of town while there was still daylight. It was a shame it would be dark through the mountains, but it couldn’t be helped.

They played my favorite music without having to ask what it was, and when I raised my eyebrow in question, Phin told me, “Hen sent us the songs you put on during your road trip, and we downloaded all the albums.”

“That’s surprisingly sweet.”

Hendrix shrugged, his cheeks flushed. “It’s a long drive. I wanted you to enjoy yourself.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you want to organize the nest?” he asked. “I could come help?”

I chewed on my lip for a moment. “I think I want to do this alone. Is that okay?”

“Of course it is, sweets.” Phin gave me an easy smile. “We should get some rest, anyway, so we can take over for Arlo with the driving.”

I went up to the nest, relieved that it looked perfect to snuggle into and everything smelled brand new. There were no lingering scents, which meant that once I started assembling my nest, the only scents would be my own, my new pack members’, and a hint of Clover’s to remind me of home.

Left to my own devices, I quickly started rearranging all the blankets and pillows I had brought with me. The nesting space was larger than what I had back in the dormitory, so it felt a bit sparser than I was used to. My preference was to have at least ten inches of various squishy items to cushion me when I jumped into the pile.

Maybe they’d take me to buy more nesting materials…

As I arranged and rearranged the items, making a perfect little semicircle space to nestle into, I became lost in my own world where time was irrelevant. The pack scents slowly drifted up to the nest as the hours passed and I drifted in and out of sleep, curled up around my pillows.

I woke to woodsmoke and citrus, and Hendrix tapping my ankle. “Hey, dream girl.”

I raised a questioning eyebrow. “Dream girl?”

“I mean, that’s kind of what you are. Disappeared when I woke up, half remembered, no matter how much you want to recall it.”

“I’m sorry I bailed,” I muttered. “The random beta woman freaked me out.”

“I don’t blame you for running off.” Hendrix sighed. “It was fucked all around. I only have multiple people in my bed if theyall agree to be there from the start. I wouldn’t add someone after the fact, I swear.”

Climbing across the nest, I pressed my hand to his mouth. “I don’t ever want to hear about anyone else you’ve had in your bed, even in passing. So, shush. I believe you, it’s over with, and we’re both here now.”

Relief shone in his eyes, and he tugged my hand down. “We’re going to stop to pick up some real dinner. Are burgers okay for you? If that doesn’t sound good, we can get something else. There’s just not many options this late.”

Before I could answer, my stomach growled. I hadn’t eaten much all day, other than snacks. “Burgers sound perfect.”

“What’s your order?”

“Double bacon cheeseburger with extra pickles, fries, strawberry shake, and a cola, too, please.”

“Big appetite. Good, you’re growing a whole-ass human.” He smiled and added everything to the order on his phone. “Okay, submitted. We’ll have some real food for you in about ten minutes. How are you liking the nest?”

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