Page 5 of Packed in the Fire house

Blaze shoved the protesting baby into his jacket and zipped it up, giving him the protection of the fabric, before turning and hightailing it out of the building.

Turning my attention to the woman, I scooped her up, shocked at how little she weighed. She was so small. Was she an omega?

Surely not.

There was no way an omega would be living alone, with a child, in a run-down, shitty part of town. They would have a pack protecting them. She had to be a beta. Maybe she was the child’s sister?

The notion of an omega all alone in a run-down place like this seemed so improbable; I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

That didn’t matter at the moment, though. I needed to get her out of the building, safe and sound, then I could figure out who she was.

She was pretty, there was no denying that. I couldn’t smell her as I carried her out of the building. I had no idea who she was, but something just feltrightabout having her in my arms, which was insane. Though I’d carried many women in my time as a firefighter, none had felt as good as her.

Maybe the smoke was getting to me, and I was finally losing my mind.

As I approached the ambulances lined up outside, she started to shift. When I placed her on one of the gurneys, her eyes flew open, and she sat up, staring at me with wide eyes, her chest heaving.

“Luka!” she shouted, looking around frantically, her voice raw with panic and smoke inhalation.

A paramedic tried to put an oxygen mask over her mouth, but she batted them away.

Reaching out, I grabbed her upper arms, making her still. “The baby is safe,” I explained calmly. “My teammate carried him out and is giving him oxygen.” I kept my voice firm, but gentle. I knew from experience that remaining calm would help her relax.

She was wearing only a thin, strappy nightdress, so my hands were touching her bare arms… her incredibly smooth bare arms. She gazed up at me with wide eyes, her breathing starting to level out as she absorbed my words.

Now that we were out of the smoke and in the bright light of the parking lot, I could make out her features better.

She was stunning.

Long, golden waves framed her face. Even though her hair was dusty from ash, I wanted to reach out and touch it, to wrap it around my hand.

Her eyes were so impossibly blue, I could have easily drowned in them. She had soft features, a delicate nose and plump lips that looked so soft, I wanted nothing more than to taste them.

More importantly, now that we were out of the smoke, her scent hit me front and center.

Sweet lemon, almost painfully sugary. God, it was the singularly best thing I had ever smelled.

Nothing had ever made my senses sing like that. My breathing became ragged as a single, simple thought overtook my mind, and I knew nothing was ever going to be the same again.

Mine.

I had no idea who this woman was, where she had come from, but I knew deep in my bones, just like I knew my name was Rune, she was mine.

She looked up at me, those big, blue eyes so expressive and full of worry.

Then she promptly burst into tears.

Chapter 3

Sunny

Warm arms hugged me to a smoky chest.

I should have been terrified. I mean, this man washuge, almost comically so. My head would hardly reach his very wide, very firm chest, which the firefighting gear did very little to hide.

He had a thick layer of stubble and short hair in the same dark color. His eyes were a deep brown and full of concern. There was a slight crooked tilt to his nose, like he had broken it before.

He should have looked hardened, rough and ready. And he did—don’t get me wrong—but the look on his face was so caring, it made me feel immediately at ease with him.

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