Page 45 of Packed in the Fire house

“Yeah, just feeling exhausted. You kept me up all night with your snoring!” I laughed, doing my best to act casual, even though my chest was ready to explode, and I wanted to rush back to the station and demand answers from my pack mate.

“Lies!” He laughed, while everyone started ribbing him.

With the attention off me, I stared at Rune, trying to figure out exactly what was happening.

Everything was different. The entire nature of our bond had suddenly changed, and we had no idea how it happened.

We needed to talk to Walker.

Immediately.

Thankfully, we were only a few minutes away from the station, so I didn’t have to keep it together for long. Although, those four minutes dragged on forever while Rune and I stared at each other, almost having a silent conversation, trying to figure out what the fuck was happening.

Rune looked like he was going to vomit, but a smile was also tugging at the corner of his mouth.

As soon as we pulled in, we made an excuse to go talk to Walker and practically bounded up the stairs to his room where Sunny was staying.

We didn’t say a single word as we opened the door to his office without so much as bothering to knock. The sight that met us was exciting, but it also confused the shit out of us.

Walker was shirtless, his pants undone, and he was hugging a sobbing Sunny. Her head was buried in his chest as she cried loudly, and he ran his hand up and down her back, muttering soothing words.

“Why the hell is she crying?” Rune thundered, entering the room. He had gone from confused to bone-chillingly angry in a split second. If I didn't know my pack mate so well, I would have been truly terrified by the tone of his voice.

Her teary gaze met us, and she wasdevastated.With a sob, she cried, “I’m so sorry,” before yanking herself out of Walker's grip and running toward the bedroom in nothing but a T-shirt, slamming the door behind her.

We both turned expectantly to Walker, a sheepish look on his face as he tucked his junk back into his sweats, his knot clearly having just deflated. “Care to explain?”

Walker physically shook as he looked between us, his gaze clouded. There, on his shoulder, stood a bright-red and bold bite mark that I had no doubt came from the beautiful omega, who was now in tears.

“I don't know,” he said. “We were talking normally, laughing and sharing a milkshake, and suddenly…. Fuck! It was like we were both in heat. We just launched at each other, and the next thing I know, I'm knot deep in her and we've bitten each other…” He trailed off, running a hand through his hair and looking utterly lost.

“Why was she apologizing?” Rune asked. He was doing his best to keep a handle on his emotions, but seeing Sunny upset and now feeling her in our bond was probably setting all of his instincts on edge.

“She bit first… and I can’t explain it, but there was no way I could think clearly in that moment. I just reacted.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “So, the urgent need to fuck went away once you guys did the chomping?”

Walker nodded, shakily taking a seat. “It was like nothing else mattered until we bonded, and then the second it happened, the haze fell away, and I felt normal again. Fuck, it was like I was in a rut, and she was in heat, but if that were the case, it wouldn’t have just stopped…”

No shit, she was in heat. The office smelled like a lemon orchard had exploded in it. There was also slick on Walker’s desk.

“Wait,isshe in heat? I know this room stinks like heat and slick, but she was perfectly lucid when she ran out of here,” Rune said, crossing his arms. “If she was completely in heat, she wouldn't have been able to leave you.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Maybe the bonding ended it?” I said, even though I didn’t believe my own words. The whole situation sounded bizarre.

“Either way, she’s ours…” Rune said.

Walker nodded. “She’s ours. She’s upset. We need to make this right. Fuck, her pain… it hurts.” He rubbed his chestabsentmindedly, like the distance from her was physically painful.

“You need to be with her now, you’re newly bonded,” Rune said. “We can watch Luka. Where is he?”

“Taking a nap,” Walker said, not even looking at us as he did so, lost in the sensations crashing through his body.

I nodded. “We can keep him entertained for a while once he wakes up. You need to get some snuggles in with our new omega. Remember how you told us to stay away from her?” I smirked at him. “Now, I'm not complaining, but I do feel the need to remind you that you are the one who said we should take it slow…” I chuckled.

Walker shook his head. “I don't know what happened. It just… it was so fast.”

That was an understatement.

---