Page 114 of Slick Handling

“Does Clover know about your father and Terry?” I didn’t expect her to ask that question. I didn’t expect her to talk to me about this right now so I just freeze up, “They were at the game last night. There are pictures of Griffin trying to fight them with your Omega half hidden in a tunnel. So I just want to know if you’ve done damage control.”

The silence in the room is so deafening.

My father and Terry were at the game last night? Griffin tried to fight him? Clover saw all of this?

My heart is hammering in my chest. I’m going to puke. I can feel it burning in my throat as I try several times to gasp for air.

What the fuck?

Griffin is in front of me. He’s talking, his mouth moving as he breathes in and out. Reminding me of how it’s done because he can see the panic attack that is rising.

Fuck.

How close did they get to our Omega? What if they told her how unworthy of her we were? What if Terry told her how things went with us? Would Clover leave? Would I ruin this relationship like I had my last one? Would she see how terrible I was at being an Alpha and leave me?

I hear Martha talking, my ears ringing as I stumble past her.

It’s all too much.

A small hand touches my arm and I look at Clover. Standing at the top of the stairs. When had I walked up the stairs? Her blue eyes are wide as she holds onto my forearm, staring at me as I shake. I’m crying. When did I start crying?

“Oh V,” She hugs me, holding me against her as she nuzzles into me. She’s trying to scent mark me and flood my senses with her smell. It’s similar to what we do when we try to calm her down.

It works.

Bringing me back to the present. My ears stop ringing and my heart rate slows down. I’m still so confused about what happened at the game.

Did all the tension and fighting set off her pre-heat? Is it my fault that she is going through this?

“I heard a little bit when I was coming downstairs. I’m so sorry that I didn’t tell you that they were sitting behind me. Last night was just a lot. I wanted to talk to you about it this morning. Can we talk about it now?” She’s so open and it’s what I need.

I need to stop ignoring the fact it hurts and just open up about it all.

Nodding my head, I’m thankful that she walks us towards my room. Stopping outside the door to check with me if it’s okay before we head inside.

Clover climbs up on my bed, folding her legs under her, and grabbing one of my pillows to hold. I follow, dropping down heavily beside her and rubbing at my eyes. They burn from crying.

“You know I like you, right? That what happened before doesn’t change how I feel about you? Just because someone didn’t see your worth doesn’t mean I won’t see it. Because I do, see it I mean. I see that you’re pure gold Vaughn Mathers.”

I’m crying again.

Why does she have to be so sweet?

“Can you tell me what happened?”

She nods her head and tells me about the game last night. She explains how they sat behind her and how Griffin came to take care of them. They got kicked out and everything happened with her heat to distract what had happened.

“Bad people are always going to do bad things.” I mutter, trying to spin this so I’m not thinking about my dad. I know I’m going to have to call him.

Sure, I never want to talk to him ever again. I don’t want to meet the child he’s having with my ex. I don’t want to be apart of whatever fucked up sort of family he is trying to create.

I do, however, want him to stay the fuck away from my pack. My pack includes my Omega.

“I know. I’ve met a lot of bad people.” She frowns and I lean forward, kissing her lips. “I like being around you all. I just want to support you as best as I can. How can I take care of you like you take care of me?” I love how she asks and doesn’t assume.

Clover cares about each of us individually. Learning about us each as individual people and not just as a pack together. It’s something that I appreciate about her.

The care she puts into us.

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