Page 27 of Building My Pack

Now I know she's lying. I'd purposely not worn anything other than comfortable clothes this entire week. Today included. I've got on a pair of short shorts and an off-the-shoulder baggy sweater. With my hair thrown up in a messy bun, I'm sure I look like a total hot mess and I'm not even ashamed of it. Not like I've got anyone for work I need to be impressing. Speaking of which.

"Why aren't you at the office?" I ask Chloe. "I'm surprised Sean let you take the day off."

Thomas snorts at my side before burying his reaction in his cup of coffee. Chloe rolls her eyes at him but tells me, "That's because I didn't ask him. I quit. Right after taking this video and demanding him to tell me why he fired you if he knew you hadn't done anything."

She slides her phone over while she's talking and what I'm greeted with brings an evil smirk to my face. Stephanie is being led out of the building in handcuffs and put in the back of a police car while George can be seen in the background arguing with Sean.

"He fired her the same day he fired you, but wouldn't ever answer my question," she admits taking her phone back. "It wasn't until I got home and told my pack what'd gone down that Thomas spilled your secret."

"I hope you're not too angry with me," he says sheepishly.

"Of course not," I reply instantly. "Not like everyone at the office doesn't know now anyway, but Chloe, you didn't have to quit because of me. What about your job?"

She shrugs a slim shoulder. "It's totally fine. That job is a dime a dozen, babe. Plus, I've got my pack backing my decision. One of the many, many good things about a pack, you know."

My eyes narrow at her barely-concealed nudge of advice before I take a deep breath and give them the full rundown of everything that's happened since the last day I saw Chloe. There are actual cheers when I get to Santiago coming home early and the biggest awes when I tell them about Kit and his alpha band friends.

"I don't even know where to start," Thomas says, wiggling his eyebrows. "With this mysterious Kit, whom I'd love to meet, or begging for details on the infamous Santiago Cooper. Can I see your nest?"

The fast-paced switch of subjects makes me laugh harder than I have in days, and I take a second while the two of them playfully argue back and forth about what should come first, to be grateful for real friends in my life. Who would've thought this is where I'd be compared to where I was a mere couple months ago?

My snicker at them is cut off as is their conversation when the doorbell rings again.

"I'm going to have that thing disconnected," I swear.

Chloe jumps into action before I can as she takes off toward the door. In a singsong voice, announcing, "I've got it."

While we wait to see who might be at the door, Thomas turns in his seat to fully face me. "How are you after everything, really?"

I shrug. "I'm coping. Took a lot of hard blows in a small amount of time, so it's just taking some adjusting."

"Not to mention all the attention you're getting lately," he says with another eyebrow wiggle.

Dropping my head into my hands, I admit, "I don't even know what I'm going to do with all of that."

"Oh, I could tell you exactly what to do with it, but it seems Santiago is on the right path to showing you."

We're both laughing as Chloe comes around the corner murmuring to someone. "Look who I found," she announces, leading Kit into where we're sitting.

Interest sparkles in Thomas's eyes and I can't believe that, for a second, I'm actually thinking violence against the sweet man with whom I was just laughing with.

Then those eyes cut to me, and I see the jest in them. Even though it's probably more like peer pressure. Kit's in his normal work clothes of jeans and a white sleeveless shirt with his hair pulled back. After he's introduced to Thomas and the two of them spend a few seconds chatting, Kit finally turns that smile my way. "I was driving by and thought I'd stop by and check on you since it's been a couple days."

So much has been happening that my days are seemingly running together at this point. I will say that through my happy haze left over from Santiago, I was a tad bit disappointed that I hadn’t heard from Kit, but especially the other two since they'd gone through the trouble of offering to punch George for my number. Calculating a polite way to bring it up, I tell him, "I'm good. Still kind of adjusting to everything. I was kind of surprised not to hear from Mitchell and Waylen, though, considering."

He chuckles and rubs the stubble down his jawline before answering, "I think they've been forcefully sitting on their hands to keep from bugging you all the time like they do each other and even me."

Me and Chloe laugh, but Thomas's head is comically volleying back and forth between us as we speak. I'm afraid to look at him because I know what I'll see there. He claps his hands together drawing all of our attention. "You know, it's actually pretty great that you're here."

"Why's that?" Kit asks.

"Because," Thomas tells him. "We were just about to invite our girl here to the bar with our pack tonight to sing some karaoke. You should help convince her by coming with us."

One of Kit's eyebrows lifts at me in question with that smile never faltering. Real smooth for them to put me in a position where it's harder to decline. They just don't know that I would've said yes even if Kit hadn't stopped by. Pressing my lips together to keep from grinning, I lift a shoulder for my answer.

"I can swing by and pick you up if you want to ride together," he offers.

"Sure," I tell him, making Thomas clap his hands with a laugh.

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