Page 36 of Pack Larsen

I already know those troubles, and I can’t say they’re any lesser or more than ours. After all, she still suffered years of neglect, even if it differed to the neglect the twins suffered. Years of being a pawn, a puppet to be controlled, is still suffering. Living a life that’s not yours is still a mark on the soul. She didn’t ask for that spoon, nor did she get to choose the type of spoon it was. She was as much a victim to her parents as the twins were to theirs. So, reaching out a hand for hers, I damn near combust when she allows the touch and hears me when I say, “Don’t diminish what you went through based on other people's life experiences. We’ve all been dealt shitty hands. My pack just seems to handle ours with less grace and dignity than you do.”

Silver huffs a laugh, mindlessly rubbing her thumb over the back of my hand, and says, “A trait I got from Meemaw, I guess. Gods know the only thing I’ve inherited from my parents is my genetic makeup.”

And I’m glad for it, because her parents sound horrible, and I would hate to discover something as stunning as Silver turned out to be the same.

Smiling back at her, I finish my sad, little tale and say, “We’ve all got baggage, some more than others, but if you’d be willing, we’d really love the chance to prove to you that we’re not the assholes you think we are.”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” she confides in a hushed tone, trepidation filtering through those gray eyes.

I get it. I would, too. But I’m a determined fucker when there’s something I want that’s worth chasing. “One more chance, Tink. A do over so we can start this thing right, that’s all.”

She goes quiet for a long moment, eyeing me, then peering outside, before looking at me again. It’s almost like a thought reel that crosses her face as she thinks about it, before she finally says, “Munro isn’t getting a do over. I told him to enjoy being a punk toward kittens and children with ice creams just before I came here after he tried to sucker me into a conversation I wasn’t willing to have.”

Surprised, I blurt, “Munro spoke to you?”

“Well, he tried, but I shut him down,” she murmurs, her cheeks growing a little red. “I’m regretting shouting down the hallway that he kicks kittens and steals children’s ice cream after pushing them over, now, though. It seems like it was in poor taste, given what I know now.”

I can’t help it. The laugh bursts out of me in an explosion of hilarity, the sound much too loud in the otherwise quiet library. She’s worried about what she said after all the shit Munro has given her over the past few months. This fucking girl.

“Ssh, you’re going to get us in trouble,” she admonishes, snickering along with me, even as she tries to hide it with her hand.

It takes me a moment for me to recover, and I’m still chuckling as I teasingly demand, “You give that guy all the shit he slung at you. You have my full support. Just think about the rest of us, okay? We really would like to start over, get to know you, and you us.”

Smile still in place with her free hand only partially covering it, Silver’s eyes roam all over my face before she finally nods. “Fine. I’ll think about it.”

Excitement and sheer relief bursts through me like little lit sticks of dynamite, but I tame it enough to grin at her and whisper, “Let me know what you decide. For now, I’ll let you finish your lunch and I’ll see you at home.”

She softens entirely at that, her face growing warm and wistful, but she nods. “See you later.”

With that, I pack my things and head out of the library before I decide to stay and bask in Silver’s presence and scent. As I’m slinging my backpack over my shoulder, I pull out my cell and group call Aero, Haze, and Rage on Haze’s cell. He answers quickly, and asks, “Yo, where have you been?”

“You won’t believe me if I told you,” I answer, lips twitching with another Silver-induced smile. “But we all need to talk about Silver. I think I just got us a shot to get out of the dog house and start over. She said she’d think about it, but I have no idea how long that will take. So, I need to know if you guys are on board with courting her, and whether or not you’re all ready to do some crazy grafting to get that omega to consider us as a pack.”

Silence answers me for all of five seconds before Aero rushes, “You were with her? You dirty bastard. You could have called. We’ve been looking out for her in the cafeteria for ages.”

“Good thing I didn’t, because we have a chance now,” I counter, shutting him up quickly. “Munro is a whole other ball game, but he went to talk to her, too. She shut him down, but if our boy is willing to make amends by going to talk to her, I have high hopes that we could be what Silver needs. We just need her to give us that chance and earn that forgiveness, and I have the best idea on how we’re going to do that. You guys in?”

“Absolutely. Don’t even have to ask,” Aero answers enthusiastically.

“I just got out of the dog house, only for that knucklehead to throw me back in it with him. If she’s offering do overs, then I want one. I’m in,” Rage agrees.

And when Haze gives me his answer, I’m grinning wildly and anticipating Silver’s choice. “Let’s win our girl over.”

Ourgirl. Fuck yeah, I like that. I like that a whole lot.

Chapter 14

Silver

A week goes by while I consider forgiving at least four out of five of pack Larsen, Munro still sitting pretty high on my shit list. In fact, that thundering ass sniffer is the only fucker on the list, holding the gold medal and wearing a sash with the words ‘worlds number one dumbass’ scrawled on them in italic script.

I spend that week still avoiding them, simply because my mind doesn't work right when they’re near. Their scents screw with me, impacting any and all rational thought, and I’ll be damned if I don’t give some serious thought to the idea of starting over with pack Larsen. Minus Munro. Fuck that annoying, sexy, infuriating, addictive, stupid asshole.

By the time Sunday afternoon rolls around, I’ve visited with Alek, called Meemaw, and FaceTimed with Juno, Evron, and Geo. I’ve completed a personal song I’ve been working on, and I’m done with several assignments, one of which includes composing a piece of lyric-less music that could be used in a range of movie genres. I have nothing left to do to keep me occupied and out of the way of pack Larsen while I still mull over Pace’s plea to give them a do over.

As soon as I send the file over to my professor, I groan and lean back in my chair, the back bending so far that I end up peering up at the ceiling in contemplation.

I could forgive them. I mean, it is really only Munro I’m upset with. Rage already apologized, and now that I understand their backgrounds a little more, I can understand the snarky retorts and knock downs any time money was mentioned. From his point of view, I can see why he’d grow angry or resentful at the little rich girl flaunting her cash when he grew up with next to nothing. Aero was already in my good graces, and I’m starting to feel bad for icing him out, along with Haze.

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