Page 55 of Pack Larsen

“You look stunning, Sunshine,” Rage blurts suddenly, sitting opposite Silver on the other end of the limo Pace rented for the night. It cost a mint, but he was happy to spend the cash if it meant making good on our deal with Silver. Since she sent the money back to him after he tried to pay her our half of the bills we agreed upon when we moved in, he decided to use it for tonight as a surprise for the omega.

I know she wasn’t expecting us all to make good on our word. I could see the shock on her face as plainly as the others could. It was originally a part of Pace’s plan to finally get back in the good graces of the omega we’re all obsessed with, but then she forgave the others and the plan turned into what could be considered a courting gesture. We all wanted to make sure Silver had a good night celebrating and supporting her grandmother without having to worry about her bitch of a mother, and so we’re going to make that happen. Pissing her off will simply be the cherry on the sundae.

She peers over at Rage with a slow blink before a beautiful smile appears on her face, my hand flexes around her thigh as she says, “Thank you. You guys are looking pretty damn good, too.”

“We do scrub up well, huh?” Aero teases, grinning at her as she snorts, dropping a kiss to her shoulder.

I dutifully ignore the pang of envy that hits me square in the chest, focusing on the warmth of her skin beneath my palm, making sure my thumb is steady in its ministrations.

“I’d do you,” Silver quips, and silence follows for a split second before the car is filled with laughter, my own chuckle joining in with the others. The joke seems to break the tension in the car, and I feel more than see Silver’s shoulders dropping as she finally relaxes enough that she doesn’t remain tense and rigid. Her scent is still a little sour, but I can smell it gentling with sweetness as she soaks in the laughter around her.

Eventually, she asks, “So, you guys planned to come with me all along, huh?”

“Damn straight, we did, gorgeous,” Haze confirms, grinning at the omega.

“There was no way you were going without us, Sunshine,” Rage agrees, crossing his arms over his chest before loosening them again when he remembers he’s wearing a fancy suit that cost way too much money.

Each of our outfits did, but it was worth spending the money to see Silver’s face light up the way it did when she saw us standing there at the ready.

“Pretty sure I’d go postal if I wasn’t here to thwart off potential packs from your mother. You’re ours, baby. We go where you go, it’s that simple,” Aero deduces with a careless shrug, like his words haven’t changed the atmosphere in the car.

Pace is nodding, his serious expression in place once more, and he agrees, “I know this whole thing didn’t start on the best of terms.”

Silver snorts and Pace sends me a look that I roll my eyes at, squeezing Silver’s thigh as though it’s the only thing anchoring myself to my seat. She doesn’t seem to mind, save for the brief glance she makes at my hand.

“But I meant it when I said I wanted a do over. We all do, and that means showing up where our girl needs us,” Pace concludes, sitting back in his chair with a relaxed nonchalance and a serious expression that hides his emotions.

Silver doesn’t have such a superpower, ever the open book. She swallows hard and her brows pinch as she shakily asks, “So, what, we’re doing this? Actually doing it? It’s not a show we’re putting on for my parents?”

“Baby, you know I’m in so deep over here that I’ll gladly drown if it meant this was all as real as the tattoos on Munro’s body,” Aero declares, winking down at the omega, watching her blush prettily.

I scent her perfume on my next inhale, and I have to swallow back the groan that almost escapes. Absolutely not the time for that shit, or the place, so I trap it behind gritted teeth and focus on keeping my hand relaxed on top of Silver’s leg.

“You know you’re not getting rid of us,” Haze teases.

Rage nods in agreement, eyeing the omega with a heat in his eyes I’ve only ever seen directed at Silver. He doesn’t try to hide it, simply lets her see how much he wants her, how real this all is, and Silver releases a shaky breath before turning to me.

“Where do you stand on this whole thing?” she asks straight and serious, pale-gray eyes boring into me with questions that beg for answers.

Keeping my eyes locked with hers, I promise, “I’m in, so long as you want me, Silver. I told you, I’ll earn your forgiveness. I’ll earn a second chance. And if I don’t, you’ve still got me. This isn’t fake or pretend. This is pack.”

“Pack,” she breathes, and just like that, she melts into her seat and the tension simply bleeds away from her, leaving her more relaxed now than she was before we left the house. It’s beautiful, and my chest damn near puffs with pride knowing I did that. Me, the asshole, got the omega to finally take her first easy breath since she got in the car.

The remainder of the drive goes by in comfortable silence. Silver doesn’t once make a move to free her thigh from my grasp, and it never occurs for me to remove my hand from her skin. By the time the limo is pulling up outside a lavish mansion fit for a queen and her kings, I’ve already mapped every freckle I can find on the small patch of skin I’ve occupied for the entire drive.

As a pack, we all exit the limousine as soon as it comes to a stop, pausing outside the mansion built with columns, stained-glass windows, and enough ivy trellises that I can only just see the dark stone that makes up the outside of the fancy house.

“Ah, fuck,” Silver blurts suddenly, and I turn to face her, finding her looking a little green. “Would you guys think less of me if I threw up? My nerves just shot up to fever pitch and I’m pretty sure I’ll vomit all over whatever designer dress my mother is wearing tonight if I don’t do it right now.”

Then she pauses.

“Actually, that might not be a bad idea,” she groans pitifully, placing her hand on her stomach as though the touch alone will ease the queasiness her nerves are inflicting on her.

Pace and I share a look over her head before he makes a gesture as though he’s demanding I do something about it. I have no idea why the fuck he’d want me to comfort the omega right now. I’m still in the doghouse, where he and the others have already begun building a foundation for relationships.

When I tell him as much with my eyes, the bastard narrows his eyes on me, and I glare when he doesn’t budge. Flipping him off and praying I don’t make things worse for her, I step in front of Silver. Her eyes meet my chest before they slowly trail upward, her troubled eyes colliding with mine, and it’s like I’m possessed with a protectiveness for the bubblegum pixie that I don’t bother dampening.

Cupping her face gently in my hands, I sternly demand, “Get your shit together, princess.”

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