Page 54 of Pack Larsen

“What’s going on?” I ask cautiously, taking another slow step down the stairs, followed by another, until I’m finally on the same level as them, still a head shorter than each of them in spite of the heels.

It’s Munro who answers, even as Aero takes my hands and draws me near, still eyeing me like I’m his favorite dessert he wants to take a bite out of. “We made you a promise, and we intend to stick to it.”

I frown. “You’re coming to the charity benefit? With me?”

Pace nods, his smile fading, replaced by the seriousness I’m used to seeing. “We had a deal, Tink. We’d live here rent free for six months if we accompanied you to the ball. I’ve been taking extra shifts at the swimming pool and hardware store when I’m not in school, earning some more cash to buy us all outfits. The money I would have given you for our share of the bills went toward outfits and a ride to this fancy party of yours.”

I can’t be entirely sure, but I think my heart melts right there beneath my rib cage, spilling onto the floor at their feet. My pulse is fluttering rapidly like the flap of a butterfly’s wings, my eyes grow warm with the sting of tears that threaten to spill down my cheeks, and I can’t help but drop my hand to my chest while I check if my heart is actually still in my chest or if I’ve somehow managed to give pieces of it away to the men before me without even realizing it.

“You bought your own tuxedos? And got us a ride? You’re coming with me?” I whisper, voice warbling with emotion that has me on the verge of a breakdown. I’m stunned. Truly stunned. I was okay going by myself, have been preparing myself for it since I woke up alone this morning, but now… Those sneaky bastards planned to go with me all along, and here they are, dressed to the nines, and willing to suffer through a night with my mother for me.

“Don’t you dare cry, Sunshine. You’ll ruin your pretty makeup,” Rage quickly warns, making me laugh with a hiccupped sound that sounds very close to a cry.

Looking up at the ceiling, I take a deep breath, willing my tears away while I try to wrangle my emotions back under lock and key. They all give me a moment, patiently waiting for me to get my shit together, their scents wrapping around me while I try to breathe through the onslaught of gooey feelings that fill me from head to toe.

By the time I’m sure I won’t start sobbing with gratitude, I shake my head and peer over each of them once more, stopping at Munro. He offers me a shy smile that seems a little awkward but hella adorable.

“You’re coming, too?” I confirm, still finding it hard to believe that he wants me, that he’s wanted me for a while now, but simply disguised his feelings as an act of self-preservation.

He shrugs, biting the inside of his cheek before he confesses, “Figured the more of us there, the better. We all agreed your mother would shit a brick if I showed up with you, so if you’re still willing to tolerate me for the evening, I’d really love to go piss off this woman for the night with you.”

I’m already nodding, my relief and appreciation currently stronger than the anger I’m harboring toward the beta. The fact that he’s put on a fancy suit, groomed himself to play the part of doting pack mate to get under my mother’s skin, it’s enough that I can put my feelings aside and accept the help he’s willing to give.

When his shy smile turns a little wicked, I shiver and hold my breath before he says, “Glad you’re accepting, because if you recall, a part of the deal was you accepting a dance with me. We wouldn’t want you going back on your word, right?”

I’m shaking my head, almost as if I’m in a daze, and I vaguely hear the others laughing at my shocked state. It’s enough to break me out of it, enough to take a deep breath and steady myself and say, “Alright then. Let's go party with rich people, eat some fancy food, and watch my mother’s head explode when she catches sight of the mafia don of the pack.”

The guys all laugh, warming me from the inside out, and I’m accepting Aero’s arm and allowing him to guide me outside as though I’m floating on air. I float right into a black, glossy limousine, barely able to comprehend how I got here, seated between Munro and Aero. All the while, I can’t help but notice how my feelings are expanding for pack Larsen. And it doesn’t escape my notice how Munro has managed to wriggle his way back under my defenses with a single act of kindness that warms me more to him than any of his words could have.

Chapter 21

Munro

She’s breathtaking.

It physically aches to look at her, the way her lithe legs are wrapped in pink straps, how her slender body looks in a dress that couldn’t have been better suited for the pastel princess.

Silver, seated between me and Aero, sits in silence as we drive away from the house and I’m all too aware of her presence beside me. Ever since the moment I made her cry, I’ve been aware of her, more than I ever have been before. Because it was at that moment that I realized how desperately I fucked up. When my heart ached at the sight of the tears I caused, it dawned on me how deep under my skin Silver has gotten, and forced me to acknowledge that I’ve been acting like the worst kind of shithead to the girl who has been nothing but an angel to my pack and me.

I don’t want to keep being that guy, pretending that I hate her when the reality is that I really fucking like the omega. I’ve battled the feelings, pushing them aside and hoping they go away, because I couldn’t face the idea of falling for another omega only to get my heart broken again. But those tears shattered whatever shields and defenses I put in place over the months of avoiding and ignoring her, or acting like a bastard in hopes of repelling her from me.

It only took a long conversation with my twin flame and sister in all things but blood for me to understand the severity of my actions. To understand how badly I fucked up. Lying on the roof patio of the house she shares with five cool guys, I remember clearly how Juno put me in my place. Her words still rattle in my head now, and I grasp them tightly so I never forget them.

“You’ve made this whole thing much more difficult than it needed to be, bro. You’re still letting that bitch control you, manipulate you, and get into your head. You already know Silver is nothing like Veronica. I don’t even need to meet the skank to know she doesn’t even hold a flame to our girl. Silver has been through her own shit, you know, but she’s come out on the other side. She’s pure, bright, and the happiest fucking person I know in spite of all she went through. She still finds the beauty in life, doesn’t give a shit what most people think of her, and marches to the beat of her own drum.

She’s something special, and all she really wants is to love and be loved in return. For reasons beyond my understanding, she’s decided she wants that with you bunch of misfits. Withyou. I’ve seen how she looks at you all, how she reacts when you’re all near and too busy acting like she isn’t there, when all you want is to watch her. Pace thinks he’s slick about it, but the man is suckered as much as the rest of you. All feelings are mutual between you all, you’re all just too stupid to realize it. Pull your head out of your ass, work on your hangups, and chase after that girl before your shitty attitude finally pushes her so far away that there won’t be reaching her again.”

So, that’s exactly what I did, only the sassy, little sprite of an omega wouldn’t give me the time of day. Not that I blame her. I would have thrown me to the wolves if I were her, though her drawing uncomfortable attention to me with a few barbs that had me stared at as I left the building after her skating ass made a pretty good impact that I never want to experience again.

Since then, I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out how I could fix the shit I broke, only for her to start handing out second chances to the other guys. I mean, they didn’t fuck-up nearly as bad as I did, so I suppose I don’t have a right to the jealousy I feel knowing they’ve managed to worm their way into her life, that she’s accepted them, wants them, and is sleeping with them. It’s a bitter pill to swallow when you have to deal with the consequences of your own actions, but I’ve grown a strong-willed determination to make it right. To win Silver over, to earn my second chance with her, to prove to her that I’m sorry and that I want her. Because fuck, do I want her. Ever since I gave up the ghost of trying to hate her, it’s like seeing her in a new light. I see her vibrance for life every single day, watch as she goes out of her way for others with no expectation of receiving anything in return. She’s something else entirely, an omega like I’ve never encountered, and there’s no one on this earth that I want more than her. And I’ll be damned if I don’t give it my very best effort to earn her forgiveness and, hopefully, her affection.

Silver sighs for the third time since she sat her pert, little ass in the seat beside me, and I peer over at her from the corner of my eyes. She’s chewing her thumbnail with her other arm crossed over her chest as she leans into Aero. Her scent is slightly soured with stress, and I can see the worry that tightens the skin around her eyes.

Aero flashes me a look as he presses gentle kisses over her shoulder, attempting to keep her calm. Even though I can visibly see her relaxing, it doesn’t stop the way her leg shakes rapidly with her nerves.

Without thinking, I drop my hand to her bare knee, wrapping my fingers around the softest skin I’ve ever fucking felt. Almost instantly the shaking stops, and I continue to peer outside while I feel Silver’s gaze burning a hole into my head. She sighs again, though this one doesn't sound so stressed, and I can’t help the small smile that tugs at my lips as I watch the world go by through the window.

I keep my hand there while we ride in silence, my thumb brushing over her smooth flesh, satisfaction unfurling inside my chest at the way her legs remain utterly still while my hand remains in place.

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