Page 11 of Pack Favero

Fishing for the envelopes that hold varying amounts of cash, all that I could spare since Mom moved to the care facility, I pull it out with a whispered shout of victory. Deciding now is my chance to leave the money and get the hell out of here before I feel any more conflicting emotions and strange feelings that I don’t particularly want to examine, I haul my duffle over my shoulder, along with my purse, and clasp the envelopes tightly in my hand. I fish out a few bills from one envelope, making a mental note of how much it is so I can pay that back, too, I carefully exit the bedroom.

I try my best to keep my feet light, hoping I can sneak out without anyone noticing, barely making a peep as I walk down the small length of the hallway and to the top of the stairs. There, I pause and listen for any sign of life. When none comes, the house apparently silent as the dead now, I tiptoe down the stairs, peering around for Barnes, Lazarus, or Alek.

As soon as I reach the bottom step, I hear their voices, though it sounds like they’re coming from far away. They’re certainly not in the living room anymore, because I would havebeen caught instantly, the stairs leading directly into the cozy space.

My gaze darts around rapidly until I find a partially opened door that leads to a porch, and if I strain enough, I can hear the three voices that mingle so well together that I almost pause my steps as I continue to tiptoe toward the kitchen counter that still houses cooled cinnamon buns.

“...got our work cut out for us, because she’s not like anyone I’ve ever met before,” I overhear Alek declare, and I feel my lips twitch, because they’ve clearly moved to the outdoors in hopes of being unheard.

“Why do you think I waited so long to introduce you to her? She’s special, and I fucked it up before it even began,” Barnes grumbles, right before he sighs deeply.

I pause then, for several reasons. Two of which being, fucked what up before what began? And what does he mean, he waited to introduce me?

“I hardly think all is fucked, mate. Don’t be dramatic. She’s overwhelmed, hurt, and none too pleased with us, but maybe if we apologize she might find it in her to forgive. We can move from there, should that be the case,” Lazarus calmly interjects, his smooth, buttery voice like music to my ears.

Shaking my head, refusing to look into their words because there’s every chance they’re not talking about what it seems like they’re talking about, or they could be talking about some poor other sap they’ve slighted, I sneak into the kitchen, leave the envelopes in plain sight, and skedaddle my ass right on out of their house.

As quiet as a church mouse, I shut the door after myself before hustling down the porch steps that lead to a fancy gravel driveway that twists and winds amongst the tall trees. As I’m hurrying down the driveway, I fish my cell phone from my purse and book a ride home, sharing my location with the driverbecause I don’t know where the hell I am, and continue on my way until I reach a fancy gate that sits partially open, thank the stars above.

The moment I’m free, I take a deep breath and run a hand through my hair, searching the road from left to right before meandering down the road slightly in order to hide in case my escape doesn’t go missed.

Thankfully, my ride arrives in less than ten minutes, and I slouch in the backseat as soon as I’m tucked away inside the back of the woman’s car, my thoughts a scrambled mess and my heart beating erratically in my chest for more reasons than one.

Chapter 4

Zira

“But that doesn’t mean you should have called them, Mom,” I gripe, my cell tucked between my face and shoulder as I walk from my apartment to the florist down the road, opting not to drive since I’m feeling much better after arriving back at the apartment undetected.

It took twenty minutes after I got home for the calls to start again, and I’ve since muted my cell to avoid the temptation of answering Barnes, Lazarus, and now Alek. I can only assume he nabbed my number from one of the two other alphas, and now I’m the one paying for it.

“Of course, I did, Zee. Who the hell else was going to check on you? I can’t very well hobble myself to the apartment now, can I?” Mom argues, though I hear the smile in her voice. The damned woman is enjoying this far too much. “It’s not my fault you were in nothing but a towel when they came to your rescue.”

“I didn’t need rescuing,” I protest for the third time, checking through my purse to make sure I have all I need for a visit with the woman that is currently the biggest pain in my ass. “You know how I get after a heat. I was just, I don’t know, recovering on a cool surface.”

“Zee, baby, you were lying on your bathroom floor barely clinging to consciousness,” Mom refutes, and I find a new bone to pick with those alphas, because clearly they tattled to my mother about the condition in which they found me.

Rolling my eyes, I mutter, “I would have been fine, Mom. Completely fine. I just needed to rest for a little bit before moving around again.”

“Well, I simply sped up the process,” she defends, and I’ll be damned if I don’t hear her smile growing through the damned phone.

Sighing deeply as I hook my purse over my shoulder, happy with its contents, I remind my mother, “How many times do I have to insist that you stop meddling in my love life, Mom?”

“What? Whatever do you mean?” she cries dramatically through the speaker of my phone, and I pinch the bridge of my nose while I pray for the same level of patience Lazarus seems to possess.

“Mom,” I blurt with all the blandness of a dry biscuit. “I wasn’t born yesterday. Don’t you dare, for one second, believe I don’t know what games you’re playing.”

“Games are for children, honey.” She titters.

“Then quit playing them, woman,” I retort, smiling politely at an elderly woman as she rolls by with her Pomeranian pooch in a stroller made for babies. As soon as she passes, I go right back to berating my mother. “Since the moment you woke up in that hospital bed, it’s like you’ve been on some kind of matchmaking vendetta. You took one look at Barnes’s icy-blue eyes and inky-black hair, the chiseled jaw covered in a five o’clock shadow, and a straight nose and… You know what, you saw the handsome man and decided there and then that you were going to do what you could to pair us together.”

I can feel her amusement through the phone, and I clench my jaw when she doesn’t reply straight away.

“Mom, tell me the truth. Are you really at the care facility because you genuinely think you’re better off there than with me? I can look after you, you know,” I plead, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear it anyway.

“Zee, as much as I’d love for there to be devious intentions behind my stay as Casa Del Therapy, this really is the best place for me. I know you can take care of me, because you’vebeen doing it since you turned sixteen years old. But you need to start living, and you can’t do that with me chained to your ankle. Me being here is good for a few reasons. I’m getting the care I need without interrupting anyone’s lives, the food is amazing here, and you have a chance to spread your wings a little further than you would have been able to if you were stuck being my caretaker.”

“But—” I try, only to be interrupted.

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