Page 79 of Pack Baines

By the time our last class of the day rolls around, I’m nothing but a ball of frayed nerves and a paranoid mess. I’m jumping at every bang of the door, flinching when someone shouts, and cringing if someone so much as laughs too loud. I’m about ready to go home and lock myself away in my nest with my pack and stay there for a whole month.

“How about we get your mind off it?” Munro whispers as we slouch in seats at the back of class while a movie plays on the projector, something educational that will likely be a part of our curriculum I’m sure, not that I’d know. I’ve barely paid a lick of attention since our professor switched off the lights, my one hand clenched into a tight fist as I keep it tucked against my stomach while the other mindlessly brushes over my bond mark, Creek’s worry thrumming down the line that links us.

With a shrug I quietly agree, “Sure. Want to talk about Silver?”

I receive a scathing look before he turns to face the front again, and says, “No, you asswad. I was going to ask if you planned to bond with the others in your pack. Figured talking about the guys that seemed to have brought you back to life was a good way to keep your brain busy.”

I’m embarrassed to say I somewhat melt into my seat at his words, appreciating the consideration and thought, so I nod and say, “Yeah, I want bonds with them all.”

“Huh,” he answers, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face. With genuine curiosity, he wonders, “How will that work? You have a beta in your pack, right?”

I nod. “Yeah, Geo.”

“So, how will he bond with you, if you don’t mind me asking? Because last time I checked, we betas don’t possess the ability to form bonds with others,” he reminds me, a note of bitterness in his words that makes me frown a little.

His question draws me up short, because it’s not something I actually thought about. In my perfect little bubble, I just knew Geo was going to be mine, with no thought about bond marks and such. But now that Munro has posed the question along with the hints of resentment I’m picking up from him, it makes me wonder if those are the kind of questions Geo has been having. Whether those are the thoughts he had this morning when I came down freshly bonded and happy as a pig in mud.

So, with nothing but honesty, I shrug my shoulders and answer Munro, “We haven’t worked that out just yet, but I’m sure we’ll work something out. It doesn’t matter to me that he’s a beta, I just know he’s mine and he belongs with me and our pack. Everything else will work itself out. I mean, alphas can still bond betas. I’m sure if we all sat down and discussed it, one of my alphas would be willing to form a bond with Geo if he really wants one.”

Munro hums once more, nodding slowly as he hears the truth in my words, because if there was one thing I knew about my pack, it’s that each one of those guys would do just about anythingfor one another. If that meant offering a bond with one another so we were all connected, I’m sure they’d grant it in a heartbeat. Especially if it was something Geo wanted.

“Well, I hope your happily ever after works out the way you want it,” Munro quips with a small, teasing smile, and I shake my head with a twitch of my lips, amused that his idea to distract me not only worked, but seemed to cheer us both up.

The remainder of the day is spent mulling over Munro’s question, worrying about the stranger who made an appearance once more, and waiting on pins for Rage or Haze to get back to us about the partial license plate number I was able to provide. All the while, Creek’s emotions follow me throughout the day, nestled in the back of my mind like a constant companion that I welcome with open arms.

Chapter 30

Juniper

The guys are already home by the time I pull up in my truck, Pace following me home before diverting and driving away the moment I park outside the opulent home I share with my pack.

Depositing my backpack on the couch in the living room, I kick off my shoes and stack them neatly near the door before heading to Geo’s room, only one thing on my mind. As I pass, Evron calls from the kitchen, “Hey, sweetheart. Where are you running off to in a hurry? Don’t I get a welcome home kiss before you disappear?”

Laughing, I make a U-turn and bolt toward Evron, smacking a sound kiss to his lips with enough enthusiasm that he laughs against my lips before kissing me back. His scent surrounds me in no time, oak and hazelnut comforting me in an instant, and I sag against his shirtless body with a sigh.

“Long day, Blue?” he asks as soon as we part, and I nod, dropping my chin to his chest as I peer up into his pretty, emerald eyes. He smiles down at me, gaze soft with understanding, and says, “Creek told us about the creep in the car today. How are you holding up?”

“I’ll be better if Haze or Rage find something that we can give to the police. Maybe they can figure out who that creep is,” I groan, eyes fluttering closed when Ev starts playing with my hair, taking my weight like it’s nothing as he leans against the kitchen island counter.

“Makes sense, sweetheart. You’re handling it all very well, all things considered,” he assures, kissing my forehead sweetly after I smile my appreciation. “So, where were you off to in such a hurry?”

Oh, shit, yeah. That.

Clearing my throat, I push my body away from his by only a fraction, enough to get my head on straight as I tell him, “I wanted to talk to Geo. About the whole bonding thing.”

Surprise flickers in Evron’s gaze before understanding fills his mossy-colored gaze, and he bites his lip as his eyes scan over my features. “Because he’s a beta, right?”

I nod.

“Want me to come with? Geo and I have already spoken a bunch about it, so maybe we could all have a chat so we’re on the same page?” he offers, and I can only blink in surprise at my copper-haired alpha as I try to compute his words.

“You guys have discussed it already?” I blurt, eyebrows pinched in confusion. “When did that happen?”

It’s Ev’s turn to clear his throat before he answers, a sheepish smile on his handsome face. “It was after you stayed here for that first night, when Lowie and Leylan helped you through your first heat spike. We figured we all knew where we wanted things to go, how permanent, and how certain we were of forming a pack with you. So, it was just a matter of discussing the how’s and such. Geo being a beta was something that was brought up, but how about we go up and ask him about it? I’ll bring the brownies I just finished baking.”

Bemused, I smile at the man and nod, accepting his hand as soon as he’s gathered three bowls of brownies, ice cream and caramel sauce, dragging me up the stairs and leading me directly to Geo’s room where the pounding of a heavy-bass-lined song thuds from behind the door.

“Just walk on in, sweetheart,” Ev commands, releasing my hand in order to juggle the bowls of desert he almost fumbles and drops.

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