Page 78 of Pack Baines

“But you love me,” I echo, grinning like a smart ass and making Evron laugh loudly.

The two share a look, and Geo nods slightly before finding his own seat. It’s Ev that tests his acting skills, puffing out a breath and wrinkling his nose. “We do, Blue. We love you and it’s an absolute disaster.”

Luckily, the jackass kisses me with a cheeky grin, winking when he pulls back. I’m laughing as I dig into my pancakes, spending the rest of the morning floating in a bliss-filled cloud and surrounded by my pack before heading to school.

***

I’ve never prayed for noise-cancelling headphones before, but the scream that Silver releases as soon as she catches sight of Creek’s bond mark is enough to momentarily deafen me. Pretty sure she deafens the Larsen twins as they loiter nearby, talking to their professor while keeping me in line of sight, still guarding me like protective sentinels.

“Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod,” she chants, shaking her hands out while bouncing in place, her pastel hair jumping with her. Her pale-gray eyes are glittering with what looks like unshed tears, and she offers me a watery smile before she wails, “I’m so happy for you! Oh my god, Kitten! You’re basically married now.”

I snort, uncovering my ears now that the screaming and squealing portion of the day is done. “I’m bonded, not married, you goose. They’re different things.”

“Same coin, just different sides,” she argues, right before the bubblegum nightmare yanks me into a bone-crushing hug that forces my breath from my lungs. She squeezes tight for a long moment, long enough that I’ve surely turned blue, before releasing me. Her hands grip my arms as she looks me dead in the eye and demands, “I need all of the details. I have to live vicariously through you, because I’m so packless that it would be laughable if I hadn’t broken my vibrator this morning.”

“That’s not information I needed, but I appreciate the honesty,” I mutter, wrinkling my nose right as Munro rounds the corner and spots me being manhandled by his favorite ever person. He’s about to turn and walk away, sending a sneer in Silver’s direction, but not before I shout, “Ro, don’t you dare leaveme alone!”

I catch a fierce glare, but I don’t care. It was enough to have Silver releasing me to face my matching thundercloud, rolling her eyes when she finds him already staring at her with no short amount of contempt. I don’t even know what his deal is with this girl, but I know I find great amusement in watching him try and fail to avoid her.

With no other option, Munro drags his feet over to where Silver and I are seated on a bench just outside the entrance to North Five. He claims a seat beside me, avoiding Silver altogether, and jerks his head in greeting for me before informing, “I covered for you yesterday. You’re welcome.”

“Thank you,” I snicker, bumping my shoulder against his.

Crossing her arms over her dainty body, Silver chimes in, “So, who pissed in your Cheerios on this fine morning?”

“No one,” Munro snaps, before facing me and ignoring Silver completely. “Why are you smiling like that again?”

“She got laid and claimed, you unobservant thundercunt. Look closer,” Silver snaps, and it’s so uncharacteristic of her to launch such a venomous cuss out that my eyes widen and I catch a face full of pretty pastel hair as she bends and reaches for her backpack. To me, her face softens and she whispers, “I really am happy for you, Kitten. You deserve that kind of happiness. Call me later so I can get all the details. Love you.”

“Uh, love you?” I answer, my words sounding more of a question, but she accepts them all the same before leaving me with the grumpy bastard beside me.

I open my mouth, but Munro stops me before I can breathe a word. “Don’t even think about it. I don’t want to talk about her.”

“What the hell is your problem with her, man? Fucking hell, it’s like her mere presence pisses you off,” I blurt, ignoring his warning.

“Please, don’t start today,” he begs, and that’s when I see how tired he looks. Dark circles stain the skin beneath his dull eyes,exhaustion weighing on his shoulders enough that he sighs and slumps in his seat as he rubs at his face.

Holding my hands out, deciding to pick my battles where he’s concerned, I concede, “Alright. You win this round, but you have to tell me one day what bones you have to pick with a girl who’s the epitome of eternal sunshine and roses and all things fucking happy.”

Munro caves and nods, and I make a note to wrangle it out of him eventually. Instead of continuing with that topic, however, I decide to pick up where Silver left off. “So, I’m a part of a pack now.”

His lips twitch and his hand drops, tired eyes taking in the bond mark with a sad fondness. “Looks good on you, kid. Happiness looks weirdly good on you.”

“Thanks,” I snort, crossing my arms over my chest as I lean back in my seat, enjoying the sunshine despite the chill in the air. “Happiness feels good, I won’t lie. Spent eight years fending for myself, missing the pack I thought walked away from me. It’s trippy being here now, with them and bonded with one already.”

The moment the words are out of my mouth, I hear a large bang that has me flinching hard and Munro diving over me as though he’s protecting me from a fucking shooter. Hell, for all I know, he very well could be.

Panic swarms my system as I clutch to his arm, my gaze rapidly scanning my surroundings, only to find a car fishtailing out of the parking lot only a few short feet away. As I peer into the car, I find the same man as before watching me with a disgusted sneer, what little I can see niggling at my mind with familiarity. It’s gone just as fast as gravel spits at Munro and me, but before it disappears into a plume of smoke, I take note of what little of the license plate I can see, repeating it in my mind over and over again until Munro lifts his body from mine and I can retrieve my phone to write it down.

“What the fuck is wrong with people?” My platonic soulmate seethes, scowling in the direction the car drove before turning it on me. “You good?”

“I’m good,” I answer, voice slightly strained but strong enough that his worry ebbs slightly. “I think that was the same guy I saw when I ran into Pace.”

“You sure?” Munro asks seriously, and I nod, showing him my cell. “I got some of the license plate.”

An expression I want to claim says he’s impressed crosses his face, and he nods. “Smart. Good job. Send it to me and I’ll get Haze and Rage to look into it. For now, how about we get to class and we can call the cops if the twins find anything. At least then we should have something to go on.”

“It’s a plan,” I agree with a shaky breath, snatching my backpack from the floor and sticking close to Munro as we walk to the remainder of our classes, all the while texting the group chat to keep them updated. After receiving a bunch of worried text messages and promises to let them know what time I finish classes today, I tuck my cell away and continue down hallways, jumping at every sound that echoes to my ears.

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