Page 110 of This Pack of Ours

“God, keep it in your fucking pants, Jake,” Valerie snapped. “We’re at amall.”

“She doesn’t mind, right, darling?" he asked, tilting my head up. His face was wrong, and it took me a second to figure out why; it was because it wasn’t any ofthem.

“We’re moving,” she said, standing up, and the pack stood with her. Jake set me on the ground and squeezed my ass as he guided me along.

We went into a clothing store, where everything seemed to cost more than my laptop. Valerie held different outfits up to me, chattering about skin tones and soul colors, before dragging me into the changing room.

I blinked up at her as she pushed me back against the wall, eyes gleaming, and tugged down the zipper on my hoodie. I’d covered Kit’s bite mark with makeup before I’d come, not wanting to have to explain it. Then her hands were pulling off Kit’s oversizedCrimson Furytee, baring my pale skin and my tiny, lacy bra. She bit her lip as she looked down at me, then trailed her hand down my stomach, leaving goosebumps in its wake as she tugged off my pants.

She rose again, her body caging mine, her scent so close, so overpowering. My own body was responding, my cheeks flushing and chest heaving as her hand rested on my hip. My perfume was settling heavily in the air, and I looked up at her with hazy eyes.

Take me away. Make me forget.

“Fuck, Val,” a voice came from outside and there was a thump on the door.

Her eyes flicked toward it, a sly smile on her face as she leaned down and kissed me.

VANDER

I wasn’t sure how I was still functioning. She was out there. Somewhere. With another pack. With an alpha Kit said wasterrible.

I mashed the buttons on the keypad, growling in frustration as the call didn’t go through again. It was evening, and we were at this fancy apartment building trying the doorbell of the Carlisle’s suite.

Nothing.

“They know. They’re not letting us in,” I snarled, wanting to tear the stupid dial pad off the wall.

“They’re probably just out, dude," said Ez. He was just scrolling on his fucking phone. I turned to Jhin.

“What do we do?” I asked him. Kit was on his other side, clutching Adrian’s hand.

“Maybe we should just leave it,” he said in a miserable voice. “She could have told us, but she didn’t. She probably doesn’t want us to find her.”

“Bullshit,” I growled. “She needs us to rescue her.”

“From her scent match?” Jhin asked.

“I don’t know. I met them a long time ago,” Kit said, frowning. “Maybe they’re different now.”

“You think she’s gonna be happy with these preppy bitches?” I practically shouted, waving the stupid files in his face.

He flinched, and guilt immediately made me feel like shit.

“Sorry,” I muttered, my hand coming up to stroke his cheek as I met his eyes. “Just. I’m worried. This isn’t—her. Disappearing without telling us? Tellingyou?”

“Got her,” said Ez, holding up his phone. “Westside mall.”

I stared at the post he was showing us. What did he mean? There were two women in the photo. One was Valerie Carlisle. The other, sitting on her lap was—Shit. ThatwasJuniper.

She looked dead. Soulless. Her golden eyes staring blankly at the camera as Valerie displayed her like a fucking trophy.

‘My gold pack scent match <3’the caption read.

No.

Juniper wasmyomega.

Pure alpha rage surged through me, looking for an outlet. It was Ez’s phone or the dial pad and, luckily for Ez, I chose the dial pad. It cracked, then fizzed sadly as my fist slammed into it.

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