Page 29 of This Pack of Ours

I stood, scowling, and he blinked at me. Then he stepped closer, placing his hands on my shoulder and resting his forehead on mine, eyes closed. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t feel me in the bond; anytime he saw I was stressed he did this. I closed my eyes, too, and focused on his breathing. If anyone else tried this, I’d punch them, but Jhin was a force of nature, and this is what he’d always given me when I was mad.

He’d done this as long as I could remember, and for a long time, it’d worked. It’d remind me that he cared, that he was here for me, and even his scent was a familiar balm. But it had long since grown bitter, this moment of closeness taunting me with what I’d never truly have. His care was what he felt he owed me as pack lead, nothing more. He was merely doing his duty, and his touch and scent left me guilty and frustrated. As usual, I pulled away in the bond, and as had been happening lately, I could feel how fragile it was.

I stormed into the van and threw myself into the seat, refusing to look at any of them. I knew if I turned back to Jhin right now, I’d see the hurt in his eyes.

There was a silence before Jhin slid the door closed and signalled for Adrian to keep driving.

“Are those cat… assholes?” Ez asked, peering at me with a delighted grin on his face.

“What happened?” Jhin finally asked, reaching over and strapping in my seatbelt.

“Oh you know,” I said. “Just fancied a shopping trip.”

Jhin pursed his lips, his disapproval still somehow worming under my skin.Should be fucking immune by now.

“Vander," he said.

“What the fuck do you think happened?” I spat. “Did you know sheleft before her heat finished?Must have drowned herself in scent blockers, but they’d worn off by the time that pack found her in the park.”

I raked my hand through my wet hair, focusing on Adrian’s whitening fingers around the steering wheel.

“She actually took down one of them. I got the rest. But then—I got close. And of course the fucking pheromones were too high by then, so…”

No one was saying anything, and they better not have been judging me; this wasnot my faultfor once. A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

“You’re welcome. Regular neighborhood hero here.”

“You fucked her?” Jhin’s voice was hoarse, and the curse word that escaped his pristine lips made it sound so much worse. I rounded on him, temper flaring, trying to burn away the searing guilt.

“Don’t you fucking judge me—you’re the one who sent me after her. Alone. Think any of you could take down three alphas on your own? And how convenient. It’s fuckingVanderwho fucked her after we found our scent match. Doesn’t matter anyway, does it? Just add it to the list, right, cuz he’s a lost cause anyway.”

Jhin put his hand on my shoulder.

“Vander," he said, his voice serious. I met his eyes, and for a second I was looking at my best friend again, the guy who always had my back, the one I knew would fix this.

But then he sighed, and I saw the tautness in his lips, the bags under his eyes, the exhausted expression that was permanently on his face these days.

“You’re not a… lost cause," he said. “We’re working on it.”

Right. Like that wasn’t a waste of time.

“You patch them up?” I asked, though I already knew the answer. He gave a tight nod.

“How bad was it?”

“Nasty.” Ez said. “Like, she’d bitten a chunk out of one of their faces.”

Good.

“They’ll live," said Jhin grimly, “Ambulance came and took over.”

Fuckers. They didn’t deserve it.

Adrian glanced back in the rearview, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. “So how did you get the clothes?" he asked, attempting a casual glance at the pink hoodie.

“Told you. Shopping trip,” I said.

“Is it hers?” Ez asked, and grabbed the hood, giving it a greedy inhale. He frowned.

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