Page 64 of Pack Down Bad

I have some packing to do.

ChapterThirty-Two

Percy

“How long do we have to wait until I just go get her?” Rhys slams down everything he touches in the kitchen. “If I knock on her door, she’ll be too polite not to invite me in, and if she invites me in, I can seduce her. Once I give her another orgasm, she’ll be putty in my arms, and I can bring her home.”

He goes still in the middle of the kitchen, his eyes getting a glazed, faraway look as we lose him to the daydream he’s proposing.

At this rate, we’ll never have dinner since he hasn’t even managed to light a burner to boil the water waiting on the stove. Too distracted by his desperation to have our omega back.

I don’t care. I’m not hungry anyway. Not for anything buther.

“We’re not going to keep our omega by committing light human trafficking,” Knox snaps. “So stop fantasizing and do something productive with your time.”

Rhys flinches away from the harsh tone.

Knox immediately softens and stands up from his seat at the counter. “I’m sorry, Rhys.”

“I know,” Rhys mutters, turning away to face the sink aimlessly.

Knox keeps moving until he’s close enough to gather Rhys in his arms. “We’re going to get her back, okay? But we can’t rush her or we risk losing her completely. She asked for a little bit of time and no matter how much it fuckingburns, we need to honor her request.” More quietly so that you could miss it if you weren’t paying close attention, he adds, “For now.”

I cross my arms over my chest and try to keep my expression blank.

Inside, I feel smug knowing he’s walking a thin line between giving her what she wants while being ready to snap and go after her if she stays away for too long.

For Rhys,too longhappened the moment she stepped foot out the door. I’m willing to wait another couple of days if I have to. I’m not sure how long Knox’s willpower might hold out. As the head alpha, I think he’s trying to set a good example.

Screw his good example.

If we can push Knox closer to the edge, he might give us the green light to be a little more productive in getting our omega home.

He has to think the idea is his, though. That’s the only way he’ll loosen his morals, especially after the “I told you so” about lying that he lashed Rhys and me with all afternoon.

“I hope we did enough to prove to Belle that we care about her,” I say in my best casual tone.

Knox turns his gaze to me and frowns, the lines across his forehead deepening dramatically. “What do you mean?”

“Well, we only had a few days with her, but I know I started falling fast. I hope she knows and didn’t leave thinking we only felt lukewarm about her...”

His frown turns into a scowl.

“She knows,” he growls at me, but his tone wavers with a lack of true confidence.

I shrug. “I’m sure you’re right.”

The kitchen gets very silent for a few moments.

Rhys steps out of Knox’s embrace to turn and face us again. His eyes are worried as he looks between the two of us.

“Percy is right to worry.” He gnaws at the inside of his cheek. “What happens if she decides we weren’t committed enough to her? What if she never comes back? I won’t settle for some other omega!”

“None of us will.” Knox fists his hands at his sides.

Now that we’ve met Belle, we could never settle for some other omega as a consolation prize. The instant connection between scent matches is so strong on its own, and we genuinely felt drawn to her, too. No other omega would ever compare.

Not knowing whatouromega tastes like. The sounds she makes when she comes.

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