Page 121 of Daisy
"Pack bond?" August's voice cracks. "What pack bond?"
"Gunner and I've got a pack bond. Had it shut down for years." The van swerves as Cassian takes a turn too fast. "Point is, whatever went down back there has him convinced something terrible happened. And I can't tell what's wrong."
"Is she alive?" Cassian's knuckles are white on the steering wheel. "Can you tell if she's alive?"
"His emotions are hitting me and he's falling apart. Pure terror. Self-hatred." I rub my chest as another wave of Gunner's devastation hits me. "The guilt's overwhelming. But there's... wait." I press my hand harder against my chest, trying to sort through the emotional chaos. "There's something else. Love? Pleasure? I can't tell what the hell's going on."
"Faster," Dante says grimly. "Whatever it is, we're too damn far away."
Cassian pulls up to the cabin with more speed than necessary. Tires skidding on the gravel. We pile out in a rush.
But then the scent hits us. Before we even reach the door.
Sex. Heavy and overwhelming. The thick musk of arousal and satisfaction. And underneath it all. Daisy's scent, sweet and sated.
I stop dead in my tracks, my body responding instantly, primal instincts flaring even as my brain tries to catch up.
That's not the scent of violence. That's not the scent of fear or pain or someone being hurt.
That's the scent of satisfaction and pleasure.
"What the hell?" Cassian's nostrils flare, his pupils dilating as the scent hits him too. Confusion replacing alarm, but his body going tense in a completely different way.
August goes pale. For a different reason now. Dante makes a sound like all the air just left his lungs, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.
Through the bond, I'm still feeling Gunner's overwhelming guilt and self-hatred. But suddenly the scent makes everything click into place, the love and pleasure I felt mixed in with his panic finally make sense.
"Son of a bitch," I breathe. The realization hitting me like a truck. "He didn't hurt her. He claimed her. He bonded with her."
The relief is so intense my knees almost buckle. She's not hurt. She's not bleeding or broken or traumatized. Gunner bonded with her.
But underneath the relief, anger starts building. He put us all through this panic. Made us think something terrible happened. When really he just lost control around our omega and is now drowning in guilt about it.
"If he damn well hurt her..." Cassian's voice is pure menace.
I'm already moving toward the bedroom. Not because I want to comfort anyone, but because I need to see Daisy with my own eyes. I need to know if Gunner crossed a line that can't be uncrossed.
Dante growls low under his breath, his protective instincts in overdrive. Cassian's jaw is set, murder in his eyes as he strides toward the bedroom. August looks pale and worried, but he's right there with us.
We storm through the cabin, heavy footsteps echoing as we head straight for the bedroom. The bedroom door flies open under our collective momentum.
Daisy is lying on her side with a blanket pulled up to cover her chest. But I can see the fresh claiming mark on her throat. And there—where the blanket doesn't quite cover—I can see where Gunner is still locked inside her. His knot hasn't gone down yet, keeping them connected.
Her eyes go wide when she sees us, a mix of shock and embarrassment flooding her face. She pulls the blanket higher, trying to cover more of herself.
Gunner's head snaps up, eyes wild and desperate when he sees us standing there. I can feel his panic spike through the bond—raw terror that we're going to hurt Daisy or take her away from him. My chest aches with the intensity of his fear.
August pushes between us, his eyes immediately going to Daisy's throat. Then he looks at Gunner, his hazel eyes wide with shock and something like betrayal.
"What did you do?" August's voice is quiet. Deadly.
Immediately, Gunner shifts, covering her better and pulling the blanket higher. He positions his larger frame between her and us as much as he can while still being locked inside her.
"GET OUT!" Gunner roars, the sound tearing from his throat in a primal alpha bark that reverberates through the room. His voice is pure dominance, territorial and dangerous. "Get the hell away from her!"
The alpha command hits like a physical force. August takes an involuntary step back, his beta instincts responding to the territorial display. Cassian's hand shoots out to steady him, gripping his shoulder.
"We're not going anywhere," Dante growls back, rising to meet Gunner's challenge. "Not until we know she's okay."
