Page 104 of Bound By Pain
Footsteps pound after me, and I know this is how things were always meant to be. Playful, sexy, and full of love. I may not have gotten my endless buffet of musician knots, but I think these men fit me better. Fate chose them for me after all.
Creed is the first to catch up to us, his hulking frame pressing against my side where Ridley tossed me onto the bed. I catch his face in my hands and kiss him. Nose to nose, I stare into his olive green eyes. “Are you okay? With what happened with Marcus?”
Emotions flicker across his expression too quickly to decipher. “Part of me thinks it’s bullshit that this is how the hunt ends. This mission was personal for me in more ways than just Marcus trying to ruin my father’s name. But catching criminals is what the agency does. I can’t be upset with the men I helped train when they did what I taught them to do.”
Leather and sandalwood mix with Creed’s petrichor scent as Lex joins us, wrapping himself around my back. “As long as Marcus is no longer a threat to you, brat, that’s all we care about.”
Turning my head, I glance between the two of them. I can feel in our bond that they really are fine, so I let it go. Allowing myself to drown in their bodies and the pleasure they give me.
I don’t know what tomorrow will bring for my pack. As long as we have each other, that’s what matters most.
CHAPTER 42
“I hopeyou’re watching over me. Laughing at the chaos Fate brought into my life.”
The cold December wind whips through my hair, biting at my neck. I lift the collar of my coat higher to ward off the worst of it. Serenity’s grave stands before me. Covered in a light dusting of snow, with the tiniest sprouts of flower stems peeking through. Soon they will bloom, adding color to this dreary place.
“Bea is… amazing. Bright. Colorful. Sassy. You would love her. I hope youdolove her. Because I do. After I lost you, I wasn’t sure I would ever feel this way again. Didn’t want to. Fate had plans for me, though. Wonderful plans.”
Laying my hand on the top of Ren’s stone, I stare up at the cloudy sky. Bea will never replace the mate I lost. Never fix the hole where Ren’s bond should sit. But like my Omega, I haveroom in my heart for more love. I feel just as deeply about Bea as I did about Ren.
“Be at peace, Ren, and know I am, too.”
Leaving the cemetery with a promise to return after winter thaws, I head back into Starburgh. It’s early evening. The perfect time to pick my mate up from work and take her out to dinner and a movie. The local theater is playing a special run of her favorite teen drama movies to celebrate the anniversary of their release.
Soulbound’s building is busy as everyone leaves for the day. I move off to the side of the main lobby and am surprised when I see Bea’s close friend Foster waiting nearby. He looks nervous holding a small bouquet of red roses, shifting from foot to foot. His eyes are glued to the elevators.
They ding, drawing my attention. Bea steps out, stealing my breath and dulling the world around me. She’s beautiful. Dressed in a pair of tight pink skinny jeans with a cut-up Candy Courage shirt beneath a pastel rainbow cardigan.
A smile lights her face when she sees me, her steps quickening. One of our music producers, Manny, keeps pace with her. Teasing her, if the blush crawling up her neck is any indication. I meet them halfway.
“Hello, butterfly.”
“Alpha.” Bea’s voice purrs out my designation, making my cock twitch with the first inklings of desire. The things she does to me without even touching me.
“Manny, it’s good to see you.” I offer him a smile, which he returns.
A voice clears beside us. Foster’s face is red as a tomato as he steps up beside me. I glance at Bea, eyes wide as we watch him press the flowers into Manny’s shocked hands.
“No fucking way,” my mate whispers, clinging to my arm and bouncing on her heels. “This is epic!”
Chuckling, we say our goodbyes, leaving the flustered men behind to speak. I suppose we may see more of Manny in the future, if he and Foster are going to be a thing.
“Up for a date?”
Bea spins, pressing her lips to mine for an all too brief kiss. “With you? Always. So long as it involves food!”
Her laughter is like music tinkling through the air as she dances to my waiting car. Love fills our bond, warming me from the inside out. “I love you,” I tell her, pressing another kiss to her lips as I buckle her in.
“I love you, too, Alpha. Now feed me!”
Lex snorts, arms crossed over his chest as he leans against the back of the couch and watches the news broadcast Shiloh is playing on his laptop. Word finally broke about the breeding ring takedown, including the sentencing of the senators involved in funding it.
“Fucking assholes.”
“Their money won’t get them out of this trouble,” Creed assures us. If the government weren’t being so open about the evidence they uncovered, things might be different, but no one wants to risk jumping onto a sinking ship.
“Governor Williams, you have very close personal ties to Senator Brown and her family; are you saying you knew nothing about her involvement in the breeding ring?”
