Page 50 of Sincerely, Pack Pucked
She must have meant the security at the entrance to the building. There were usually several guards in the lobby at alltimes. I was so used to them that I hadn’t given them a second thought. To Mable, though, it probably looked a bit bizarre and intense.
Dammit. This was not how I wanted this to go, and I had no idea how to fix it. My instincts demanded that I soothe the frazzled omega, to do anything to get rid of that charred scent, but I didn’t know what might work.
“Sit,” Devin ordered. “I think we need to take this from the start.”
Mable nodded, sinking onto the plush green velvet couch, her gaze distant. She rested her hands on her belly, her fingers dancing through each other as she fiddled nervously.
“Yeah, that’s…that’s a good idea. I think.”
Chapter 17
Devin
“So you’re Maple…but you’ve alsometPercy and Saint?” I asked, tone short as I crossed my arms.
Damn, she was beautiful. There was no denying that. When she started to panic in the coffee shop, I couldn’t stop myself from pulling her into my arms. Howrightit felt to have her there totally freaked me the fuck out. Her delicate features and tiny stature made me feel even more protective of her, driven by that instinctual alpha demand to do whatever it took to get her to calm down.
It wasn’t like me.
I was the leader of my pack. I needed to think logically, not be led around by the short and curlies. On the walk to our place, I thought maybe she’d known all along who we were, banking on her gorgeous face and curves to seal the deal and land her a buttload of cash. But seeing the way she reacted to the penthouse, with almost revulsion, quickly dissuaded me of that notion.
I was still on edge, however. I wasn’t the type to go apeshit over an omega, never looking for that kind of thing, and it pissed me off that my body was radiating with the need to have her close.
“Mable was the omega I met at the grocery store,” Percy said, returning from the kitchen and handing the omega a bottle of water, which she took with a shy smile.
“I got that, but how do you know Saint?” I looked at my pack mate, who was smiling, the urge to smack it right off his face rising.
“We met probably a few hours before she met Percy… at least, that’s what I think happened?” He directed the second half of the question at Mable, who nodded, a delicate pink blooming in her cheeks.
I had to bite back the groan, my cock rising to attention when Idecidedlydid not want it to. When I cocked a brow at her, silently telling her to provide details, the blush deepened.
“I’m one of the unlucky few who are allergic to heat suppressants, so I have to ride them out solo.”
“You could always ask for some help. I’m sure there are plenty of people, like myself, who would be happy to help you through a heat!” Jasper interjected, his energy high and focused on the omega who was blushing up a storm on my fucking couch.
Mable rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “That’s not exactly my style.” There was a twinge of unease in her scent that peaked as the rest of the char backed down. She wasn’t as nervous now, but she was…self-conscious? “Anyway, my last heat came on so suddenly, and it was a few weeks early. I was walking home from work, and it just hit me. I needed to cool down and fast, so I went to the ice rink, thinking I could take a cold shower if no one was there. I wasn’t exactly thinking straight, given the surprise of my heat.”
“And that’s where she andImet,” Saint explained. “I did give her my number, but there was something about losing it?”
He eyed her, no sign of actual upset. Saint was teasing, and it only served to make that color in Mable’s cheeks reach down herthroat now. I was mesmerized by it for a moment, but dammit, there werefarmore important things to think about right now.
“You wrote your phone number on my hand. I was at the start of my heat, so when I got back to my dorm, I took a shower to wash the scent of slick off me. I needed to get supplies, like food and bottles of water, so I could get through my heat alone. I wasn’t eventhinkingstraight, and before I realized it, I’d washed it off.” Her voice was rambling, clearly anxious, and that tinge of discomfort in her scent swirled.
Calm her down. Get her level.
Refocusing, I considered what she’d said.Her words sounded sincere. If she hadn’t had the best intentions, she probably would have protected that number written on her palm, fiercely. I knew of a few women who would do despicable things to get hold of Saint’s phone number.
“So, how did you end up finding Percy?” Saint asked. “You went back out?”
Mable swallowed. “After we, umm, finished up and I was back home, I felt surprisingly clearheaded. Since I was having a lucid moment, I decided to make a quick trip to get groceries. I’ve forgotten to get food before and not eaten a single bite during my heat. I felt liketrashafterward.”
I frowned. Why wasn’t there anyone she could call for help to get supplies? The idea that she went out while in heat, thinking she was safe… The pain that tickled through my jaw alerted me to the fact that I’d clenched it. I had to force myself to relax, noticing the fists I’d made and mentally cursing. Why was this omega getting me so worked up? I didn’t even know her, not really.
My eyes dropped to her stomach again as I let out a breath. Mable was pregnant, and odds were, it had happened because of one of my two pack mates.
“And the baby?” I asked pointedly, staring Mable down. “Whose is it? We’re not going to judge you if you had relationships with other alphas, but I think we’re entitled to know.”
“No, I… Those two were it for me… So, yeah, one of you is the biological father…” She trailed off, biting her lip so hard that I could see the skin turn white where the pressure was applied. I was surprised she didn’t break the skin.
