Page 25 of Sigma
“Maybe she texted me,” I muse. “I left my phone at home. Did you pack it in my bag?”
“No,” Ivy says, “Didn’t know you didn’t have it with you. Want me to go pick it up for you?”
“Could you? Is that a huge pain?”
“Absolutely no problem. Where is it?”
“There’s a charging pad on my kitchen counter. It’s either there or in the dock on my nightstand. Or… on my couch somewhere. Or… in the bathroom. Better bring me a cord, too.”
“Too bad Bailey’s not here. She’d sniff it out,” Ivy says, smiling.
“Sniff out a phone?” Amie checks.
“Yep,” Ivy responds.
“Bailey might not shift but she’s got a nose that’d rival most alphas,” I say, and it’s true. My nose is okay, but it’s not like I can tell who’s around until they’re close. I also don’t remember scents the way Bailey does. She’ll know when she enters a room who else has been there within the last few hours.
“She sniffed out my car keys when Ty hid them in a cereal box the night… you know… before you came here.”
“Ah,” Amie nods.
I can’t pick up traces of scents on objects the way Bailey can. She might not sniff out inanimate objects by themselves, but if someone has touched them, she often does. She probably scented Ivy on those keys.
Ivy and Amie go somber for a second, and I suspect it’s about the events of the night Tyson went all feral alpha and rutted Ivy in the town hall.
I’m about to change the subject, but Amie perks up. “We’ll find it. We’ll be back.”
“Bring news about Bailey,” I order. “Call Erica if you have to.”
“Sir, yes, sir!” Ivy salutes me comically but then says, “Good luck with all that.”
“Thanks. I think I’m gonna need it.”
Amie says, “If we get stopped from coming back, which we probably will, I’ll text you with updates whenever I hand your phone over to Mase. You’ve got this.”
“Thanks,’ I say unconvincingly.
She gives me a serious look. “It’s meant to be, so trust that it’ll work out. Somehow.”
A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth, so I let it in. Because she’s right. Thisismeant to be. And while I’ve seen some seemingly impossible stuff so far around these parts with council alpha matings, nothing so far has been impossible despite some stacked odds. Not Tyson and Ivy overcoming that feral night, not Mase getting through to what was a seemingly impenetrable fortress around Amelia. But he got in. Then Riley and Erica overcame severe adversity where it was hard to imagine them moving past what they’d been through. Erica was certain Riley would have the Young coven sever their bond so he could forget she exists. And Grey is happily starting his family with Stacy,who shot Ty and poisoned some of our alphas. I don’t know Stacy well yet, but she fits our pack like it was meant to be. Because it is.
Three of the four females claimed so far by these alphas are already pregnant and knowing Riley, Erica isn’t far behind the others. My father found love again after many years alone. So yes, when it’s meant to be in Arcana Falls it will be. This means that me and Jared will figure it out, too. Somehow.
I carry the box of food into the trailer, then come back for the full cooler. After that, I bring in the large laundry basket of my clothes and toiletries. And as I put the food away, I’m touched, because it’s obvious to me that Kathleen asked my dad for a list of my favorite foods. And her girls did a bang-up job of packing for me. Not only am I equipped with all my grooming essentials, but they also took a healthy helping of scraps of frilly fabric from my underwear and lingerie drawers, too.
10
JARED
“Get her out of here,” I plead.
“She won’t go,” Linc replies.
Tyson and Mason are with him.
“Drag her kicking and screaming if you have to. Leave me the keys. I’ll unlock myself after you’re gone and get as far away as I can get. I’ll cross an ocean and burn my passport so I can’t come back.”
“We’ve taken a six-council member vote and it’s unanimous,” Linc advises. “You’re here for a reason. We’ll help you figure things out.”
