Page 25 of Laurels and Liquor

I shove my phone in my inner jacket pocket and sigh. “Once you’re declared dead, legally, the bond between us will be severed. But you’ll still have to go take the injections to fully break it. And we’ll be doing the same. Seth Douglas is going to disappear. You won’t bother us, and we won’t bother you.”

“I’m not—”

“It’s part of the deal. A neutral third party will administer your dose and be present while they work to confirm efficacy. Then they’ll drive you to the airport, where a private plane will take you to your new home,” I say firmly.

“And how can I trust you to keep your end? How do I know you won’t just send the police after me once the bond’s broken?” Seth shoots back, raising an accusatory finger in my direction.

I give him a bland look, a mixture of exasperation and disappointment that makes him pull back.

“I don’t know how this could have been misunderstood, but let me be perfectly clear,” I start, uncrossing my legs and leaning forward until my elbows rest on the tabletop. “The day you entered my life was, unequivocally, the worst thing that’s ever happened to me, and I’ll remind you that my parents disowned me. I’ve spent every waking hour for the last year, seven months, sixteen days trying to forget you exist. You have violated me physically, emotionally, psychologically over and over again, and I will never forgive you for that. I may have loved you once, and I hated you for a long time, but I don’t even spend my emotional energy doing that anymore. To say I couldn’t care any less about whether you live or die would be a gross understatement. So believe me when I say that I cannot wait to be rid of you once and for all. I am counting the minutes until those vials arrive, and I will be taking them at the first possible opportunity.”

Seth’s mouth drops open in pure awe as I speak, years of venom unleashed at last upon the scum who ruined my life. I’ve dreamed of saying these things to his face, and finally being able to do it almost feels better than sex. Well, not sex with Lydia. Nothing is better than sex with the love of my life.

“What about Alex?” Seth rasps.

I snort a chuckle, and almost on cue, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and open the picture Lex just sent. My smile is genuine for the first time since I sat down as I look at the image of pure joy on my screen. Lex and Lydia are kissing, holding the signed and sealed pack designation form to the camera.

“She’s moved on, Omega. It’s time you do the same,” I say, turning my phone to show him.

Seth stares for a long time, and I’m not sure if he’s even breathing. His face falls, eyes shining with moisture for a moment before he blinks the tears away. When he looks back at me, he’s pale, truly at a loss for words. If I thought him capable of such an emotion, he almost looks heartbroken.

“When are we doing this, then?” he asks dully.

I pull a sealed envelope out of my jacket and slide it across the table. “All the details are inside. And I feel like it should go without saying, but if you tip anyone off to what’s going to happen, the body in that car won’t need to be fake, understand?”

Seth nods, and seeing him humbled like this touches a cruel, petty part of my heart. It’s nice to finally be able to make his life miserable after all this time.

“Pleasure doing business with you, Omega,” I say, buttoning my jacket. I clap a hand on his shoulder as I pass.

As long as everything goes according to plan, this is the last time I’m going to see Seth Douglas. And as I walk away, I don’t even bother to look back.

Chapter thirteen

Lydia

I’vebeenclutchingthepapers since we’d left the courthouse, too afraid they’ll disappear if I let go. The car is silent, Lex driving as smooth as ever through the streets of Everton. But I hardly feel connected to anything around me. I read the lines of the form over and over, studying the witness signature, the judge’s seal, the notary’s stamp. It’s real. It’s done. I’m part of Pack Saint Clair.

I knew Lex was trying to get our court date moved up, but after so long, I hadn’t expected anything to change, leaving us to have to wait until November. It would have been after my heat, making the proceedings if not a moot point, then just an annoying technicality. Bond mates aren’t automatically members of their alphas’ packs, but there would have been less pressure to get it done before my family could interfere.

What I never expected was for Lex to pull up on State Street, parking haphazardly in front of the burnt-out ruins of Grandmother Wila’s, shouting at me to get in the car. For us to race to the courthouse, dashing through the doors right before the security guard went to close up for the night. And I never expected to take a pack vow in a hallway outside of a judge’s office, surrounded by at least ten people, all crowding in so they could properly witness the event. The judge signed the documents against the wall, his pen running out of ink twice before everything was finalized, and then dashed out the door, grumbling about being late for his tee time.

“I will need to ask for those back eventually, sweetness. Ted needs to make copies and send them to the appropriate entities,” Lex comments, turning off the road and into the Wickland House parking lot.

I look up at her as she comes to a controlled stop in one of the reserved spaces in front of the building. She’s smiling softly, her shoulders relaxed. She’s still in her work clothes, a wine red dress that makes my mouth water, and I once again feel supremely underdressed. I’d had no time to find a change of clothes, so I’m still in the sweat-soaked and soot-stained leggings and a tank top I’d thrown on this morning.

Lex looks at me, stopping my train of thought dead. Her hazel eyes are a glowing gold in this light, and I’m completely transfixed as she leans in and cups my jaw with one hand before brushing her lips with mine. I close my eyes and whimper, kissing her back once I manage to regain control of my motor functions. She tastes like citrus and something spicy, like cloves or bay leaves.

“I’m keeping you here tonight, sweetness. I need to give you a proper welcome,” she mutters against my lips as we break apart for a moment.

My entire body flushes hot and then cold, goosebumps breaking out at the absolutely possessive edge to her words. There’s no room for argument, not that I want to. I’d dreamt of what it would mean to truly belong to Alexandra St. Clair, and it appears that my dreams are about to become reality.

I expect to go straight up to the suite, but we make a stop at the front desk where I’m issued my very own access card to the pack suite. My body is still on high alert from the kiss in the car, and I’m aware of every breath and movement she makes as we ride the private elevator. It’s not that I expected her to be all over me in the lobby, as it was still packed with people checking in, but now that we’re alone and she’s still distant, my stomach twists nervously.

Once the doors open and we step into the suite, I hesitate just inside the familiar space. Lex kicks off her shoes and heads to the fridge, where she pulls out a bottle of wine. After uncorking it, she takes a swig and does a double take when she sees me standing awkwardly in the middle of the open space.

“What’s the matter, sweetness?” she asks gently, moving back to me.

I try to put my thoughts into words, but I’m still stuck on how stunning she looks, and the way her scent makes me jittery with excitement and fear. She’s too perfect, too good to want me like this. I don’t know what I’m doing, and the fear of disappointing her is like a lead weight in my belly.

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