Page 6 of Laurels and Liquor

“Lydia, listen to me,” Lex starts, letting go of my hand to cup my face and turn my head so I can’t look anywhere other than her hazel eyes. I try to flinch away, to pull back, but she refuses to give in, even as I whimper pathetically. “Rhett did what he had to do to protect you. If he were here, I have not a single doubt in my mind that he would tell you that you did the right thing.”

“But he’s not! He’s not here, and it’s because of me!” I cry, tears breaking free at last.

It’s my fault. All of it. If I hadn’t talked back to Darren, I could have prevented the situation from escalating. If I hadn’t drunk so much at the wedding reception, I wouldn’t have needed to go to the bathroom, and never would have given Darren the chance to catch me alone. If I’d agreed to leave when Caleb wasn’t allowed inside with Rhett and me, then we wouldn’t have had to face Darren at all. If I hadn’t insisted on going to the wedding, we wouldn’t have had any of this. If I hadn’t been such a stupid, pathetic, worthless—

“No, it’s not. It’s not your fault, sweetness. We made this decision together. And we’re going to figure out how to fix it together,” Lex pushes, stroking my cheeks with her thumbs.

I try to shake my head, but she doesn’t let me deny it. Mateo moves in closer, sliding in behind me and wrapping his arms tight around my waist. Lucas fills the gap until I can’t see anything beyond them. Their scents mix, lemonade and fresh towels and spices forcing out everything else, and I slump, exhausted. Didn’t they understand? Why aren’t they shouting their fury at me?

“You don’t believe us now, and that’s fine. I’ll tell you every day if I have to,” Lex says gently.

I close my eyes and try to block her out. I take another deep breath, and my heart aches. Even surrounded by the scents I’ve grown to love, there’s still a missing piece. Whiskey and leather.

Mateo’s purr rumbles against my back, and despite myself, I melt into his embrace. Lex whispers comforting words over and over, and Lucas is there, brushing away my tears. No one is yelling, accusing me of the things my mind is telling me they should. The steady calm persists, reinforced by my alphas’ purrs, and my beta’s peaceful pheromones. They care for me and hold me until I’m settled again. Closing my eyes, I lean my head against Mateo’s chest, threading my fingers through Lex’s, and resting my hand on Lucas’s knee.

“We’re going to be okay, sweetheart. We’ll get through this together,” Lucas says softly, and I find myself able to believe him.

“Nothing that happened at that wedding was your fault, Lydia. Rhett did what he had to do to protect you, and I have no doubt in my mind he would have done much worse without batting an eyelash. He loves you; we all do,” Mateo says into my ear, kissing and nuzzling my neck.

I sigh and give the slightest nod. He squeezes tighter for a moment and then a hand on my cheek brings my attention to Lex. She’s nearly nose to nose with me, her hazel eyes bright with affection. I lean into her touch, captivated.

“I know standing up to Darren couldn’t have been easy for you, but you did it, and I’m so proud of you. You did everything you could have done, and that’s all I could ever ask of you. I know Rhett well enough to confidently say that, if he could do it all over again, he wouldn’t change a thing. So no more tears, okay, sweetness? I hate seeing you cry,” Lex says, voice lifting a little as she smiles.

I can’t help but giggle and nod, and her answering grin makes my heart skip a beat. She leans in and slants her lips over mine in a brief but breath-stealing kiss. But as she pulls away, her words sink in and my heart throbs painfully in my chest. I keep my face blank, hiding my spiraling descent into despair as a realization crashes down on me, slamming me against the rocky cliff of truth.

There was something I could have done different. Not on the night of the wedding, but before we ever stepped foot on the plane. It would have nullified any need to bluff or lie. Hell, we could have avoided going to Louisiana altogether. But most importantly, it would have given Rhett a legal shield to justify what he did to Darren.

If I’d bonded with Pack Saint Clair, then it would have solved everything.

Chapter four

Mateo

Lydiashiftsfrommyarms to Lucas’s lap, though to my surprise, the beta doesn’t go far. Instead, he leans against me heavily, closing his eyes. My heart throbs for him; he’s been carrying the emotional burden for the last thirty-six hours, and he must be exhausted. I find a blanket and tuck it around him and Lydia, running my fingers through his soft but unruly hair. His lips twitch up in a little sleepy little smile, but then he drifts off along with Lydia. When I look around, I find Lex still with us, which genuinely surprises me. She crosses her legs under her as she relaxes into the pillows, her fingers idly playing an imaginary keyboard on her thighs even as her eyes show that her mind is a thousand miles away. In the distance, the grandfather clock in the formal living room chimes nine, and I let the lastdingecho and fade.

Lex has always been the strong, sure leader of our pack. She makes decisions with ease, and never shows a shred of doubt once she starts down a path. But we’re poised at a crossroads now, with too many competing directions at our feet. We need to figure out what’s going on with Rhett, take care of Lucas and Lydia, and there’s still the looming threat of Seth Douglas in the background. And the longer the silence stretches, the harder my heart hammers in my chest. The morning sun filters through the frosted windows, making Lex’s smooth skin glow with an almost angelic golden aura. It’s easy to forget that she’s only a few years older than me, but in this moment, she looks as young and lost as I’ve ever seen. So I straighten my spine and set my shoulders.

“We should have heard from Ted by now,” I start, trying my best to emulate the confidence Lex so often exudes.

“Yeah, I suppose so,” Lex breathes, noncommittally.

“When does his office open?” I prompt.

Lex blinks as the question hits her, and a little clarity comes back to her expression. “It’s Monday?”

“Sunday,” I correct.

“Right,” she sighs, nodding. “He won’t be in the office, but with a situation like this…”

I nod. “Would Rhett know the number to call off hand?”

Lex hums, tilting her head. “Probably not. If the police took his phone, then he wouldn’t be able to find it. That might explain why we haven’t heard anything,” she mutters, sounding more and more focused with each word.

My shoulders relax slightly. I glance at Lucas, whose eyes are open now, not even bothering to feign sleep. When I give him a stern little look, he just rolls his eyes.

“You can sleep, Luc,” I chastise lightly.

“You’re not my supervisor,” Lucas teases, sticking out his tongue.

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