Page 54 of Patchwork Pixie

“Sure.” She handed him the phone, and he looked at the picture of Leon holding his ten-year-old sister. “It was right after he came home after his first heat for his final visit with them. He always said I looked just like my mom, so us three became a consortium of sorts.”

Dane sat back. “I always thought it was because of the mourning.”

“And like many worried alphas, you didn’t ask him.”

The food arrived, and she wobbled in her chair when the waffles and strawberries were set in front of her.

She dove into the pile of waffles and whipped cream. It was gone far too soon, and then she looked at Marshall’s untouched crepe and bit her lip.

He smirked, slid her plate out of the way, and put the crepe in front of her.

Dane blinked while eating his pancakes. “Why didn’t you get pregnant with Tanner?”

“Well, no one but a male omega could get pregnant the way he was doing it.” She snorted and kept working on the crepe. “And, of course, the birth control. All the birth control. I wasn’t going to spawn anything for that bastard. Now these poor guys are stuck waiting until I can safely come off the meds. I am pretty useless as an omega thanks to that. Well, Beth will get some revenge, so that’s something.”

“Did he know about...” Dane gestured to her appearance.

“Of course not. But now that my mates are with me, it is safe to be myself again.”

“I have never seen you like that at the pack house.”

“It wasn’t safe for me there.” She gave him a long look. “It has never been safe for me there. The fact that I feel safest in a place that I don’t even know the address to is telling.”

Marshall refilled her coffee. Rayden rubbed her shoulder.

Dane frowned.

Rayden said casually, “Imagine if your mate had been hunted for decades and was exhausted and abused. Think about what you would be feeling when you finally found her.”

Dane suddenly looked nervous. “I would probably be a little on the overprotective side and not tolerate any insult.”

Marshall nodded. “Very good. And as her efforts to protect herself have rendered her unable to enjoy us quite yet, we are rather eager to beat any interlopers to a pulp. We have to do something with that extra energy.”

Ruby squeezed Rayden’s hand. “Was that what the lifts were about?”

He nodded. “Any reason to hold you.”

Dane looked at them. “So, you haven’t...”

Ruby looked at him as if he were an idiot. “I have a strong drive and four types of birth control ripping through my bloodstream. I don’t have one stray hormone that isn’t locked down. So not only was Tanner rough, but he was going after a body that had zero interest in him. Now... imagine how that felt on the receiving end.”

“I... when I pointed Tanner toward you, I knew he would go for you. You were small and shy. Just his type. He had a reputation for being rough and didn’t have a steady girl.”

“So, you got a discount on a security contract, and I got hurt. Now, do you want me to sue you for damages? You literally trafficked me for profit.”

“You could have said... oh shit.”

“Finally, you are beginning to understand. So, you tell me what you are going to do as reparations?”

He blinked. “What?”

“As I have proof in writing from both Tanner and yourself that you were the catalyst to us getting together. Confirmation from some of your associates that you knew of his violent tendencies with women, and you also knew of my particular mental set that stops me from defending myself. Then we have the assaults I managed to catch on video, including all the blood and sobbing that followed. Now, what do you feel is appropriate compensation?” She tilted her head.

“Can I consult with my lawyer and my wife?”

She shrugged. “Sure. You are family, like it or not. I will be around.” She laughed. “I will also be at dinner on Sunday.”

He swallowed and nodded. He looked to Marshall. “I don’t suppose you have anyone who could represent me in this?”

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