Chapter Nineteen
B eing officially bonded into the pack had me feeling like I was walking on clouds. Which of course meant my pack enjoyed tackling me back down to the ground and fucking me because apparently being happy was a turn-on.
Males were strange creatures. It didn’t matter their designation.
That being said, after a weekend of being claimed by Everett, and the following week of my mates coming home during lunch and needing to be inside me. Yeah, I was sore between the legs.
The bruising on my bottom lip was a hideous yellow color. There was nothing to be done about it except let my body heal. I was pretty sure I was only a few days away from a perfectly healed lip.
Dinner was already made tonight, so I was just setting the plates and silverware on the dining table when my phone started to ring. To my delight, it was Hannah.
“Hey, everything okay?” It was probably bad to answer a call already concerned, but Hannah almost never called me. She was all about messaging, and her typing speed was quite impressive.
“Guess what I did today?”
She sounded like she was in a good mood so... “Did you get a tattoo?”
“What? No, why would you guess that?”
“I was just trying to think of what would make you so excited you’d call.”
“No. I spoke with your lawyer. Bartholomew. I’d messaged him once you gave me his number, but he wanted to speak in person and Jackson wanted to come with me and Han, so we had to wait until he had a free day. That was today!”
“How did it go?”
“Can a meeting like that go bad? He basically asked a bunch of questions, and I answered them. I really sprouted about all your greatness, though. Hyped you up.”
I chuckled at her joke. “I’m sure Bartholomew appreciated you going in.”
“Eve, have you seen his office?”
“Uh, no.”
“It was insane. Glass walls and floor to ceiling windows and all the chairs had paddings, the tables were made of real oak, and they offered actual snacks for free while we waited. Not little bags of chips from a vending machine, but chocolate covered strawberries and little ham and cheese bites. I can’t even imagine a lawyer like that losing.
You are so going to win this court-thing. ”
“Bartholomew did say my chances are pretty good. Something about the fact that it was an internal issue and because I’d already been let go, he’s hoping the judge will toss the whole case out for lack of a conflict of proof.
Or whatever the legal term is. Or worst case, if we do go to court, he says that my actions don’t reflect any sort of danger to society, past or present. ”
“Of course not. The only danger is Adam.” She made a half grunt, half screeching noise. “I hate that dickhead. Did you hear that he’s supposedly courting an omega?”
“No, I haven’t.” A thread of anxiety filtered through my stomach. Was it wrong that I worried him finding an omega to bond, right at the same time he was fighting for his elitist pack views, was going to be even worse for me? A selfish thought, but I wouldn’t put it past the alpha.
“Well, I pity the omega who bonds with him and his pack. Their scents are not appealing, at all.”
My phone buzzed in my hand, silently telling me I had another call incoming. Apparently, this was a popular time for me. Or more likely, Bartholomew was calling because he was going to tell me what Hannah already had. “Hey, I have to let you go. Bartholomew is trying to get ahold of me.”
“Sure thing. I’ll text with you next week about having you and your pack come over.”
A thrill went through me at the mere mention of my pack. I liked hearing that. A lot.
Hanging up with Hannah, I answered my second call. “Hello.”
“Yes, good evening, Eve.” Bartholomew sounded drastically different than Hannah.
Not that I’d ever truly think to compare the two, but my lawyer did not sound like he was lighthearted after a day of hearing someone sing my praises.
“I would like to schedule a time for you to come into my office this weekend. With your pack.”
I didn’t get a thrill that time. “Yeah, sure.”
That conversation lasted less than two minutes before I was hanging up.
I hated that this case was dangling over my head like a sword, ready to drop any moment.
Ever since Adam made that initial speech, it was like all Bartholomew could do was attempt to clean up his mess.
But the way he’d sounded on the phone gave me hope that we were finally moving forward.
After all, he could have just requested another phone call rather than an in-person meeting tomorrow morning.
As soon as I heard Atlas’s truck pulling up in front of the house, I was making my way to the front door, tossing it open and anxiously waiting on the porch to tell him about the meeting tomorrow.
“Well, well, well, look at you, pet, all eager to see your mate.” He ran up the last few steps and wrapped his arms around me, spinning us both as his mouth came down to mine.
He didn’t even bother knocking his boots against the doorframe as he carried me over the threshold. “A male could get use to this.”
As Atlas put me down to start on his boots, I teased, “What, making dinner and cleaning the house isn’t enough for you?”
“For me? Nah.” He stood up and cupped my face, pressing a hard kiss to my lips. “I can never get enough of you, pet. Not even if I woke up every morning and tasted between your legs then went to bed every night with my cock inside you. It’ll never be enough.”
I shook my head. “How did you make that sound so sweet?”
“Just my country boy charm, I guess.” He gave me a crooked smirk.
“Well, I hate to break it to you, but I actually have news. I’m not sure if it’s good or bad yet. Bartholomew called. He wants to meet with us tomorrow morning.”
“Interesting.” He nodded solemnly, his attention suddenly completely on putting his boots and hat away. “And would you say you’re nervous about this meeting?”
That was a strange question. “I guess. A little.”
“I see. So what you’re saying is that you could use some sort of emotional boost. Something to cheer you up?”
I stared at Atlas for a long moment. Then I looked around the house in case he was somehow talking to someone else or at least something to explain his strange words. I pressed the back of my hand to his forehead, testing his temperature. “Are you feeling okay?”
He pulled my wrist down. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? Cause you’re acting weird.”
“I just want to give you a gift.”
“A gift?”
“Yeah. I was supposed to wait but you’re so worried about this meeting tomorrow that I figured it would be a little pick-me-up for you. Something to distract you so you weren’t worried about it.”
I tried, I really did, but I couldn’t hold back my guffaws of laughter. Literal tears came to my eyes. My mate was impatient—that was all this truly was. He had a gift for me, and he couldn’t tolerate keeping it hidden rather than simply giving it to me.
Atlas just stared at me, pretending to be annoyed but I saw the way he fought his cheeks to keep his frown from turning into a smile.
“All right,” I acquiesced. “What is this gift that’s going to make me feel better?”
I was absolutely proven right when he didn’t have to go anywhere to get the gift. He just pulled it out of his pocket. “Everett said it was a broach?”
I grabbed the hummingbird broach from him, admiring the green and purple and red colors of its wings. The silver of its long beak.
“We know how much you like your sensible outfits. We figured this was a way to make it more fun for you. Even though we told you, you can wear pajamas while you work for all we care.” He shrugged.
“You like your little outfits. We just thought this would be something for you to add to them. Some color. Some fun.”
I couldn’t stop petting the bird. It was heavy in my hands, and I inspected the needle that would pierce through the thickest of fabrics like I was an inspector of antiques. “It’s gorgeous.”
Atlas’s chest seemed to puff up like I’d complimented him, not the bird.
“Should I act surprised when the others give me their gift?”
“Depends. How good is your acting? Can you pass for being shocked? Show me the face you’ll make.”
I did not make a face.
He shook his head. “That won’t fool anyone, pet.”
“I wasn’t trying to.”
“Sure.” He shrugged a shoulder. “I’ll just get on my knees tonight. I’m pretty sure I can earn their forgiveness with my tongue.”
“Can I watch?”
Atlas groaned. “Abso-fucking-lutely.” He pulled me flush against his body as his face pressed into my neck, no doubt searching for the smallest hint of my perfume.
“I’ve decided that I can’t stand going into work and being apart from you for hours at a time.
I want you to come with me from now on. Just hold my hand all day and be near me. ”
“Wouldn’t it make more sense if you just stayed here?”
He considered that for a moment before shaking his head. “Nah. Better if you come with me.”
“Oh, really?”
“Definitely.”
I was grinning like an idiot—or maybe just someone in love.
Neither Atlas nor I lasted long in keeping our secret when Oaks came home. And by the time Everett arrived I had two more broaches to add to my hummingbird. A flower with a tiny bee, and clouds with a large sun shining through.
****
H annah was right. Bartholomew’s office was fancy. So fancy, in fact, that I was no longer surprised about the state of Bartholomew’s mansion. A lawyer this prestigious was bound to make good money.
It did, however, have me leaning over my chair to whisper in Everett’s ear, “How expensive is this guy?”
“He’s taking our case pro bono.”
“What does that mean?”
“He’s doing it for free.”
My jaw dropped. “What? Why?”
“He didn’t say, but I have my guesses.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Atlas was on my other side, his large frame leaning over his chair’s arm, and mine, too, to get as close as he physically could.