Pack Collision Bonus Epilogue
For those who read Queen of Diamonds (with as minimal spoilers as possible)
ACE
One Month Later…
Knox said he had a meeting today with the third team member who’d helped him track down Bella the first time around.
That meant it wouldn’t be long before we could truly get started. I was working on a list of targets, compiling all the data Knox and the Misfits had gathered.
I picked up my mug of tea and made my way down to the ballroom lounge seats, anticipating a few hours of refining the plans. It was entertaining work, reading the list of crimes and coming up with the perfect punishment for when we caught them.
I sat down and readjusted the stupid bunny ears on my head.
Thistle had taken to making me feral and putting them on me when she thought I was ‘misbehaving’ . After the fourth time I’d woken up with them on my head, I’d left them on permanently. The entertainment was about the perception of humiliation, so I’d just wear out the charm.
It was working. None of the others thought it was nearly as funny as they once had.
I began scrolling through my phone, already spinning up ideas as I read the notes.
It couldn’t be long until our next hunt.
Bella had been too easy to catch—and had lasted about a week.
Thistle had been bright in the bond the whole time the Omega had survived.
I enjoyed going down to watch the process.
Knox had turned up once in a while, too, and sometimes Bambi would poke her head in—it appeared Thistle was mentoring her.
My instincts were starting to itch for the next mission.
Knox was right: it was my kind of hunt.
I was pulled from my daydreams by a knock on the door.
People knocked at this place?
I hadn’t yet found a way into the security feed again, but I got to my feet, curious enough to look. Knox’s guards were outside, so they must have let them through.
I knew the truth even as I opened it.
Snow santal—a scent so familiar it almost didn’t register—hit my senses right as the huge door creaked open. Ice-blue eyes caught me first, and with a muttered curse, Zed Maverick had a loaded gun pointed between my eyes in a blink.
Ah. My dear old brother.
Beside him, looking like she’d seen a ghost, was Glade, and Knight, the hulking Alpha at her back. Both had weapons raised in an instant.
Shit.
Probably the pack that hated me most in the world…
The first thing that went through my head was that they couldn’t find out what Thistle had done to me. I wouldn’t let it happen—my pride just wouldn’t allow it. I glanced between them, short of ideas to get out of this.
How had they found me?
“What is going on?” Knight demanded.
“Where’s Kyan?” Zed shoved me back a step, fist clamped on my arm.
As in… Kyan Quinn Beaumont? The last Alpha in their pack wasn’t one I liked to think about if I could help it.
And in my house?
He could fuck right off with that idea.
“Why would I know where that waste of space is?”
“What are you doing here?” Glade demanded.
“Well.” I grimaced, glancing down at the green tea Zed had just spilled on my hand. My silk robe was hanging open, and I was still in my sweats. I gave a snort. “It just so happens I live here.”
It was then that I realised I still had the bunny ears on.
KNOX
Mirage—or Kyan Quinn Beaumont—had arrived just a minute ago.
I’d planned on meeting him in the basement and had told Ace to busy himself, since they couldn’t meet in person.
Ace, Kyan had explained, was not a fan. He slipped in through the back and I shook his hand.
He was tall, with an impish smile, tattoos creeping from his collar, an undercut on one side.
He offered me a tray of coffee right as my phone buzzed with a text.
Vance: Once again there seem to be people with guns in the ballroom.
Vance: Don’t blame me this time, Ace literally let them in.
Vance: Security said they claimed to have a meeting with you???
Kyan took one look at the feed on my phone and facepalmed. “Shit.”
“Is that your pack?” I demanded.
Kyan palmed the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable. “I think they followed me. Dammit. I wanted to tell Glade when I had the full story.”
“Well. Cat’s out of the bag.”
“Glade?” I heard a squeak of shock, and Thistle’s head popped out from the basement kitchen island.
“What are you—?” I cut off as Rogue picked himself up after her, peering at the two of us on the couches.
He shrugged under my glare. “She wanted to snoop.”
“Where’s Glade?” Thistle demanded, almost tripping as she collided with me. Then she stuck her hand out to Kyan. “Hi! I’m Glade’s twin—so you’re like… my big brother?”
“Excellent.” Kyan took her hand enthusiastically.
“They’re all in the ballroom,” I said. “But?—”
She was tearing from the room before I could stop her.
Dammit!
I chased Thistle up the spiral steps to the main floor, not quite catching her before she burst through the ballroom doors.
She was so fucking quick.
“Glade! Ohmigodohmigodohmigod! ” She bolted toward the other Omega in the room, a veritable explosion of confetti in the bond. She didn’t seem to notice the weapon Glade had pointed at Ace, who’d been shoved down into the armchair while another Alpha held a gun to his head.
“Thistle—?” Glade asked, shock in her voice, but cut off as our Omega collided with her like a bullet.
“You came to visit!” she squealed.
I followed her, heart racing as she so easily ignored the guns. Glade’s was still pointing vaguely toward Ace, but she was distracted by Thistle.
“Are you alright?” Glade asked. “I thought— Kyan ?”
Ace tried to get to his feet, eyes darting from Kyan to me as he entered. “Knox, what the fuck is that Alpha doing in my—?” He cut off as the silver-haired Alpha—definitely his brother, Zed Maverick—shoved him back down, this time jamming the gun between his eyes.
“I said,” Zed snarled. “Don’t fucking move.”
“What are you doing?” The huge Alpha—Knight—was glaring at Kyan, also still not dropping the gun pointed at Ace.
“Uh…” Kyan shoved the coffee tray into my hands and crossed to Glade, who looked utterly bewildered. “I can explain.”
“It better be good,” Knight growled.
“You can…” Thistle’s energy had died down a little, and she was finally eyeing the weapons. “You can put those down now.”
Rogue flinched toward her, a growl in his throat as she hovered her face in front of Glade’s gun nervously. Glade lifted it over her head, aiming it back at Ace.
“Wait.” Thistle looked between them again, and then a little swell of panic hit the bond. “Are you… flirting with him?” She suddenly sounded on the verge of tears.
“What—? God no! ” Finally, Glade snapped the gun down. “Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?”
“Oasis—I-uh… Shit .” Kyan’s hands settled on Glade’s waist. “We— I —made a teeny-tiny … mistake.”
“Mistake?” Glade asked, glaring around.
“Ace is maybe, just a little bit… Soul matched to Thistle. Kind of…”
“What?”
“She’s like us,” he said. “So she uh… she couldn’t have killed him if she wanted to.”
“ Killed him?” Thistle demanded, seizing Glade by the arm. “You wanted me to kill him? But you gave us the antidote…”
Kyan shrugged. “We left it up to you.”
“Did you think I was gonna?”
“It… crossed our minds,” Kyan said.
“Crossed our—?” Kyan clamped a hand over Glade’s exclamation.
“It was your call, little sis,” he said.
Joyous fireworks exploded from Thistle in the bond as he called her that and she puffed up, shooting me and Rogue a look as if to check we’d heard.
“We did leave the decision to her,” I heard Kyan mutter again to Glade.
“ Could we maybe all put the guns down, then?” Rogue asked, looking between Knight and Zed. “We’ve cleaned up enough bodies in this room.”
The Alphas exchanged looks, then glanced at Glade.
“He is… wearing bunny ears,” Knight said.
Ace let out a snarl, reaching up, but I jumped as Zed fired a shot into the chair beside his head. Ace froze, ice-blue eyes frigid with fury. “I said,” Zed hissed. “If you touch them, I’ll put a bullet in your hand.”
I opened my mouth, then shut it. I think he might be joking. Apparently it was hard to tell with Mavericks. Knight, at least, seemed to be fighting a laugh.
“He’s okay,” Thistle said. “I promise. He won’t cause no more issues—I heat bonded him.”
Ace groaned, hand clamping over his eyes as he slouched further down in the armchair. “Would you shut up. ”
“Glade’s gotta know.”
“Heat bonding is real?” Knight asked. “Isn’t that like when you’re feral unless she says so?”
Zed barked a laugh, and the gun dropped at last as he stepped away from his brother, swinging his attention right to Thistle. “What?”
Ace took the opportunity to yank the ears from his head and fling them across the marble.
“So…” Glade was staring between Ace and Thistle. “Your sanity is directly tied to…”
Thistle balled her fists, vibrating with excitement as she declared: “Mine!”
Well.
I mean, if there was a way to convince them that Ace was thoroughly cowed, that was probably it.
“So… do you wanna stay?” Thistle asked, almost breathless as she looked around at them. “I could make food?”
Knight, at last, lowered his gun, though I noticed he didn’t tuck it away—not that I blamed him if he’d been on the wrong side of Ace before. But as long as they weren’t pointing straight at my pack, I was more relaxed.
“They don’t want to stay,” Ace said through gritted teeth.
Zed grinned, and he, at least, put his weapon away properly. “What’s for lunch?”
“Poptarts?” Thistle asked.
I stifled my snort. She had told me last week that she thought Poptarts were the best food in the universe, so I supposed it tracked that she was offering them to guests.
“We’re in,” Zed said.
THISTLE
“I’m leaving,” Ace snapped.
“No, you’re not!” I hissed.
The Alphas had helped me set the table for guests, and Rogue had gone on ahead to start toasting the Poptarts.
Ace was not going anywhere.
I glared. “Sit down.”