Chapter 37
Lucy
Horoscope Pisces
Pisces, our compassionate spirit. Your sensitivity is your strength. Keep your eye out for the vulnerable, and see how you can lend a hand!
I wrapped my arms around myself as I trudged into the tree line at the base of the mountain. I wasn’t going hiking again—I wouldn’t repeat that mistake—but I needed to get away.
Golden, early morning light streamed through the tree canopy. I swallowed around the lump in my throat. All the enthusiasm and excitement I’d felt about last night’s class had been quickly snuffed out with Wilder, Leo, and King’s absences.
Just because you’re an omega doesn’t mean you get to act spoiled. Not everything’s going to go your way all the time.
Stop crying. You’re always crying.
Maybe you need to up your suppressant dose if you’re going to be this emotional all the time.
I sank down on the forest floor, wishing my omega wasn’t so…
much. I only had myself to blame for how I was feeling.
I’d let myself get infatuated again. I’d started dreaming of nests and heats and being spoiled by a pack again.
In the midst of my fantasies, I’d ignored the waving red flags that clearly communicated that these guys weren’t really interested in me.
The sounds of the woods washed over me, and dappled light through the trees danced against my closed eyelids. Tears spilled down my cheeks and I buried my face in the sleeves of the baggy sweatshirt I’d pulled over my pajamas—the ones covered with illustrated Felix faces.
There were so many things I needed to do today—clean up my shop, get caught up on my invoices and expense reports, and muster up the energy to put on a good face at breakfast with my friends—but I just wanted to stay here and ignore reality.
The Felix’s Feral Four group chat had already been inundated with messages this morning “just checking in.” The fact that I usually slept in bought me a tiny window of time to pull myself together before they demanded a response.
A tiny squeak made my muscles tense. I lifted my head and checked my surroundings. Was that a mouse? A chipmunk?
There it was again.
Whatever it was, it sounded upset. I rubbed my temple. If I was smart, I would scoot out of here before I got attacked by some rabid woodland creature, but I was not smart. I got on my hands and knees and peered through the underbrush until I locked eyes with a tiny baby bunny.
“Aww, hey cutie. Are you waiting for your mama?” I wished I had my phone so I could take a picture.
I stayed still, not wanting to scare it, but the more I looked, the more concerned I grew.
The bunny’s eyes were open, but it was lying on its side and barely moving.
I had no idea what normal bunny behavior was, but something about how it was positioned had me worried.
I slowly crawled closer and pushed aside the leafy branch that was half covering the bunny, revealing a gash on its hind leg.
“Oh no,” I whispered. I looked around as if a bunny ambulance would appear out of thin air. “I feel like I’m not supposed to touch you, but I also can’t leave you.” What if the cut was infected? I hesitated a few more heartbeats, wishing again that I had my phone and could look up what to do.
The bunny let out another tiny squeak and its eyes started to close.
Panic shot through me. “I’m sorry if I’m doing the wrong thing,” I murmured as I gently picked it up.
I tucked it against my chest, careful not to bump the injured leg, and headed back to town as fast as I could.
“I’m going to take you to James, and he’ll fix you right up.
I know, I don’t like going to the doctor, either, but he’s really nice. I promise.”
The town was starting to wake up by the time I hit Main Street.
Shops were opening, many of them already sporting Easter-themed decorations and signs for the Eggstravaganza.
A few people called out to me and waved, but I didn’t stop.
Whisker’s Vet Clinic was all the way at the end of the street, and the walk felt endless.
I passed my shop on the opposite side of the street and did a double take when I saw Wilder, King, and Leo standing outside my door. What were they doing? At least I had confirmation that they were alive.
“Don’t worry. You’re my priority, little cutie. Men are the absolute worst. Unless you’re a boy. That doesn’t count.”
I kept my head down, hoping they wouldn’t spot me, but I wasn’t that lucky. I quickened my pace, ignoring the steady pounding of their footsteps.
Wilder got to me first. “Where have you been?”
The question stopped me in my tracks, and I whirled around to face him. “Where have I been? What kind of question is that?”
His eyes widened at my tone, but I kept walking. The clinic was in sight. Please be open. Please.
“Lucy, wait,” Leo called out.
King jogged to my side. “I got you a latte.”
I glanced over at him. What?
He ruffled his hair. “Look, I know you’re upset, but let’s just talk about this.”
“What are you carrying?” Wilder asked, his long legs easily keeping up with me.
“A bunny. Since you’re here, open the door for me and then go away.”
“Did you say bunny?” King asked.
Wilder pulled on the clinic door. “It’s locked.”
Panic rose in my chest. The bunny wasn’t moving much, and I was terrified I was too late. “I don’t have my phone. Someone needs to call James.”
King whipped out his phone, but then the door opened, revealing a confused Naomi. I almost cried with relief.
“Is James in? I found an injured bunny.”
“He just got here.” She ushered me inside. The guys followed for some inexplicable reason.
James popped his head out of the clinic’s kitchen, a Beans ’n Bliss mug clutched in his hand. “Hey, Lucy. What’s up?”
I jumped when King and Wilder growled, their scents intensifying as they moved closer to me. What the fuck was going on?
“I found this bunny in the woods and its leg is injured.”
James’s easygoing expression turned serious as he led me into an exam room and placed a towel on top of the metal table. “Set the little guy down.”
I very gently placed the bunny on the towel and hovered close as James examined it. The bunny let out a little squeak, and a relieved breath rushed out of me. It was still alive.
“Poor girl. You’ve been through it, haven’t you?” James said softly.
“She’s a girl?”
“She is. I would guess she’s just shy of three weeks old. Was she alone?”
I nodded, on the verge of tears. “Did her family leave her?”
“No, no. At this age, they can hop around and are usually weaned and not relying on mom. But this girl’s injury has stopped her from doing that. She’s dehydrated and hungry.”
“What about her leg? Will she be able to hop around again?”
James hesitated, and I was seconds away from losing my shit, when a warm, comforting hand gripped my neck. I let out a shuddering breath at Wilder’s touch.
“I can give her pain meds, clean the wound, and suture it, but we need to start her on antibiotics right away. Bunnies are prone to infection.”
It wasn’t lost on me that he hadn’t answered my question. “Will she be able to live a normal bunny life?”
James grimaced. “I certainly hope so, but this isn’t my area of expertise. I’m pretty sure there’s a bunny sanctuary nearby. Let me check with Naomi if we have their info.”
He headed out of the room, and I lay my head on the examination table so I was eye level with the bunny. She was breathing hard, but her eyes were bright and her nose was twitching. “You’re such a survivor, sweet girl. We’ll get you all fixed up.”
“She is very cute.” Leo rested his arms on the table. I scowled, hating his stupidly delicious cardamom scent, his floppy curls, his sexy golden skin, and how all of that made my omega want to purr.
Wilder leaned down on my other side. Heat radiated off his body, and I was not remotely tempted to press myself against his skin.
He ran a finger down the crown of the bunny’s head. The contrast of his huge hands doing something so gentle did something to me.
“What a sweet girl you are.”
How was I supposed to resist that deep growl? And why was I jealous of a bunny?
King leaned down on the other side of the table.
He was unfairly attractive—perfect hair, chiseled jaw, and a delicious, earthy scent with edges of orange blossom.
Being surrounded by these men made my skin flush.
My body felt electric and alive, and I groaned when my perfume filled the room.
Traitorous omega hormones. I needed to stock up on No-NonScent Deodorant because this was just embarrassing.
They’d shown me loud and clear last night that they were not interested in me.
At least, not interested enough to make me a priority, and I deserved more than that.
“Her ears are a little lopsided,” King said.
I fixed him with my withering stare. “Don’t say that. Her ears are perfect.”
His eyes widened, but his response was cut off when James returned.
“Good news. I got the bunny sanctuary on the phone, but they can’t pick her up until tomorrow. They gave me some care instructions, though, so we’ll do our best for her here until then.”
The bunny snuggled into my palm and my heart exploded. I didn’t want to leave her here. Did they even have a cozy place for her to sleep? Would she get scared?
“Or…you could take care of her until then?”
James’s eyes were gentle as he looked between the bunny and me, like he could read my mind.
“Would that be okay?” I asked hoarsely. “I want her to get the best care.”
“I think so. It will at least be quieter at your place. The owner of the rescue recommended we give her goat’s milk since we don’t have any bunny formula.”
I chewed my lip. “Does the market have goat’s milk?”
James frowned. “I can text Marisol and ask. If not, there’s a specialty grocery store in Briar’s Landing, I think.”
“Oh my gosh,” Leo said. “My grandma bought some goat’s milk the other day for a dish she was making. She might still have some. I’ll call her.” He stepped out of the room and I had to hold myself back from shouting “Don’t go.”
“In the meantime, let’s get this girl the pain meds she needs and clean up this wound,” James said. “Do you want to help me hold her, Lucy? I could also get Naomi in here if you don’t want—”
“I’ll do it. Just tell me what to do.”
I stayed close to the bunny, and Wilder and King stayed close to me as James squirted pain meds into her mouth.
Leo popped back into the room. “She’s got some. It’s about a half hour drive, so I should be back in an hour.”
My jaw dropped. What was happening?
“You don’t…I mean, are you sure?”
Leo’s expression softened. “Of course. It’s no problem.”
He turned toward the door but let out a pained noise as he stumbled and dropped his cane. His hand slammed against the wall to stop himself from falling.
“Leo!” I lurched toward him but King got there first. He gripped Leo’s upper arm, firmly stabilizing him while I leaned down to grab his cane.
“Thanks,” he mumbled, not meeting my gaze.
“Are you okay? Do you need to sit down?” I asked.
“No, I’m fine.”
I took a small step back at his harsh tone.
“I’ll drive,” King said.
Leo jolted. “What?”
“My car is parked a couple of blocks down. I’ll get it and drive you.”
“I’m perfectly capable of driving,” he snapped, jerking his arm out of King’s grip.
The small room filled with the burnt scents of stress and aggression, and I let out an unintentional whine.
James cleared his throat. “I should mention that wild bunnies have big fear responses. They can actually have heart attacks if they get too scared, so let’s all take a deep breath.”
Oh my god, she could have a heart attack? That was not going to help me calm down.
Wilder gripped the back of my neck again. “Everything’s going to be fine. Leo, go with King.” Before Leo could protest, Wilder spoke over him. “I know you can drive, but King’s car is closer and time is of the essence.”
Wow. Wilder was commanding. Not what I expected of him, but I liked it.
“Umm, okay,” Leo said, looking confused at his own agreement.
He and King seemed reluctant to leave, casting me long glances before closing the door behind them.
I turned back to the bunny while James tended to her wound. I didn’t realize I was crying until Wilder wiped my cheeks.
“She needs a name,” he said in his deep, gentle voice.
I nodded. “What about Blossom?” The name popped into my mind and felt right. It wasn’t until after I spoke it out loud that I realized I might have been inspired by the remnants of King’s orange blossom scent lingering in the air.
“Blossom. That’s a great name,” James said as he finished closing her wound. “If you want to hang out in the lobby, I can show you how to feed her the goat’s milk once the other guys are back.” He lined a small box with a towel and placed her inside.
I carried it out to the lobby, feeling like I was holding the most precious thing in the world.