Chapter 38
Wilder
Lucy, Blossom, and I sat down in the lobby. I spilled out of the tiny clinic chair, pushing my thigh flush against hers.
I needed to create space between us, especially since I hadn’t taken any suppressants after last night’s shit show. When I’d finally regained consciousness, cold and stiff on the ground, I’d half crawled inside and passed out on the couch.
You need to move. Stand up. Step over. Sit down. Any minute now.
Lucy glanced up at me, her eyes wide and watering. Could she sense the turmoil churning inside me? The danger she was in?
A piece of her hair fell in her face, and before I realized what I was doing, I tucked it behind her ear. My thumb caressed her cheek before I pulled away. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, but her heartbreaking sniffle ruined me.
I softened my voice. “Blossom is going to be fine.”
“Yeah.”
A couple of people trickled in for their appointments with the vet. Lucy’s eyes stayed fixed on the bunny.
“I’m sorry I missed craft night.” I’d practiced my speech the whole drive down the mountain, but now that I was in her presence, all the words flew out of my head. “I wasn’t feeling well.”
My excuse sounded so fucking feeble, but it wasn’t like I could tell her the full truth. Sorry I didn’t come. I was passed out on the ground like a fucking idiot after overdosing on rut suppressants, which are the only thing keeping me from going feral and attacking you.
Lucy’s eyes flashed to mine, a little crease between her brows. “Are you feeling better?”
“Yeah.”
We lapsed back into silence, and I wanted to smash my head against the wall. This was my chance to have Lucy to myself, and I was wasting it.
Leo’s question swirled through my mind—Are you courting Lucy? I recognized him from the joint Ocean and Mountain rescue trainings. I assumed his cane had something to do with why he wasn’t at the last one.
Well, I’m courting her, too.
Fuck. The thought of sharing Lucy filled me with white-hot possessiveness, but then…could I stay in her life if I were part of her pack? I would always have to keep myself at arm’s length, would never be able to have sex with her, but if the other guys were there to protect her from me…
Would it be better to have a place in the periphery of her life, or would that just cause more pain? Would I be able to see the other guys with Lucy without killing them, especially knowing I could never touch her like they did?
Leo seemed…fine. I couldn’t say the same about the pretentious alpha. King.
The door opened and the two men in question stepped inside. I held in a snarl as their eyes immediately went to my omega. A gentle touch pulled me up short. Lucy squeezed my wrist before standing.
The entire time James was showing Lucy how to feed Blossom, I could still feel the ghost of her touch on my skin.
It was everything I could never live without.
As we followed Lucy out of the clinic and slowly walked back to her place, I knew one thing for sure: I would do anything to conquer my fear, my jealousy, my fucking instincts, if it meant staying in Lucy’s life.
She hesitated outside her shop. “Um, well, thanks for the help, I guess?”
“Can I take you out for breakfast?” King asked.
Leo and I scowled at him.
“I was going to ask if you wanted to go to breakfast,” Leo said. “Also, I got you flowers.”
Before I could say that I also wanted to take her to breakfast, Lucy spoke. “I already have breakfast plans.”
“What about lunch?” I blurted out.
She scrubbed her hand down her face, her exhaustion clear. I wanted to wrap her up in a blanket and hold her in her nest. My cock twitched at the thought and I took a small step away.
“I can’t—” She swallowed. “I can’t deal with this right now. I just…Thanks for the help.” She took the bag of supplies and closed the door behind her.