Chapter 33
Clover
It was going to take forever to get to the airport at this rate.
We’d barely inched forward for ages. Movement out of the corner of my eye had me turning, a combined bolt of relief and panic shooting through me when I realized it was Avery sprinting through the stationary cars.
Our gazes locked, and he skidded to a stop next to my rideshare.
“Angel!” His words were slightly muffled through the glass. He turned back down the road, flailing his arms in the air. “She’s here!”
Oh god, what now?
“What the hell? Who the fuck is this guy?” My driver stared wide-eyed.
My stomach dropped when I saw Logan and Hunter winding through the vehicles, heading right for me.
“Do you know them?” my driver asked, looking between me and the road anxiously. “Should we call the cops or something?”
“Yes, I know them. No, we don’t need to call anyone.” I sighed, my heartbeat kicking up behind my ribs as my stomach did flip-flops. “They’re…my pack, and they’re stubborn, apparently. I’m so sorry about this.” I put as much regret into my voice as I could to prove my point.
Poor guy. His day was taking a very testosterone-filled turn. Stupid rich assholes.
Despite my anger, something deep inside me hummed with happiness at their proximity, which was very annoying.
I made no move to get out of the car, staring straight ahead as I scowled. But they weren’t going anywhere.
“Do you want me to unlock the car?” he asked, his voice carrying a very sweet edge of concern.
I sighed. This conversation would be happening, regardless.
I pushed the window button, letting the glass descend a couple of inches. “What the hell do you guys want?” I crossed my arms and glowered at them.
Avery curled his fingers over the glass. Logan and Hunter were behind him with equal looks of concern, but they could get lost. I was ready to scream at them too.
Like it or not, they were my pack, and I was attached to them in a way I would never be attached to anyone else.
Still, considering Parker’s recent behavior, that wasn’t seeming like a good thing.
I couldn’t live with someone who thought of me the way he did, and I could never allow my child to grow up around that sort of influence.
Thinking about it made tears sting my eyes again, but I wouldn’t cry in front of these alphas, even if my hormones weren’t getting the message right now.
“Clover, please, we can talk about this,” Hunter begged. “We’ll deal with Parker, but we want to be there for you.”
“I’m leaving,” I said simply, looking forward again and trying not to meet any of their eyes. I wanted to get on a plane and get my ass to Seattle and far, far away from them.
“Look, angel,” Avery said gently, “I can’t blame you for wanting to run away. What Parker did was absolutely disgusting and so fucking dumb. We”—he gestured between himself and the rest of his pack—“don’t think that way at all.”
Logan nodded, those damn hazel eyes of his burning with intensity. “We really don’t, mama. You know that, too, even if it’s buried under being upset with Parker.”
Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes, and I blinked rapidly, trying desperately to get rid of them.
Yes, I was bitter about what had happened, but more importantly, I was downright furious.
And unfortunately, I was one of those people who, when I got too angry, would cry.
And the damn pregnancy hormones still weren’t helping.
I was so over this day. My shoulders slumped as profound exhaustion hit me.
Traffic lurched around us. “Hey, you guys are holding me up,” the driver said. “We’ve got to move.”
Avery quickly glanced at him before rummaging in his back pocket and pulling out a wad of bills. Because, of course, that would solve everything. I shook my head, pinching the bridge of my nose as he thrust the bills through the window opening.
“Traffic can go around you for a second. This will cover your time while I talk to our omega.”
The driver gathered the money with a shocked look. Embarrassment crawled up my spine, making my stomach twist again.
“Perfect, already settled.” Avery turned back to me. “Let’s talk.”
Part of me wanted to laugh at his antics, but the mood was too somber, and I was still annoyed.
“There’s nothing to talk about, Avery. What you might want to say doesn’t matter.
Parker is still part of your pack, whether you guys like it or not.
He is part of this, and he has made it very clear where he thinks I stand in this situation. ”
The pain over that reality flared brightly behind my ribs again, the memory of reading the contract a slash across my heart.
“Get out of the car, mama,” Logan said gently. “I can feel how upset you are, so I know you can feel how sorry I am.”
I grumbled. He wasn’t wrong.
“If you still want to leave after we have a conversation,” Logan continued, “then we’ll drive you to the airport and I’ll buy the house next to yours.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “You’re not moving to Seattle.”
“Watch me. I’m going to be there for you, however I can be.”
“Princess, we’ve known Parker for years.
He’s hardheaded, yes, and this is probably the stupidest thing he’s ever done,” Hunter reasoned, his hand moving over his chest like it would prove he was being genuine.
“I’m not going to stand here and say anything he did was okay, but if he doesn’t figure out his shit with you, he’s not going to stay pack.
I hate thinking that’s a possible future, but we’re going to protect you. ”
I sighed and opened the door, climbing out and standing in front of the three of them.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Logan cut me off, his voice sharp and direct.
“Given the way Parker’s treated you, I think it’s more than fair if you ignore him for the next twenty years.
But that’s him. He made a mistake. Please don’t run from us because Parker has been a royal ass of the highest order. ”
“You know”—Avery grinned, breaking the silence that had crept in while I thought things over—“I think the ratio of seventy-five percent good pack members to twenty-five percent butthead pack members is actually not bad numbers.”
I snorted lightly, shaking my head. I should have been screaming at them, telling them to leave—but despite my slowly softening rage, a deep part of me liked having them near.
Logan pulled me into his arms, and I reluctantly melted, swallowed up by his sandalwood scent, warmth, and rumbling purr.
“It’s not you guys I’m mad at, or at least not right this second.
It’s mostly Parker, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s in that pack house. The things he wrote in that contract…”
“Will never fucking happen,” Hunter said firmly, eyes narrowed. “We would never in a million years allow you to sign that thing.”
“Also, most of that contract stuff is actually void. Parker didn’t know we were already bonded when he had it written up,” Logan pointed out as he scooped me off my feet.
I thought about protesting, but traffic was moving a bit and horns were honking. If he wanted to carry me to wherever they’d come from, I would let him.
Avery let his hand rest on my leg where it was wrapped around Logan, keeping his touch gentle as we weaved through cars. “Angel, you should be here with us. We’re your pack. We will work this out together. If Parker steps one toe out of line, I’m more than willing to punch him.”
Avery’s pointed speech made me roll my eyes, and I cocked my head at him. “You can’t constantly be punching your pack mate, Avery.”
“Says who?”
Hunter shook his head. “Don’t worry, we won’t allow that. What he means to say is that we need to work on conflict resolution that doesn’t involve contracts, yelling, violence, or assault of any kind.”
“That’s the bare minimum,” I replied, eyeing him hard.
Logan grumbled, nuzzling my head with his cheek as we skirted over to the highway shoulder.
“You’re not wrong. What we’re asking is that you give us a chance—a few weeks to see how you feel.
If you still want to turn tail and run after that, then we’ll pay for the private jet for you to do so.
We want a life with you, and we’ll do whatever we need to in order to make that happen.
If any part of you wants that, too, even if it’s pure curiosity, please give us the opportunity. ”
I sniffled, tucking my face against his neck so I didn’t have to look at any of them when I answered. “What if we can’t make this work?”
“No, we can definitely make this work,” Avery announced, sounding so sure of himself.
“We’re bonded,” Logan added. “There’s no getting off this train, and you’ll have me ready to help you however you need until the day I die.”
“We don’t want you to feel trapped,” Hunter said softly, his blue eyes snaring into my soul when I glanced in his direction. “We’ll come to a solution together.”
I was bonded and pregnant, and in such a short time, I had grown attached to these alphas.
Maybe rushing back to my fathers wasn’t the best idea. I’d felt like crap while I was there, and now I knew it was because of the bond. Leaving again would only cause Logan and me preventable pain.
God, I wanted to listen to them. I wanted to believe that Parker would come around, that these alphas were the right kind, the ones who actually cared about me, and not just because of the pregnancy or accidental bonding.
“How can I be sure he won’t pull that type of stunt again? How can I be sure that none of you will take his side? And it’s not just me. There’s the baby to think about. I won’t raise them in an environment where I’m treated like garbage.”
Avery knelt down right there on the pavement, taking my hand as he looked up at me. I knew the streets were dirty, and I could imagine a stain growing on his pants. Something about the fact that he didn’t care about ruining them helped.
“You have my promise that I will always stand up for you, angel. We called out Parker for being an ass, and we’ll do it again if we need to.” Avery turned toward the others, his intensity deepening his voice. “Won’t we?”
“Yes,” both Logan and Hunter answered without missing a beat.
Logan sighed against my skin and whispered in my ear.
“I care about you, mama. Dearly. As far as I’m concerned, Parker will be out of the dog house when you say so.
I have no problem checking his attitude until he learns better.
A life without you isn’t an option, so whatever you need to feel safe, consider it done. ”
A scoff left me, but it was gentle, almost humorous. It was damn hard to be mad at the three of them when they’d chased after me like this.
We arrived at their car, and Avery rushed to open the passenger door for me.
Logan carefully deposited me, belted me up, and kissed me breathless before closing the door.
The icy layer of anger that had coated me thawed, and I put a hand on my belly.
I wanted my child to have a family, to be raised with the pack that had made them.
We could work on this. I could always leave if Parker didn’t get better, right?
Right.
Logan slid into the driver’s seat, Avery and Hunter piling into the back so we could stop holding up traffic, now that it wasn’t a complete standstill. I bit down on a whimper when Logan laid his palm on my thigh, the warmth of his skin sinking into mine. “Thank you for coming with us.”
“A month to prove ourselves should be enough time,” Hunter said. “Everyone can settle, and it’ll give you a good idea of what life is like with us.”
Taking a deep breath, I nodded. “Okay. I can agree to that, but if things don’t improve, I’m on the next flight to Seattle. I’ll take you up on that private jet offer.”