Chapter 26
Twenty-Six
DARIA
Working after catching a whiff of Linc’s cum is nearly impossible, but by some miracle, I manage to focus. Terrance is explaining the newest project they need help with when Ryan shows up. For a moment, all I can do is stare at him. He’s so far away, I can’t immediately scent him, but I remember the way he smelled.
Woodsy. That, in combination with the scents of the other members of his pack, was enough to keep me happy. At one point, I had even sworn they were my fated mates.
That thought is almost comical now. With them, I never felt the way I do now. Scent matches are a whole other level of obsession and need. Had I known that then, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time on those shitbags. Ryan’s pack cheated on me with another omega— someone with a little more class , or so I was told. I can’t even fathom betraying Pack Kelly or any other pack, for that matter, but I guess I’m not a shitty person.
Which brings me to my next thought. What the hell is he doing here?
I side-step, so Terrance’s much larger frame hides mine, and try to focus. Ryan strides down the hall with purpose, almost like he owns the place.
Noticing my distraction, Terrance turns to search for what’s snared my attention. “Oh, yeah. That’s Ryan, Lincoln’s son.”
“Son?” I choke out.
Oh, fuck. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. FUCK.
“Yup. Between you and me, he’s a real asshole.”
“You can say that again,” I mutter.
Terrance pinches his eyebrows together. “You know him?”
“Uh, no,” I say quickly. “He seems like the type of guy who expects the world to fall at his feet.”
“That’s not far off, actually,” Terrance says with a laugh. “That alpha thinks he’s a king. I should probably go see if Lincoln needs anything. Sometimes, these visits can be rough for our boss. We’ll finish the design brief this afternoon?”
“Sure,” I tell him with a smile. “I might take my lunch soon.”
“Good idea. We’ll talk later.” Terrance strides away, and I quickly make myself scarce, locking my computer before grabbing my purse and lunch box.
It’s not surprising that other people know Ryan expects everyone to bow down at his feet and worship him.
He expected it of me. At first, I’d thought it was fun, dropping to my knees at his barked command. I’d thought it was kinky, but then he’d call me terrible things—like disgusting slut —or tell me I was just another hole he wanted to use as I sucked him off. And when he came, he’d walk away and pretend like he hadn’t torn my dignity to shreds.
The rest of the pack wasn’t too terrible, and sometimes, Ryan was so nice...so kind that I let those darker moments slip by. Looking back now, I’m glad I found out they were cheating. Quinn and I had long talks about the breakup, and eventually, I confessed the way Ryan had treated me, and seeing how livid she was told me all I needed to know. Ryan was toxic.
Thinking of the way Vic took care of me after the chase scene, I feel doubly stupid for putting up with how Ryan treated me for so long.
I find myself in the elevator and heading to the rooftop patio Terrance told me about, putting as much space between me and my ex and his dad as possible. Fuck. Linc is my ex-boyfriend’s dad. I mean, technically, the entirety of Pack Kelly are his dads.
Which is a next-level complication.
I slip out of the elevator and onto a cute little patio. The top of the building is lined with nine-foot-tall panes of thick glass. There’s a sprinkling of picnic tables underneath a constructed shading—various wind resistance materials stretched tight between metal rods.
Taking the spot farthest away from the few other people eating, I unpack my lame lunch. A sandwich made of bread heels, one slice of cheese, and my last piece of turkey and a bag of the broken chips from the bottom of the bag.
Fuck Ryan. I was going to have Thai food, but now I’m stuck with this.
No. Double fuck him. Not only are my scent matches the parent of that scumbag, but I’ve already fucked one of them and let another get me off more than once. I was 100% going to let Lincoln follow through with whatever he had planned. Now, though...
Frankly, I don’t give a fuck. Even though I didn’t set out to fuck his dads to get vengeance, it is a sweet sort of karma. The ex-boyfriend situation doesn’t bother me. It might bother the pack, though.
Especially since he comes to visit one of his dads at work.
Clearly, I have to tell the pack, so yeah, double fuck Ryan.
I take a bite of my sandwich, pretending the dryness and lack of substance don’t bother me. I get paid soon. Rent has to be paid first. That’s non-negotiable. Whatever is left over, which won’t be much, will go toward utilities and groceries. I might have to give up my Wi-Fi for a few months to recover from helping Marco and Mom.
The next bite is hard to swallow, and as I go to take a third, I realize my hands are trembling. Pinching my eyes shut, I set the sandwich down and take a breath, begging the tears not to fall. There are other people up here. I turn away from them and stare at the view the rooftop patio offers, not really seeing any of it as my vision blurs.
I’m really, really tired of life shitting on me.
Right when I thought, perhaps, I’d finally get my dream, a wrench is thrown in. I may very well lose my fated mates.
Ryan and his pack don’t mean anything to me. Sure, I thought I loved them at one point, but I didn’t. But not loving them doesn’t erase the betrayal or the hurt that came with the cheating. Maybe it hurts more because of how long I’ve tried to find my fated mates. Maybe it hurts because that breakup was another rejection added to the unsteady pile of rejections that’s threatening to topple over.
My mom over and over.
All the other packs.
My best friend in high school, who constantly told me I was embarrassing her.
Everyone who ever told me I was too loud when I was excited.
Everyone who told me I was being too extra when I was simply being myself.
Yeah, I love myself, but it still fucking hurts to realize people don’t like you.
Throat burning, I bite the inside of my cheek until that pain overrides the anxiety and doubts and heartache. I have to stop. I can’t keep spiraling like this. Vic’s already seen me at my worst. I’m not ready to share the mess of my emotions and wounds with the rest of the pack, at least, not until they know about Ryan.
Not until I know that Pack Kelly will really be mine.
Eventually, once I’ve compartmentalized everything and the tears are gone, I force myself to eat the dry sandwich and chips, taking drinks of water from my new Good Vibes tumbler.
As the roof slowly fills with more and more people, I linger a bit past the one-hour mark, hoping that, by the time I head down to my office, Ryan will be gone.
I will tell the pack, but I’m not looking to confront my ex right now.
The last time we talked was less than pleasant, and somehow, he managed to make me feel like shit, even though the pack fucked up.
Thankfully, the elevator is empty. By the time I reach the Good Vibes floor, I’ve put myself back together.
Linc appears at my cubicle right as I log into my computer. “Hey, I’m really sorry about lunch. My son popped in, and I wasn’t expecting him.”
I turn and brace myself, preparing to break the news, but the crinkles in his forehead give me pause. While Linc’s hair is still in his signature man bun, it’s not nice and neat. It looks like he ran his palm over the top of his head a dozen times. His shoulders are slumped, like in the time between our interaction in his office and now, the weight of the world began crushing him.
“Are you okay?”
His frown deepens. “I’m actually not sure,” he says, shaking his head. “Can we try lunch on a different day? Ryan’s visit has me out of sorts, and I’m afraid I won’t be the best company right now.”
Dropping the news on him now almost seems cruel. So, I simply nod. “Of course.”
“Oh,” he says, eyes landing on something behind me. “I had something put together for you. Think of it as a welcome package.”
I glance back and spot a cute crimson bag with black tissue paper sticking out of it. “A present?” I ask, facing him again.
“I was going to show you how to use them, but...” He trails off and shakes his head again. “Sorry, I’m not sure what’s going on with me.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t want to scare you off.”
If only he knew, he might not be so worried about that. The pain clinging to him tells me now isn’t the time. Besides, it’s probably better to let the pack know when they’re all together.
“Trust me, I understand family drama more than anyone,” I tell him. “But I get it. We can talk whenever you’re ready.” Or maybe, by then, you won’t want to talk to me ever again.
“Thanks, Daria.” He steps into my cubicle suddenly, invading my space and reaching down to stroke his thumb over my cheek and lips, marking me with his scent.
My heart does a happy little flip, too happy to realize that things are complicated as fuck.
“I couldn’t resist,” he says with a wink, stepping back as quickly as he stepped in. “Thanks for understanding, and I’m really sorry again. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“It’s okay,” I reassure him, smiling as he starts to back away. “Go do bossy things.”
“Bossy things? I’ll be sure to put that on my resume,” he says with a cheeky grin.
I watch him leave, breathing in the way his scent mingles with mine. My stomach flutters. All my instincts ignore logic. They don’t care about my ex-pack.
Sighing, I turn back to my work and try to ignore the urge to run into his office and comfort him. He wanted space. It would be extra fucked up to go soothe him when I have this secret.
So, I throw myself into my work and hope that everything will work out.