Chapter 49
For the life of me, I couldn’t understand what set Indi off.
One minute, it seemed like everything was going well, not totally back to normal—that was a bit hopeful, even for me. But… better.
Tolerable.
Then the next thing I knew, it was tense again.
Joon sat in the middle of us, fidgeting nonstop with the popcorn bag, the paper crinkling with every movement.
I wanted to be annoyed, in any other circumstance, I would’ve been.
Noisy eaters in the movie theater were in my top five most hated types of people.
But, through the bond, I could feel how nervous Joon was.
It was clear to me he cared deeply about making it work and keeping the whole pack happy…
which was kind of bullshit, but seemed like the kind of thing that an omega would strive for.
I placed my hand over his, trying to soothe him, at least a little bit. He jolted at the initial touch, obviously not expecting it, but relaxed quickly.
Even though they were upset, Indi was still on the other side, their hand on Joon’s thigh, rubbing up and down absently.
They could act jealous and irritated with both of us if they wanted, but it was clear they weren’t going anywhere and were still invested in the relationship.
Indi was just being the stubborn alpha they tended to be, but I’d known them long enough to know they would come around.
I could understand why Joon wasn’t as convinced, though. Having a bond broken like that… maybe we should look into getting him some more therapy. And talk to him about telling the others.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I shut off all notifications during movies, except for a few I considered emergencies. Everyone’s number in the pack, a call from my restaurant, and the security system at our home.
So I pulled the device out of my pocket, the faint glow hitting my face.
ProtectionNet Notification: Movement at front door at 7:47 PM
ProtectionNet Notification: Front door opened at 7:52 PM
My brow furrowed. Cam and Eva were the only ones home, and they were supposed to stay put. Did Cameo go out to get the mail or something? It just felt a bit… off.
I pulled up the camera. Outside, there was a hidden camera that captured images when movement was detected in front of the house. Most of the time it was a deer or a neighbor walking by, but clear as day, there was an image of someone standing at our front door.
My stomach dropped.
It managed to capture a few images. He obviously stood there messing with the lock for a while, but he’d turned just enough for my camera to get the faintest glimpse of him. I tried to zoom in. I could get a bit closer, but eventually he just turned into a generic, highly pixelated white guy.
“What’s wrong?” Joon whispered to me. That’s when I realized my grip on his hand had become tight.
“We need to go home,” I said. “Tell Indi, now.”
The look of worry on his face matched mine. He leaned into them, whispering a bit too loudly. There was a huff from another audience member from behind us, but I didn’t give a shit. I hopped up, knowing the other two would follow, and started down the stairs two at a time.
The light from the lobby was blinding after the dark of the theater.
“What’s wrong?” Indi asked, matching my quick pace to the car.
“I don’t know,” I said. “The security system said that someone came through the front door.”
“Fuck,” they said, walking even faster now. “I’ll try to call Cam.”
“I’ll try Eva,” Joon added.
They each took out their phones and started dialing. We made it to the car, where each of them hung up without a word.
“Voicemail,” the two said in almost perfect unison.
“Keep trying,” I said.
I threw the car in reverse and skated out of the spot before speeding away.
I didn’t know what was going on, but I could only hope it was nothing.