Chapter 12
Wilder
When Preston told us he’d bonded with an omega, of course, we jumped in to help—but he hadn’t bothered to tell us that she was absolutely stunning.
And that was not the head injury talking.
The sweet woman was curled up on my chest on the sofa, snoring lightly as I ran my hands through her hair. My head was pounding, and I was pretty sure I had a mild concussion, but instead of being mad about it, I was weirdly proud of the little omega for defending herself so well.
Well done, cutie.
The call from Preston had only lasted a few minutes, during which he rapidly explained that he’d accidentally bonded with an omega—and then had to leave her right after, because in true Preston fashion, he’d pissed on the rules and snuck off to a bar.
He’d sounded terrified, though, desperate to know if she was okay.
And that definitely meant something.
Nolan and I were both pissed that he’d made such a life-changing decision for the entire pack. We were a unit, a team. If one of us had an omega, all three of us had an omega.
And he’d gone and thought with his dick. Though, looking at her, I could hardly blame him.
“She’s fallen right to sleep,” I told my less impulsive pack mate, looking down at her with a grin.
“It’s clear as day she’s exhausted and struggling with the lack of contact. She’s probably touch-starved on top of everything else. A few days of close contact should hopefully help her,” Nolan said, standing up and walking closer to us.
“Once she’s a little better, we can actually get to know her,” I suggested softly.
“I’m already a fan. Anyone who would take a baseball bat to your head is a good egg, in my opinion.” Nolan laughed. “And she’s an EMT—you’ve got to have guts to do that.”
“Maybe she’ll fit in with us, after all,” he added, cocking his head to the side as he sat on the coffee table to watch her.
We had discussed finding an omega as a pack before. We knew the personality we wanted—but now anything we’d wanted was off the table. Hailey was ours, and we needed to work with what we had.
Which was damn fine, if you asked me.
Chemical unbonding was an option, of course, but none of us wanted that. Even though it wouldn’t hit me or Nolan as hard as it would Preston, it would still be physically awful for us.
Then again, if Hailey wanted to go down that route, we weren’t going to stop her. It was all our stupid pack mate’s fault that she was in this position.
She had a choice in this matter, and I would make it clear she knew that.
“Preston’s got so much to explain,” I muttered. “Mainly, why the fuck he’s suddenly in Camp Bower, with a criminal record and a new last name. If I wasn’t worried about doing some sort of harm, I would be marching down there first thing.”
“As would I,” Nolan agreed, his tone souring. “I’m going to check the kitchen and maybe start preparing some food for breakfast. It’s already five.”
“I don’t think she’s going to be waking up anytime soon,” I said as I looked down, the rhythm of Hailey’s breathing heavy and even.
“Why don’t you carry her to the nest? She’d be more comfortable there.”
“As much as I like the idea of a little nest snuggle time, I don’t want to go in there without asking her—and I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t let me just move her. Have you seen how tightly she’s holding on to my shirt?”
I looked down pointedly. Hailey’s hands were fisted in my shirt so tightly her knuckles were nearly white, even in her sleep. This separation was doing a number on her, that was for sure.
“That’s fair. I guess…” Nolan smirked as he stared down at Hailey in my arms, stifling a laugh. “...get comfortable. I’ll chill in the chair over there.”
Nolan wandered off to the seat across the room, and just like he’d said, I got comfortable. I was going to be sleeping on Hailey’s couch for the next few hours, so I made sure I could stand to be in one position for that long.
Everything was so goddamned confusing, I was going to wring Preston’s neck when I found him. He was a good guy, but he had really screwed up. Usually, when he left for months at a time for work, we didn’t question it, but this time… this time, we needed answers.
Hailey’s weight settled on my chest again as I kicked my feet onto the coffee table, and I leaned my head back, letting the quiet of the apartment and the delicious strawberries and cream scent around me lull me to sleep.
Which worked a lot quicker than I’d expected.
Movement below my head pulled me out of sleep, and I looked down to see Hailey turning her face into my chest and rubbing her nose against me. I couldn’t tell whether she was truly awake or not, but the way her scent flared as she did it had my already sleep-hardened dick twitching in response.
Down, boy.
Then I noticed the stitch in my back, the muscles angry that I’d chosen to fall asleep at this particular angle, and I couldn’t stop myself from stretching, grunting under my breath as my spine cracked.
“Huh?” Hailey stirred again, this time lifting her head and looking around the room.
When she realized where she was, she pulled back, yanking herself upright before gripping her forehead as she hissed.
“I forgot you were here.”
I cocked my head, content to keep holding her next to me. “Yup. Morning. Have any nice dreams? Your scent is swirling, cutie.”
Her cheeks turned bright pink, and she struggled to look at me. As she roamed her stare over the apartment, anywhere but on me, Hailey noticed Nolan in the chair across from us.
He smiled, nodding at her. “Morning.”
I stretched again, bringing her attention back to me, and she rolled her eyes when saw me smirking.
“No, I didn’t dream about you,” she grumbled sleepily, glowering at me. The heat of her gaze was somewhat lessened by the fact that she was still clinging to me for dear life.
“Suuure. But yeah, we’re here,” I said with a wide smile. “I suppose we’ll have to make the best of it. How are you feeling?”
She paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. “Better. Not amazing, but definitely better than I was, which, I suppose, is something.”
“Then I think it’s time for you to have some breakfast,” Nolan announced as he got up and walked to the kitchen.
In a few minutes, he returned and placed a plate in front of her on the coffee table. I’d heard him rummaging about in there while I was still dozing but hadn’t thought anything of it.
Freshly cut fruit, pancakes, and scrambled eggs graced the plate—he’d gone all out. Even the fruit was intricately sliced.
I shot him a grin but didn’t say anything. Nolan loved playing the caretaker—hell, we all did—so having an omega to fuss over was probably heaven for him, despite the unique circumstances that had landed us in this situation.
Hailey looked at the plate with distrust, her eyebrows pinched together as she leaned up and sat in the middle of the couch.
Nolan picked up a piece of apple and popped it into his mouth before handing the bowl over to her.
“Look, I don’t really know what’s going on. I want to figure it out, but for now, we need to make sure you’re okay. We’re not trying to dose you or something sinister. I swear.” He narrowed his eyes, swallowing before he asked what we’d both been wondering. “Have you been able to see a doctor yet?”
Hailey shook her head. “I haven’t felt up to driving, and I wasn’t going to go to any of the local doctors, but I have a friend driving me to one soon.”
“A friend?” I questioned.
“A friend.” Her cheeks turned a delightful shade of pink, and I cocked my head.
I knew what that type of “friend” was code for, and a part of me wanted to press for more details. We didn’t deserve them yet, of course. We’d just met her, and sure, we were Preston’s pack mates, but that didn’t mean shit to Hailey.
It did complicate things, though. If she had another alpha she was seeing—or, at the very least, interested in—outside of the pack, it could get messy. That was a tomorrow problem, though, because as she ate, Hailey’s eyes started to droop again.
Even after a few more hours of sleep, she was struggling to stay awake, particularly now that she was fed. Worse, or maybe better, in my case, she looked absolutely adorable as the food coma set in.
“Ready for nap two?” I asked, smiling over at her as Nolan chuckled to himself.
“Mmm, maybe. But I’m changing positions, my hip hurts.”
“I’m at your command, m’lady.”
Hailey squinted at me as I teased, but before long, she was on her back on my chest, the two of us lounging as she fell asleep again.
I enjoyed it, and I wasn’t too big of a person to admit that. Hailey was something, and as much as I was still pissed at Preston for a variety of reasons, his taste in omegas was hardly one of them.