Chapter 19
Wilder
“Is that a giant stuffed bunny?” Nolan asked as I walked through the door.
“Well, it’s not a giant stuffed raccoon.” I shot him a look, holding the fluffy creature up.
It was pink and nearly half the size of my body, but when I saw it, all I could think of was that our omega would probably love it. Hailey needed squishy things, and as her alpha, I was going to provide.
Nolan stood in the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge, staring at me like my brain had leaked out of my ears. I suppose seeing his pack mate carrying a pastel pink, gigantic stuffed bunny wasn’t exactly normal.
“I picked up a bunch of nesting supplies for Hailey. Given her situation, she probably needs them,” I pointed out.
Lacking that bond meant she was seeking connection and comfort, and nothing comforted an omega quite like nesting.
“Nesting supplies, I understand. I’m not sure that thing counts,” Nolan said, standing up and brushing imaginary lint off his slacks. “I suppose that’s why you wanted to borrow my car?”
I nodded adamantly. Nolan owned a large SUV, whereas I had a motorcycle. I’d known I was going to buy some “nesty” things for Hailey, so his car was the obvious choice.
“Well, if she doesn’t like it, I’ll take it back,” I said simply, placing the fluffy monstrosity on the couch. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to figure out how to prep some semi-nutritional meals for her. Judging by the sheer amount of ice cream in this freezer, she’s not exactly a fan of vegetables. We didn’t grab enough proteins yesterday.”
“We can go grocery shopping again,” I suggested. “Though, I think we really do need to talk to her. She needs to know what Preston’s real job is.”
Nolan shot me a sharp look.
“She’s bonded—she has a right to know that he’s not actually a terrible person.” I raised my brows at him, not backing down.
Then again, I wasn't sure how much we could tell her, because we didn't even really know what was going on.
“We can’t. Telling her will put Preston at risk,” he shot back.
“Yes, but we’re putting her at risk. She needs to know.”
Also, Preston was the one who’d fucked up. If he was dumb enough to sink his teeth into someone he didn't trust, then the consequences were his own fault.
“Shouldn’t we wait until Preston finishes whatever the hell he’s doing?” Nolan suggested. “He said in his call that it would just be a few more weeks.”
“She’s pregnant and so unsure about us that she climbed out of her bedroom window in the middle of the night. And Preston said this job was only going to take six weeks and that was months ago.”
Nolan grimaced. “That’s far from ideal, yes, but it’s not like she’s going to do anything. She needs us to help her through her sickness. So, I say we focus on helping her and deal with Preston later.”
“No, I don’t think she’d rat us out, but I wouldn’t put it past her to hit me with a baseball bat again.”
“But you would deserve that,” Nolan pointed out.
I shook my head. “And you, my dear pack mate, deserve so much more, considering you’re keeping the truth from her too. Don’t you want to return to our lives?”
“Do you think it's possible? Think about it, Wild. Can we really go back to Seattle when Hailey lives here?”
“I'm sure she wouldn't be a fan of moving, but once Preston is here, it makes sense.”
“I agree it makes sense, and it's what we should do, but we can't force her. Hailey has a life here, and we need to consider that.”
I groaned. “You have a point. But so do I. We can’t keep Hailey in the dark, even if that means letting her know that he’s actually working and not a criminal.”
It seemed like Hailey hadn't had much control over what had happened to her in the recent months. We couldn't exactly decide where she was living without a conversation, at the very least.
We had a good life in Seattle, though. Nolan worked at a successful law firm, and we had a nice circle of friends. We’d spent months working on our house, renovating it to just the way we liked it. It even had a suite for our future omega.
“The last thing I want to do is move to California. The weather is too warm here,” Nolan said, clearly ignoring that last part.
“I don't know, I think there's something to be said about a place with loads of beaches.” I grinned.
It was my omega wearing nothing but a teeny tiny bikini I was thinking about more than anything. That would be a very welcome sight.
“Just get all those things put away,” Nolan said with a shake of his head.
“Sir, yes, sir!” I said, playfully saluting him.
I was just about to grab the milk when the front door opened, and Hailey walked in, a large firefighter wearing an LAFD shirt behind her. It was the same guy who’d picked her up for her doctor's appointment. I’d seen him from the window when I'd snuck out of the bathroom.
He was standing behind Hailey like an imposing, protecting shadow. Judging by the scowl on his face, he wasn't happy to see us.
Nolan and I both stilled, turning to look at them.
Why had Hailey let him in this time? She’d been so anxious to hide us when this guy had picked her up the other day. Did she think we were going to leave after she snuck out of her bedroom?
“Merrick, meet Nolan and Wilder,” she said with a small smile.
Why was she smiling? It was a stark difference from the stressed demeanor we were used to.
I took a moment to look, really look, at Hailey. Her skin was pinker and less sallow. Where her eyes were dull before, now they seemed to sparkle.
She was looking a million times better, and I needed to know why. I knew that our cuddles were helping, but not that much.
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet my new pack mates,” Merrick said with a grin.
Pack mates?
What the hell was he talking about?
“Sorry, we have no idea who you are, so I doubt that you’re a member of our pack,” Nolan said, his voice as tight as his scowl.
We moved toward the living space where the pair of them were standing. The alpha was glued to Hailey's side so much that it was making me a little worried.
She was my omega.
“Actually, he is,” Hailey said brightly, flouncing over to the kitchen and grabbing a can of soda from the fridge.
As she bent down, the bite mark on her neck was blatantly obvious.
Well, fuck.
“What the hell did you do?” Nolan growled.
Hailey stood up, blinking innocently. “I bit an alpha that I was a fan of. So, Merrick is officially one of my alphas—one of my pack— you’re just going to have to deal with it.”
She sounded so confident, so sure, but there was a slight tremor of uncertainty in her voice.
And I couldn’t help but think she was worried about how mad we were going to be.
“Why?” Nolan’s voice was strained. All the color had drained from his face.
“Well…I didn't tell you exactly what the doctor said. He recommended that bonding with someone would help settle my sickness. Having contact with an alpha I was bonded with instead of the one who was far away would help me feel better.”
“We could have bonded!” I insisted. “We would have done anything for the sake of you and the baby!”
Hailey whipped around to glower at me. “I hardly know anything about you, other than the fact that your pack mate is a convict. I decided to discuss this with my friend Merrick. We came to the conclusion that we like each other and decided to bond.”
“Just like that, you decided to bond?” Nolan asked.
Hailey nodded. “And you can't say anything about it, Nolan, because I gave more thought to this bond than Preston gave to biting me!”
Nolan pinched the bridge of his nose. I could feel the exasperation rolling off him in waves. “I… Fuck.”
“I suppose you guys better get to know your new pack mate!” Hailey smiled viciously. “Merrick will be staying with me for a while.”
“Now, this place is rather tiny. Where are you sleeping?” Merrick asked, and I couldn’t restrain the low growl but quickly shook it off.
“The couch, the floor—wherever Hailey wants us to,” I said with a grin.
Even though I wasn’t too fond of this guy at the moment, I had to admire his determination when it came to protecting Hailey.
But they both needed to know that we were capable of that dedication too.
“Good,” he said with a nod. “Her nest is her own.”
“Yes, but you’re joining me in it, because you’re my bonded mate,” Hailey grinned, taking his hand and looking up at him with an expression I could only describe as loving.
Jealousy hit me like a punch to the gut.
“I thought I was your snuggle partner.” The words leaked out of me like blood from a shallow wound.
Nolan didn’t seem at all distracted, unfortunately.
“You bonded with the first person you saw because you were mad at us and have forever changed our pack. How is that fair? How stupid can you be?” Nolan said.
“Stupid?” Hailey repeated, her voice taking on a low and dangerous tone.
Behind her, Merrick growled. He was a big fucker and had the muscles to back up his anger.
Nolan was about to put his foot in his mouth; I could feel it. He was usually the most composed one of our pack, but it seemed like Hailey had turned everything on its head.
“I know Merrick a hell of a lot better than the two of you. I definitely know him better than your pack mate who is currently sitting in a convict camp. I decided to bring someone into the pack I could actually trust—someone who isn’t a delinquent. Someone I’ve been interested in for years.”
“We are not delinquents,” Nolan growled.
“Yeah, like I can trust you. Your pack mate is a fucking convict.”
I bit my lip. The urge to laugh was intense, but I knew that if I let even one slip out, someone was probably going to strangle me.
Still, the urge to say “I told you so,” burned in my chest. Hailey needed to trust us, and we weren’t giving her any reason to.
“You can’t blame her for protecting herself,” I said with a shrug.
Nolan looked at me like I had finally lost the plot.
I took a deep breath, I walked over to the kitchen, grabbed some of the beers I’d purchased the other day, and held them up. “I think we all need a drink—and a conversation,” I said, also grabbing a fresh soda for Hailey.
“Sure,” she grumbled, crossing her arms. “If someone can behave.” She glowered at Nolan, who raised his hands in surrender.
“I’m sorry. I spoke before I thought.”
Hailey scoffed. “You called me stupid when it’s your pack mate who got us into this mess!”
“Actually, that’s a pretty smart move. Nolan here is just pissed at himself.” I laughed, raising my beer in the air. “So you’re a firefighter?” I asked, sinking onto the couch.
Merrick nodded. “I joined right out of high school. You?”
“Nurse. I considered doing the whole medical school thing, but I just wanted to start working and helping people, and nursing took fewer years of training. Also, I wasn't very good at school.”
“Honestly. Respect.” Merrick tilted his beer bottle toward me, turning the corners of his mouth down.
“Nursing school is no joke,” Hailey insisted.
“Have you ever considered it?” I asked.
Hailey cocked her head to the side. “A few times. I like working as an EMT, helping people when they’re experiencing the worst moments of their lives, but I would like to be able to do more.”
“Why haven't you gone for it, then?” Merrick beat me to the question.
“It's a huge time commitment, and I would have to take on a lot of student loans.”
“Not now, you wouldn't,” I pointed out.
“What do you mean?” she shot back.
“Cutie. I'm not so sure about his financial position”—I pointed to Merrick as I spoke—“but we’re pretty well off. You've got plenty of alphas who would support you chasing whatever dream you wanted.”
Hailey looked stumped for a moment, glancing between us like the idea had never even occurred to her. “Wait, you guys would support me doing that?”
“Of course,” Nolan said flatly. “We can easily finance it.”
“As can I,” Merrick added, meeting my eyes. “I was smart with my money and invested my first few paychecks well. I may not be at a lawyer's level of money, but I do okay for myself.”
“But what about the baby?” Hailey asked with a frown.
“We can make it work. Between all of us, someone can be with the baby at all times, and if our jobs don't allow it, we can always hire some help.”
Hailey looked thoughtful for a moment.
It hit me even harder than that we’d really fucked this up. Our omega didn't even believe or know that we would support her chasing her dreams.
That was one of the most basic things a pack was meant to do: support and lift each other up.
Pack members were there to help you when you were at your lowest and help you reach your goals. They were a helping hand when you needed them the most.
They were people who loved you and wanted what was best for you.
And Hailey didn’t see us that way—yet.
“Okay, I think we need to play a game!” I declared loudly, clapping. “Twenty questions, anyone?”