Chapter 15
Grace
“ I know this is likely not what your pack had planned, but I’m not walking away from Grace unless she tells me to,” Drew said firmly. “I was an idiot once. Never again.”
“If you had stayed, you never would have had the career you loved,” I argued. My voice was rough, as if it was unused. Or maybe the anxiety just made it sound like that. A bit breathless and raspy, and not in a cute way.
“Fuck my career, look where it got me,” he scoffed, gesturing at the limp I hadn’t noticed before as he paced the floor. “Hurt, permanently retired, and lost out on years with you. The woman I could never forget.”
I let my eyes drift shut, refusing to cry right now. I’d done enough of that already.
“You know, all I ever wanted to do was embrace my omega side. To build a home I loved and was comfortable in, one that was in a town I adored with men who were content being there with me and letting me spread my cozy things all over. Now we have to figure out how to meld three sets of different lives.”
“No one ever said becoming a pack was going to be easy,” Cade said with a shrug. “Life would be boring if everything fell into place. We’ll figure it out, muse.”
“I’m willing to do whatever it takes for you, Grace,” Drew promised.
I couldn’t help but study his handsome face.
He was tan from years in the sun, bigger than ever, but there was still that familiar softness to his eyes.
The slight crinkle and smile lines a sign he’d laughed often.
They were the perfect hints at the boy I used to know.
“You left me once.” It wasn’t fair, but it was real. I needed to say it or I’d never move on. “I wasn’t enough for you to stay then. Why am I now? Am I just the backup plan?”
“That’s a valid question,” Beck agreed, voice gruff and eyes menacing as he turned them on Drew.
“Not helping,” Spencer muttered to him but the alpha didn’t budge.
“She wanted me to stay, and I knew if I did I’d lose everything I worked hard for. My entire life was football,” he admitted, not bothering to hold back or make excuses.
“And I had no right to try and take that from you,” I sighed. “As much as I wanted to be chosen, it wasn’t a fair ultimatum to give. This is the exact reason I struggled with you all being from the city and having a well-established life there.”
“You cut me out, too,” Drew said, voice full of pain. I’d all but wrote him off, worked hard to forget him, and he’d been thinking of me.
The guilt was awful.
I hadn’t expected the mirror to shift to me, but now I couldn’t help but hate myself a little for it. It wasn’t fair what I did to him, either.
“I did. I couldn’t pine for you,” I admitted. “I convinced myself you were wrong, that our scents weren’t right, and forced myself to move on.”
“And now you have a pack.” It was a whispered, somber observation that hit me like a punch to the gut.
“We just met, if that helps,” Cade offered. “This wedding brought us all here together.”
“Now what? The wedding is obviously not happening,” I pointed out. “Where do we go from here?”
What I needed was for someone to figure this out and take charge. I was tired of asking that damn question.
“Well, we aren’t leaving you and going back to our lives,” Beck said, a side eye sent to Drew who ignored it.
“I’m following you to Rockwood Valley. It’s about time I returned home,” Drew said easily, as if there was no other choice. “I’ve been looking for pack houses.”
I hated that it felt like a forced choice. Though, I knew I wasn’t in the headspace to make any sort of judgment or decisions.
“Right now, I think I just need some girl time,” I admitted.
Then, I stood up and walked out like the coward I was. Suddenly, I was that girl years ago, just graduated high school, and broken hearted all over again. I needed to live in this pain a moment before I unfairly cast him aside to protect myself.
I pulled out my phone as I hurried outside, taking the back halls once again to avoid my mom and family.
Grace: SOS
Sidney: We’re on the dock, do we need to come to you?
Grace: No, on my way.
They were all looking my way when I wound around the building. I’d meant to get fresh air, it was just plain good luck they also had the same idea.
“Whose ass do we need to kick?” Sidney asked, a few of their pack mates perking up, especially the Whitaker brothers.
“Down, boys, I’m alright,” I said as I collapsed on the worn planks next to my friends. “Apparently, I have another mate.”
“Wait, what?” Ori gasped. “Who?”
“There was this guy in high school. We were close. Everyone thought we were just best friends, but we were more than that. Our scents weren’t right at the time, he had a future in football and I didn’t want to leave home.
Blamed him for a long time for us falling apart, though I was just as stubborn then.
I haven’t seen him since he left for college, and left me behind. ”
“Until now,” Avery guessed, scooting closer to offer me comfort. It wasn’t hard to see the worry on my face and hear the waver in my voice.
“How did the other guys take it?” Wren asked with a frown.
“If that answer is anything but understanding from them, we might need to have a chat,” Maverick said. His normally stoic features were twisted into a frown, and with his arms crossed and muscles on display, he looked like he could scare most alphas into their place.
“Beck is a bit thrown off, challenging the alpha for walking away from me and not looking back, but not downright hostile,” I admitted with a defeated sigh.
“What can we do to help?” Sidney asked. It was a testament to how fragile I felt that she was still being so gentle. Usually, her sass would be out at full force.
“All I want is to go home,” I admitted. “This entire stay has been a disaster. I’m overwhelmed, far too vulnerable, and really don’t want witnesses to my life spinning out of control.”
“Then go home,” Sidney shrugged, like it was that easy. “Get your stuff packed, load your car, and drive home. Reclaim your life and let them figure out how they are going to fit into it.”
“It’s not playing hard to get,” Oriana said as gently as possible. “It’s you giving them a chance to prove they are the pack you need and deserve.”
It felt so petty. Just leaving and letting them follow. But god, I needed it.
I needed to feel in control, and I needed to know that they would keep their word.
And I needed to be far away from my family right now. I’d barely seen the brunt of their crazy now that Hailey wasn’t here.
“I’m going to go pack,” I said, standing up and brushing off my shorts.
“We’re heading back, too. As nice as the place is, I think I’d rather be in Rockwood Valley, too, if it means being stuck here with drama,” Avery admitted. “How about we plan a girl’s night tomorrow night? That’ll give us time to snuggle the kids and rest first.”
“Everyone can come out to our place,” Ori offered. “We can make a bunch of appetizers, drink some wine or sparkling juice if anyone needs, and watch some movies or something.”
“Sounds perfect. You guys are the best,” I said before heading inside.
The guys were all still in the suite when I walked in, Drew included. They all looked more settled now, but worried.
“I’m packing up and heading back to Rockwood Valley. I need to go house hunting, and honestly just need far away from my family and this wedding drama.”
The words hung in the air as the guys exchanged looks.
“Are you leaving because of us?” Beck asked. It was blunt and the way his eyes burned into me told me he was watching for signs that there was more to this.
“I don’t want to be here anymore,” I said, giving nothing else away.
“Then you don’t have to be,” Spencer reassured me. “We just need to go back to our place and wrap things up to move and pack. I’d love to look at places with you when we get back.”
I swallowed hard and nodded. It was a reasonable thing to do and I needed to not freak out over the separation.
“How long do you think it will take?”
Beck frowned and shifted uneasily. They shared a look and I just knew I’d hate this answer.
“Two weeks at most, I think. We have to make sure the company is running smoothly, get with our board and lawyers, and get someone to keep up with the loft for when we’re in town and get your room ready for that, too. I don’t want you visiting, even for short bursts, without a nest.”
“Company?” Drew asked.
“They own a scent company. PackSense.”
Drew laughed in shock. “Not just a scent company, the scent company.”
Beck puffed up at that. “We did a few sponsorships in the sports world. That’s why you look familiar. The football fans sponsorship, right?”
“Yes,” Drew answered, shaking his head. “Small world.”
“Sorry about your injury,” Spencer said. It sounded genuine and my heart warmed. They were trying.
With a sigh, I stood up and moved over to my two bags, working on collecting my things as they chatted. Eventually, Drew left to do the same.
Arms encircled me as I stood there, frozen, unsure what else to do. I leaned back and breathed in Spencer’s sweet, icy scent.
“I’m not ready to let you go, yet,” he whispered as he buried his face in my neck. “I just found you.”
“It’s temporary, right?” I tried to sound optimistic but it fell flat.
“It is,” he said firmly. “We are coming to find you, Grace. Just don’t give up on us. There are a lot of details to wrap up but we’ll handle it as quickly as possible so we don’t have to keep leaving to fix things.”
“I won’t,” I vowed as I let my eyelids flutter closed, soaking in his touch for what might be the last time in two weeks.
He moved away and Cade took his place, turning me so I could bury my face into his chest. His tropical, creamy scent had me fighting back tears.
“Don’t cry, muse. It’s temporary and I will be talking to you every damn day,” he promised.
“You better,” I warned as I swiped away tears and pulled back before I lost my resolve.
I could go with them, they’d take me in a heartbeat. But my own work things were waiting in Rockwood Valley and we all knew I needed them to show up for me this time.
All four of them.
When I glanced around for Beck he was carefully folding some of their clothes and packing them in my bag. The sweet gesture was nearly my undoing and I launched myself at my alpha.
His purr soothed the jagged edges as he held me tight, picking me up so I had to wrap my legs around him.
“Promise me you’re going to be waiting for me when I get there, sweetheart. Don’t think we’re anything like that boy you lost. We’re men who are shifting everything to come to you, give us the time to do that properly,” he begged me.
I hated that he sounded as vulnerable as I was. The fact it was this difficult on us all meant that this wasn’t the same.
That we all would be fighting to get back to each others’ side.
This was the pack I’d dreamt of and I wasn’t going to let them go that easily. I just needed a bit of normalcy back in my life and a place of my own.
I’d overstayed at Hailey’s place and I needed to be back in control of my life.
Two weeks would fly by. Right?