Chapter 25
TRAVIS
“At least the squirrel was okay,” Rowan chuckles weakly.
His car, on the other hand, is not.
We were two minutes away from the shelter, and Rowan took a backroad due to construction on the usual path. We were already running late, and it made the most sense.
“You’re an idiot,” Ryland sighs, staring at the wreckage.
The car ended up sideways in an embankment.
The airbags didn’t even go off, but the whiplash hurts like a motherfucker.
The three were able to climb out, and afterwards, we checked ourselves for injuries.
But besides feeling sore, we are alright.
My packmates are safe, and the adrenaline rush has subsided.
“Tow truck is on its way,” I confirm. “Apparently, there have been a bunch of accidents tonight. They said to give them thirty minutes.”
Ryland runs a hand through his hair. “Blair and Piper are on their way,” he mutters.
Rowan looks to me, chewing his lip. “Fuck,” he mutters. “She shouldn’t be here. It’s just going to frighten her.”
Even though the three of us are okay, I don’t want Blair to have to see the wreck.
It looks far worse than it actually is.
Besides being on its side, the front of the car is smashed up a bit, and anyone looking at it would assume that the passengers were injured.
It’s a miracle we made it out unscathed.
“It could have been a lot worse,” Ryland says, as if reading my thoughts. “With the rain and all. Holy shit. I can’t believe that just happened.”
A few bystanders had stopped by, but after they saw we were okay, they took off, leaving us on the side of the road to wait for the tow truck.
A car comes into view, and I recognize the faces of Blair and Piper.
Relief washes over me when I see my scent match, and my chest rumbles with anticipation.
I scent Blair before she exits the car. Piper throws on her hazard lights while the three of us head toward the vehicle, and when Blair steps out and throws herself in my arms, I sense something is wrong.
She looks like a ghost. Her skin is white, her eyes wide, and her face twisted in agony when she buries it in my chest.
“We’re okay,” I promise her, a purr forming in my chest. “We’re okay.”
She keeps her face buried in my chest and shakes her head silently. I rock her back and forth on the side of the road, placing my hand at the back of her head and holding her close to me.
Her sweet Omega scent has soured with acidic lemon.
She’s not alright at all.
“It’s going to be a tight fit,” Piper says. “But let’s get into my car until the ambulance comes, okay?”
Blair sucks in a breath at the word ambulance, and my purr intensifies.
“We’re not calling one,” I say evenly. “We’re all okay.”
“What the hell?” Piper argues. “Did you see the wreckage you just crawled out of? At least get your ass to the hospital and get checked out.”
Blair continues trembling in my arms.
“Pipe, we just got a couple scratches and bruises, nothing else,” Rowan says. “If it still hurts tomorrow, I’ll go see a doctor, how about that?”
Piper looks at Blair, then to the three of us. “Fine. As long as you three agree to get checked out if you feel worse.”
I nod. “Whatever works.” I press a kiss to the top of Blair’s head, then shoot a worried glance at Piper.
Piper frowns at her friend and sighs. “Just…let’s get out of the rain.”
We pile into Piper’s car with Blair seated on my lap.
She still hasn’t spoken.
I continue my purring for her with Rowan and Ryland sitting on either side of me. One of us could sit up front, but I’ll be damned if I let go of my Omega right now.
“Is she—” Rowan starts to ask, but I shake my head.
“Leave it,” I snap. Her scent doesn’t stop souring until there’s nothing left but citrus in the air.
Blair’s floral, honeyed aroma is replaced with the essence of her fear. “You’re the cause of this, anyway. You can’t fucking drive.”
“Whoa, Travis,” Ryland starts, but I silence him with a growl.
“Leave. It.”
“Hey,” Piper hisses from the front seat, turning to me and my packmates. Fire burns in her eyes as she glares at me. “Now is not the time to be fighting. Especially not in front of her. You all are safe. That’s what matters.”
I nod, then turn to Rowan, who’s gone as pale as Blair has.
That soured scent is killing me. I long to get her out of here, wrap her in blankets and place her back in her nest where she belongs.
She’s breaking apart in my arms.
When she finally pulls away to meet my eyes, what I see there haunts me.
That guarded expression, the one that she used to wear so proudly around me, is back.
Even her smile is strained. “Sorry about that,” she says evenly.
But her voice is all wrong.
It’s the customer service voice she uses at Scents.
“Hey, baby,” Ryland says cautiously, “are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just got scared there for a second. I’m glad you’re okay,” she says sweetly.
But it’s off.
The tone is wrong.
Every second she’s in the car with us, she’s fading away.
Rowan won’t stop frowning at her. “Baby…I’m so sorry. We didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay, Rowan. Really.”
His face relaxes and he sighs in relief, as if she fooled him.
But I can sense it from all my time spent with her at Scents.
Even her mannerisms are slightly robotic. She looks back to me, still perched on my lap. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispers.
“Hey,” I murmur, pressing my forehead to hers. “We’re not going anywhere, okay? I mean it. You’re stuck with us.”
Her huff of laughter is weak. “I know.”
But in the rearview mirror, Piper is frowning.
She notices Blair’s strange behavior, too.
You’re losing her. She’s pushing away.
“Blair,” I whisper. “You’re the best thing that’s happened to us. This is just a little accident. It means nothing. Nothing.”
“And I saved a squirrel,” Rowan adds. “So, it’s a win-win.”
Ryland snorts.
“Oh, hey, the tow truck is here,” Piper says. “That was quicker than I thought.”
At Piper’s words, Blair relaxes. “Good,” she says. “I’m glad that’s over. I’m glad this is all over.”
Again, the inflection is wrong.
Something is wrong with my Omega.
Now Ryland is the one to look at me, concerned.
“Yeah, baby. Let’s get this taken care of, then we can cook for you, how about that?” Rowan adds. “Hell, Pipe, you can come along, too. Bring your pack. We can all hang out—”
“I’m tired,” Blair blurts. “I think I’m going to stay in for tonight.” She looks to Rowan. “You three should get checked out at a hospital, anyway.”
Her smile has grown tighter, and I’m seconds away from losing my shit.
She’s physically in my arms, but she’s shrinking into herself.
“You should sleep at the packhouse,” Rowan says. “We changed the sheets and everything. The nest is there for you whenever you want, sweetheart.”
“I’m really tired,” she repeats.
The tow truck pulls up behind us, and Ryland opens the car door while Blair scrambles off my lap and into Ryland’s empty seat.
“Piper, do you mind dropping me back off at the rescue?” she asks.
“…okay,” Piper says slowly. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Yeah,” she says. “I have to feed Mervin and Marlin, anyway.”
“Don’t you have an auto feeder for them?” I ask, and she swallows and looks away from me.
It’s just an excuse to get away from us.
“What the hell is going on?” Rowan asks softly. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
“Ride in the tow truck with Ryland,” I say to him.
“Like hell I’m doing that—”
“Just. Go.” The command in my voice is enough to make him nod.
If anyone can get through to Blair right now, it’s me.
But as she shifts into the seat furthest from me, dread creeps its way up my spine.
She won’t look at me anymore. She just gazes out the window.
“So, exactly what’s happening, here?” Piper asks.
“Just take me back to the rescue once the tow truck takes off,” Blair says softly. I reach for her hand, which lays idly on her thigh. It’s cold, and I when I try to intertwine our fingers together, she doesn’t move.
Shit.
I run my thumb over the top of her hand, and for a moment, her eyes flicker to mine.
I find nothing there but disinterest.
Don’t shut off from me, I want to say. Don’t do that again. I’m here. You’re not alone anymore.
I tell myself that she’s spooked by the sight of the accident and that she just needs time to adjust.
I squeeze her hand gently.
She doesn’t squeeze it back.
When Piper drives us back to the rescue, I can’t ignore the sinking feeling in my gut.
Every second Blair doesn’t look at me is another second that she pushes away.
“Everyone went home already, Blair. Maeve closed up,” Piper says as we park next to Blair’s. “Should I just follow you home?”
“I’ll give her a ride home,” I say.
“I want to be alone tonight,” Blair says.
She doesn’t want to be around us.
“I’ll drive Travis home afterward,” Piper adds gently. “He’ll just give you a ride home.”
Regardless of what she might argue, Blair is in no position to drive, especially with the rain pouring down like this.
She just looks to me and nods.
Her movements are jerky as she steps out of Piper’s car, her purse in hand. I take it from her wordlessly, fish out her car keys, and unlock the doors to her car.
She climbs into the passenger seat, not looking at me.
My inner Alpha howls in agony, and I’ve never felt so helpless.
She buckles her seatbelt before I have the chance to do it for her, her lips pulled into a thin line.
“Everyone is safe,” I reassure her again, my voice low.
The customer service smile reappears. “I know, Travis.”
Not Alpha.
Just Travis.
I drive us out of the parking lot and purposefully take the side streets back to her apartment, avoiding the freeway. The rain has grown worse, and I have her windshield wipers at maximum speed to keep a clear line of vision.
If she notices the change of route, she doesn’t comment.
She remains silent as I place my hand on her thigh, squeezing gently.
She doesn’t move.
Her scent is still muted and soured by her pain, and it’s unbearable.