Chapter 29
Fuck. I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to put here.
Kai had never been able to hold on to something without ruining it. That’s what started the bad boy persona. He weaponized his darkness, and the fans went wild for it, but what if he only turned the weapon on Sonnet and hurt her?
I don’t want to be a bad person.
That’s why he ran. Kai had stumbled into a rut enough times to know what it felt like right before it happened, and Sonnet’s scent was poison to him. If he didn’t get out, no wall and no door was going to keep him from her, and she didn’t deserve that because he didn’t deserve her.
Yet.
What would you know?
I know you ran so far, we made it to town. Have fun walking back, dumbass.
Shit.
The fog in his mind cleared and he took in the view of tourists and locals on the beach and the noise coming from town.
He hadn’t meant to get so far, but at least this distance ensured he wouldn’t be devouring any strawberry shortcake anytime soon.
Damn Jude and Zayden. That moment with her was probably perfect.
At least he still had his phone and wallet from being out with Felix at therapy. Dr. Burdough was the scariest woman alive. She didn’t ramble or pry. She had just sat there watching, waiting for Kai to say something, and towards the end, he almost had.
They shouldn’t be in therapy. They used to be so close. Why didn’t Sonnet show up sooner before everything became complicated?
This was proving to be one of the worst vacations they’ve ever taken. Kai just needed to throw back a mimosa, maybe a shrimp cocktail with an extra side of shrimp and calm down.
It didn’t take him long to find the right restaurant to give him exactly what he needed.
He found a cute little shack with outdoor seating, plopping himself right at the bar, ordered his two drinks, a side of shrimp and oysters, and went to town.
It took only three minutes before the blissful, perfect moment was rudely interrupted by Jude. The universe had a sick sense of humor.
“Hey!” Jude threw three bags of groceries on the ground and grinned like he’d been eating rainbows with a golden spoon. “What’re you doing here? I thought Felix took you home.”
“I came back.”
“Why?”
Kai growled as Jude stole some of his food. “The house smelled. Would have appreciated a heads up about that.”
“Whoops.” Jude’s grin widened, and he pulled up a chair. “I’ll help you finish this and then you can help me carry all of this back to the house. I might have gone a little overboard.”
“A little?”
“I didn’t know what an omega after a heat spike would need!”
Kai looked through the bags as Jude helped himself to the drinks and food. “Flowers, treats, snacks, books, stickers, and—Why do you have glitter?”
“Okay, so...”
“No. No way. What is all this crap?”
Jude held up the last bag with a cheeky smile that only meant trouble. “Sonnet told me she loved crafts and glitter. I figured we could all have a night of it. Look at everything I bought for us to do!”
“Jesus, you’re nuts.”
Jude barked a laugh, handed the bartender a tip, and together they hauled his insane amount of groceries off the beach. Neither of them bothered to text Felix or Zayden to be picked up. Not yet.
When was the last time Kai spent any time with Jude?
They used to be inseparable.
“What kind of crafts?”
Jude grinned. “I knew you’d be interested. I got stuff to make bracelets, paper hats, and the good glue so we could bedazzle some t-shirts.”
“I regret asking.”
Bedazzle. That seemed like Sonnet.
She was so different, so strange. Pink hair, a sparkly phone case, sprinkles in her coffee. If she had strode in on a unicorn with fairy wings, Kai wouldn’t have been surprised.
Jude bumped his shoulder into Kai. “You’re smiling.”
“No. I’m obviously scowling.”
“It’s okay to smile. You don’t have to be allergic to happiness. I mean, look at Zayden. He’s starting to smile again, too.”
“Don’t talk to me about Zayden,” Kai growled and stopped walking. “He doesn’t deserve to be smiling.”
When Jude turned towards him, the sun was setting right behind his head, giving him a halo effect. But his smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Don’t you think you’ve punished Zayden enough?”
“Ha! He should be punishing himself.”
“He has been, Kai. He has been.” Jude dropped the groceries gently onto the sandy beach and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.
“He hasn’t been acting like our alpha for ten months because he’s been punishing himself for what happened.
So how can he do anything to be better, to earn your forgiveness, when you keep kicking him while he’s down? ”
He deserves it.
Maybe.
Maybe?
Maybe Jude has a point.
Suddenly, it all made sense why Kai hadn’t spent any time alone with Jude. He always tried pulling shit like this.
“I don’t know what to do,” Kai admitted. “With all this anger.”
There was a stretch of silence, and then Jude held out his hands. “You give it to me.”
“What?”
“Give it to me. I’ll carry it for a while.”
“Jude.”
“Give it to me,” he insisted, still holding out his hands, still smiling. “We’re still a pack, Kai, and I’ve got two empty hands. If it’s too heavy to hold, then let me hold it for a while, until you figure out what to do.”
Kai made a tsking sound. He looked towards the ocean, the waves rolling tirelessly onto the sand. The smell of salt and seaweed was so strong he could almost taste it.
“Jude.” He sighed, picking up one of the grocery bags. “Call Felix. He needs to pick us up, or the food will rot by the time we make it back.”
He laughed, his brown hair fell into his face, and pulled out his phone.
Give it to me, he said. What an idiot.
He’s a good guy.
Yeah. He is.
When the phone call ended, they started walking towards the road. Kai reached out and grabbed his wrist, squeezing it. He didn’t say anything, and neither did Jude.