Chapter 42
SKYLAR
“I just wantedto tell you that I saw you online, and your speech made me cry.” An older woman stands at the counter, misty eyed as she speaks. “I really hope you find her.”
“Me, too,” I say, giving her a small smile. “Thank you for your kind words.”
It’s been like this all day: customers come in, tell me they saw my speech, then say something to the tune of I hope you find her.
It’s heartwarming, but it’s also a stab in the gut.
They even say it to Devyn, who responds with her dimples and a smile, but I can tell it wears on her, too.
“I’m sorry,” I blurt to her in the middle of my shift.
She looks at me quizzically. “For what?”
“For causing all this. For having every single person give us their condolences.”
She rolls her eyes. “Skylar, I would happily talk about April until my tongue falls out,” she says. “Besides, it’s keeping us safe as well. The more people that know about what’s going on, the better.”
I shrug, knowing that I won’t win this argument.
Devyn is a lot like April in that way, and a twinge of sadness tugs at my heart.
“So,” Devyn says, wiping down the counter, “tell me what it’s like.”
“What what’s like?” I ask innocently.
My friend waggles her eyebrows. “You know what I’m talking about,” she purrs.
I pretend to flick a speck of dirt at her. “I don’t,” I say.
Devyn huffs. “Come on! I can see it on your face! They’re your pack now, aren’t they?” she whispers excitedly. “What was it like? The bite?”
“You’re ridiculous,” I mutter as my face burns. “It’s not a big deal.”
Devyn’s mouth hangs open in disbelief. “That is the lie of the century, Skye. This is a big freaking deal.”
I fight a smile as I take in her excited face, eager for any details I’ll give her.
“What do you want to know?” I ask finally, wiping down the display glass. “Within reason. We’re at work.”
Devyn huffs. “You’re no fun,” she whines.
I smirk. “I’m the meanest boss you’ve ever had.”
“You are. I’ve been waiting for you to come back so I can hear all about this, and suddenly, you don’t want to share with me.” She sighs dramatically.
“Fine, you little brat. Ask your questions.”
But it’s hard to be annoyed with her, especially when she’s genuinely happy for me.
“What does it feel like to be in a pack? Can you sense them all the time? Does it hurt when you’re away from them? What did it feel like? How?—”
“Okay,” I interrupt, laughing at her excitement. “One question at a time.”
“Fine. How does it feel?”
I try to give her an adequate answer, but I’m not sure my words can do it justice.
“It’s like I’m not alone, ever. Even if I’m in an empty room, there’s a permanent presence in my heart of them. There’s calm and peace inside of me, instead of anxieties and doubts.”
Devyn’s eyes are wide with wonder.
“I mean, I still have those things,” I continue. “But there’s a strength and a solid foundation of trust at the core of my heart.” I make a face. “I don’t even know if I’m making sense. I just don’t feel so alone anymore. I don’t have to be the girl that wonders if she’s worthy of being loved.”
To my horror, Devyn’s blue eyes turn glassy.
“I swear, if you start crying, I’m going to lose it,” I warn her.
But she drops her cleaning rag and pulls me into a hug. “I’m so happy for you!” she screeches, squeezing me hard. Her sweet, light scent fills the air, and I can’t help but smile at her.
“Thank you,” I say earnestly. “I appreciate it.” I squeeze her back, and tears are almost in my eyes when a low voice interrupts us.
“Skylar.”
I would recognize that voice anywhere, now. And that rich scent.
Vincent stands at the entrance to the café, dressed in dark jeans and a black sweatshirt. His blonde hair is mussed, as if he’s been running his fingers through it anxiously. Light stubble compliments his strong jawline.
I could never get tired of looking at him.
“Hi,” I breathe. “Is everything okay?”
But judging by the dark, almost smoky note to his scent, it’s not.
Dread fills my stomach.
“We have to go. Now.”
I look at Devyn, who looks up at me with a nervous smile. “It’s fine, Skylar,” she says gently. “We can handle it here.”
But judging by Vincent’s expression, something is off. Devyn can sense it too.
“What is it?” I ask. “What’s going on, Vincent?”
His icy eyes pierce mine. “It’s April. They found her.”
I don’t even saygoodbye to anyone.
I just grab my purse from the back and rush out of the café, taking Vincent’s hand as we hurry to his car.
They found her.
A lump forms in my throat, and I’m terrified to ask him the question that’s at the forefront of my mind.
“Is she?—”
“She’s alive,” Vincent confirms, but his lips are pulled into a thin line. “And she’s at the hospital already.”
She’s alive.
My best friend is alive.
A sound comes out of me that I don’t recognize. I don’t even realize I’m crying until my cheeks are wet from tears.
As we pull onto the freeway, Vincent reaches over and takes my hand.
“She’s alive,” he repeats to me. “She’s safe. No one is going to hurt her anymore.”
I weep, covering my mouth with my other hand.
“How bad is it?” I choke out.
When he doesn’t reply right away, my fears are confirmed.
“Vincent, please,” I whisper. “How bad is it?”
“She’s in a medically induced coma,” he says quietly.
No.
No.
“Why? When will she wake up?” Panic bubbles inside me, despite Vincent’s scent swirling around me.
“Landon said only for a few days,” he says. “But we can ask when we’re there.”
“Wait. Landon is already at the hospital?”
“Yes. So is River.”
“Have they told Tammy?” I try to unlock my phone’s screen, but my fingers are shaking too hard to do it.
“Yes. Tammy knows, and she’s on her way.” He squeezes my hand tighter. “I got you as soon as I could,” he says gently.
I nod and wipe my eyes. “Thank you,” I whisper.
April’s in a coma.
A coma.
“She’s alive,” Vincent repeats, his thumb gently tracing circles on my palm. “She’s alive, she’s safe, and she’s healing.”
I nod, even though tears spill down my cheeks. “How did they find her?” I ask.
Vincent squeezes my hand. “A tip was called in today.”
She’s alive.
“Do you want to hear the most interesting part of this?” Vincent asks.
I frown. “What?”
“The person that called the department with the tip? They didn’t know about the missing Omegas until they watched the press conference.”
My eyes widen.
“They started keeping an eye out after hearing you speak, Skylar. The caller specifically mentioned seeing a girl talk about her missing best friend.”
The next hours are a blur.I’m running down a hospital hallway, sobbing into Tammy’s arms as I lay eyes on my best friend.
Her skin looks paper thin, her gaunt face a disturbingly pale shade. She lies in her hospital bed, her tiny body frail from malnutrition.
There are no signs of severe physical violence on her, according to the doctor.
Just blood loss, malnutrition, and severe dehydration.
I run my fingers through her tangled hair as the hospital monitor beeps. She’s attached to a ventilator, and the sound of the mechanical breathing makes my heart ache.
But she’s here.
She’s back.
I stay by her side for hours, half afraid someone is going to snatch her up and take her away from me again.
“You should go home, Skylar,” Tammy says once the sun sets. She sits in the plastic chair next to me, watching April sleep. “Get some rest.”
I don’t want to leave. I want to stay by April’s side until she wakes up.
“Go home to your pack,” Tammy adds gently. “She’ll be here tomorrow.”
As painful as it is to leave her, Vincent takes me back to my house, where Landon and River are waiting. Both of them look exhausted on the couch, but they’re up on their feet immediately when they see me.
River is the first one to reach me, and he pulls me into a long hug. The bond between the four of us thrums in my chest, and I slow my breathing as River embraces me.
“You did it, baby,” he whispers.
I shake my head. “You did it,” I mumble into his chest. “It was all your guy’s hard work.”
As we eat dinner, I finally get the whole story.
Someone had spotted a woman matching April’s description unconscious in the backseat of a truck that was in an abandoned industrial park on the outskirts of town.
Landon, River, and Ben found her.
Vincent was the one that told Tammy.
“It’s going to be a long road for her,” Landon says over a bite of pasta, “but having you as such a good friend will help.”
I blush. “I hope so.”
Vincent sits on the couch next to me and takes my hand. “We’ll help her, as well,” he says. “Whatever she needs, we’ll do our best to make it happen.”
“Tammy, too,” River adds. “They’re family now, right?”
My heart swells.
“Yeah,” I murmur. “They are.”
April sleeps and sleeps.
But after every shift at the café, one of my Alphas gives me a ride to the hospital.
And every day I’m there, I talk her ear off.
I tell her about everything she’s missed at the café. How we finally carry macadamia milk, and despite what she thought, customers enjoy it. I tell Devyn’s story of permanently banning the bitchy lemon bar lady, and how she’s creating her own flavors of macarons now.
I mention April’s Apricots, the special edition macaron I made just for her.
Then I tell her all about the detectives.
I start with our first encounter, with the day in their office parking lot where I was hit by a car.
“It was ridiculous,” I say to her. “My shoes flew off, too, like in a cartoon. It was so stupid, April.”
I could swear her finger twitches, but I must be imagining things.
“I think you’ll like Landon the most,” I say. “He’s the sweetest one of them. River will probably get on your nerves once in a while. Oh, you know what, though? He might not, because he messed up Jason’s truck while they were looking for me.”
Her finger definitely twitches this time, and I imagine she’s laughing.
I spend a whole week having one-sided conversations with her, replaying old memories and bringing up inside jokes we’ve had for years.
I know she’s listening to me—I can feel it in my heart.
The table next to her bed fills with presents from everyone that cares about her.
Some are from my pack, and as her pile of gifts grows, so does my affection for them.
April is important to me, so she’s important to them.
By the end of the week, the doctors tell us she should be well enough to wake up soon.
I almost cry with relief.
Tammy does.
Vincent is there that night to pick me up, but he hesitates as he walks me to his car.
“What’s wrong?” I ask him as his scent sours.
He’s nervous.
I can still sense his trepidation as he looks at me in the moonlight.
“I don’t want to wait any longer,” he says simply, his gaze intense.
I blink. “I’m lost,” I say.
He runs a hand through his hair. “I’m not good at this,” he mutters. “And I should have told you sooner, and I know the timing is off since we’re already in a pack, but…”
I frown. “Tell me what?”
Anxiety bubbles in my stomach.
Maybe he’s changing his mind, maybe he doesn’t want?—
“I love you,” he says, and my panic dissipates. “I imagined a more…romantic setting when I told you,” he adds, gesturing to the hospital building, “but I know Landon and River had already told you, and I wanted to give you this as soon as possible.” He fishes something out of his pocket and hands it to me.
It’s a small black velvet box.
My mouth falls open. “Vincent, what?—”
“It’s from all of us,” he adds hurriedly. “And you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to, and it doesn’t have to mean—” he stops himself, and his face flushes.
“You’re cute when you’re nervous,” I tell him, and he scowls.
“I’m not nervous,” he growls. “I don’t get nervous.”
“Sure,” I tease, cradling the box in my hands.
“Like I said, you don’t have to wear it,” he repeats.
“You’re ridiculous,” I say to him, sensing his anxiety. “I’m happy with whatever this is.”
I hold my breath as I open the box, and when I see what’s inside, I almost pass out.
“It’s platinum,” Vincent adds. “Not silver.”
I don’t bother telling him it could have been made of barbed wire and I would still love it.
But this is far better.
I stare at the delicate band encrusted with diamonds. It’s beautiful. Simple, but elegant.
And far more than I imagined someone would ever give me.
“You didn’t have to do this,” I choke out.
“It’s a placeholder,” he says. “We’ll get you a bigger one later, if you ever want to…”
His voice trails off, and his ears turn pink.
“I would want to,” I breathe. “I would love to.”
Vincent visibly relaxes, and he almost smiles.
“We just wanted you to have something to wear for now. Something for you to know that we’re always with you, even when we’re not actually there.”
I can’t stop smiling. Tears fill my eyes as I stand on my tiptoes to press a kiss to Vincent’s lips. He wraps an arm around my waist, deepening the kiss until I pull away.
“I love you,” he says, pressing his forehead to mine. “I’m in love with you, Skylar.”
“I love you, too,” I breathe.
He pulls away to look at me, his eyes widening a fraction. “Really?” he asks quietly.
His face flushes again, and I’m so in love with him I can barely breathe.
“Of course. How could I not?”
He looks like he wants to argue, but I hold out the box to him.
“Will you put it on me?”
Vincent swallows as he plucks the ring from the box and takes my hand. Slowly, he slides it on to my ring finger on my left hand, letting out a breath once it’s done.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathe.
“It’s just a starter ring,” he says. I raise my eyebrows at him. “You’ll have more in the future.”
“I don’t need another?—”
“Skylar. I like putting you in jewelry. It does something to me.”
His icy eyes are possessive as he stares at my hand. “It shows that you’re mine,” he growls.
He brings my fingers to his lips, kissing them gently. “You belong to us,” he says. “Let us take care of you the way you deserve.”
And for once, I don’t argue with him. I just kiss him in the moonlight, the ring shining as his scent swirls around me.
The next day, April wakes up.