Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lore
My heart pounds as I get confused stares from Burner, Nick, and Arsenal. I went upstairs and cleaned up the sides of my hair while they were talking. Storm has a camera in this room, which allowed me to listen to their conversation as I fixed my hair so I’ll look a little more like myself.
I also trimmed my beard a bit too, though not enough that I can’t hide if necessary. The facial hair is kind of growing on me.
“Did you miss me?” I joke, gazing around the room.
“Holy shit,” Arsenal whispers. “How did it feel to pull out the hammer again, Prez?”
“Not Prez anymore,” I sigh, shrugging as I squat in front of them.
It feels awkward as hell to be the only one standing. We were right to call these alphas first. They’re my friends, and we’ve been through a lot of shit together.
“I took all my patches off,” I add. “I’ve kind of been living in limbo. Also, Marie’s boss isn’t taking advantage of her. He saved my life. Took me right off the operating table and took me home like a kicked puppy.”
“You’re a really big puppy,” Burner rasps, eyes wide.
“We buried you,” Nick says, his lips twisting as he glances at Marie.
She’s staring down at the amber color of her drink before she sighs.
“All of that was real. We didn’t know until much later that Lore was alive,” she says, taking a deep sip. “He protected the club before he came back to me, and that has to mean something to you.”
“This is the first time I’ve ever wanted to throw something over loyalty to the club,” Burner says softly.
“Yeah, well, that’s my life,” she sighs.
“I don’t know if I can put the club first anymore,” I say, surprising everyone. “Since I’ve been back…I make the decisions and Wilder carries them out. Last night while Marie was working, I thought about what would happen if there was ever a time when it was my pack or the club. What then?”
“We don’t operate that way,” Nick growls. “Sure, there’s never been a time while we’ve been a chapter that a decision has come to that. However, I can tell you that Marie is adored. We don’t leave behind club members or Marie. That’s just how it fucking is.”
“Yeah?” I ask. I haven’t seen these men since I got shot, I gaze at them with a new appreciation.
“Little Queen,” Burner says, leaning forward until she glances up. “You’re our family too now, yeah? We’re not upset that you kept Lore’s secret. Honestly, I’m pissed off at myself for not recognizing his dramatic flare. I’d swear he was some kind of theater kid growing up if I didn’t know better.”
I snort out a laugh, because my father would have killed me first. He had another heir, he would have rationalized it away.
“The hammer felt right,” I admit. “I’ll be honest, in case any of you feel like you need to kick my ass, my absence made Marie really sick. I had no idea her soul was already so tightly bonded to me.”
“That’s why she was sick,” Nick mutters. “Fuck. It was really hard watching that.”
“Her heat was worse,” I say under my breath, getting up to steal Marie away as I find a spot on the giant couch. It’s as much to shut the fuck up as it is to feed the need to hold her.
Ransom grumbles slightly, but he’ll get over it.
Three pairs of eyes snap in my direction, and I hold a hand up.
“I broke into the house during her heat. We had to get the damn window fixed,” I say quickly. “I got to her in time, and I’m still trying to make it up to her.”
“I bet you’ll be doing that for the rest of your damn life,” Arsenal grunts. “So now what?”
“Now? I need you by my side when I break it to the club that I’m alive,” I reply. “I also want to poll the three of you about a few things.”
“We got alcohol and food, give it to us,” Burner says, draining his glass.
Leaning over to grab the bottle, I pass it over. Unless I’m asked to join in, I think I want to do this sober.
“I need you to do some real estate shopping with me,” I begin. “I think it’s important to have a home base in Minneapolis. It’ll also save on the hotel bills when you come to visit.”
The last part is a joke. We don’t really need to nickel and dime, despite the fact that the guys tend to lay low when they stay at motels.
“Yeah,” Nick says, swallowing hard. “Real estate, sure.”
“You just came back from the fucking dead, and you want to go shopping for a clubhouse,” Arsenal mutters. “This is insane, but let’s fucking go. What else?”
“I keep waiting for one of you to hit me or try to shoot me,” I wince.
“Is that why Devon shot up your house?” Nick snorts. “God, you two really are related. Who will be President of the club? No one is going to ask you to choose, Lore. Not ever. Does that information change your decision?”
“It does,” I admit. “I’ll step back into the role at some point.
Wilder doesn’t want it, but he’s willing to follow my lead until I know the club is safe.
I’m finding that people ignore me with the longer hair, and I typically keep my neck gaiter over my mouth and nose.
While rude at times, I just melt into the background. ”
“You’re gathering intel,” Nick guesses.
“I was,” I say. “It’s how I found out about Lyker’s betrayal. I can’t go too far right now, but I do make a decent fly on the wall still.”
“How bad is the bond sickness, Marie?” Arsenal asks. He immediately clocks the reason I can’t go far. These men aren’t dumb. It’s not every day that people fake their deaths.
“Bad,” she admits, meeting his gaze. “Lore and I have to be in the same building. If he steps out for any reason, it’s really painful for me. If we’re outside, we have a little more leeway. However, it’s not like he can go across town without me.”
“You’ll be at the meeting later this week then,” he says. “I think the greatest concern people will have is how his fake death affected you. Everyone saw how sick you were.”
“My honor is very well defended,” she says, smiling.
Now that there’s no danger that I’ll be shot, she relaxes into my arms.
“I hear you’re the club’s tattoo artist, Burner,” she says. “Want to give me my first tattoo?”
His jaw drops, and I swear he’s robbed of his voice.
“Is this a yes?” I ask, grinning. “We need you to design a pack tattoo for all of us.”
“Yes,” he says, nodding. “I can fucking do that. I’d be honored.”
“They’re the only ones I’d get ink for,” Marie says, shrugging.
The timer goes off, and Wilder stands up to take care of it.
“Well, if no one is going to shoot our couch or Lore, we should lock up the guns and go eat, huh?”
“Point me in the direction of your safe, and I’ll get it done,” Arsenal says, scooping up the weapons.
“I’ll show you where it is,” I tell him. There are two in the house now, but I won’t tell him that.
Some things are better left to mystery.
Everyone goes into the kitchen, I show Arsenal where the gun closet is. Ransom converted it over the last couple of weeks. It’s well hidden, and there’s a thumb pad that only opens to us. If anyone ever found us, we’d be able to hide around the corner to pull weapons.
That’s if we needed more than what’s Velcroed underneath tables. If that happened, we’d be fucked either way.
“Anything else on your mind?” Arsenal drawls, systematically giving Marie her own shelf as he puts her weapons away.
“Nope. Just your support at the meeting. That’s it,” I reply.
“I know you and Marie had a fucked up start to things, but that’s all over, right?”
I need to tell Ransom about that before someone says something. Fuck.
“Yeah, it is. She’s not just some omega anymore,” I say. “Marie is everything.”
“Good,” he mutters. “You’re still taking care of the club, I don’t see a conflict of interest, and no one else will either. I also understand the logistics of staying dead to deal with Lyker’s people. I just wish Marie hadn’t suffered for it.”
Closing up the closet, I nod. “So do I,” I murmur.
So do I.
Three days later
“It’s so nice out today,” Marie says in awe, staring out at the lake after our picnic.
Minneapolis decided to grace us with seventy-five degree weather today.
The Midwest is a feral beast, but I’m grateful for the ability to ride without bundling up.
We’re enjoying a carefree day before our meeting tonight with the club.
I’m determined not to miss a moment of our time together whenever possible.
My life is a trade off. While I have responsibilities to take care of later, I choose to enjoy my pack now.
Marie left her riding pants at the parking lot in Ransom’s storage area of his motorcycle, and her legs are bare underneath her sage green dress.
Her makeup looks understated with a rosy pink pout, and I desperately want to fuck it up.
“Princess,” I rasp, my eyes moving up her body until her perky tits make their appearance in the low scoop neck of her dress.
Fuck me, Baby Girl. I fear I’m not going to be able to be a gentleman today.
“My eyes are a little higher up, Alpha,” she sasses me. Ransom almost chokes on his water, and Storm pats his back with a snicker.
“Oh I’m quite aware, Princess,” I growl. Marie shivers as I make eye contact with her, her perfume filling the air. “It looks like the woods are empty today. How does some pack bonding sound?”
“Am I the vehicle for the activity?” she asks, her lips curving into a secret smile.
“Can we play free use omega?” Storm asks.
“What are the rules?” she asks.
“I think it means that we can fuck you anywhere, and you agree beforehand to allow it to happen,” Ransom murmurs. “Am I right?”
“You are,” I reply. “Do you want to be used like our good little whore, Princess?”
This is very different from what happened when we first met her. There is consent here, and I’m about to lay out what the boundaries are. As idyllic as today has been, normal isn’t in our wheelhouse for long.
Marie’s breaths increase marginally as Wilder drags his fingers up her arms and across her chest, showing she’s very into this.