Chapter 18 #2
“I won’t,” I lied. That was a promise I couldn’t keep. She’d proven her point but she’d be back soon to put me back in line. My mother did love to watch me suffer. In fact, she’d revel in my pain.
The looks on their faces told me they didn’t believe me. Lachlan shot worried glances at the others, Conrad’s jaw was tight, and August was wary. They didn’t call me on it for now.
August put on a movie before they settled around me. Only a few seconds passed before Lachlan pulled me into his lap, my back pressed against his chest while his arms wrapped securely around my waist.
When they were close like this, they filled all my senses.
If this had been any other circumstance, I’d have practiced all the little exercises August had been teaching me.
Now, all I could think about was the dread settling like a stone in the pit of my stomach. Conrad and August each took one of my hands, unclenching my fists and massaging them gently.
The warmth of their touch seeped into me, soothing my omega. But I didn’t pay attention to a single second of the movie.
Instead, I soaked in every touch. Every scent. Every heartbeat.
I let myself selfishly indulge for a moment and pretend this life was truly mine. That I could find a way out of this.
August
I’d never seen Dhara like this. Something had shifted in her expression. It looked a whole lot like grief to me.
The moment she fell asleep, I turned toward my packmates. They deserved to know the truth. I could see the signs.
“She’s planning to leave us.”
“No,” Conrad argued, stunned at my words somehow. How could he not see what was right in front of us?
“She’d do anything to keep Gavin safe,” I countered as calmly as I could. “If this is all an overreaction from her mother because she found out about us, then we all damn well know she’ll use it against Dhara.”
I wasn’t sure what she was after this time. Maybe more money? Control?
“Then we need to double our efforts.” Conrad stood, already reaching for his keys. “I’m going to get Gavin a phone. I’ll hide it somewhere in his room and leave him a note. I’ll keep it on silent. I doubt their mom is going to search his room. She only sees him as a tool to use.”
“She’s going to be too focused on Dhara,” Lachlan agreed in a hollow voice. The lack of control here was riding us all.
“I need to know he can call us if things get worse,” Conrad said in a hoarse whisper, his eyes showing just how broken leaving her behind was going to make him.
“You really think she’s going to leave us?” Lachlan asked quietly.
Dhara was curled up on the couch, her breathing even, her lips slightly parted.
“Yes,” I answered without hesitation. “But we’re not leaving her.”
He nodded, already forming a plan. At this point we just needed something to hold onto. “We can show up at her job and watch over her, only approach when it’s safe.”
“We can leave Lydia extra tip money so Dhara doesn’t have to work herself to death,” I agreed. My stomach soured at the thought of her struggling without us.
“Whatever it takes,” Lachlan said again, his voice more confident this time.
He’d already made sure the pantry and refrigerator were stocked. The house was cleaned and ready for Gavin to come home.
They were all little things. The kind we hoped would soothe some of the weight she’d been carrying, even if only for a little while.
Lachlan and I stared at our sleeping omega like if we blinked she’d disappear. Conrad returned less than thirty minutes later. His face was hard but his eyes dark, like he’d been battling his alpha the entire way. He tore open the phone’s packaging before slipping the device into his coat pocket.
I followed him into Gavin’s room, watching silently as he knelt in front of the closet and tucked the phone into one of Gavin’s shoes.
“It has enough charge for now,” Conrad said quietly. “I charged it in the truck on the way here.”
“Good,” I choked out. He snagged Gavin’s backpack from the desk where we’d put it earlier.
Conrad dug around and pulled out a notebook.
He folded over the corner of the first blank page before writing a short note on it.
Gavin would find it immediately and we had to hope and pray that their mother didn’t open it first.
He’d already missed several days of school. I knew he’d open his notebook to try and catch up on what he missed.
Bad grades likely weren’t tolerated in this house, either.
Conrad tucked the notebook carefully back between Gavin’s textbooks before we left his room, closing the door gently behind it.
The three of us sat in silence, watching over our omega as the night wore on.
This moment was slipping through our fingers.
We knew our omega wasn’t safe and that was the worst feeling a pack could have.
If we stole her away, she’d call the police herself.
Anything to save her brother. If we took him then we’d always be watching our backs.
Our faces would be plastered nationwide.
All we could do was fight beside her from a distance while she fought to survive. We’d be watching closely, waiting for her mother to slip up, documenting every instance while our lawyer strengthened our case against her.
No matter how long it took we’d never leave Dhara and Gavin behind. They were ours and we’d do everything we could to get them out alive.