Chapter Twenty-Five ABBIE #3
I flinch, hating the sheen of tears in his eyes.
“I’m sorry. I really thought it would be okay.
” I cup his cheek, pressing a soft kiss to his mouth.
I want to scrub the last few hours from my body with a wire brush, but I need to fix this first. “I know how you’d feel, because I’d be the same.
And I won’t forget that, Wings. I bleed, you bleed.
” He looks down at the bandage on my arm, and I grimace.
“I mean, I’ll look after myself the way you’d look after me. ”
He doesn’t look convinced, but Pitt and Ark are stepping up behind us, and Wings’ family engulf me in hugs. Tricks holds me the longest, hanging back to pinch my elbow and growl in my face, “Break his heart, and I’ll dye all your clothes pink.”
As far as threats go, it’s not the worst, but I still have a painful lump in my throat as I pull her into another hug. “I’m sorry, Tricks. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
Her glower melts away as she bumps me gently with her hip. “Just lean on us, babe. That’s what family’s for, remember?”
I nod and Glory puts a warm arm around me, Lyla giving me a sympathetic look as we head inside. “Patch is in the med center with the omegas, but he’ll meet you up in your suite.”
I grimace, since I forgot to even ask about the raid. “If he’s too busy…”
“He’s on his way,” Ark says behind me, his hand curling around my waist. “Glory, do you think you could get Abbie something light to eat?”
“Of course, Pres,” she says with a final smile in my direction, Lyla squeezing my fingers a moment before following her into the kitchen.
I stop at the bottom of the stairs, overwhelmed by the sheer effort it will take to get to the top. Wings looks at me in concern, but I turn to Ark and let my head fall forward onto his chest. “I need your help, Alpha.”
He scoops me up without a word, his boots heavy on each step. When we reach the top, Pitt pushes the door open while Wings goes over to put Jedi in his crate. When they’re done, they turn to look and me and I sigh. “I just want to sleep.”
“Not until Patch has checked you over,” Ark says, heading for the bathroom. “But you can wash up first.”
I sigh again, this time in relief, but Ark doesn’t put me down.
Instead, he steps into the shower fully clothed and starts fiddling with the faucet.
Since I’m along for the ride, I get a blast of lukewarm water to the face.
“Hold up!” I splutter. “I know I said I want to sleep, but are we in this much of a rush?”
“We’re burning these clothes anyway.”
I frown. He’s not wearing his cut, but the Kevlar vest is still badass.
“You have to?” I hook a finger around the armhole, up against his tight bicep. “Couldn’t we keep this, at least?”
Pitt’s mouth curves up as he strips off his clothes, kicking them into a pile. “Incriminating evidence, butterfly.”
But the protest dissolves on my lips as Wings steps in beside us, stripped down to his boxers.
Shadows still flicker in his eyes, but his hands are gentle as he slowly peels my tee over my head.
I watch his face, my heart beating faster as it skims over my body.
He lingers on my bandaged arm, and there’s none of the usual arousal in his gaze as he unfastens my bra and drops it at our feet. “Wings?”
“Just let me do this, Abbie.”
I nod, biting my lip as he strips me down to my panties while Pitt tosses my sodden clothes on top of his. “I don’t know what to do with this,” I tell them in a tight voice. “I don’t know how to feel when you all go out of your way to...”
“Look after you?” Wings cocks a brow as he squeezes some shower gel into his hand. “Well, that’s too bad. You need to get used to it.”
I drop my gaze, feeling conflicted, but Pitt gives a soft chuckle. “It goes both ways, butterfly,” he says as he drags his hands through the soap on his chest. “You think you can just give us all this love with no strings attached?”
I frown at the question. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Abbie, I can feel you,” Wings says, an edge to his voice. “You might think you have this thick skin, but there are cracks, so stop trying to hide from us.”
“Because you’re oozing warm fuzzies all over the place,” Pitt says, dropping a kiss on my nose. “It’s kinda addicting, to be honest.”
“I don’t ooze.”
“Tell that to all the panties you go through.”
“Ew!” I reach over and smack his shoulder. “That’s slick, buddy, and you’ll be lucky to see any of it for weeks.”
“The thing is,” Wings says, his gaze draining the smile from my lips. “This is serious for all of us. We’re pack now, and you need to start acting like it.”
I watch him through my lashes. I could be flippant; ask him if they’re going to discuss my life choices, maybe put them to a vote at church. But every word he’s said is completely reasonable. “I want that. I want us to be a pack. I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed you.”
“Not disappointed,” Wings says softly. “You scared me out of my fucking wits.”
I cringe. “That’s definitely worse.”
Wings nods and gets out of the shower, soap bubbles still clinging to his arms. When Pitt follows him, I look up at Ark, tears on my lashes. “Fuck. I broke him.”
“He’s just frightened and hurt.” Ark says, looks down at me with strain lines on his face and water clinging to his beard.
“It’s all or nothing, Abbie. We can’t exist without you, and Wings thought we might have to.
” I suck in a pained breath, but Ark catches my chin.
“I love you, Abbie. Pitt and Bluff love you. And Wings loves you so much, it’s nearly tearing him apart.
You’re everything to us, sweet girl, and without you, the world might as well burn. ”