Epilogue
DARCI
It's been a little over a month since the attack. I still have nightmares sometimes about the knife going into Morton. Sometimes he pulls it out and stabs me with it. Sometimes I wear a shirt stained with his blood with the word murderer written on it. Luckily, I have a damn good pack that takes care of me every time one of them makes an appearance.
I'm trying to get on with life and get back to normal. With the campus on Christmas break, though, I don't have much to keep my mind occupied. Every time I pick up a book or movie, I put it down or turn it off. I'm restless in a way that nothing feels right.
I spent the entire day today going around to all of my pack's rooms collecting pillows and clothes that I don't feel like they'll miss. Henry might miss his blanket off his bed, but he can get another one from the closet. I'm sure he won't mind sacrificing it to me. I've got them all spread out neatly in the room in my closet, including the blanket.
I'm headed down for dinner to help cook when Henry walks through the door. I bounce down the last few steps to throw my arms around him. He lifts me off my feet easily, planting a kiss on my lips and carrying me into the kitchen with my feet swinging the whole way.
"You smell good today," he murmurs into my ear, tickling my neck.
"Save that for after dinner," Banks teases from where he's sitting, loading up a plate of spaghetti.
Something smells off in here and it's not the food. Letting go of Henry, I walk the space trying to figure out what it is. My nose finally leads me to Banks. He grins up at me from his chair. "Hey, baby."
My nose scrunches. "Why do you smell like that?"
Keaton, who's mid drink, spits it out accidentally with his laugh.
Banks' face falls as does his brows and he sniffs himself, making the others laugh.
Lawrence, always one step ahead of all of us, states, "She's been going around collecting stuff from our rooms for her nest."
All heads whip to him, including mine. "Oh damn."
He snickers. "Didn't even realize, did you?"
"Nope," I say, counting the months in my head.
"What's that got to do with me smelling?" Banks asks, oblivious.
"She's going into heat," Lawrence tells him with a sign.
Realization hits his face. "Shit. And she could smell you on me."
"She who?" I demand in my quiet voice.
I've already turned and am walking out as his chair screeches and he answers, "Aurelia. I pissed her off, so she rubbed herself on me and said have fun later ."
I can hear the entire table laughing behind us as he follows me out into the living room.
He's just barely made it out of the doorway before my omega says, "Nope."
I spin on my heel ready to give him a piece of my mind, but what really happens is I attack him. The need to get her scent off him is actually hurting. He strips his shirt off and throws it across the room just as I launch myself at him. He catches me easily, but we still go crashing back into the wall. It sounds like we're ripping the place down, but it's just a picture that rattles and falls off to break on the floor.
He turns and takes the stairs two at a time until we're in a familiar dark room. This. This is what I needed. Him. Them. In here. For the next three days, none of us leave the room unless it's a human emergency. They fuck me. They bring me food. My final two alphas give me their marks, bonding us all as a pack. I've come a long way and got an even longer way to go, but I've got Pack Coffey in my corner now. I couldn't ask for more.