Chapter 17
Zira
Two weeks later and I’ve washed away every stupid thing Hunter said, successfully avoiding him when I’m not in the library. Barnes, true to his word, spoke with the Dean and she assured the situation would be dealt with. I haven’t seen Hunter in the library since, and I can’t say his presence has been missed.
I’m still not entirely sure why he’d try to cause issues, but I know that whatever his goal was, it didn’t work. Because, after spending almost every single day with my pack , whether it be at home, visiting Mom, or one or all of them joining me at the gym while I teach class, it simply cemented that these guys are it for me, and there’s nothing a creepy biology professor can say or do that could change that. There has been a whole lot more of Silver and her pack, though I was prepared for that after Alek decided to warn me that Silver turns into a clinger with people she likes and considers family. Since Alek has declared, under absolutely no circumstances that I’m to be considered anything but family, Silver has officially made it her mission to stop by and say hi at every chance she gets.
I frigging love it.
Walking hand in hand with Barnes as we leisurely walk to North Five from Gabby’s, I laugh through the speaker of my cell I have pressed against my ear. “In my defense, you were sound asleep. You looked far too peaceful for me to wake. I did kiss your cheek before I left this morning, though.”
Ford playfully sighs from the other end of the phone. “If you’d kissed me on my mouth, I would have woken up. Then I could have barricaded you from leaving the house and forced you to spend it with my brother and me.”
I snort, and Barnes sends me an amused look before lifting our hands and pressing a kiss to the back of it, his other hand tucked in his pocket as we walk causally. We’re early enough this morning that there’s no rush, Barnes’s breakfast date this morning ending with the perfect amount of time to get to work without panicking about the time.
“Those are a lot of words to say you miss me,” I tease, though there’s truth to it. I miss Crawford and Cormac. They’ve been so busy with the new store all the way in Japan, perfecting everything so opening day goes well, that I’ve barely seen them over the past week. When I have seen them, they’re barely clinging on to consciousness, working themselves so hard that they fall asleep cuddled to me or one another.
“Pretty girl, I miss you more than I could ever say,” he confesses, and I hear the genuinity of his words as if he’s tattooed them into my heart. “Which is crazy, right? I had you cuddled between Mac and me all night last night. How can I miss you so much already?”
Leaning closer to Barnes as we walk, I peer down at the ground and smile, telling him, “It’ll all be worth it. All the late nights, the days travelling, and the missing one another. How many days until opening?”
“Two days, and then Mac and I are taking a much-deserved sabbatical. We haven’t spent anywhere near enough time with you as we’d like,” Ford complains, and I understand exactly where he’s coming from. Over the past few weeks, Barnes, Laz, and I have grown impossibly closer. Sure, the sex has something to do with that, but it’s that intimacy that’s knitted us tighter together. Spending time with them in all ways is building something real and impenetrable, and I want that with Ford and Mac, too.
I hum under my breath. “That would be beautiful. Because I miss you guys, too. Like, a lot.”
“I like hearing that, pretty girl. You have no idea,” he croons down the line, and Barnes bumps my shoulder with a wink as soon as I smell myself perfuming.
Biting my lip, I shake my head with a roll of my eyes before muttering through the phone, “Then crush this new store opening and we’ll finally get to spend some time with one another, okay?"
“We’ll do our best, beautiful,” he promises. “Have a great day today, and I’ll talk to you when you’re done with work.”
“I’m already looking forward to it,” I breathe, blowing him a kiss through the phone before ending the call and tucking my cell away in my purse. The moment my hand is free, I wrap it around Barnes’s bicep and hug his arm to my side as we continue to the library.
“It won’t be forever,” Barnes promises, kissing my forehead as we walk.
I smile up at him, appreciating his efforts to soothe me, and tell him, “Yeah. It would be nice to spend some time with them, though. I really do miss them.”
“I get it, beautiful girl,” my sweet alpha assures, squeezing my hand comfortingly before opening the door to the library for me. “How about we take you out tonight? Nothing over the top, but maybe do something to lift your spirits. We could go to the movies or something.”
Pressing a kiss to his shoulder as I pass, I tell him, “I like the sound of that.”
“Alright. I’ll call Laz and Alek when I have a second to spare. If you play your cards right, we might even take you to Dolce Vita,” he flirts, uncharacteristically wiggling his eyebrows at me, and I pass by him with a snort.
As I step into the library, a chill races through me, and I pause. It’s warmer today than it has been, and the room isn’t uncomfortably cool. I mean, it’s not warm, by all means, but not cold enough to give me cold shivers.
“You okay, Freckles?” Barnes wonders, pressing his hand to my lower spine as he checks on me with a tiny pinch of his eyebrows.
Nodding, I huff a silly laugh and mutter, “Yeah. Just cold shivers, nothing to worry about.”
I continue toward my desk, ignoring the way the hairs on my body stand on end, and take a seat behind my desk, dropping my purse beside my keyboard. While Barnes hovers nearby, I go about turning on my computer and signing in two minutes before I’m expected to, logging my arrival to work before opening my emails at the ready.
Just as I’m about to ask Barnes what movie he’d like to watch tonight, I lift my head up to find him scowling at a box on top of my desk. Wait, no, not just a box exactly. “Is… is that a gift? Did you put that there?”
Barnes shakes his head and I slowly rise from my chair to lean in for a better look. The box has been wrapped in pale-green paper with a pretty gold ribbon tied around it. It’s no bigger than my palm, wrapped delicately with perfectly cut strips of tape, from what I can see.
“If you didn’t put it there, who did?” I wonder, more than confused.
“Not sure,” Barnes utters, reaching for the box, only to reveal a small piece of paper folded beneath. “But I’ll put every cent to my name that that will tell us.”
Sharing a look with Barnes, I reach for the piece of paper and unfold it, mentally noting how expensive it feels. It’s not the cheap or even reasonably priced paper you’d find in most places. It’s almost closer to cardstock than it is paper, having spent enough time with books to know the difference. Unfolding the small rectangle, I read over the elegant scrawl within.
Forgive me, my heart.
All the color drains from my face, my skin prickling as my body turns cold. My head snaps up to the box, and I take it from the desk where Barnes placed it, tugging harshly at the ribbon.
“What? What is it, Zira?” he asks, his voice as urgent as my movements.
Instead of answering, I slide the paper toward him before continuing to open the small box. I tear the paper away, that I now realize resembles almost the exact color of my eyes, and open the box. Peering back at me from within the cushion tucked inside is a pendant made of gold attached to a delicate chain tucked behind the cushion. A pendant in the shape of a heart. And not a cute, love heart. But an anatomically correct heart that you would find beating in a living person’s chest.
“What the hell?” I whisper, frowning down at the jewelry.
“Is that a necklace? Of an actual heart?” Barnes asks, moving around to stand behind me, peering over my shoulder at the unusual gift. His voice draws my attention, sharper than usual, and I peer into his face and find him scowling at the gift as though he can’t believe what he’s seeing
Nodding, I tug the pendant free of its casing, my hand trembling despite my efforts to calm it. I draw it close to my face to inspect the pendant, swallowing hard when I find it to be incredibly detailed, even though it’s only a fraction bigger than a dime. Flipping it over, I freeze, my breath catching in my chest as a bone-deep chill burrows beneath my flesh. Because where the front of the pendant is detailed, the back is plain, leaving only a small etching that suddenly turns my stomach.
HGJII
“I know who it’s from,” I rasp, holding it up for Barnes to see the initials carved into the back.
Eerie silence follows, and I swallow hard before dropping the pendant back in the box, closing it, and shoving it away from me. There’s nothing particularly sinister about the gift, though initialing the back is ten degrees of weird. But knowing who the sender is has set my entire nervous system on edge, and I can smell the sudden tart notes of my scent as I grow stressed and uncomfortable.
Barnes must catch it, too, because I’m up in his arms before I can take my next breath, my head tucked beneath his chin as his arms band around me like a vise I don’t wish to escape from.
“It’s okay, Freckles,” he assures, rubbing his hand up and down my back. “We’re taking this to the Dean. He clearly didn’t catch a hint the last time, so maybe he will when we show Kira this.”
I nod against him, but I’m staring at the unassuming box like it’s a viper rearing to strike, my stomach churning nauseatingly. “That’s weird, right? It’s not just me?”
“It’s weird, Zira. Very weird, and inappropriate. When I spoke to Kira about the advice that creep tried to share with you, she assured me it would be taken care of. This doesn’t look taken care of to me,” Barnes rumbles, his voice low and dark. “We’re going to see her, right now.”
Nodding again, I go to move back just as the door opens and a pixie of a girl comes bouncing inside with her pastel hair, bubblegum scent, and tanned skin. Silver stills her steps when she sees me caught in Barnes’s embrace, her smile faltering as she eyes me with familiar gray eyes, the same ones she shares with the man who’s niggled his way into my heart.
“Miss Fave? What happened?” she asks, rushing toward me the next moment, right before finagling Barnes out of the way to hug me instead. Her arms wrap around me tightly, but not enough to choke the air from my lungs, her platform chucks offering her enough inches that we stand at near enough the same height. “You smell stressed. I don’t like it.”
I huff as I hug her back with shaking limbs, feeling like I’m completely overreacting but unable to pinpoint why. Hunter hasn’t done anything weird beyond offering unwelcome words. I haven’t even seen him since that encounter, but there’s something so painfully off about him that it sets me on edge. My instincts scream at me every time he’s near. Just the mere mention of his name, or a passing of his scent faintly lingering in the hallway, makes my heart stall horribly in my chest. There’s something off about the man, and now he’s gifting me jewelry, something I consider inappropriate for a man who isn’t my pack to gift, and is calling me his heart? There’s something very wrong with that.
“I don’t much care for it, either,” Barnes almost growls, right before he tugs us both into a hug and starts purring, his one arm wrapped around Silver, while he presses his front to my side and pulls me as close as he can get me.
Eventually, when I’ve stopped shaking like a leaf, Silver pulls back and looks me over with concern while Barnes continues to hold on to me, almost like he senses that I need it far more than space right now.
“What the hell happened? I was coming to disregard Alek’s warnings for me to stay away until Zira adjusted to pack life, but I come in and smell a stressy omega instead,” Silver complains, dropping her hands onto her hips as she continues to watch me like I’m two seconds away from an omega level meltdown..
Barnes sighs before he kisses my head, lingering for a moment to inhale, likely checking how stressed I still am. His touch has soothed most of my anxiety, but there’s still a sour note to my usually soft and sweet scent. It’s only when he pulls away that he answers, “Zira seems to have an unwanted admirer, so we’re going to talk with the Dean about what we can do to resolve it.”
Silver pulls a face before nodding rapidly. “Yeah, sure. Okay. Do you want me to come? Or do anything?”
“Man the desk for me, kiddo. And call Alek. Tell him there’s been another incident. He’ll know what I’m talking about,” Barnes instructs, maneuvering around me until he can reach for the necklace and note, taking my hand in his free one as soon as he has the unwanted gift clutched in his hand. “We’ll be back soon.”
“Ay, ay, mon capitan. I shall man the fort. Do what you must. Defend my new cousin’s honor!” Silver voices, sounding so serious that I blink at her in alarm. It’s only when I see her twitching lips that I see that she’s joking.
It’s the exact moment when Munro rounds the corner and mutters with a suppressed smile, “You’re fucking weird.”
“You’re weird,” Silver counters, rolling her eyes at her beta. “Come over here. We’re the new librarians for however long it takes for Miss Fave to have a chat with the Dean.”
Munro nods easily, his dark curls bouncing as he sends me a look. “Everything good, Miss Fave?”
Clearing my throat, I try for a smile, though I’m sure he doesn’t buy it with how his eyebrows dip and his eyes narrow. “Mhm. Just need to discuss something important with the Dean. Don't burn the place down, okay?”
Silver snorts and Munro offers her a tattooed middle finger before rounding the desk, yanking Silver from my chair, and depositing her back on his lap as soon as he’s claimed the seat. “We’ve got you covered, Miss Fave. Take as long as you need. I have two free periods, and Juno should be here as soon as she stops sucking face with her alphas and beta.”
“Aww. Annoyed that your sister from another mister is prioritizing her pack above your needy ass?” Silver teases, leaning into him as she blows a bubble of pink gum before winking at me.
“My needy ass? Says the stage-five clinger who wouldn’t let me get out of the nest this morning,” Munro volleys, poking his omega in the waist and making her squeak, and I huff a laugh as Barnes reaches for my purse and leads me around the desk.
“Be good,” he calls over his shoulder, and I smile with gratitude at the adorable pair, not for the first time thinking how they complement each other so wonderfully.
Of course, my thoughts fade from them and right back to the problem in Barnes’s hand, and my grip on his hand tightens as he reassures me, “We’ll get it fixed, Freckles. I promise.”
I nod, taking a deep breath, and prepare myself for an uncomfortable conversation with the Dean that could either fix my issues or make them ten times worse.
***
“So, you’re not the first to put a complaint in about him?” Mac asks as he runs his hands up my bare leg, tickling my skin as he offers me the remote when he can’t find anything good to watch.
Nodding, I turn Brassic on and slump in my seat, inhaling his earthy and somewhat sweet patchouli and musk scent that pairs beautifully with his brother's more warm and dark oud and musk. “Apparently, so. One of the history professors complained last week that he made a suggestive comment about another staff member while they were talking in the hallway, and she thought it was gross. There was another time where a student caught him sniffing the female science professors when they were occupied. Apparently, my guy was right. The guy is a weirdo.”
“And he’s been removed?” Ford asks, stepping back into the living room with three beers and an extra large pizza to share between us.
He takes his seat beside me, handing a beer each to Mac and me, and places the pizza box on my lap after tucking a cushion beneath it to save my legs from the heat since I’m only in a pair of short shorts and an oversized shirt that Alek wrangled me into when he wished for me to smell like him when I came out of the shower after he took drastic and very pleasurable measures to ensure I wasn’t stressed any longer. Not that I mind. I love how each of their scents clings to me now, a hint of each one of my guys threaded into all of my clothes already.
Nodding, a soft smile gracing my lips when Ford readjusts me until my back is leaning against his front and his one leg is acting as my arm rest while the other cradles mine in Mac’s lap, I say, “Mhm. He had three infractions already and received warnings. Barnes, Professor Neeve, and the student who came forward. Gifting me with inappropriate jewelry after he was instructed not to bother me was the last straw. Kira didn’t want to risk the safety of the staff and students if he turned out to be a super creep, and the money his father, apparently, donates every year wasn’t enough to sway her otherwise. He’s been removed effective immediately.”
“That’s a relief, starlight,” Mac sighs, squeezing my calf before accepting a piece of pizza I hand to him.
As Ford helps himself, I mutter, “You’re telling me. I can finally go to work without needing to concoct a devious plan to avoid him and his pungent scent.”
“That bad, huh?” Ford snorts, the twins both calm now that Barnes and I have explained the situation. That wasn’t the case when we finally got home and Alek had stressed everyone out enough that the atmosphere was beyond tense the moment we stepped into the house. Apparently, Alek didn’t know what Barnes meant when he told Silver to relay the message and thought something seriously bad had happened.
After a long sit down that calmed Alek only enough to ensure he didn’t hurt me when he hauled me to his room and mauled me for two delicious hours, everything went back to normal and the guys all went back to their regularly scheduled programs once they checked that I really was okay.
And I am, especially now that I know Hunter Gary Johnson the second will no longer be an issue.
“It was bad. Like burnt rubber and gasoline,” I convey, wrinkling my nose at the memory. I’m fairly certain that scent will haunt me for the rest of my days.
At the exact same time, both twins mutter, “Ew,” before biting into their pizza, and I grin before doing the same.
For a few hours, the three of us lounge on the couch and eat our fill of carbs while Barnes and Lazarus go about working on their stocks and investments and Alek went to call Silver to complain about her message-delivering skills. His words, not mine.
Eventually, just as I’m about to drift off to sleep with my upper body cradled in Ford’s arms and my legs wrapped in Mac’s embrace, Ford quietly asks, “Say, what would be your thoughts on getting away for the weekend? Just you, Mac, and me?”
Jerking my head around to look at him, eyeing his honey-blond hair that sits disheveled on top of his head, his pretty, light-blue eyes, and the upturn of his lips, I almost forget to breathe when I’m reminded for the billionth time how gorgeous he and his brother are. Not that I could ever forget. I mean, there are two of them, after all. It’s double the beauty that I don’t ever want to escape, the only difference between them being the single beauty spot beneath Ford’s left eye.
“I mean, what did you have in mind?” I wonder, intrigued by the idea, but not if it means spending an extortionate amount of money to make it happen. They already bought me a cellphone that cost far more than the one that shattered when we met, and that was way more than enough.
Mac rubs his hands along my legs, drawing my attention just as he explains. “We have a lake house an hour away from here. We like to get away every once in a while, but since we’re all working at different hours, it’s hard to find time as a family. Or, it was, until you slotted yourself beautifully into our dynamic. Pretty sure we haven’t all been home for dinner at the same time in a long while before you came along, starlight.”
I melt into Ford’s chest at that, blushing but also feeling incredibly special that these men have changed their dynamic just for me. It’s just yet another display that what we have is as real as it gets, that this is my pack now, and cements that not only am I falling in love with them, but that I’m already right there.
“Anyway,” Mac continues. “We thought, since we haven’t had a whole lot of time with you between work, we figured a weekend away might be nice.”
“What about Mom?” I ask, wanting to say yes but not wanting to skip a visit with the crazy woman. I already miss her enough through the week.
“I’ve got that covered, sweetheart. Well, Barnes and I do. We’re taking Mother Favero to the spa where she can have her hair done, maybe a face massage, and manicures and pedicures all around,” Lazarus informs, strolling into the room in navy slacks and a button down that teases the tanned skin of his bare chest.
Eyebrows raised, I nod slowly. “I mean, I know she’ll love that. She hasn’t had a pamper day since… I don’t actually remember.”
Laz winks before leaning in for a long, sipping kiss that melts me from the inside out, pulling back to whisper, “Then it would be our honor if you’d allow us to spend some time with her, treat her a little. Since you’re so hellbent about not spending money on you, which we will at some point and you’re simply going to have to deal with it, then let us do the next best thing and spend it on the woman that gave us you.”
Well, shit, when he puts it that way, I can’t very well say no, now, can I?
Rolling my eyes, I change the topic instead. “Fine. But what about my class? The girls don’t have another trainer.”
“That’s where I step in, little lady,” Alek informs, tucking his cell into his pocket before dropping onto the couch. “I’m not the best gymnast, but I do know what I’m talking about when it comes to keeping fit. I can teach the girls some things about cardio or whatever for an hour. Or, failing that, they can teach me how to cartwheel without dislocating a hip.”
Laughing loudly, I grin over at him, sure I have hearts in my eyes. “You’d willing to hang out with a bunch of girls for an hour teaching them fitness?”
He shrugs. “Absolutely. I’d do anything for my omega. Plus, I’m roping Silver and Juno into it. So, if I fail at teaching like I always knew I would growing up, then they can step in while I supervise from the weights.”
He winks before his focus shifts to the television, and I slump into Ford’s hold with a bemused laugh, blowing out a breath that turns into raspberries. “I mean, I don’t have a reason to say no, then, do I?”
“Damn straight,” Ford snickers, kissing my shoulder where Alek’s shirt has slipped away.
“You’re going to love it, starlight. Trust us,” Mac promises, sending me a bashful grin that always seems to sucker me.
Nodding, I bite my lip as a bubble of excitement thrums through my veins. That is, until I realize pretty quickly that one of my alphas hasn’t returned. “Wait, where’s Barnes?”
Laz looks away from the television to smile at me, resting casually in his armchair, and says, “Hm? Oh, packing you a weekend bag already.”
“But it’s Monday,” I counter, confused as to why he’d be packing my bag now when the weekend isn’t for another four days.
Alek snorts, muttering, “It’s a long weekend. You’re leaving tomorrow. Barnes managed to sneak you time off after the whole Professor Creep thing.”
My mouth pops open in surprise when I realise these batards planned this, my heart soaring and my lips forming a smile that won’t be tamed. Shaking my head at each of them and playfully glaring at Barnes when he comes in asking, “Which leggings would you prefer to take. These, or these? Or shall I just pack both?”
“You’re all lucky I’m woefully attached to you,” I mutter, causing them to laugh, practically feeling my heart expand five times the size it used to be, finding each piece stamped with the names of my alphas. My pack. The men I’m crazy in love with.