Chapter 19
Bear
Ihad been looking forward to my turn to watch Flora for days. Spencer had been hogging her. The control freak had decided that the Garnetts were low-maintenance enough for Chase and I to handle anything to do with them, giving him significantly more time to stalk the omega. Our omega.
I couldn’t say I blamed him. I listened to what he said as pack leader, but that didn’t mean I had to be happy about it.
I wanted to see her more. When I wasn’t working, I spent every spare moment thinking about Flora.
If I were honest with myself, even some of the time I was meant to be working, my mind drifted to her.
Yup, I was totally obsessed, and the other two members of my pack were no different.
One issue that regularly occupied my brain was trying to come up with a way to get her shitty apartment condemned. Maybe then she would move into a slightly better building on campus. Actually, there was no maybe about it, because I was going to ensure she moved somewhere better.
Preferably somewhere with a doorman.
A doorman we could bribe to let us keep an eye on her.
It wasn’t hard to find our omega. I knew which class she had just left, so I simply hovered outside, remaining just out of sight.
When she appeared, everything felt better.
I couldn’t explain it. Except that she was clearly meant to be a part of our pack, and I needed to see her to know she was truly okay.
Her hair was in a loose braid, and she was wearing a white blouse and a pair of tight blue jeans that hugged her ass perfectly.
While I appreciated the jeans, considering I was going to be following behind her, I was mad that anyone else could see her perfect curves if they were looking, which they fucking shouldn’t be.
I wanted that view to be just for me.
Perhaps if I were in a good mood, I’d share with Spencer and Chase.
Then again, I was the biggest out of all of us, so I could always…
Instead of walking straight out of the building as I expected, Flora took a small detour, heading down a long corridor toward the café. Taking the change in plan in stride, I followed her, keeping far enough away that no one would notice, particularly the stunning omega.
I tended to stay out of university buildings when possible. Spencer was the one who went to class with Percy because he looked the most like a student.
Me, on the other hand—with my face all torn up—well, I looked like something that stepped straight out of a horror movie. And those types of flicks tended to leave a lasting impression. Chase and Spencer could blend into the background. I couldn’t.
So, my place was in the shadows—and had been for a while.
After turning a corner, Flora stopped at a vending machine, pulling off her bag and rummaging around for her little purse covered in strawberries. She fished out a few dollars, pressed some buttons, and a chocolate bar fell into the bottom.
I couldn’t help but smirk to myself. She was probably craving junk food, considering the chaos Spencer had caused with her fridge. Maybe I was imagining it, but I could’ve sworn there was a defiant look in her eye when she took a bite of the candy, very “health food be damned.”
Still, Flora’s steps were hurried, her head on a swivel. Unlike the first time I followed her, she was far more observant this time. Her hand remained buried in her bag, and if what Spencer had been through was any indication, she was clutching the taser I had given her.
I really needed to get her a stronger one. Maybe a custom-made model? Mine was large and clunky. She had small, delicate hands. I was sure I could get her one personalized with fruit printed on it—an adorable little strawberry pattern, just like her purse and her nest.
Ugh, you’re such a sap.
I followed her down the street, keeping more distance than I wanted because of how diligently she was checking her surroundings, I made a mental note to contact a guy I knew who was an expert in weaponry.
As if I didn’t already have too many things on my plate.
But it was nothing to go out of my way for her. For my sweet little omega.
I wasn’t sure if I needed his munitions expertise to get a specialty taser or a painter to make it look pretty, but it couldn’t hurt.
Fuck it. I’d contact both if necessary.
When I yanked myself out of my thoughts, I realized we’d reached the intersection where Flora usually turned left. I was surprised when she veered right, her steps confident.
Where was she going?
Standing straighter, I increased my pace. This deviation from her usual routine put me on edge, and I didn’t want her getting away from me.
The purpose of her detour became obvious a few minutes later when she walked into a fast-food joint. I nearly laughed out loud.
I pulled out my phone and shot a quick text into our group chat.
Bear:
You know, maybe stealing her junk food wasn’t the right move, because guess who’s going to a questionable fast-food restaurant late at night?
Spencer:
Excuse me?
I snapped a quick photo of the restaurant.
Bear:
Looks like she’s grabbing a late-night snack on her way home from class.
Spencer:
She shouldn’t be doing that. Stop her.
Bear:
And how do you propose I do that?
Chase:
You could always burn the restaurant down.
I rolled my eyes, and Spence beat me to the reply.
Spencer:
No, she’s in the restaurant.
Chase:
Right, right. Suggestions?
Bear:
Maybe we just let her get a damn snack? She’s been putting up with your crazy antics. If she wants a burger, she can have a goddamn burger. I’m here. She’s safe.
I wasn’t the hard ass when it came to healthy eating; that was Spencer. If Flora wanted a burger, I wasn’t going to stop her. If she were mine, I’d feed her plenty of healthy food, sure, but moderation mattered. And that applied to junk food, too.
I knew Spencer, on the other hand, was a little overbearing.
But if giving her treats made her smile, I’d do it a hundred times over.
After a few minutes, with fries in hand, Flora walked out of the restaurant and started walking toward her apartment, a spring in her step. There was no missing the way her hips wiggled slightly when she took a bite. Her silent happy dance that she’d scored a treat.
As she approached her building, I slowed down again, wanting enough distance between us that she wouldn’t notice me. After all, Flora could easily recognize me.
We were only a few minutes away now, and I exhaled hard, knowing my time admiring her was coming to an end.
But then I noticed it, the dark shape about the same distance away from Flora as me, but on the opposite side of the street.
Whoever it was, they hadn’t noticed me, but they were also very focused on Flora.
What the fuck?
The guy, because I just knew it was, wore a hoodie beneath a thicker jacket, the hood pulled up, so I couldn’t make out his identity. Tension skittered up my spine, my stomach reflexively clenching. This didn’t sit right with me, and I’d know if something were up. It was my job, after all.
The hooded figure was gaining ground, walking straight toward her.
Was it another student who would pass right by her? Or maybe a friend who wanted to catch up and chat? Either situation was possible, but something about this shadowy figure set my teeth on edge. Speeding up, I hurried toward them.
Keep cool, Bear. Nothing’s happened yet. Everything’s fine.
But then the stranger reached out and grabbed Flora’s elbow.
He was touching my omega.
I saw red and immediately sprinted toward them. They had no good reason to be physically making contact with her. Lunging forward, I was only a few feet away when I heard the tail end of their exchange, Flora’s voice shrill and loud as she called out.
“Let me go!” Flora cried, tugging desperately. Her hands were full—one holding her fries, the other feeding herself—so she hadn’t been gripping the taser in her bag.
“You need to come with me! It’s not safe! People are watching you! Always watching you!”
What in the hell was this guy going on about? He sounded crazed. He was the one watching her—terrifying her in the middle of the fucking street—unless he was talking about my pack.
One of his hands was gripping Flora tightly, and in the other was a knife.
No fucking way.
It was a small military-style knife, but no doubt alarming.
“Go away! You’re hurting me!” Horror and pain filled Flora’s voice, tears tracking down her face.
That was it. I didn’t give a fuck what he meant, because no one hurt Flora, and whoever the fucker was, he was going to pay for laying a single finger on my omega.
I closed the distance between them in a flash. Up close, I got a better look at the stranger, and my stomach turned to ice when I realized his face was entirely covered.
Not one of those small masks that only covered the mouth, not a gaiter for the cold. No—this was a balaclava. And he’d paired it with sunglasses.
No one who was up to anything good wore a balaclava.
Well, unless both parties had given prior consent—but that was a whole other fantasy.
“Hey!” I shouted, putting every ounce of alpha tone into my voice. It came out rough, loud, and gravelly.
The stranger stilled, his head snapping up to look at me. All the while, Flora was trying to pull her arm free. There was no mistaking the bulge at the side of his jeans.
The fuck? He’s armed. The knife wasn’t enough?
He clearly saw me coming—six-foot-three, built like a tank, ready to murder him—and decided that, even with a weapon, he was woefully outmatched. Apparently, he wasn’t entirely braindead, then. His hand dropped from Flora’s elbow, and before I even reached them, he turned and ran.
When I got to the omega, I immediately wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her back and up against me.
“What—?” she screamed, dropping her fries as her hand flew to the arm around her.