43
Scarlett
I ’m dimly aware of the louder than normal conversation going on around me while my body slowly comes back online. The voices are attempting to stay hushed, but the topic must be dire enough to warrant the angry growls and snarls that accompany the clipped words jumbled together.
With my eyelids still closed tight, I take stock of my body.
Other than the slight ache radiating from my left arm, the only other pressure I can sense comes from my hand.
My fingers twitch at the feeling of smooth skin against my own, and a gasped sound from nearby makes the argument abruptly cut off.
“Her fingers moved. Scar, can you hear me?” The familiar lilt of a female’s voice penetrates through the fog lingering around my subconscious mind, and with it comes the scent of warm, fresh out of the oven peach pie. Relief mixed with joy.
Cool fingers brush against my cheek, and even though it feels like the back of my eyelids are sandpaper, I peel them open.
It takes several blinks to bring several faces into focus, the first of which I immediately recognize.
“Kate?” Her name is a croak, and I wince when my parched throat twinges in pain.
My omega roommate gives me a watery smile.
Her icy blue eyes, normally sharp and full of humor, are misted with unshed tears.
Dark tendrils of her hair have escaped the high ponytail she has it pinned back in, framing wet, paler than normal cheeks.
“You’re alright, Scar. We think you just had an adrenaline crash. ”
My brow furrows at her use of the word ‘we’, but then my attention shifts to the other faces looming above me, hovering just as close as Kate is. Before I can swallow it down, a desperate whine wrenches free from me, my pure omega instincts pushing aside literally everything else. “ Alpha .”
Caito is there, and at my whine and guttural word, he falls to his knees beside me.
Kate immediately backs away to give us space, and when my shaky arms reach for him, he doesn’t hesitate to pluck me up into his arms. My left arm smarts in pain, but I push it aside for the feel of my alpha’s powerful arms wrapped around me.
Lark and Apollo crowd in around us when Caito settles down where I’d been laying with me curled up against his chest. I’m immediately surrounded by a combination of their heady scents, and when their chests rumble to life with their soothing purrs, the tension floods out of me like a ruptured water balloon.
“The shooter…”
“Got him, Dream girl. Don’t stress. Just relax. Wren is taking care of everything.” Lark brushes cool fingers against my temple, smoothing back some of my hair that’s escaped the low style I’d had it in before shit hit the fan. I really need to update the sky blue ends sometime soon.
My eyes find Kate sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees, curled up against the opposite side of the couch from where I am.
She’s got on a huge coat that swallows her slender frame, but it doesn’t smell like her or my alphas.
It smells like limes and salt. It’s hard not to wrinkle my nose.
“Are you alright?” I ask her, and she swallows hard before she nods.
“I will be. I’d just like to get back to my nest and wash off the horror of tonight. Scar… if I had known that this was going to happen-”
“Stop. This isn’t your fault. I never should have come out. I should have gone straight to the penthouse. Ant’s death is my fault.” I cut her off before she can go on a tangent, and Caito’s purr quickly morphs to a rumbling growl of disapproval.
Before he can reprimand me, Wren’s office door swings inward, and the man himself sweeps into the room.
Alpha dominance pheromones fill the space in a matter of seconds, and I have to bite down on my lip hard to stop another desperate whine from escaping me.
I’m choking on extra zesty oranges and the sour tang of bad brandy, and if it wasn’t for the fury pulsing from my alpha, I would have been turned all the way on.
Kate makes a choked noise herself, and she folds her arm over her nose to block out the overwhelming alpha rage pheromones.
Wren doesn’t even stop to take in the scene of us all clustered on or around the couch.
He marches right up and scoops me up into his arms, much to Caito’s annoyance.
The big, viking alpha is gentle when he crushes me against his chest, and I melt against him like ice cream on a hot summer’s day.
Want him to lick me up like a puddle of ice cream, too.
“Sweetheart.” His endearment for me comes out in a ragged whisper, arms wrapping me up like bands of steel.
Just when I think I can’t melt any more than I already have, he rubs his cheek against my jawline, scent marking me.
I can’t help it when my tongue darts out to run along the smooth expanse of his neck, needing to taste him.
He tastes like everything I’ve ever wanted. Like he’s mine .
“I’m alright, alpha.” I murmur softly, then my lips meet his. He kisses me like I’m the oxygen he’s been starving an eternity for. We take our time tasting each other until Caito makes a disgruntled noise behind us, breaking our connection.
Wren doesn’t set me down. Instead, he deposits me back on Caito with another brush of his lips against my forehead. He studies me for a few moments before he sighs, reaching up to scrub his hand down his face. He looks utterly exhausted.
“ Raven has been cleared. The shooter, unfortunately, is in custody since someone called in a report of a live shooter, so the police showed up before I could smuggle him out for a proper interrogation.”
The other three alpha’s growl at that. “That’s no problem.
I have a friend at the station that’ll get me in to speak to him.
” Lark stuffs his hands in his pockets in a casual gesture, but he looks beyond pissed.
There’s a darkness swirling in the depths of his steel gray irises behind those quirky purple glasses that I’ve never seen before.
“Dibs on plus one.” Apollo chimed in, and Caito huffs like he’s annoyed he didn’t chime in sooner.
“I’ll get what’s left of him. He won’t be making it to trial.
” Caito says this as he nuzzles against my neck, and I brush my lips against my mark on the underside of his jawline.
His arms tighten around me in response, and I try really hard not to rub my ass against the obvious bulge beneath his jeans clearly begging for attention.
Seriously? Why the hell am I so turned on right now? We have much more important things to worry about.
“What about Ant? His family deserves justice…” I trail off, squeezing my eyes shut against the onslaught of memories.
Raven kneeling over Ant with a puddle of blood spreading beneath him.
His eyes closed and chest unmoving as the stain of crimson grew across his shirt.
The words Wren’s alpha sister screamed at me before I had an adrenaline crash and passed out.
“Ant’s mom and sister will be compensated. We will have justice on their behalf, love.” Apollo assures me before any of the others can.
Silence descends for a few heartbeats before Kate finally speaks up. “Is it safe for me to go home? If you don’t need me, Scar?”
I shake my head when I look over at her.
She’s already risen to her feet, but I can see her frame shuddering beneath the large coat she wears over her dress.
“Go home and get cleaned up and rest. I’ll call you tomorrow.
” I assure her, guilt struggling to consume me as I watch her nod and look at me with vacant, emotionless eyes.
“Lark can take you home.” Wren lifts his eyes to his pack brother. “We are going to bring Scarlett back to the penthouse. Come home after you get Kate home, and post someone to watch the apartment.”
Kate bristles slightly. “I don’t need anyone to stalk me. I have managed fine on my own for a long time.” A little bit of emotion creeps back into her hard tone, and I can’t say I’m not relieved by it. It’s better than watching her shut down after the events of the night.
“It’s just a precaution, Kate. Just someone to watch out for you. They won’t stop you from coming and going as you please. It’s because you are associated with me. Anyone can go after you just to get to me.” I try to reassure her again, but she still looks like she wants to argue.
After a moment, she sighs heavily. “Fine, but if they try to keep me inside, I’ll stab first and then ask questions later.
I am not going to be caged like some animal.
” She grumbles, getting a little of her fire back.
It makes me smile, though I still don’t like the way a tremor works its way through her hand before she crosses her arms over her chest.
Man, I really have come a long way since I first met her.
I never used to toss out smiles and reassurances.
These alphas are changing my life, and I’m starting to believe it’s for the better.
Lark bends down to brush a kiss over my lips, and Kate steps up next to give me a gentle hug, careful not to jostle my wrapped arm.
“Call me tomorrow, alright? Even if it’s just to tell me you’re alive.
We’ll do something soon even if it’s at your new prison.
” I snort at that, and Caito’s chest vibrates with a cute little growl. He’s so temperamental.
“Keep her safe.” I pin Lark with a look, and the alpha quirks a brow at me that arches elegantly over the rim of his glasses. God, he’s too stupid hot when he looks at me like that. Looking like a sexy professor. It’s totally unfair.
Lark is the only one of my alphas I haven’t gotten to taste yet.
I’m going to be rectifying that as soon as humanly possible.
Preferably in my new pack nest.
“I got her, Dream girl. I’ll see you back at home.” The wicked grin he gives me suggests that he knows exactly where my thoughts have wandered to just now, and I feel an unexpected blush creep across my cheeks. The glint in his eyes makes it worth it, though.
As soon as Lark leaves with Kate, Caito leans in to brush his lips against my neck and murmur in my ear. “Let’s get you home. We’ve already called Kars to meet us there with equipment to check your arm and the baby.”
“I really am alright, Caito. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about except possibly needing stitches. It could have been a lot worse.” I swallow hard, trying desperately not to think about Ant. Especially not Raven’s reaction to the alpha dying in her arms…
I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so furious before.
She’d looked like she wanted to drag me back to the shooter herself so he could finish the job.
I choose not to voice any of my concerns to my alphas at the moment.
Raven probably just needs some time to cool down.
It isn’t like she’s bothered to get to know me or anything.
Caito and Apollo help me to my feet as the former says, “I’d rather be safe than sorry, mo chroí .
Just humor me. He can patch up your arm and use his fancy machine to check the baby’s heartbeat.
” His reasonable and heart clenching explanation makes me fold like a deck of cards.
When he speaks that way and gives me the look he’s giving me, I can’t help but to follow along.
“Yes, alpha.” I murmur, pressing up on my tip-toes to brush my lips against my mark on the underside of his jawline.
His arm goes around me immediately at the contact, pressing me against his chest as he rumbles out a growl of approval.
Fuck , I love all the noises he makes. “Take me home so I can take a nice long bath and roll around in my nest.”
He doesn’t have to be told twice.