Chapter 34 Devon
Devon
Iwalk out onto the street with her hand in mine. Elijah and Asher on one side of her, Mack, Cordelia, and Sebastian on the other side of him. We are flanked by a third of the town.
They don’t look impressive at all in their shirts and slacks. It’s too hot to be dressed up like that, and judging by the sweat, they are going to need IVs just to hydrate.
The moment their eyes land on my omega, something dangerous awakens inside me. Something I’ve kept tamped down, holding myself back, resisting her. Not anymore. She’s mine.
“We’re here to arrest this thief!”
“I thought you said she was your omega?” Cordelia snipes out.
“She is a thief. We want our property back.”
The alpha who speaks is tall with dark hair and a big nose. He’s scowling but he doesn’t look scary at all. He is the one the others are deferring to, so I peg him as the leader of this pack.
Sofia scoffs and puts a hand on her hip. “You gave me the dog.”
“You stole from us. The car, the damages to the house, slapping Giselle. The dog.”
I glance at her sideways. She slapped the omega? She’s adorable.
“No, I reclaimed my property; the rest was icing.”
“It was a courting gift,” the alpha, who seems to be in charge, growls.
“He was a gift, do you understand what the definition of a gift is?” I ask. I side-eye her. What the hell did she see in these losers?
“Shut up, Devon,” she says with a laugh.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You don’t have to; I know how your mind works.”
“He’s a bit obvious, isn’t he?” Elijah says with a laugh.
“Come now, children, let’s not have our first fight here on the streets,” Mack purrs.
“Excuse me! We’re still here!” The smallest alpha says wrathfully. He’s got an ugly scowl. Two of the other alphas are standing back, looking embarrassed to be here. While a third is snarling softly.
I turn back to him dramatically. “Shit, my bad. Sorry, dude.”
Sebastian snickers.
The alpha gets even angrier, and then Marla walks through their pack, stabbing her cane into the nervous looking alpha, who has blond hair. He yelps and grabs his foot, whirling on her, only to realise she can’t see well. He shuts his mouth with a snap.
Points for him.
“Who are these losers?” Sebastian says with a fierce growl.
“Who are you?” the firecracker of an alpha who has been snarling asks.
“Her brother.”
Their eyes widen a little, and they turn to me.
“Her pack.”
“You've got a pack already? It’s only been a couple of weeks. You damn who-”
“Finish that sentence, I dare you,” Mack growls and flexes slightly.
I frown. “We’ve been a pack forever.”
“That’s not possible. This piece of-”
“Watch your mouth!” I bark, and the whole street falls silent under my bark.
He subsides, swallowing hard.
“This omega had no one. She was alone,” the in-charge alpha says smugly.
I shake my head. “She hasn’t been alone a day in her life; she was just lost.”
The alpha in charge scrapes his hand through his hair and stalks towards us. “Regardless of whom she belongs to-”
“She belongs to herself. Omegas aren’t property, you muppet!” Asher snarls.
When the sandy-haired alpha snarls, Asher is backed by a sudden, fierce, and furious Felix, Milton, and Franco.
“She broke the law. She stole a vehicle that cost a substantial amount of money and a dog that we had given to our omega.”
“He was mine. You gave him to me!” Sofia shouts.
“You have no proof,” the alpha says with an oily smirk. “We have the vet bills, the proof of purchase.”
Damn. That is an issue. I look at Elijah, and I can see him thinking rapidly.
“You can’t have him.”
“He’s just a dog; go and get another one,” the alpha says dismissively.
The crowd watches on, people recording.
“He’s my dog!” she shouts.
“No, legally, he’s ours.”
I watch her out of the corner of my eye. She looks desperate, and a desperate Sofia is never a good thing. I tighten my hand around her wrist.
“Trust me,” I murmur.
She stares at the side of my face. “I will not lose him.”
Right, that’s the line in the sand. She won’t give him up, and I won’t give her up. Which means we come out of this intact and living in Sunshine or we go on the run from the law.
I glance at Mack and Elijah, who nod slightly.
No hesitation.
“Call us Pack Outlaw, then,” Elijah whispers.
But he’s not quiet enough, and the people around us hear.
“This is absurd. You expect me to believe you conveniently helped her out when you bought her debt? That it was a romance? Don’t be ridiculous,” Grandma snaps, stepping through the crowd until she’s standing on my left. “You’re taking advantage of young omegas and preying on them.”
They frown but don’t deny it.
“She stole a car and a dog. Unless she is prepared to pay reparations, she’s got to come back and face the letter of the law,” he says it smugly and loudly like he’s got us backed into a corner.
“I see.”
I glance at Gran.
“Too bad we don’t have an army, huh?” Grandpa murmurs.
Her eyes widen, and she glances back behind us before shuffling away.
“What are reparations?” Elijah asks.
The lead alpha smiles and sets an amount that is ten times what the car is worth.
Elijah nods his head. “Deal.”
I turn quickly to face him. “What?”
“You never wanted to talk money, Devon, but we’re actually exceedingly well off. This won’t even dent what we have.” Elijah walks towards them, Milton at his side.
“Sign this paper. You have been paid for the repairs. You are transferring possession of the puppy to Sofia Sol. And the matter is settled.”
“Wait,” one of the alphas says and looks around at us. He thinks he’s getting scammed.
“You don’t want to do that. You’re in our territory now, and Sunshine Cove takes care of its own,” I warn quietly.
Spectators stand up, moving slightly, and the pack finally realises how alone they are.
“Sign it, and let’s get out of here. We can buy her a new dog,” the nervous alpha says.
They sign the paper, and Felix places Danger’s lead back in Mack’s hands.
“It has been incredibly unpleasant, Sofie. Goodbye.”
“Sofi-ah, dumbass,” Sofia hisses and whirls around, disappearing behind me.
“This isn’t right. That dog belongs to Giselle.” The smallest alpha growls. He stalks towards us.
Three things happen in quick succession.
Danger slips free of his harness and rushes the alpha, growling and snapping. Holding him at bay, preventing him from getting closer.
“Ugh, you stupid mutt!”
Sofia, Cordelia, Felix, and Asher jump past us and throw buckets of food.
Chips, fish, gravy, bread, and other things I can’t place.
Sofia turns and looks back up at the sky.
I follow her eyes and see the intent and predatory gaze of Sergeant Sully.
He opens his beak and lets out a truly thunderous squawk.
“Attack!” Grandma shouts.
The sky turns white.
“Oh, my God,” Sofia whispers between giggles. “How many are there?”
I glance up but ignore them as I dive forward and take the kick meant for Danger.
Sofia lets out a war cry, leaps over me, and slaps the alpha so hard he reels backwards, then does a move that ends with the alpha lying flat on his back, wheezing.
“Don’t you touch my alpha!”
She’s so cute when she’s being Sofia.
Mack hoists me up and gathers the pup and Sofia, pulling them back until we form a wall in front of them. Milton, Franco, and Sebastian join us, glaring at them.
And as if it was orchestrated by nature itself, or rather Sully, who lets out a screech that is like a summons to the other world, the seagulls descend.
“Fly, my pretties-”
Grandma elbows Grandpa. “Don’t you dare. You’re still in trouble for this.”
The alphas scream as hangry seagulls dive-bomb them, landing with webbed feet and clinging while they peck their feast free.
“I advise you to take your reparations and get the hell out of Sunshine Cove!” Sebastian shouts. “Have a nice fucking day!”
The alpha glares at me while trying to duck the attacking birds. “Let’s go.”
They turn and run.
Marla starts to clap, and suddenly, everyone is clapping and shouting and cheering. It’s insane and just so typically us that I don’t think anyone is surprised.
“This is going to look amazing on our page!” Kylie says to Betty.
I decide I don’t even want to know.
I turn to Sofia and find her in Mack’s arms. He’s whispering to her, but she’s hanging onto him like she’s never going to let him go.
She pulls back and says something I can’t hear, then she turns, and when her eyes land on me, I know everything is going to be okay.
I open my arms, and she flies into them.
“Thank you.”
“It wasn’t me.”
I see Elijah standing there quietly, unsure.
“It was. You all did it. Thank you.”
I kiss her because I can’t resist then turn us so she can see Elijah, who is standing there with Danger in his arms.
She laughs and flings herself at him, careful not to squish her dog.
“You saved my Danger Dachsie.”
Elijah turns red and makes a pleased humming sound.
I look up at the mass of swarming gulls. Most of them have chased the alphas, but some have stayed. Enough have stayed.
Sully lets out a call, and all the birds lift into the air. Within minutes, the place is cleared out but for the one large and aggressive seagull, who preens his wing feathers nonchalantly like nothing happened.
“Thank you, Sergeant Sully,” Lorelei says.
Sofia suddenly spins back to me and smiles.
“I have no more secrets. We could make it permanent, I mean. Well, if you still want me-”
What is she saying? Does she mean it? I don’t care, I’m not giving her a chance to back out.
I slam my mouth against hers.
“Of course, I want you. Forever and a day.” I hoist her up over my shoulder. “We’ll be back in a few hours. I’m not letting her get away again!”
Another cheer goes up. This crazy town, I shake my head.
Asher takes Danger as we march our omega to our car and drive the short distance home.
It is way past time for those bonds.