Chapter Twenty-Four
Shiloh
It had been almost a week since we told Hazel who we were and what we did. True had done what True did and had gone silent, enduring his pain in quiet movements and staring out the window. Lots of walking on all our parts.
Lindon took it worst. He blamed himself but didn’t regret for one second killing the man who was hunting our mate. His resolve was steady on that. Even if she never forgave us. Even if we never saw her again, as a mate.
We’d saved her. Maybe only temporarily. Time would tell.
No matter what, we’d collectively decided to stay here in Belladonna Woods. We would find a home together and would take care of our omega from afar, the best we could. Our bond to her, our tether, wouldn’t break on our end just because she didn’t make us hers.
Except me. Technically, I was hers. The bite marks on my neck told me and everyone else I was taken. Claimed.
“How long has it been?” I asked, coming out of a rare nap in a cold sweat. “What time is it?” I blurted out before the first question was answered.
“It’s after noon, and it’s been six days.
” Lindon got up and paced again. He had some listings on his phone.
Belladonna Woods didn’t exactly have a ton of real estate but we would have to make do.
I also knew that he wanted to buy something big, with an omega suite if possible, in case one day Hazel—
Fuck, I missed my mate.
The mark made her absence all the more painful. I didn’t mention it. We were each hurting in our own way.
“I’m done waiting. I’m going to see her.”
“Shiloh,” True said, standing. “She said to stay away.”
“I know but I have to try. I won’t leave her to overthink and have questions without providing answers. She’s had time. She has to know. I have to make her understand…”
I didn’t wait for permission from the rest of my pack brothers and honestly, I didn’t care for their opinion on the matter. I was going to see my omega. Period.
I took the long way to the Velvet Vial and, when I got to the door, I was met with a pitbull of sorts.
“What in the fuck do you want?”
I almost smiled at the fierceness of the omega, but I had a feeling she might slit my throat or worse. Good. Hazel needed strong, protective people around her. Even if that meant from one of us. “I want to talk to Hazel. Please. And you are?”
“I’m Augustine. Her best friend. One of her best friends. Did you not get the message about her not wanting to see you or the other assholes?”
I liked this one.
“I got the message, but…” I looked over Augustine’s shoulder and saw Hazel standing there. Her eyes were tired. She was a bit pale. “For her.” I pulled my collar down. “It’s not just me hurting.”
Augustine eyed the mark and then turned around. “Hazel?”
“It’s okay. I’ll talk to him. Just a minute.”
I let out a sigh, and Augustine turned, giving me the worst staredown ever. She would’ve made a great bounty hunter. “If she returns in a worse state, I’ll come after you myself. Big, bad hunters or not.”
“I understand.”
Hazel walked out and both of us reached for one another but then retreated. Our biology was screaming at us to connect, but life had other plans. We sat on a bench across the street from her shop and at first said nothing. Just being in her presence was a balm to my wounds.
Goddess, I missed her. It had only been days.
Her scent reached out to me, as did her wolf. The bond was so new and fresh and thin, but it throbbed between us, trying to surge.
“We are so sorry for hurting you,” I said.
“I know.” She crossed and uncrossed her legs at the ankles. Her scent was stable. She was no longer angry, but the hurt smelled like moss clinging to her omega scent. She still retained that heavenly smell that called to every part of me, man and beast and alpha.
“We should’ve told you sooner. As soon as we realized you…that we thought you were our mate.”
We thought you were… I hated saying that sentence, but it was no longer a fact. We might’ve lost her by our own actions.
She blew out a breath then turned her body toward me.
“Shiloh, I can feel your emotions. Because of the bond and the mark. I know how sorry you are and that you never meant harm to me. In fact, you were trying to protect me all this time. You just fumbled it somewhere along the way. It was a terrible situation all around. I…” She looked past me, and I caught a hint of a smile.
“Couldn’t let you grovel by yourself,” Lindon said from a distance.
True came over, planted himself right in between Hazel and me, and reached for her hand.
I held my breath for three, four, five seconds. She took it. She took his hand.
“Can we start over, baby?” True asked. He had a way of talking to our mate that made her melt. I had to get lessons from him.
“I would really like that. But no more secrets. I can’t handle any more secrets from any of you, and my friends were ready to castrate. I mean it. Especially Augustine. She’s mean sometimes.”
From across the street, I heard said friend stomp. “Did you hear that?” she said to the others in the shop. “She called me mean.” Then she shrugged. “I’ll take it.”
We all burst into laughter.
“So, starting over?” Lindon asked. “Even though you know what I did?”
She stood up and wrapped her arms around his middle. “You removed the threat to my life. One of them, at least. Any alpha would in your position.”
Every tense muscle in my pack brother released. He held her tight and whispered things into her ear that made her cry while smiling.
That had to be good.
We all made up as best we could on a public street with strangers watching and her friends gawking. “I have to get back to work,” she finally said. “How about dinner tonight? With my friends. You can get pummeled by questions. You still have to receive their approval, you know.”
“We’ll be there,” I answered.