Page 74 of Accidentally Forever

“You going to be okay, Sofie?” Puma asks. “The shit storm is going to be a bit before it blows over.”

He says that like he has a plan. Our Alphas have been all secretive, in and out of that office, throwing around words I don’t understand. I’m sure that they’ve been contemplating something after Marion was taken into custody. He hasn’t told the officers much, that I know of. “What’s the plan?” I ask. Puma raises an eyebrow as he glances down at me. “I mean it. Don’t shut me out.”

Lance humors me as he pulls up a seat near the counter. “Sofie, there’s many moving parts. Marion has said fuck all but I guess that’s a good thing, seeing as he tried to frame us and that didn’t work. The main detective on the case is kind of an acquaintance, I guess you could say, and there’s been no additional information regarding who’s actually behind the scenes.”

I glare at him. “But what about the painting you guys bid on? Where is that?” Violet’s quick thinking, calling Puma at the time saved her from having to recount any of the details. Puma was able to retell everything he heard to the detectives and we were able to move on.Mostly.The part I hate is when I saw all those horrid threats Marion sent my Beta—down to the fucking pictures he took of all of us. I can’t imagine how much it hurt to see that firsthand.

He laughs. “You’re too smart for your own good. Sweetheart, all we know is that he’s dealing in fakes. He’s got his hands in deep and he is trying to pin it off on someone. I can guarantee you that we’re the easiest target but not the only one. However, there might be a way to draw him out into the open.”

I lean toward him, sucking my bottom lip through my teeth. “Really? Why haven’t we done it? Why are we sitting here?” The smirk playing on Lance’s face is starting to piss me off. I grumble at him but the longer I stare, the more my body heats until my goddamn scent gives me away. “No. None of that. Tell me and you can fuck me later.”

“I’ll hold you to that, sweetheart. Now, how do you feel about parties?”

I hesitate, mostly because I’m not sure what kind of party Lance is talking about. Like the drunken ones atTemplewhere Violet always had to pull me down from a table? Or the pish posh ones like at the showing? Or like a gala?

“Is that a no, Sofie?”

I twist around to look at Puma and shake my head. “No. I just don’t know what kind of party. Is this one of those rich ones?”

“Absolutely. You’ll have to dress up and there will be hors d'oeuvres and lots of really fancy people you’ll get to meet. See, we’re all pretty sure that whoever is fucking around is enjoying that from within the circle. It’s why throwing a party, almost as a last hurrah will bring all those wishing for our downfall, those itching to find out the truth, and the one person who’s hoping and praying we’ll go down under. At least, we hope it’ll work. A few officers will be here. Banks thinks we’re doing ourselves a disservice and Hawk over there says if someone so much as looks at either of you wrong, that the party is over. I feel the same.”

I wholeheartedly agree but I’m worried that Violet isn’t ready for something like that. My gaze darts over to her, that warm smile still on her face as Hawk peppers kisses all over her cheeks, Gray being a dumbass as he holds her hand to his lips.

“Sofie, you’d be surprised. This was her idea.” Puma laughs at how fast I twist to look at him. “She’s not broken. She was hurt and confused and…”

“Tell me,” I whisper, wanting to know what happened. No one’s said anything. And for a little while, I didn’t want to know but I need to understand the terror in her eyes.

“A gun was involved and it went off but I don’t know much more than that. Sofie, she fought so goddamn hard to make it out of there. She hit him a few good times, held him off until we got there. I think of that moment every goddamn day, trying not to think of what could have happened had we been a few minutes later.” Puma rakes his hand through his hair, letting out a heavy sigh. “She’s here with us and that bastard is in jail. If he makes bail, he’ll regret it.” There’s no hesitation in his voice and I know for a fact that Marion’s mug shot would have looked a lot worse if the detectives hadn’t gotten there when they did. “As for whether or not Violet is ready, she’s the one who suggested we ‘do it like the movies’, for better or worse. I think she’s stronger than any of us really know, Sofie. She’s an amazing woman.”

“Yeah, she is,” I mumble before squeezing Lance’s hand and moving toward the couch. Violet immediately perks up, hands reaching out for me. I crawl into her lap, right on top of Hawk, the man drawing us both into his chest as I let my Beta devour me with kisses. “Thank you for coming back to me,” I whisper against her lips.

Chapter fifty-five

VIOLET

Planning and plotting. That’s what the last week’s been all about in between each of our Alphas cradling me against their chest as if I’m something to break. And for a little bit, I was. However, it’s Hawk that gets all grumbly, stealing me away in the mornings to hold me on the couch. I fucking love the attention and I need it more than ever. Sofie’s little giggles as Gray and Lance focus on her is everything too. Even Puma can be found talking to her about art, her little nose scrunched up in annoyance as she seeks an out.

I’ve found comfort in the routine of doing very little, working beside Gray as he visits the few clients who don’t hate us. Pointing out where to put things, what to add, and then stealing kisses in the expensive nooks when no one’s looking. It feels like a fucking dream as I come back out of my shell, the horrors of those moments with Marion slowly fading away.

He’s still there at the edge of my consciousness but I keep telling myself that he didn’t get me. That I didn’t suffer. That I’m okay. And I am. I truly am. Something everyone in this house keeps reminding me of.

There’s been endless discussions at the dining table, the kitchen counter, the living room floor as they flesh out an idea I threw out on a whim. Apparently, it was perfect, although Banks thinks we’re walking into the line of fire. They all have their quirks, their way of showing Sofie and I they care, that they love us. Words that I’m trying to find the right time to say. There’s never a right time which is why I’m hoping that in the next several hours, they all hear it from me.

I glance over at Sofie, sprawled out on Puma’s bed as I shimmy into the dress for tonight’s affairs. It’s some obscene purple thing that nearly cuts all the way up my thigh, showing off a little more skin than I’m used to. Gray picked it out—said that it would be perfect. I think he’s just trying to get me fucked by one of our other Alphas before the night’s over. I’m not complaining, though.

Tugging at the fabric, I try to resituate it but there’s no hiding the cleavage—something else Gray probably did on purpose. My gaze falls on the low cut-V, the way it hugs every curve and the shining bite on my shoulder. I’d been avoiding the conversation for days, curling into myself after that incident with Marion. Hawk was really the one that drew me out of that funk, his brother always just around the corner keeping me out of my head.

And it was just yesterday that I fell into their arms, both of them giving me the last piece of the puzzle.

Hawk follows me into the bathroom after he announced that I was taking a shower. I catch the smirk playing on his lips, the boyish charm making an appearance that only seems to come out when it’s just us or us and his brother.

“Is there something you need, Alpha?” I purr, suddenly feeling confident with his dark eyes trained on me. His nostrils flare as I shrug off my shirt and then start on my pants. “Because suggesting that I need a shower makes me think you’re telling me I stink. Is that right?”

I’m only in my panties at this point, having forgone a bra since I’m just walking around the house. It drives my Alphas wild and I catch Sofie staring every once in a while. The self-confidence boost it gives me isamazing.Hawk doesn’t say anything, still watching as I step over to the shower and turn the knob, wiggling my ass just enough to keep his attention. The growl that follows as he stalks toward me tells me what his intentions are but I twirl around, shaking my head.

“No, you said a shower. That’s what we’re doing here.” I grin up at him, his hands falling to my hips. He’s breathing just a little too hard as he hooks his fingers into my panties and then rips them off of me. A yelp tears from my throat as he walks me into the shower, plastering me against the wall, his lips immediately on mine.

I chuckle into the kiss, clawing at his clothes, demanding more than he’s already giving. I’ve been working up to this moment—the one where I add to my bonds because I can’t stand not being part of everything they’re giving me. Puma told me to take. So, I’m taking.

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