Page 32 of Pack Down Bad

Nothing. I can’t hear a damn thing that would justify waking with the first light of day.

Rhys and Percy will be up soon since they’re more morning people than I am, but I could have had at least another twenty or thirty minutes of sleep before their stomping would have woken me up.

I’m not a light sleeper.

What the hell woke me up?

I grumble under my breath as I throw the blanket off me and rub the sleep from my eyes. When I open them again, I catch sight of a trickle of artificial light in the hallway. Weird, since Percy and Rhys usually come bumbling out into the living room within minutes of opening their eyes each morning.

Curious, I stand and make my way toward the hall. The light isn’t coming from either bedroom on the main floor, the warm glow is spilling out from under the closed door of Percy’s office. He doesn’t usually leave the library closed up when he’s done for the day, which only adds to my intrigue.

I turn the handle and push the door open slowly.

I’m surprised to see Belle inside, curled up in the most comfortable chair we own with a blanket tucked around her as she reads a book clutched in her hands. I guess she learned from the previous night that she has to move a lot quieter around here to avoid being noticed.

Gotta make sure I remember my sweet omega has a voyeur side to her.

“What’re you reading?”

She turns the book so that I can see the bright-colored cover with its cute characters and hand-drawn background. I smile before I can stop myself.

“Oh, so you’re hiding here in the wee hours of the morning for a light swooning session?” I tease.

She lifts an eyebrow and offers me a coy smile. “Don’t judge a girl for liking happy endings.”

“You expecting one of those?”

“I’m not sure.” She closes the book without marking her spot. “But I like to think there could be a few of them in my future.”

Rhys’s dinner joke about happy endings has caught on.

I would love to pretend my mind isn’t just as filthy, but the idea of a happy ending sets all of my nerve endings on fire. I’m desperate to get my hands on Belle and barely holding back as it is. The last thing I need to be thinking about is how her face looks when she has ahappy ending.

But now I can’t think of anything else.

I’m thinking of doing something crazy like begging to have her. I’m not a man opposed to getting on my knees to get what I want.

In an attempt to focus on anything else, I ask her, “What made you choose that book?”

“This is one of mine.” She sounds so proud that I feel bad for being confused.

“I didn’t think you brought anything with you.” I remember Rhys mentioning something about there being books in her car, but I don’t remember them carting any of them back to the house. He was a little preoccupied, focusing on getting the omega in front of the pack as fast as possible.

She shakes her head, a beaming smile spreading across her cheeks. “No, I mean Iwrotethis book.”

Well, there’s a plot twist I didn’t see coming.

“You’re kidding.” I lean down to take the book from her, desperate for a closer look. She’s a writer? No wonder she’s gravitating toward Percy’s office first thing in the morning. “Wait a second...”

My gaze flickers up to hers, and I accidentally drop the book as shock floods my system. Her words are starting toreallyregister.

“You remember?” I ask, my voice going hoarse.

She nods. “I remember.”

And she’s still here. She remembers who she is now, and she hasn’t gone anywhere. Getting her memory back hasn’t sent her running away or calling the cops on us because she wants us. She’s choosing us.

Fuck changing the subject; it’s about damn time I give Belle her happy ending after all.

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