Page 136 of Ember

The look she gave me was filled with protective rage.

I shook my head. I had to get out of here.

Ember picked up the phone, and I knew she was calling our pack. Ben and Rian could be here in minutes, Alejandro a half hour if he broke all traffic laws. And he would, to get to me.

I needed time before any of that happened. I needed a quiet moment to put space between the boy I was and the man I had become.

My heart pounded, and another wave of nausea rolled over me.

I turned on my heel and headed back out the way I came in. I would sit in the car and have a nice, well-deserved nervous breakdown.

I left, the door slamming shut behind me even as people rushed to reassure me they would fix it.

But there wasn’t any fixing this.

It was already broken.

Chapter 51

Ember

“What’s wrong?” Ben asked.

I’d called the direct studio number. Ben had answered on the second ring.

“You need to come to our work,” I said tightly. West’s face was eerily blank. He was retreating again. “Someone hacked our system and put West’s juvie record up on every computer.”

Ben swore. “We will be right there.”

West turned on his heel and left, heading for the parking lot. I hung up with Ben and dialed Alejandro.

He picked up halfway through the first ring. I told him the same thing I’d told Ben, and Alejandro also said he was on his way. Through the pack bonds, warm comfort floated into me.

This was bad, but we could get through this. It would hurt, but we could help West navigate the wounds this had reopened. Suing the shit out of the company for starters.

Greg was talking to me, something about getting the bastard that did this, but I ignored him. I followed West out to the garage, talking the elevator down.

I got to the first level, scanning the garage for our car. Maybe West was sitting inside it, having a quiet freakout. The garage smelled weird, like motor oil and something else. I took a few steps forward, wondering if West wanted company this soon, or if he needed a few more minutes to compose himself.

I leaned against the cement wall, debating. Maybe I should wait until Ben and Rian showed up at least. We could?—

I yelped as someone grabbed me from behind. A sickly-sweet smell covered my nose. Black spots appeared in my vision.

I thrashed, but whoever had grabbed me yanked me back. I jerked my elbow back, stomped my foot on the ground, but my head started spinning. The smell grew stronger. It was nothing like any scent I’d smelled before, chemical and medicinal, and then the black spots swallowed me whole.

Chapter 52

Ben

Two out of my three omegas were in trouble, and as an alpha I was losing my mind.

We arrived at Computer Solutions in record timing, thanks to Rian’s unwillingness to follow traffic laws. We headed straight for the employee parking, and West met us at the elevator leading up to the office.

His voice sounded thick, like he’d barely managed to hold back tears. “Thanks for coming. Sorry, I needed a moment in the car.”

I pulled him into a hug, but he went stiff instead of yielding. I let go immediately. “What do you need?”

He shrugged. “I’m okay.”

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