Page 14 of A Pack of Pumpkins
“No,” he grits. “They were fine.”
“Then you saw her and Dagan come in the house,” Bram cuts in.
“She came into the kitchen and met us, and then Dagan came in, and then we got you. After that she went to the porch where she’s been since.”
Victor’s jaw ticks.
“She could’ve snuck in while we were hunting this ‘intruder’ she made up for attention,” he mutters.
“How would she have gotten past us?” I sign. “Past you? You’ve been in the hall or up here the whole time.”
He doesn’t answer. Just pulls a cigarette from his back pocket and lights it with that damn zippo.
Clara visibly flinches at the sound. I think about ripping it out of his mouth again, but resist. It’s just giving him the negative attention he so obviously craves all the time.
So instead, I turn and head back up the steps to my omega. Jack has his arm around her.
“Breakfast?” I sign.
He nods and we lead her inside. Bram bringing up the rear. Once he’s in he closes the door on Victor’s face. Locking it behind him.
“What the fuck?” Victor calls, banging on the door.
No one answers. He deserves to sit in the cold for a while. Maybe then, he’ll learn not to scorch the only warmth we’ve got.
Clara
Allofthealphasare angry. I may as well be living in a dumpster fire with all the burnt scents wafting through this house. That’s what I feel like I’ve made out of this situation: a five-alarm pack fire.
Jack serves me breakfast. Turns out he’s an early bird, and had already gone out to the market and back before anyone else woke up. We eat in tense silence. Victor’s gone. I saw him walk out to the edge of the bluff through the window.
He can take a flying leap, I think savagely. But my omega whines anyway. She doesn’t like him being away, no matter how cruel he is. He’s one of her alphas.
“You can unlock the door. I’m sure Victor’s hungry,” I say, trying to sound casual, but the desperation bleeding through is pure omega instinct. I don’t want a split in the pack. It hurts. My job is to keep the harmony.
Bram snorts and Jack grunts. Dagan just looks at me, his expression a complicated mix of resignation and gratitude. He’s the one who finally gets up and unlocks the front and back doors.
“So, we didn’t find anything per se,” Jack says, “but Dagan scented an alpha in the nest.”
I go rigid. I’d been so excited to have my own nest. Knowing someone else was in it feels like finding out a stranger rifled through your underwear drawer. Gross.
Myscent must sour, because all three alphas look at me sharply.
Bram takes my hand, his grip warm and grounding. “He didn’t find anyone, but the scent was fresh. It’s concerning. We’ll call a cleaning company and have it professionally sterilized, okay? Nothing will be left of whatever that was.”
“And the locks,” Jack adds from where he’s still eating. “We’ll get them changed today.”
I nod.
"Do you have plans today, My Girl?"Dagan signs, and Jack translates.
Learning sign language jumps to the top of my mental to-do list. But I’d rather keep that to myself for now. I don’t want him thinking I’m doing it for attention. What Victor said this morning… it still stings. And once again, there’s no proof to back me up. Just me, the scent, and silence.
“I'm covering the lunch rush at work so I have to get ready and leave in a minute.”
"Where do you work?"Dagan signs—Jack translating again.
“I work at a café that my cousin owns.” Then I hesitate before adding, “But I also write. I’m an indie author.”
