Page 53 of Stuck with my Pack
The scent of him surrounds me, familiar now, leather and something old-fashioned and sweet, mixed with the faintest hint of something smokier. It settles over me like a shield, grounding and intoxicating all at once.
The air around me is thick with the scent of my Alphas—wood smoke, spice, something distinctly earthy and grounding. It weaves through my senses, soothing something restless inside me, even as a pang of something deeper, something unspoken, tugs at my chest.
I remain still, my body instinctively curling deeper into his heat, craving the security his presence offers. The voices of Tyler and Ethan filter through the quiet, their tones hushed but tense, the sound slipping in and out of focus as I drift between wakefulness and sleep.
“She’s been out for a while,” Tyler murmurs, his voice rough with concern.
“She took a hell of a hit,” Ethan replies, his tone tight. “Her body’s exhausted. The heat probably burned through what energy she had left.”
Brodie’s voice rumbles through my back, the deep resonance of it steady and grounding. “She needs time,” he says, his words laced with quiet certainty. “But she’ll be okay.”
There’s a pause before Tyler speaks again, his voice taking on a teasing lilt, though there’s an edge of curiosity beneath it. “Didn’t take you for the type to settle down, Callahan.”
Brodie exhales a short laugh, though there’s no humor in it. “Didn’t think I was, either.”
I keep my breathing slow and even, feigning sleep as I listen, drawn to the weight in his voice.
Tyler hums thoughtfully. “You’ve been all over the place. Seen more than most people ever will. What made you stay?”
Brodie doesn’t answer right away. When he does, his voice is quieter, more raw. “I don’t know. I’ve been searching for something for a long time…never knew what it was.”
Ethan shifts, the sound of his boots scraping softly against the floor. “And now?”
Brodie sighs, his fingers absentmindedly brushing against my waist beneath the blankets, his touch grounding. “Now I think maybe I wasn’t meant to keep running.”
Tyler huffs softly. “Big words for a guy who used to make it a point to never stick around anywhere longer than a few months.”
Brodie lets out a quiet chuckle, but there’s something deeper beneath it. “Yeah, well…maybe I was running from the wrong things.” He pauses, and I feel the shift in the air around us, the weight of something unspoken pressing down. “Sophie’s different.”
Ethan exhales through his nose. “She has a way of making you want to stay,” he admits, voice lower than usual.
Brodie nods. “It’s more than that. She makes me feel like there’s actually something worth staying for.”
At his words, a warmth spreads through my chest, though I keep my breathing steady, unwilling to break the moment.
Tyler shifts, and I hear the scrape of a chair against the wooden floor. “You really mean that?”
Brodie’s fingers press slightly against my hip. “Yeah,” he says, with no hesitation. “I mean it.”
A silence settles over the room before Tyler clears his throat. “Well, her color’s looking a hell of a lot better now,” he mutters. “I was starting to think we’d lost her for a minute there.”
Ethan crouches beside the couch, his sharp gaze sweeping over me. “She’s warm now,” he confirms, pressing the back of his fingers lightly against my cheek. His touch lingers, just for a second, before he exhales, the tension in his body easing. “Her heat’s gone, though.”
Brodie stiffens slightly behind me. “I noticed,” he says, his voice quieter now. “Might be the injury. The cold shock. Her body’s probably prioritizing keeping her stable.”
Tyler sighs. “Probably for the best. She’s been fighting it hard enough already.”
Ethan’s quiet for a beat before he nods. “We’ll worry about that later. Right now, she just needs to rest.”
I feel Brodie’s arm tighten slightly around me, as if reinforcing Ethan’s words without speaking.
Tyler starts to leave. “We should let you get some sleep, Callahan,” he says, the usual teasing edge in his voice gentler this time. “Keep her warm. We’ll be back in a couple hours to check in.”
Ethan stands, stretching slightly before glancing back down at me. His expression softens, and before I can prepare for it, he bends down, pressing a firm kiss to my forehead.
It’s brief, barely a whisper of warmth, but it sends something sharp and aching through me.
Brodie must notice because his grip on me tightens again.
