Page 58 of Legally Mated
“Showing your mother out,” Holland said mildly. He walked over the window, opened it and peered down the side the building. Then, with an indifferent glance cast over his shoulder at his mate’s-mother, he tossed the bags out the window and watchedthemgo.
“You brainless piece of trash,” Quin’s motherstarted.
“Oh, no,” Holland said as he turned around. “Here’s your choice. You’re leaving—you can go through the door, or you can go the way the bags went. I have tried my hardest to learn from you, to see the importance in the things you find important. It’s a shame you couldn’t bother to do the same for me. The things I do for this pack are far more important to its well-being than keeping a tidy house or being perfectly obedient to my mate. Tick tock, time’s running out.” He watched her with that intent expression I’d noticed lately, as if his comfort with Quin’s inner circle had suddenly expanded to take on the whole world, that he’d just now come to terms with his right to decide howthingswent.
She took a few steps forward and I cringed, recognizing an alpha on the verge of an explosion. But before anything could happen, I felt Holland do that thing again, the one he wanted me to try to learn, and Quin’s mother gasped and her eyeswentwide.
“What are you?” shewhispered.
“True Omega, Mom,” Quin said quietly. “You might want to do what he said. I won’tstophim.”
She threw Quin a wild look and spun on her heel. Her stride as she headed for the door was even, with only a hint of anxious speed in it, but I could smell the tumult of her emotions in the air. I thought she’d just leave, but she stopped in the open doorway. “I’ll be at Abel’s if you want to talkaboutthis.”
“I doubt it. I’ll send your travel papers down to the gate. Goodbye, Mom,” Quin said, and, with a last frustrated, angry look at Holland,sheleft.
We all three stood there, frozen, until the bell for the elevator dinged and released us from our spell. Quin went immediately toHolland.
“Thank you for letting me handle it,”Hollandsaid.
“It was hard. But you were perfect.” Quin pulled Holland to him and I did my best to blend into the wall while they held eachother.
“I should go warn Bax,” Holland said after a moment. “He’s going tokillme.”
“We’ll send her home, you don’t need this on top ofeverything.”
Holland stepped back and patted Quin’s chest. “I’m tempted to let her stay so she can gossip to all her friends about what we’re doing here, but you’re right. I feel a hundred pounds lighter already. I really didn’t need the extradistraction.”
“More like a hundred and fifty, but I’m sure she’d appreciate you saying it was only a hundred.” Quin’s eyes danced. “I better go file those travel papers, and buy her a planeticket.”
With the first carefree laugh I’d heard out of him in months, Holland ran his fingers through Quin’s hair and leaned in to whisper something that made Quin’s eyes light up like full moon. But whatever was going to happen was interrupted by another knock onthedoor.
Quin and Holland looked at each other, then atthedoor.
“I’ll get it,” I told them, grateful for a chance to escape and get back to my regularworkload.
I opened the door to find Mutch standing in thehallway.
“Is this a bad time?” heasked.
“No, come in,”Hollandsaid.
“Good,” Mutch said. “I was worried for a moment. As we were pulling up to the building, someone threw a couple of suitcases out of the window. I was wondering if it was some sort of subtle warning that today wasn’t agoodday.”
I choked and went for the door. “Call me if you need me,” I said over my shoulder as I slipped into thehallway.
“Garrick, you’re going home to bed, right?” Holland calledafterme.
“I don’t argue with Adelaide,” I called back. For the first time, I was glad that I’d been moved into the main building. It meant riding the elevator a couple of floors, instead of walking halfway across the park to bachelor’squarters.
Holland followed me out into the hallway. “I asked you to stay to see how you were feeling. And to talk to you about Laine, but now Mutch is here.Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow would be good.” Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, I could feel every cut, every stitch the doctors had put in me. “Breakfast?”
He nodded. “I’ll get Quin and the pups off early, and then wecantalk.”
Chapter48
Laine stopped by the courthouse,threading through the crowded corridors in search of one door inparticular.
