Page 89 of Pack Me Up
He grins, teeth white and sharp. “Oh, I know. You own my body, heart, and soul.”
We stay like that until the knot softens, Saint still holding me, still petting my skin like I’m something sacred.
Eventually, we get dressed and we sneak out, laughing at the mess we’ve made, and walk back to the bus hand in hand.
No one says a word about the time we were gone. Fox just winks, Colton and Cody howl with laughter, and Hunter makes a show of gagging into his cereal.
But Saint’s hand never leaves my body, not for a second, and I know everyone sees it.
I’m claimed. I’m kept. I’m home.
And I’m never, ever letting go.
Saint
PHOENIX PACK SECURITY BRIEF #129
THREAT ASSESSMENT FOR LOOMER PACK
May 8th
Iwake up curled around my mate with the scent of toffee in my nose. It’s my morning to sleep in, and I know my brothers are already gone, handling the new venue in Salt Lake City.
I slip free of the blanket, careful not to jostle her, but she still rolls onto her back, hair snarled across her mouth and cheeks.
“Morning, honey,” I say, voice gravel.
She makes a sound that’s half a laugh, half a groan, and sits up, clutching the blanket to her chest as if we haven’t already spent enough nights with nothing but skin between us. The bus is cold. I reach for my hoodie, then remember it’s probably up in the front lounge.
She’s quiet. Not in the way she used to be, which was all fear and ice and the constant, mechanical smile. This silence is weighted, like she’s holding a question in her mouth and waiting to see if I’ll notice before she’s forced to spit it out.
“What’s on your mind?” I ask, not wanting anything to stress her.
She looks at me, really looks, like she’s scanning my face for cracks. “Are you okay?” she asks.
I can’t help but bristle. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”
She shrugs. “Despite the great sex yesterday, I know that guy upset you.”
I sit up straighter, roll my neck until it pops. “Vince is an ass.”
She lets the silence hang, lets it stretch out until it’s almost unbearable before saying something. “Can I ask you something?”
I know what’s coming. I wish I didn’t, but it makes sense for her to ask. I feel her question before she even starts. “Of course.”
She sits cross-legged, blanket slipping down her body.
“The man at the show,” she says. “The security one. He acted like there was something wrong with Phoenix Pack Security. Is there?”
My hands curl, knuckles whitening against my knees.
I want to lie. Every part of me wants to brush it off, make a joke, or redirect. But her eyes are too direct, too patient. The bond pulses between us, and I remind myself that this is my mate and she deserves every piece of me.
“I fucked up,” I say. The words taste like glass. “I got greedy. When the business started taking off, I wanted to prove I could make it big and take care of my brothers.”
She listens and doesn’t move.
“I hired too many people too fast. I didn’t vet them like I should’ve. Some of them weren’t loyal, and I didn’t catch it until it was too late.”
