Page 102 of Pack Owned
“Deep breaths, Kayla,” I whisper under my breath. “You can’t control everything.”
I’m not alone in this. Not anymore.
I shift slightly, feeling the soft give of the pillows beneath me. Like what a full-blown heat will feel like. And will I feel any different once we’re registered and Nexus’ approved?
“Charlie will come through,” Liam says confidently, though his eyes don’t leave the screen of his phone. “Right now, you need to focus on taking care of yourself.”
He’s right. And yet, there’s a restlessness inside me that’s clawing its way to the surface. I can’t shake the sense of urgency, the fear that everything we’re building could crumble.
“Hey.” Dane’s hand squeezes gently. “We’ve got this.”
Liam glances up from his phone, a playful glint in his eyes. “Charlie’s a shoo-in. Dude owes Dane a huge favor. Besides, who could resist this much awesome?” He gestures broadly, taking in all of us.
“Seriously, Kayla. We won’t let you down,” Ryker sits up.
The library, with its makeshift nest of blankets and pillows, feels like a fortress—a stronghold where the outside world can’t reach us. But time is ticking and I worry we’ll lose our chancewith Charlie. Just cause he owes Dane a favor doesn’t mean he’ll put his job on the line for us.
“Let’s just enjoy this,” I say, pulling my book closer, the words blurring slightly as I try to focus.
“Here.” Dane hands me a homemade chocolate chip cookie, and I take it, the familiar sweetness comforting.
“Thanks.”
“Anytime.” Dane’s grin is gentle, reassuring.
Ryker sits on the other side of me. Liam keeps one eye on his game, but I feel the weight of his gaze, vigilant and protective.
“Hey, it’ll be fine.” Liam flashes me a grin.
Will it though? I chew on the inside of my cheek. “What if it takes too long? What if we miss the window and Nexus finds out?”
“Then we deal with it,” Dane says with blunt certainty. “We adapt. That’s what we do.”
“Besides,” Liam adds, his grin returning, but strained, “you’ve got us. We won’t let bureaucracy screw this up.”
“Right.” Ryker’s gravelly voice chimes in. “Fuck the rules. You’re ours to take care of.”
“Ours,” Dane echoes, a possessive glint in his eyes.
The warmth from their words wraps around me, mingling with the heat that simmers under my skin. I want to believe them, to trust that everything will work out.
“Thanks, guys,” I murmur, my voice thick with unspoken emotion.
“Always,” Dane responds, his thumb brushing against the soft denim covering my knee.
“Forever,” Liam adds.
“Whatever it takes,” I let myself sink into the moment, surrounded by my Alphas. Safe. Loved. For now, that’s enough.
But in the back of my mind, the same thought whispers, insistent and unbidden—I hope this perfect bubble doesn’t burst too soon.
CHAPTER 33
KAYLA
Heat wraps around me, searing every inch of my skin. I’m blazing, an inferno from the inside out. The scent of cedar, cinnamon, and sandalwood mingled with the briny tang of sea breeze fills the air. It’s overwhelming and makes my head feel like I’ve pounded down too many shots.
Liam is playing some game on his phone, but he catches the shift in the atmosphere before the others. My gaze locks onto him, and I can’t help but marvel at how even the mundane action of swiping a screen makes his muscles flex so enticingly under his shirt.
