Page 13 of Gold Rush
His eyes widen, and in seconds his arms are around me, halfway out of his own chair. Seth pulls me into a tight hug, covering me in him, grounding me while simultaneously keeping me from falling apart. “Sorry if this is weird,” he rambles in my ear, squeezing me. “I just… it feels right, please don’t cry.”
And it does feel right. In the strangest, biological way, when I sink into his touch, my brain quiets, the anxiety gripping my chest loosens its hold. I close my eyes, wrapping my arms around him as I mumble, “I’m sorry the last few days have been a lot and… and…” I hiccup, trying to sort through the onslaught of emotions.
He leans back just enough to touch my cheek. “And this feels right, right?”
I nod.
“You’re coming home with us.” His expression grows serious as he turns his head, looking back at Bennett. “She’s coming home with us.” The alpha watches, something gentle in his eyes as Seth says, “Throw however much money at this that will get heroutof here.”
Bennett frowns as Seth leans back. The beta’s touch lingers on my hands, squeezing them both as Bennett asks, “Have they really kept you here?”
“Yes.” I chew on my lower lip, pausing when I taste blood. At this rate I’ll have no skin left on them. I force myself to stop before giving them the condensed version of what the doctor said, and then the hotel, and the embassy. The more I talk, the more the two men in front of me look… angry. I finally taper off, my voice quieting at the end. “I’ve been sleeping in the coordinator’s office down the hall for the last two nights.”
A low whine builds in Seth’s throat and he drops my hands only to shrug out of his jacket. He leans forward to wrap it around my shoulders without preamble, his head jerking to the side as he looks at Bennett. “Fixthis.”
“Done.” Bennett stands, running a hand over his short hair, barely longer than a buzz. He reaches out, squeezing Seth’s shoulder as he passes us, and I turn toward him, leaning unconsciously forward as his scent follows him. Inhaling sharply, I close my eyes for a moment, the citrus invading my senses.
The room is quiet until I open my eyes again.
Bennett looks down at me, his expression unreadable. “Will you?”
“What?”
“Will you come to our pack house?” He hesitates. “We’re not forcing you into anything, but you deserve to be treated better than this — better than whatever they’ve tried to convince you isacceptable.” He surveys the bright conference room, and Iwonder if he knows — if he knows I’ve been sleeping on a couch, that the lights are buzzing too loud, that the world is toomuch.
His lip lifts in a little snarl.
“Because thisisunacceptable, June.”
I wring my hands together, Seth’s jacket draped around my shoulders. “Is it… only you two?”
“No.” Seth grabs my hands again, stopping me from wringing them. “No, Arin and Theo will be there too, but it’ll be okay. I promise. They’ll like you.” His smile is soft, gentle. “We’ll get you home, you can sleep in the guest bed, and then we can go from there, okay?”
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nod, not understanding the why, but knowingdeepin me that I can trust them. They’ve already proven it once, even though the elevator wasn’t arealthreat, and they’re still strangers — something in the back of my mind — in my hindbrain, the deep biological part that is all primal instinct and gut reactions — makes me whisper, “Okay.”
Out of all the alphas and the packs I’ve been shoved in front of — none of them have made me feel like this. None of them have been Seth and Bennett.
Seth’s smile widens. “Good. We’re going to take care of you.”
CHAPTER SIX
JUNE
There’sa sleek black car waiting outside the Designation Center for us, and I don’t know if it’s their personal valet, or a rental. It doesn’t matter, in the grand scheme of things, because the second we step out, there’s a barrage of camera flashes and peoplescreamingquestions at me.
Seth’s hand on my back is the only stability I have to get from point A to point B. Bennett takes up the rear, snarling something at a man behind us as he puts my bag into the car, and then we’re in the backseat, two bench seats facing each other.
The flashes cut off when the door slams shut.
Denise seemedthrilledfor me when I left the conference room to find her and Bennett in the hallway. Seth had touched my back while Denise looked up at Bennett with wide eyes, and, I don’t think I imagined the way Seth’s fingers flexed, almost possessively as he moved us toward the alpha. I didn’t mind, a small part of me was on board to squish the alpha between the two of us so no one else would look at him.
I’m not blind — Bennett ishandsome.
Regardless, no one stopped me from leaving, but they also didn’t stop the rush of reporters ready to pounce. I’ve sold enough books to know what comfort looks like in knowing myrent is covered, but never enough to be subjected to the brunt of public speculation.
The roar of voices dies down as I sit in the back of the car, running my hands over my arms self-consciously as Seth’s jacket hangs over my shoulders. He glances at me, then shifts closer. “You’ll like our townhouse. Arin found it and we all have our own space. There’s a guest room on the second floor across from mine and Bennett’s room.”
“Thank you.” My eyes fall on the aforementioned alpha across from us. “I really appreciate —”
