Only members of a pack could bond the same omega. If they weren’t in a pack bond with the first alpha to make their claim, other bonding marks would be blocked. Yet, packs weren’t set in stone. They could grow.
If they completed the pack bonding ritual with Benjamin, his claimed omega would become theirs.
I would become theirs.
“Where does getting rid of Benjamin for good come in?” West asked.
Ever practical—he wasn’t getting his hopes up. I sighed. “Once I’m bonded to you three, we kill him.”
It almost sounded simple when I ignored all thoughts about the aftermath.
Mercer didn’t miss the flaw I had yet to mention. “Your bond with him will still break, sweetheart. You could die.”
“My sisters found some research on it. The study observed omegas who lost an alpha but had at least two living alphas to help them through the loss. Ninety percent of the omegas survived and recovered from the broken bond.”
“And ten percent of those omegas died.” West shook his head.
I reached out and grabbed his hand, looking at him with pleading eyes. “I don’t want to have him in my head for the rest of my life. Dr. Jalisco can teach me all the coping methods she has, and they’ll never be as helpful as him being gone.”
He squeezed my hand.
I knew what I was asking of them—I wanted them to risk heartbreak and a broken bond of their own. If I died, they would have to live with the guilt of it forever, no matter how much it wouldn’t be their fault.
“Can you agree to the first part, at least?” I asked quietly. “Becoming packmates with Benjamin? Bonding me?”
“I would do anything to be able to claim you, princess,” Conrad said.
Most of his body was still buried in pillows and blankets, which was adorable.
West brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. “Bonding you, I can agree to.”
“At the first opportunity, we’ll claim you as ours,” Mercer agreed. “But I doubt Benjamin is going to pack up with us without a fight, and your fathers will never let you kill him.”
“That’s why Mira said we need to find him ourselves,” I said. “So I can make the choice, at least.”
Mom had said she would do her best to allow me my freedom of choice, but this might be the one choice my fathers would never allow. One of very few they would defy their wife over. They loved me too much to let me take the risk.
And I might not do it in the end.
I had options to blunt his impact, despite the initial hopelessness of it all.
We would have to wait and see.
“If we want to find him before your fathers do, the best option would be to look into Pops,” Mercer said. “The Benji he mentioned when Gears was at the warehouse has to beBenjamin. Pops met up with him, and I bet my father’s not as good at covering his tracks as your scent match is.”
“Lavinia definitely already has Emilia trying that angle,” I said. “With some luck, we’ll find him soon. There are only so many places he can hide.”
Capturing him was going to be a different story—but one for another day.
For tonight, I wanted to relish being home again. In my familiar bed, with the pack who felt like they should’ve been in here years ago.
“Can I get my alpha cuddles now?” I asked, tugging at West’s hand.
Mercer cracked a smile. “Desperate, are you?”
“Absolutely.”
Mercer stole me before West could tuck me under his arm, pressing me down into the mattress and laying beside me. Conrad emerged from the pillows on my other side, exuding a comfortable warmth. I laughed at West’s irritated growl.
