“Yep.” I hold a piece of toast in front of him. “So we’re going to need all the energy we can get.”
He chuckles, taking a bite. “With you around, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”
I kiss his cheek. “With our whole pack together, it’s not going to be a problem.”
Because being part of a pack means helping each other out, and that’s so much easier than trying everything on your own, even if it means dealing with so many different personalities.
But I guess that’s all part of it.
I wouldn’t have it any other way anymore.
2
Mathew
I’m glad I’m running on more than adrenaline right now, because I won’t have time for sleep —or really time to eat— for the rest of the night and probably all of tomorrow. The hours after we return from a mission are already busy enough normally, but with the night we just had, it’s even worse.
I’m sitting behind my desk in the renovated office, the monitors in front of me filled with all sorts of programs as I keep an eye on everything from here. Security footage of the house, notes from people about the mission, data from the mission, all sorts of things.
Vera is sitting in my lap, laptop in front of her, as she’s chatting with Erika.
Erika and her pack —or, at least, some of her pack members— will be coming this way tomorrow or the day after. They have much more experience with kids who’ve been rescued from the Suits Syndicate and they’ve got a whole network set up to deal with it. From finding a safe place for them to stay while they look for any family members, to finding them a family to take them in long-term if they’re orphans, to getting them new identities, things like that.
I’ve helped a couple of people get away from the Hearts over the years, but most of them were older teenagers or in their twenties, not young enough to still be going to primary school.
Letting a couple of people in their late teens stay over and help them get an education so they can learn to stand on their own feet is very different from kids who still have most of their schooling, and most of their growing up, ahead of them.
And while I’d probably be able to figure something out under normal circumstances, with what I found out during the mission, the situation with Luca and his family and finding out that the Hearts are much closer to us than I’m comfortable with, I don’t have the energy or the people to dedicate to it. Especially not if we know people who are much more knowledgeable about it, and who have systems in place for protecting and taking care of rescued kids that have been running for decades.
I’d rather rely on Erika’s knowledge and expertise and know for sure that the kids will be in good hands than fumbling through it myself and potentially making a much bigger mess out of it all.
A notification on my phone lets me know that the guys we captured are now all awake and not very happy, but that they’re all restrained in the training complex and that they don’t seem to have any lasting injuries. Which makes me feel conflicted.
On the one hand, it feels like these bastards got off too easy if they’re mostly unharmed. But on the other hand, if they’re doing as well as could be expected in these circumstances, then that means we’ll be able to spend a lot more time getting information out of them, which I’m looking forward to.
Miles knocks on the wall to get our attention as he lingers near the door. Since he’s taken on the role of head of personal security of the pack, he’s gotten a lot more responsibilities and he seems to be taking to them well. Which is good, because relying on Derrick and Timothy all the time isn’t fair on them or their family, and Miles is the first person who impressed them enough that they’re happy to give him more work to do.
“The kids are settled in, Riley and Luca are with them.” He stands up straight, which he only remembers to do after speaking.
Vera’s pheromones spike when he mentions Luca, a mix of longing and pain and she holds onto my shirt, her grip tight. I pull her closer against me, trying to let out a soothing rumble. It’s not as good as an Alpha’s, but I’ll try what I can.
“Thanks for letting me know. We’ve got more guests coming. Could you make sure that a couple of rooms upstairs are ready for when they arrive? Ask Eli which rooms would be good. There should be supplies in the training complex that you can use, grab whatever they’ll need. If you see anyone not doing much, put them to work.”
Miles gives me a quick smile before he nods. “Will do.” Then he turns around and leaves the office.
I keep Vera close as a couple of people come in to report on whatever tasks I gave them. Usually, Derrick deals with this, but with him still on his way back here, I’m back in charge myself. It’s been a long time, but after such a chaotic evening, having something like this to ground me feels good.
When things quiet down for a few moments, I kiss Vera’s shoulder, nuzzling her neck. “What’s going through your mind?”
She glances up, giving me a sad smile. “Will Luca ever be able to feel safe here? Or would it be a better idea to send him away, keep him out of danger?” She’s quiet for a few moments.
“Have I put him in even more danger than he was already in?” She shakes her head, her pheromones filling with more pain. “I should have ignored his pheromones. I should have let him be. It’s my fault he’s in danger now. It’s my fault his family is in even more danger.”
I take her chin, making her look at me. “It’s not your fault what happened to him. It’s not your fault.” My heart hammers in my chest as I try to keep her gaze. “The Hearts are at fault. All of this,” I move my hand around, motioning to our general surroundings, “is their fault.”
After what Luca told me about how they treated him once they realised he’s one of my scent matches and how they used him to find even more of my scent matches, I’m more convinced than ever that so much of the shit we’ve been through —the last years, but especially the last months— is fully the Hearts’ fault.
All of it, all their attempts to hurt me, all their attempts to ruin everything around us, is because they were the ones who made a mistake a decade ago and sent me out when I was too close to my heat. They’re trying to hurt me, hurt my pack, over something that was their fault from the start.
