Pack Darling Part Two

by Lola Rock

“We’d like to apologize. Face-to-face.” Scorpio’s voice is calm, even, and commanding. I perk up. “Apologize for what?” There are so many things. “Because our sons are fucktarts.” Max shakes his head. “There aren’t words to say sorry for what they did to you.” Okay. Good start, dads.

All Lilah has to do is point and I’ll destroy, dismember, fucking annihilate anyone who’s ever hurt her. The pack feels the same.

Jett and Finn make a killer team. Not good cop, bad cop but the cold sociopath and the crazy sociopath. They’ll get the info.

“Your omega’s home alone and probably tearing out his hair. That’s where you should be. Not here.” “You’re ours,” Finn growls. “Mine.”

“Stop!” Lilah’s voice rings out, clear, sweet, and full of righteous fucking fury. And shit do they stop. They freeze. The guards. The guys. Every male, like his heart just stopped pumping and obeyed because Lilah Darling said so. Hot.

“You don’t need other alphas,” Atlas growls. “Let us take care of you.” “You can’t even take care of yourselves!” It’s official. Love her. Want her forever.

“We’re sorry.” Atlas rumbles. “Don’t do this to us.” Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck. Way to make it selfish, asshole. I know what Lilah’s going to do before she twitches. “You’re not sorry. You want to see me? Back of the line.” She struts into the sunset, shaking her ass and leaving total fucking devastation in her wake. Do I scream? Give her a one-man standing O?

She’s going to hate their plan. And if they piss her off even more? I need to distance myself. Because if I have to choose between the pack or her… I choose Lilah. Every time.

“You were caned.” He speaks dangerously low. “Starved and punished with isolation. Is that how we discipline omegas?” “It’s…not,” Stacey stammers, “b-but, Lilah. She—” “You’ll have to excuse me.” Hikaru unfolds from his chair. “I’m calling a campus meeting. Cancel classes and call all faculty and staff to the auditorium. Ten minutes for anyone who wants a chance at keeping their job.” Stacey flies out of the office. “Talking to them won’t change anything.” This place is too rotten. “If it’s that corrupt, I’ll burn it to ashes.”

Old Lilah would hide. New Lilah goes to the party. But Lilah past, present, and forever always packs her knives.

Page one, line one. Lilah bit a student. Was sent home without dinner. Hikaru’s compact notes reveal the truth in stinging red ink. Attacked by three, bit one in self-defense, and was punished with no food for 48 hours. Six years old.

Need to know why I am this way, why I hurt her, and whether I deserve death by injection or something much, much more painful.

Watching me the same way I watch lava cakes, Finn offers me a shard of green pottery. “Killed it for you.” “What…” I suck in a breath because holy shit. The toe-breaking toad is dead. The perfect gift. He pushes it into my palm before I can react.

Finn tsks. “Make me.” “I’ll make you.” I wave the piece of shattered toad like a blade. “Yes.” Finn bares his throat, eyes lighting like lanterns. “Make me, Star.”

“This is the plan.” Atlas squares his feet, vein pulsing in his neck. “We—” “Stop.” Hunter breaks formation. Then he marches forward and majorly violates Alpha 101. Don’t step between an alpha and his omega. Atlas vibrates. “The hell are you doing?” “What I should’ve done a long time ago.” Hunter pushes out a breath that flips the whole fucking table. “I’m challenging you for pack leader.”

“Since when are you the dom?” he mutters. “Be good or I’ll put you in a harness.” “Lilah can put me in a harness.”

“Lend me a phone?” Finn hands me his so fast, I want to pet him and call him a good boy.

A sinister warning rattles in his chest, but it’s only a warning for her. To me, it’s omega uppers. My could-be mate, protecting me with his body. Defending my honor. Swoon. Damn it. Rachel’s lip trembles. She breaks out big, brown doe eyes, all glassy and fake innocent. “Finn…” “You don’t say his name.” The words whip out my traitor mouth.

I’m done being her victim. I cock back, flatten my palm, and blindside her with the slap I’ve been charging for fucking years.

Fucker probably has snake scales. I’ll pop them off one-by-one and use ‘em to make Lilah a little clutch. She needs somewhere to keep my leash.

“Not leaving.” Lilah’s the only thing holding me together. Fucking hate having her out of sight, and I don’t know what happens if I go farther away. “You can do donuts in the golf cart.” “Fine.” Hunter and I haul presents into the cart. I zoom past two security gates and a tripled guard staff. Love me a golf cart.

Things that keep Finnegan Wyvern from cliff-diving into the abyss: Lilah Saunas Mating Lilah Shopping for Lilah Saunas with Lilah? Bar fights

What I offer is a shittton of nothing. So Lilah can have me. The whole fucking nightmare package. I’ll put her name on my chest so she knows she owns me. Then I’ll dig in so far, she can’t breathe without sniffing oranges. Gonna keep my Star forever. And she’s gonna have to keep me.

“I know.” Hunter squeezes my fingers. “All you have to do is follow your dreams. It’s our job to convince you we’re part of them.”

“You’d take a bullet for me now?” “Without hesitating.” I shiver. “If you say so.” “I won’t ask you to trust me,” Atlas says. “I want you to watch me. Watch how I change for you. Watch me just as hard as I’m watching you.”

“You still wouldn’t have believed. You thought I was another omega trying to scheme my way into your money.” “We’re assholes. I’m just saying. You went to such extremes to hide from us. Give us a chance to go to the same extremes for you now that we believe the truth.” I pretend his ask doesn’t knock out my knees, hopping onto the pole and spinning. “Do your best.” “I am.” Atlas keeps watching me practice. He doesn’t blink.

They share a silent glance, as if I’m a hound that needs to be put down. That’s fine. If Lilah wants it, that’s what we’ll arrange.

Once, she brushed my hair. She loved my hair. I keep it long, just in case she ever thinks to brush it again.

“You swear on your life you’re good to watch her?” I tsk. Swear on something with value. “I swear on her life.”

Still don’t know how to flirt. But a dominance battle bordering on eye-fuck? I can throw that down.

Orion whirls, blue eyes bright. “What do you need?” So many things. I need to be independently wealthy, have an unlimited supply of chocolate cake, and a harem of knotted manservants who fuck me and then disappear. Maybe what I need most is a lobotomy.

Then I’m going to clean you and snuggle you so fucking tight. And when you wake up, I’ll still have you in my arms. Because that’s where you belong. To me, Lilah. Not to the alphas. No matter where you go, what you need to do, always come back to me. I’ll never let you down again.”

Finn glares at Hunter. “They’re already on the list. Just let me fucking ki—” “They’re mine,” Jett’s voice is barely a mutter, but the fucking ice. I shiver while Doctor Morgan pales. “Share,” Finn agrees happily, rubbing his palms.

“No one will try to lock me in when my heat hits?” They rush to make sounds of denial. Jett’s farthest away, an ice block sentinel guarding the door, but I hear his hissed whisper like his lips are at my ear. “Never.” Hunter’s voice rises over their sounds. “We want you to do whatever you want to do. Hell, invite Juan Pablo.”

I should probably feel worse about the torture thing, but stop trying to kidnap omegas, and you’ll be fine.

“What happened?” I rub her back, stroking the silk of her wet hair. “Flashback.” “Of?” Someone new to kill? “Barrel.” Fuck. Well, I’m not killing myself. Should, but I can’t lose Lilah.

“Don’t move.” She squeezes my throat. No one on this frigid fucking planet can tell me what to do. But Lilah. She could tell me to walk in traffic. Which lane, baby girl?

“Did you get brain surgery?” “I got a wake-up call.”

“It’s okay,” he purrs. “I trust you to take care of her. Tell me if I’m not doing a good job. Tell me if I’m fucking up. There’s nothing I won’t throw away to keep my omegas safe.”

“What are we?” “House cats.” My lips fall open. “What?” “House cats,” he insists. “Kinda cranky and cuddly and we’ll fuck shit up if you leave us alone too long.”

After Jett’s morning therapy session, he and Finn went radio silent, off to hunt Secretary Stacey who thinks she can fucking run after overseeing years of violence at the OCC.

I point at her with a finger like a sword and lift my voice so loud they can hear it all the way to the OCC. “I challenge Renee.”

“Jett?” His voice is a razor rasp that slices straight into my heart. “Lilac.” My heart stops. So does time. Cheek pressed to the toilet seat, he shoots me the goofiest grin. “Finally killed her.” “Are you…okay?” Because I’m fucking not. Which of them left him on his own, so drunk off his ass he’s smiling? Jett never smiles. JJ smiles.

So fuck it. I wanna see what JJ looks like wearing my collar.

Need to call Catherine. Get Juan Pablo here, stat. Review all those offers.

“Finn.” I drop into the seat next to him. He gives a dead-eyed look that mirrors mine, petting his grenade like a rabbit. “Deal?” “Deal.” I nod. Orion’s eyes widen. I’d shrug, but I can’t care. The pack must think Finn and I don’t talk, but the truth is, we’ve never needed words. We understand. If we can’t save Lilah, we’ll end it for each other.

Star opens her eyes. My heart bumps—fucking golden retriever tail thumps. Lilah took my air. Next up? Get her home. Nest her hard. Give her my bite, my knot, my leash, my soul.

“Show him what evil shit he’s been teaching you.” “Wait.” Orion squirms, cheeks turning pink. “Lilah. Koala. Perfect, perfect, Lilah. Don’t use your powers for—”

His trauma is worse than just Renee. I’m giving him time to heal before asking for the other names. When he’s not as fragile, the pack’s going to go apeshit in his name.