Archer is the one who found her for us, and as soon as I laid eyes on Violet, I knew I wanted her too. When I noticed how afraid she seemed, my alpha instinct to protect her kicked in.
If she takes us back, takes me back, I will make sure she is loved and cherished for the rest of her life.
But I still can’t protect her from her past…
Or can I?
ARCHER
When Miles told me his idea, I thought he was crazy. But the more I sit with it, the better I like it.
We fucked up big-time.
Yeah, I’m still pretty pissed at Ben, but Bokerah is in our past. She tried to kill me, but—guess what?—she didn’t succeed. Maybe she’ll be a problem for us again later once she’s out of prison. But this time I’ll be prepared.
Ben did a shitty thing, but he’s not a shitty person. He’s proven his loyalty to me and the pack for years. Yeah, his mistake was a pretty fucking big one, but I can’t act as if my slate is clean.
We’ve been on our best behavior since officially registering as a pack, not wanting to lose our status over some stupid technicality. When a pack’s as new as ours, even a traffic infraction could send us into review with our regional governing pack. Seriously, we’re lucky as hell we managed to escape the whole Bokerah thing unscathed. And even though I’m basically a choirboy now, I did some dark and shady things back when it didn’t matter quite so much. Growing up, it was often me or them—not a specific them, just a general, ominous them. I had to protect myself from a million potential threats, and when I took on responsibility for Miles’s family and then expanded our operation to include others, too, those threats grew in number.
Each of my tattoos tells a story; many of them silently share a regret. I haven’t killed anyone, but I have destroyed lives. I’ve condemned people to live the rest of their days in a life I was desperate to escape myself. I’ve beaten the shit out of people until their own mothers wouldn’t recognize them. I’ve lied and swindled and taken more than my fair share of a cut.
Point is, we’ve all got shit in our past.
Would I clean mine up if I could? Maybe.
But if we can win Violet back now, it will have all been worth it. Every last choice, every last mistake that led us here.
I hope Miles’s big gesture pans out.
I hope she’ll take us back.
Because she’s the reason I fought so hard and for so long. She was always the reason. I just didn’t know it until now.
And now that I do, I will do anything to bring that meaning back to my life.
eighteen
VIOLET
It’s odd to be back in San Francisco. I haven’t been gone all that long, and yet I’m returning now a changed person. I’ve found where I’m meant to be, and it’s not in this place. Nothing about my life here was healthy.
I don’t know why Miles and Archer have come here now, but it must be something to do with me. Neither will answer their phones or respond to messages on social media. Whatever they’re up to is meant to be a secret. More fucking secrets after the first round nearly broke us.
I hope they’re not meeting with my mother, telling her the whole damned thing and begging for her to take me back, to return their money. I never wanted to see that woman again, but now I have no choice if I want to find the missing half of my pack. It’s the only logical starting point in this search.
I take a deep breath and ring the doorbell of my childhood home. Footsteps slam against the hardwood floors inside as someone approaches quickly, and a moment later my youngest sister Amber tugs the door open. Her long blonde hair is damp and wavy. She must have recently come in from surfing. She was only just starting to learn when I left a month ago.
Things change so fast.
“Hi, Amber. Is M—?”
My sister flings her arms open and wraps me in a hug so tight I lose my breath. “I missed you, Vi.”
I return the hug and place a kiss on the top of her head right where her hair is parted sloppily down the middle. Little Amber is the smallest in stature but the biggest in personality. At thirteen, she may not have reached her full height yet, but it’s doubtful she’ll ever top five foot two.
“Amber, who’s there?” Another of my sisters, Sapphire, makes her way to the door. She’s mom’s perfect golden child, right down to the halo-like hair. “Oh, hi, Vi,” she says with a slight smile. I can’t tell whether it’s real or not.
Amber tugs Noah and Ben inside. “Well, don’t leave our guests waiting. Hey, is this your pack?” Amber jabs a finger into one of Noah’s pecs. “They’re hot!” she exclaims, then stands on tiptoe in an effort to reach Noah’s ear. She’s still at least a foot too short, which means we all hear her whispered words. “If things don’t work out with my sister, you know where to find me.”