For now, there is one thing I can offer. I reach both hands behind my neck and unclasp the cord and pendant that haven’t left my body since I first removed it from my sister’s.
I grab Vette’s hand, turn it palm up, and place the delicate piece of jewelry on top. “She’d want you to have it.”
He shakes his head sadly. “I don’t need a trinket to remember my mate.” He closes his palm, holding the necklace in his fist. “But thank you for this.”
I smile at him before returning to my guys. We embrace again. Theoden continues to choke back sobs, and I reach up to brush a tear away with the pad of my thumb.
“How did you find me?” I ask, impressed that they did. I don’t even know where we are.
“Your sisters,” Gabe pipes up. “Sapphire said something seemed off when you spoke yesterday, so she called to check up on you.”
“And Violet confirmed that you weren’t headed to Australia like your mother had told her,” Gabe adds. “She was still waiting nearby in case you needed her, so she came to the academy to speak with Warden Black who told her everything.”
“I also texted everyone to ask if they knew where your mother might be taking you,” Theoden reveals. “And your sisters got to work, thinking of where you might have gone. It was Raven who ultimately figured it out. It seems Pack Fernando has a soft spot for her, ever since they saved her from that kidnapping when she was young.”
Beau nods emphatically. “She got it out of the pack leader Rip and as soon as we knew where to find you, we got in the car and drove as fast as that shitty engine would allow us.”
“We thought we were too late,” Gabe echoes his earlier words.
We all hug again, this time we don’t part for a good long while. If only I could stay wrapped up in these arms for eternity.
But I don’t need to. Not anymore.
With Mother gone and Jade’s tragic death resolved, I am safe.Free.
When we part at last, I turn back to Vette. If Rip told Raven where to find me, he might also be willing to tell us where to find Jade’s body. I have no doubts that Pack Fernando were the ones to dispose of it.
But when I look for the two men from Pack Vega, I realize they have disappeared. Vanished. Gone from my life just as quickly as they entered it.
One thing I do know, though: they’re a resourceful crew. They don’t need any tips from me. They will find Jade and bring her home.
And if they ever need me again, I have a feeling they’ll find me, too.
It’s over. Dear god, it’s finally over.
Now my life can officially begin.
BEAU
The ride to rescue Amber was the longest, most painful trip of my life. Every second was filled with the gut-wrenching fear that we’d be too late. Then we arrived and found her mostly unharmed with her wicked monster of a mother dead, and Pack Fernando just poof, gone. It’s a dream come true.
Now, in our borrowed SUV on the way home, I’m finally at peace. It seems as if it’s been one fear after another, chasing away every attempt we make to find happiness, tearing us apart the second we grow an inch closer.
But now Amber is squeezed safely between Gabe and me in the back seat. Theo generously offered to drive so we could snuggle together. I don’t know if it’s the particular generous makeup of a male omega, or he just understands our needs, but either way I am grateful.
The atmosphere is peaceful, positively zen in contrast to the chaos of the last several weeks. Let alone the last twenty-four hours. Theo has some classical music on low, just high enough to hear over the crunch of tires on gravel. Amber is asleep, tucked into my arm and pressed close to my body. Gabe can’t bear to be left out, so he’s half into Amber’s seat, squishing me against the door.
But I don’t mind. At some point it stopped being about anything I want for myself, and became about what Amber wants and needs. Whatever is best for Amber is best for me, and best for the pack. I finally understand that now. Being pinned between Gabe and me allows her to finally rest, and there is nothing more I want in the world.
Gabe catches my eye, drawing my gaze from the top of Amber’s beloved head to his serious expression. “I know we’ve already committed to each other, but I think we ought to do something special for Amber. Something to let her know we are committed to her, and to this pack.” His voice is a low whisper so as not to disturb Amber, but somehow Theo hears us over his classical music, and turns the knob to silence it completely.
“I have some ideas about that,” he comments quietly. “There’s no one way that a pack officially forms, aside from the legal paperwork required to register. Every region has its own traditions. But there is one tradition I know of that I think will suit us. An omega friend of mine told me about a sort of ceremony we could undertake together.”
Gabe and I exchange a swift look and a nod. “Go on,” Gabe encourages.
And we listen closely to Theo’s low voice as he describes the plan.
twenty-seven