I didn’t argue, climbing out of Xander’s truck and sprinting towards Victor’s Camaro. I climbed into the back, with Will climbing in after me, and Xander in the passenger seat. Victor reappeared just as I buckled myself in. He did a U-turn and gunned it back toward the edge of town.
“Head out to Third Base. We’ll figure out what to do,” Xander ordered.
Will held my hand, squeezing it tight. “It’s okay, Zaley. It might be nothing.”
We were all silent on the short trip to the notorious makeout spot. As soon as we rolled to a stop, I climbed over Will to get out. I was panicking, and I couldn’t breathe. He moved, letting me out, and I folded in half as I sucked in air.
Will stroked my back, saying soothing things, while Victor paced around. “Someone must have figured it out at her exam. I can’t think of any other reason DoDA would be here. They looked up her records. Probably that fucking Alpha.”
I didn’t think Watkins would have betrayed me, and he wasn’t the only person there that had seen my little heat meltdown. If there’d been another Alpha in the vicinity, they would have known. It didn’t really matter, though, not now.
Xander was frowning. “Why even bother? They have no jurisdiction in this country.”
“Maybe because she goes to school there?” Will suggested.
I shook my head. “Still no jurisdiction.”
We were silent again as we processed, until Will spun me in his arms. He fell to his knees and looked up at me with eyes I’d stared into a million times. Eyes that made butterflies take flight in my stomach every single time they landed on me.
“There's one solution, one failsafe that will protect you no matter what their angle is. You mate with us, right here, right now.”
“Will—” Xander started, but his brother cut him off.
“No, Xander. I know it’s not ideal, and I know we wanted her to be free of the pressure of her heat, and certainly from DoDA, but what if they take her away from us?” Their uniform growls made goosebumps rise over my skin. “Zaley, you were always meant to be ours. Maybe it was fate, or a genetic quirk, or whatever, it doesn’t matter—I’m yours, heart and soul. I love you so much, and I would be honored to be your mate. This might be rushed, but I swear I will spend every single day for the rest of our lives proving to you that you made the right choice. Would you please do me the honor of bonding with me?”
I stared down at the boy I’d loved, who was now a man I loved just as much. It was a no-brainer, even if we were rushing it. “Yes. Please,” I whispered, making him smile so brightly it was like staring at the moon on a starless night.
He leapt to his feet, grabbing me up in his arms and spinning me around. “I promise that we’ll do this again, and make it more special with kisses and candles and knots, but this will have to do for now.” He grimaced. “I hope this doesn’t hurt too bad while you aren’t hopped up on orgasm dopamine.” Then he leant into the curve of my neck and bit me.
Not gonna lie, it stung like a bitch. But then he lapped it with his tongue, and a feeling settled in my chest, the urge to bite him back overwhelming.
So I did. Right there on his shoulder. It was weird, trying to break his skin with my teeth, but once I did, and his blood coated my tongue, the bond snapping into place chased away any thought of pain or discomfort. Because all I felt was love.
“Actually…” Will looked at Xander. “Give me your knife.”
Xander pulled his switchblade from his belt and handed it over. He’d had that knife since he was a kid, and somehow I knew exactly what Will was proposing. I couldn’t help the smile on my face as I held out my palm, a thin silver scar tracing vertically down it already. It was from the blood bond to be friends forever, which they’d given me when I was ten. Long before we were Alphas or Omegas, yet we’d wanted to be bonded forever.
“Life really comes full circle,” I said, laughing as he gently traced a new cut along my palm, parallel to the old one. I hissed, but held still. It was barely a scratch, unlike the old one. Kids were a lot less aware of their own strength. “Who would have thought we would be doing this again, but this time for life?”
Will cut his own hand, then touched it to mine, pressing our bleeding palms together and leaning in for a kiss. His lips traced mine for too brief a moment, before pulling away. “I did. I knew back then you were it for me.” He dropped his hand, blood dripping from my palm onto the dirt at our feet.
Victor stepped up, taking the knife from Will and slicing his own palm, then placing it on top of mine. “I knew too. I knew from the moment you told me you liked my suspender and cowboy boots combo when you first arrived. It felt like someone who didn’t share the womb with me finallysawme. You were it for me from then on. I love you,” he whispered, kissing me hard—all tongue, unlike his brother.
Then he leaned to the opposite side of my neck and bit down hard. Hissing, I breathed through it, and then bit him in the exact same place as his brother. Love blossomed in the place his bond sat in my heart.
With a smile, he stepped away, and Xander took his place. Xander sliced his palm, then held my hand, with my blood and the blood of his siblings all mixing together. “I knew it from the moment you honored me with your first time. I knew then that you were it for me, that no woman would ever measure up to you. I want to be your last time as well, in many, many years from now, when we’re old and gray. I love you so fucking much.”
He clutched our hands to his chest and pulled me into a hug, and it wasn’t until I felt his shirt get damp that I realized I was crying happy tears. He pulled my t-shirt to the side and bit the curve of my left breast, which somehow hurt less than my neck. Hell, it even kind of felt good.
“I love you too, Xander. All of you.” I looked to the left, at Will and Vic watching intently as I bit Xander, sealing our bond and our Pack forever. Not even flinching, Xander kissed the top of my head and just held me, Will and Vic crowding around me too. I’d never felt safer, or more loved.
As the cuts on our hands started to coagulate, and the bites on my body began to ache, I cleared my throat and straightened. The guys gave me some space, and I looked around at these men, my bondmates.
“I’m so fucking lucky. I intend to never let any of you go ever again.” I meant that with every fierce, possessive part of my soul. “Now, let's go and see what these assholes want so we can get on with our lives.”
CHAPTERELEVEN
I sawthem as soon as we pulled into the driveway. This was a small town, and cars that didn’t belong stuck out like a pimple on a beauty queen. I hadn’t even made it to the door when two men clad in suits approached us.