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Chapter 11

Anton

The diner smelled like coffee and sugar and too many people crammed into too small a space.

I hated it on principle.

Our Omega, our mate, has been working here, slaving away here for the last two years. Not to mention the years she slaved away for my damn, fucking mother before that.

The bell above the door jingled as we stepped inside, and my hackles went up instantly. Not from aggression, but anticipation. The kind that sat low in your gut and wound tight the longer it was ignored.

Cindy—no Christa—was here.

I knew it the second we crossed the threshold.

Her floral, sweet scent, faint beneath the strong notes of grease and coffee, still hit me like a punch to the gut.

But the moment we stepped in and she made eye contact, she bolted.

No fanfare, no shouting, no confrontation.

Just one terrified look in our direction and then she was gone, disappearing into the back like we were the damn plague.

"Well, that went well," I muttered, sliding into a booth near the window.

A blonde waitress raced into the back after Christa and I took a deep breath that was meant to steady me.

It didn't work.

William didn't sit. Of course he didn't. He just stood there like a statue, staring at the swinging kitchen door like it might swing back open on its own, gifting us our prize. "We shouldn't have come so soon," he said, his voice tight.

"No shit," Drew added, crossing his arms. "I said it should just be two of us. You two had, what, one calm conversation with her. We should have given her some space."

Annerly sighed, already rubbing his temples. "We talked about this. She said she was open to us courting her. Christaagreedto this. We didn't just show up uninvited—"

"Except we kind of did," Drew interrupted. "Showing up at her workplace like this? What did you think she'd do? Hug us and give us each a kiss hello?"

"This is exactly why we fell apart the first time," I muttered under my breath.

That shut them all up for a blessed second.

I didn't bother elaborating.

They all knew what I meant. Too many strong wills and opinions pulling us all in different directions. Not one of us bothering to stop and listen. We'd lost each other in the chaos after she ran.

We didn't just lose her; we lost ourselves. And we weren't getting her back until we gotusback to where we should be.

I stood, ignoring William's confused glance.

"Where are you going?" Annerly asked.

I didn't answer. I just rounded the counter and headed toward the kitchen.

If Christa didn't want to see us, fine. But I wasn't going to sit around while my pack picked themselves apart again.

I made my way behind the counter to the pass-through window. I could have gone into the kitchen, but I didn't want her to feel like we were invading her space anymore than we already were. What I saw when I looked through the window was a scene I hadn't expected.

Christa was huddled between a tall, broad-shouldered man who looked like he could punch a wall for fun, and the petite blonde girl that had followed Christa into the kitchen. She had to be Honey, the Omega William and Annerly had saved.