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I lift a hand to his cheek, my thumb lightly brushing over his skin.

“Are you alright?” I ask, unable to keep the concern from my voice.

“I should be asking you that,” he says, reaching up to keep my hand against his face and closing his eyes briefly. “You’re the one who’s been through hell and back.”

“I’m doing a lot better now that you all are here,” I say, taking a second to meet all of their eyes and memorize their scents.

“Sorry to break up this reunion,” Charlotte says, holding the door to my apartment open. “But I think we should move this inside. It’s a lot warmer inside.”

Archer still clings to me, not wanting to let me go, almost like he’s scared if he does, he’ll lose me. I lace my hand into his, giving him a reassuring smile before taking a step towards the inside of my apartment.

“You’ve got a good point,” I say to Charlotte, smiling brightly at her. “It’s really good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too, Luna.” She says.

“What’re you doing here?”

“I’m your chaperone! Technically, you’re not supposed to be alone with any alphas unless supervised, but the director made an exception, so I get to be here instead of some random otherperson.” Her expression grows a bit more sober. “We have so much to talk about, Luna.”

The space in my apartment that felt so big just a couple of minutes ago now feels absolutely tiny. The little dining table I have has two chairs, which Madden helps carry to the living room so everyone has space to sit.

Archer pulls me onto his lap as he sits down in the armchair. His spicy cinnamon scent wraps itself around me, making all of my muscles relax like some sort of soothing balm.

Chase and Kane manage to fit themselves on the sofa. I almost let out a giggle when I see Madden balancing himself on the small dining room chair.

This apartment was definitely made with an omega in mind. There aren’t even any shelves that I can’t reach.

Despite how cramped everything is, it’s still so comforting having the pack here.

Charlotte makes her way to the second chair that Madden brought over, cradling her pregnant belly in her hands and huffing when she sits down. I’m so grateful she’s willing to be here, despite how far along she is. I bet she’d much rather be at home in her nest with her mates than here.

“This place is pretty nice,” Chase says, his head on a swivel, taking everything in. “How’re you settling in?”

I bite the inside of my cheek. “Not—not well. I—I miss you all.”

“We’ve missed you too,” Archer murmurs, his breath tickling my neck. “So much.”

“Really? Even—even after finding out everything that happened to me?” My eyes drop to the floor. I can’t meet any of their gazes. I’m too afraid the reminder of everything they know about me will make them angry at me.

“What? Why would that change anything?” Madden asks, his voice soft and hesitant, almost like he’s afraid I’m going to fall apart.

That’s when I notice my hands are trembling in my lap and my perfume has gone sour with my stress.

“You—you have plenty of other omegas you could have that aren’t—that aren’t damaged like I am.”

And I’m not talking about omegas like Brandy and her friend that left me practically naked in a freezing cold room. There are omegas that work here who are genuinely sweet and kind. They seem to live completely stress-free lives. I know now that the Ward pack could have any one of them if they wanted.

“We don’t want any other omegas,” Chase says, leaning forward and trying to meet my gaze. “Your past doesn’t change how much we wantyou, Moonlight.”

“But—But you looked so angry after I said it,” I whisper, finally building up the courage to look up at him, tears starting to form in my eyes.

They all did.

“We were pissed because they were taking you away from us and there was nothing we could do,” Archer growls, his voice low. His chest vibrates behind me with his words as he pulls me tighter against his body. “We were angry that we couldn’t protect you. Not from the threat at hand or the things that happened in your past.”

“You never should have gone through the things you went through,” Kane says. “Our anger was never directed at you, only at the people who contributed to your pain.”

“We know you’ve got this whole selection process. We’re here to tell you that we’re going to fight for you every step of the way, if you’ll have us,” Madden says.