Page 6 of All That We Keep (Always Yours #3)
Luther
It’s been a small amount of chaos unloading everything into the house and settling the pack into the kitchen.
It’s awkward and unfamiliar, the large open space pulling discomfort through the bond.
I can only imagine how Luca and Blake are feeling being uprooted from a place they found safe to this unknown house in a part of the city that they’ve probably never been.
But nearly two hours later, I can finally take a breath, all of us spread around the table after eating a full lunch that Grayson and Maceo brought in from the diner a few streets over.
I lean back in my chair, surveying my pack and the toll the last several weeks has taken on them.
The quiet feels different from the comfortable domesticity we've built over the last month, weighted with tension and unspoken fears that hang in the air between us.
I thought the worst was behind us. Hudson was locked up, Luca was healing and integrating into our pack beautifully, Blake was managing his stress levels better than he had in months, and we were all settling into a rhythm that felt sustainable for the first time since this whole nightmare began.
I had started to believe that we could actually have the peaceful life we'd been fighting for.
Then Blake’s health started deteriorating all over again and when Ward walked into my office this morning and said that Hudson was gone? I just knew we had only scaled one hurdle.
One conversation, one piece of information, and our entire carefully constructed sense of safety crumbled like it was made of paper. The protective order means nothing if they can't find him to enforce it.
Something is wrong, and I don't have any control over fixing it.
And to add onto all of the bullshit that constantly keeps getting thrown at us, the public thinks that Grayson and I committed some kind of taboo sin in the world of Alpha dynamics by stealing another man's Omega.
The rumors have been spreading through the business community like wildfire, whispered conversations about how the Keller pack broke sacred Alpha codes by taking an Omega who belonged to someone else.
That's not what happened, but we can't exactly stop rumors with the truth when the truth involves trafficking rings and abuse that most people don't want to acknowledge exists.
The media coverage has been brutal in its implications, even if they can't print anything directly accusatory.
Business connections are starting to ask uncomfortable questions about our pack dynamics and whether Keller Industries can be trusted to maintain proper Alpha protocols.
It's all bullshit, but it's bullshit that could destroy everything Blake has built if we're not careful.
Luca twists around in my lap before saying something that sets Blake off in a fit of nervous giggles, both Grayson and Maceo tuned into our Omegas but my mind is elsewhere, my gaze traveling the old marble counters and high security layout from parents I didn’t have enough time with.
I remember being here years ago, back before Blake was officially ours.
Brief moments when it was just Grayson and me.
We were friends before we were lovers, this house holding so many memories of quiet conversations about what we wanted our future to look like, dreams that seemed impossible back then.
We used to sit on the back porch during those visits, sharing beers and talking about the kind of Omega we hoped to find someday.
Someone brilliant and independent who wouldn't be intimidated by having two Alphas in the pack.
Someone who could match our intensity and challenge us to be better than we were.
At some point, I knew Grayson had already found someone who met that criteria and was just waiting for the right time to show me.
I would have never imagined that it would be Blake.
Even less, I would have never imagined that Grayson’s hypothetical scenario of having two Omegas would have involved Luca.
Never once in my life did I think I would be back in this house with a pack of mine, a family that I wanted to protect with my dying breath and worry that I might not be able to do it.
I refocus my attention on my pregnant Omega now dozing off in my lap, his cheeks flushed from overdoing it, the gentle swell of his belly warm against my arm where it rests across his middle.
His scent is still overly sweet, but there's a contentment to it now that wasn't there when he first joined us. Granted, it’s now slashed with uncertainty since we told both Blake and Luca that Hudson had escaped.
As much as I wanted to keep that information to myself, the pack would feel every ounce of emotion pouring through the bond as I dealt with it.
A heavy sigh falls from my chest as I look to Grayson, who's been unusually quiet since we arrived at the house.
He smiles when our eyes meet, but I can see the worry etched into the lines around his ocean-gray eyes.
He's been carrying more of the emotional burden lately, the one who is our calm during the storm while Maceo and I handle the logistics and security concerns.
The stress is wearing on him, even if he's trying not to show it.
Finally, my gaze moves to Maceo, who's currently holding Blake in his lap with the kind of gentle protectiveness that makes my heart clench. Blake looks small against Maceo's broader frame, pale and exhausted in a way that has nothing to do with his usual workaholic tendencies.
It should feel like victory, like Grayson and I have achieved everything we dreamed about during those late-night conversations years ago.
Instead, it feels fragile and temporary, like we’re just waiting for the next shoe to drop.
No doubt in the next week one of us will be summoned for questioning, something will go wrong at the company, or Hudson will resurface trying to steal Luca away for the umpteenth time.
I just hate not knowing what to brace for.
I can’t protect my family from the unknown.
A sharp knock on the front door breaks through my thoughts, Grayson immediately rising from his chair.
He shoots me a small nod before disappearing into the foyer as I shift Luca carefully in my lap, trying not to wake him.
His head falls back against my shoulder, and he makes a soft sound of contentment before curling up tighter against my chest.
Blake looks over from where he's curled against Maceo's chest, worry immediately creasing his features as he tries to crane his neck to see toward the front door. The anxiety that's been riding him all day spikes again, our bond pulling tight with the emotion.
He twists around more fully when Grayson returns, Quentin falling in step behind him, his medical bag slung over one shoulder. Blake frowns immediately, his expression shifting to something between embarrassment and irritation. "We could have waited until tomorrow for this."
I chuckle softly, shaking my head. "Not with what happened in the car earlier." Watching Blake panic and steal Luca from his own Alpha wasn’t just concerning. It was strange. As endearing as it is to believe that Blake just wants to protect Luca, there’s something else going on and I’m praying that it can be explained biologically.
"Just let Quentin check you out, and then you and Luca can go upstairs and find out where you'd like to set up your nest, hmm? "
Blake shoots me a glare but doesn’t fight me as Quentin takes a seat in front of Maceo, setting his medical bag down on the floor. Grayson pushes the used dishes out of the way as Quentin starts digging through his bag to produce a few items.
"Blake, do I have your permission to examine you in front of your mates?" Quentin asks as he meets Blake's tired eyes.
Blake doesn’t even sit up fully as he nods without hesitation. The fever flush from this morning is still coloring his cheeks, and his breathing seems slightly labored even though he's been sitting still for the past hour.
Quentin starts preparing a small digital thermometer and a blood draw kit before arranging them methodically on the table.
"Generally, after an examination, I would let you know the best course of action privately and then discuss it with you before involving anyone else.
" He pauses, keeping eye contact with Blake.
"However, I'm pretty sure this situation might involve your mates as well.
Do I have your permission to discuss your diagnosis while you're not present? "
Blake frowns, confusion creasing his features as he tries to process the unusual request. "You've never asked all that before. Why are you asking now?"
The doctor's expression grows more serious, and he sets down the thermometer to give Blake his full attention.
"Because I don't think I've ever seen what this is before.
Maybe once, years ago, during my residency.
I'm just going to take your temperature and draw a little blood, okay? Nothing invasive or complicated."
Blake nods, though I can see the worry building in his eyes. "Will this tell you why I keep getting so tired all the time?"
I lean forward slightly, unable to keep quiet about the symptoms that have been concerning me for days. "Blake keeps fainting and getting pretty weak, too. He's not eating enough either, even when we try to make sure he gets regular meals."