Page 117 of Claiming the Pack's Omega

“You’ve probably had a ton of shitty cop jokes thrown your way.”

“Totally, but you’re the only one I want to hear them from.”

There’s a silence between us that takes on this heavy note to it that has my gaze darting between her eyes to try and figure out what’s going through that head of hers.

“Really? You—you want to actually hear shitty jokes from me?” She glances to the side and bites her bottom lip. “Alphas—men in general—they don’t want that kind of thing from me.”

“Oh, Wildflower,” I say, my chest growing heavy with sadness. “I’m going to preface this with the fact that I don’t know you very well yet, but your body is by far the least interesting thing about you.”

Her eyes go wide as she blinks up at me, confusion clouding her gaze.

“I’m not saying you’re not absolutely breathtaking. And I mean, you canfeelhow attracted I am to you,” I say, nodding downwards at myself. “But you’re so muchmorethan just your body. You know that, right?”

Her face crumples in a way that makes my chest rip apart. Her chin wobbles as tears fill her eyes and she shakes her head.

She normally carries herself with so much confidence that it breaks my heart seeing her like this, after saying something she should’ve been hearing from all the men she’s been with before.

“N—no," she says, reaching up and covering her face with her hands. “Don’t say that kinda shit. You—you’re lying.”

“I’m not lying,” I say softly. I’m tempted to reach up and pull her hands away from her face. She shouldn’t feel the need to hide from me right now, but I have a small feeling this is less about hiding from me and more from hiding from what I just said. “It’s the truth, I promise.”

“No one—no one has ever said something like that to me before," she whispers, her strained voice breaking, right along with my heart.

“I’m sorry that’s been the case,” I say, leaning down and brushing my lips up her wrist and against the backs of her hands. “I promise you, the pack and I will spend every day you let us proving that to you.”

She falls apart underneath me even more as I press light kisses against her skin.

I hold myself up above her for as long as my good arm can take it before I settle next to her on the bed.

She pushes herself up to her elbow, wiping away at the few lingering tears.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, you’ve been holding yourself up this entire time!”

“Trust me, when I’m better, I can hold myself above you for as long as you want me there,” I huff out.

She throws her head back laughing and I freeze. It’s enchanting, just like the rest of her.

“You’re crazy, you know," she says when she finally catches her breath.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just crazy how you can make me cry and then laugh like that,” she shrugs. “So quickly, too.”

“I hope that’s not a complaint,” I say, turning my head to face her as I settle in a position that’s comfortable for my newly-applied bandages and aching ribs.

“Nah, it’s just surprising.”

“What, you didn’t think I was funny when we first met?”

“No, dumbass, I knew you were a charmer from the first conversation we had," she says, rolling her eyes. When her gaze resettles on me, it’s intense and captivating. “I just didn’t expect this sort of depth to you, is all. For all I knew, you knocked heads around for a living.”

“Well, I aim to please,” I say. “So I’m glad you like what you’re getting, here.”

“Live to please, huh?”

I lift my good arm, spreading it wide. “You bet. It’s kinda my thing.”

Her lips tug up into a little smirk at my innuendo before her expression sobers. She pauses as if she’s trying to think through her next words.