Page 6 of Hunted Pack (Her Vicious Pack #7)

Riley

The moment Caleb used his Alpha powers on Mathew and me in the training complex was the final straw.

I’d been running on basically no energy and even less emotional control for well over an hour.

But Caleb ordering us out of the room with the fake guard, when I was simply trying to be productive, was too much.

Jorge noticed what was going on and helped me to get to my room with as little interference as possible. It was kind of funny to watch him glare and growl at anyone in our way, his arm around my shoulders, as he escorted me through the house.

I’m really glad that I’ve got my own room and that it’s on the other side of the house form our pack room. The side with our pack room is really busy right now, with the kids and Luca’s family, and I desperately need my calm.

Once Jorge had made sure that I was comfortable in the corner of my closet, he brought over some clothes with our pack’s pheromones, especially from Vera and Mathew, and then carefully closed the doors behind him. Surrounding me in dark and quiet, finally letting my brain slow down.

I was already running out of energy when we were leaving the research complex, and I wanted nothing more than to go home and hide with everyone in the nest.

But then everything else happened.

So, I’m well past my limit now.

My tears won’t stop and my emotions ping-pong between anger and relief, with a constant sensation of guilt running through it all.

My pack is out there, taking care of people, still working, even though they’re as exhausted as I am, but I’m the only one hiding away.

I wipe at my cheeks, but it’s no use. It’s been a while since I broke down like this. But then, it’s been a very long time since I was this exhausted, that the day simply wouldn’t end, no matter how hard I wished for it.

‘How are you doing?’ Vera’s message lights my phone up and I smile as I reply to her.

‘Not sure yet. How are you?’ I don’t have energy for much else.

As long as I stay in my little cocoon, I can be somewhat communicative with people, through messaging, but that’s basically it.

‘All over the place. Do you need me to bring you anything?’ While I would love to have Vera in my arms right now, get her pheromones from the source, I also know that she won’t be able to sit still and I need the calm and quiet.

‘I’m good. Thank you.’

I’ve never been this frustrated about having a meltdown before.

Maybe the time that Jorge came over after a mission that went sideways is the closest. But back then, I simply had to recharge and I knew that the next days would be quiet and easy. That I could go at my own speed to recover.

But, this time, I won’t be able to do that.

Tonight is busy enough as it is, and it’s not going to end any time soon. I know that the next days, even the next week, will be filled with activity and lots of people. I won’t have the time —or space— to really recharge, so I need to do the best that I can.

Which means, hiding away and trying to relax as much as possible and getting as much sleep as I can between doing other things. Anything to recharge myself as efficiently as possible, taking things one day at a time, and hoping that I can keep up with it until I can really relax.

Hoping I won’t break before then…

‘Do you want me to get you anything from your place? Vera asked Mum for help with the situation with the kids. I can grab a few things from your place if you want me to.’ I blink the sleep from my eyes as I stare at Nathan’s message, taking a few moments to understand what he means.

Vera asked Nathan’s mum, Erika, Caleb’s ex, to help with the kids. Okay, that part makes sense. Erika deals with relocating people after they’ve been rescued from the Suits all the time, she’s got a whole network set up for it, so it makes sense that Vera would ask her.

I reread the message two more times before my brain finally clicks all the elements in place. Nathan, and probably the other two guys from his pack, are joining Erika on the trip.

And he’s asking if I want things from my apartment.

Okay.

I sit up straight as I push the closet door open, letting in light from my room. Someone —probably Jorge— closed the curtains last night, so it’s not too bright.

‘Give me a couple of minutes to wake up. How quickly do you need an answer?’

Nathan sends me a laughing emoticon. ‘We won’t leave for another couple of hours. I don’t know the details. Mum and Logan are calling around to see who might be able to take in some of the kids. I don’t think we’ll leave until they’ve at least finished calling around.’

Logan is one of the other Alphas from Nathan’s pack, a good kid, and a very sociable one too.

He’s a lot like Jorge, always ready to diffuse any situation and try to make people smile.

He’s a good counter-balance to Nathan’s intense emotions, though, Nathan also relies on him a little too much at times.

Though, with their past, that’s not unexpected.

As I watch Nathan’s messages come in, I finally feel like I’m waking up. I’ve not had enough sleep, not at all, but my stress levels have lowered and I’ve got some more energy than I did before I fell asleep.

‘Can you check something for me?’ Now I’ve got him anyway, I can ask him something I’ve been meaning to ask Erika for a couple of days, but hadn’t gotten around to yet.

‘Sure. What do you need?’

‘What do you know about a plant-based pheromone compound that can be used to influence Alphas and Omegas? Probably used in the clubs, but it might be used in other locations too. At low levels, it lets Alphas and Omegas feel like they’re surrounded by the pheromones of their mates, but at high levels it can be used to mate Alphas and Omegas who aren’t scent matches.

’ With how far the research was that we saw last night and how interested the Hearts have been in it, I’m sure the others from the Suits Syndicate have also been interested in it.

‘I haven’t heard about something like that. But I’ll ask my dads and check if there might be something in our databases. Sounds fucking creepy though.’

‘Thanks. It might be quite new, so I don’t know if it’ll be easy to spot. But I would appreciate it if you could send me anything you find.’

‘Of course. I’ll let you know anything I find. If you let me know what you want from your place.’

I would like to get our databases synced up so that I can search both Mathew’s database and Erika’s database at the same time, but I feel like that might be too much to ask. At least at this moment in time.

Maybe we can discuss it when everyone is here and has finally met face-to-face.

And nobody has killed anyone…

Nathan and the two other guys from his pack have been helping Erika more and more over the last years. Nathan grew up always being aware of what his parents did for a job, saving people from the Suits Syndicate, and he’s always wanted to follow in their footsteps.

He met Logan when they were teens and Logan pretty quickly became part of the whole mission too. And, finally, Jace, he’s been with them for less than a year but when you see them together, it feels like it was never any different. He’s kind of their big brother.

Erika and her pack saved me from the Diamonds and one of her pack’s family members took care of me until I was old enough to start living on my own.

I owe my life to Erika’s pack. Nathan and his siblings are like cousins to me, and being the eldest of twelve, it was easy for me to fall into the older sister/cousin role.

For years, after Nathan and Logan lost one of their other Alpha pack members —mere months after Logan joined them— I feared that they would never recover, that they would never be able to move forward again.

But, for the last year, Nathan seems to be on a better path.

And to see him interested and excited about life and the world again feels good.

I quickly wipe at my cheeks, trying to get the tears from my eyes so I can reply to him. ‘I don’t have the energy to think what I might want or need. Sorry.’

‘It’s okay. I’ll take Jace to check out your apartment and see if something stands out. Don’t worry about it. You’ve got other things on your mind.’

‘Thanks.’ I pocket the phone and stand up, checking myself.

First step, change into clean clothes.

Second step, check on the kids.

Third step, check where the rest of my pack is.

I have no idea how much energy I’ve got today and how useful I might be, but I’ll take it one step at a time. Even if I won’t be able to help anyone out there, I can still take my laptop in here with me and help them out from the corner of my closet.

It’s all about using what you’ve got and this is what I’ve got today. My brain feels pretty clear, the main problem is that I still can’t regulate my emotions and that my body probably won’t hold up all day. But I can work with that. I’ve been working with that all my life.

Dressed in loose pants and a blouse, both of the softest fabrics we could find but that would also not be too hot in this summer weather, I make my way over to the room where the kids are.

Let’s hope they got some sleep, though, with how stressful last night was, I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t get much sleep.

The door to the room is slightly ajar and when I push it open further, I find Jorge and Luca sitting in the open doorway to the balcony, quietly chatting as most of the kids are still asleep in a makeshift nest in the corner of the room.

Jorge has one of the kids in his lap, while Luca hands the kid pieces of fruit. Another kid is walking around on the balcony, looking out over the fields, all quiet awe and excitement.

A lump forms in my throat and tears spring in my eyes as I take in the sight. They look so peaceful and I can imagine them sitting exactly like that, a couple of years into the future, with our own kids.

It’s beautiful.

This quiet peace is what I want our future to be like.

This exactly.