Page 10

CHAPTER NINE

_____________

RACING WORLD PREPARES FOR SHAKE UP WITH SURPRISE PARAGON ANNOUNCEMENT

Things are going to be different this year. We at Formula World News aren’t sure if that’s a good thing.

FORMULA WORLD NEWS

Vanessa went limp with a smile on her face.

“Fuck.” I moved, sweeping her legs up and into my arms. “Is she okay?”

“Yeah,” Beck said. “I think it’s just the scent match. It can happen sometimes. She’ll be fine.”

The way he looked at her… I’d never seen it before. Except I was now seeing double, because I had the same look on my face, obvious in the elevator mirrors.

“What happened?” River sounded panicked the second the doors opened into our apartment. Which, calling it an apartment was a bit of an understatement, considering our Britannian home had multiple floors and needed a keycard to even access.

“She’s okay,” I said.

“Omega euphoria,” Beck filled in for me. “Said she felt high. It’s all of our scents. If it hadn’t already happened, I’m betting it would have the second she met you.”

I froze when I saw River. His hair was still damp from showering after however long he punished himself in the gym. Now wearing sweats and a hoodie, he looked like he might on any other day, except for the look on his face.

He stared at Vanessa in awe. This was the first time he’d scented her. Every line of his body made it clear that it hit him just as hard as Grayson and Beck. Part of me wished I could sense it as deeply, but they’d been right. I felt it in my own way. Just because I was a Beta didn’t mean I didn’t feel the connection.

“Can I hold her?” He asked, voice soft.

“Let’s get to the living room,” I said. No part of me wanted to let her go. But if we all had our way, there would be more than enough time.

River sat on the end of the couch, and I laid her down so she was on his lap. She curled toward him like she knew him even while unconscious. He touched her gently, arranging her so it would be more comfortable.

“I believed you. I mean, I knew. But knowing it and experiencing it? Holy shit.”

Beck sat down and leaned forward on his knees. “I know. I nearly gave everything away when I first saw her because I had to let her walk away and my Alpha wanted to do anything but that.”

“You might be stronger than me,” River said. “I’m not sure I could have.”

The elevator dinged and revealed Grayson. He shook his head in amusement when he saw Vanessa. “I thought that might happen.” Pulling the blanket off the back of the couch, he draped it over her, and River tucked it in.

The five of us together in the space amplified what Grayson had talked about before. A knowing . The same way I’d known they were my pack. The five of us were it.

This felt as if something had calmed. Like a tiny buzzing that had been going so long, you didn’t notice until it went quiet. It was shockingly peaceful.

“She said to tell you she was sorry, Riv. Right before she passed out.”

He smiled and brushed her hair away from her face, but said nothing.

“We should order food,” I said. “I don’t think she’s eaten.”

“Already done.” Gray held up his phone. “I ordered in the elevator.”

“Perfect. I’ll be right back.”

I jogged up the stairs to my room and changed. Once she woke, I didn’t want to leave her unless I had to, and I wanted to be comfortable. But I also wanted her to be comfortable. I grabbed clothes she could borrow on my way back downstairs, because I wasn’t sure she’d want to keep the racing suit on.

We hadn’t exactly made plans beyond getting her here. Was she staying the night? Was she moving in?

A shadow crossed my mind. Probably not on that last one. I didn’t have to ask my packmates to know they wouldn’t care if she did. But the world wouldn’t mind its own fucking business, so we would have to mind it for them.

“Gray.” I set the clothes on the end of the couch opposite River. “Please tell me you’re already formulating a plan for this, because there’s no way we’ll be able to keep this a secret for long.”

I wasn’t going to say it out loud, but Formula 1 was a dangerous sport. No one could deny that. And as talented as Vanessa was, things happened to every driver. There was no chance the three Alphas would be able to contain themselves if something happened to her during a race.

“I’m trying.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “But all I’ve been able to think about is her. Here. That it happened. So I’m taking the night to ignore that we have to worry about it at all.”

We all laughed, breaking the tension.

“But,” he said, “I already have ideas about how to make it easier while we have to keep it quiet.”

Beck raised an eyebrow. “Does it involve bribing people?”

“Not out of the question.” Then he looked at us one at a time. “Stepping into Team Principal for a moment. Things are going to be said about her. Things are already being said about her. They’re going to piss us off, and believe me, I’m with you when I say I’ll want to take those people’s heads off. We can’t.”

“The hell we can’t,” I said at the same time Beck and River growled. Thankfully not loud enough to wake her up.

“We. Can’t.” He repeated, emphasizing the words. “It has nothing to do with her being ours and giving it away by defending her. We cannot undermine her strength by fighting all her battles. When she needs us to defend her, we will, and there will be times for it. In the meantime, go hit a punching bag if you need to.”

The way he said it was final. And the rational part of my brain understood and agreed with him. Unfortunately, that part of my brain had vacated the premises the moment he sent us that text.

“Besides,” he said. “She’s more than capable of taking them down herself. That’s why we hired her in the first place.”

River still watched her, but now his expression was filled with glee. “I’m excited to fucking watch that. Especially with Lars.”

“Watch what?” The words were soft and sleepy. Vanessa hadn’t opened her eyes yet, but that was her voice, and it was enough to make all of us smile from ear to ear. Our Omega was awake.