Page 5 of Match (Damselverse #1)

Chapter five

Halle

I can’t believe it. The Alpha with the pretty lips isn’t mad at me after all.

And I won’t go to prison.

For a moment, I was positive he was going to roar at me for destroying his livelihood and for breaking into his bookstore.

But Penn is surprisingly very tactful with me. I can tell that Dane had a helping hand in that matter.

Still, I bet he’s an Alpha who seldom loses his temper. I barely know him, and I shouldn’t judge him by his quirky attire, but if his turtleneck sweater and tweed jacket and horn-rimmed glasses are any indication, he’s normally quite placid.

Although, I highly doubt that. It’s the quiet ones who are always the most surprising.

Once the medics give me the all-clear, declaring my lungs smoke-free, which is a miracle, the realization finally dawns on me.

I have nowhere to go. Penn’s bookstore had been my home the last week.

A cool blackness settles over me.

I’m homeless.

Dane talks with a police officer to my right. It will only be a matter of time before the cop comes over to question me.

It was not arson, I swear! I just wanted to be warm.

The matches were all the heat I had.

Penn keeps me company as he stands with his hands in his pockets, looking ever so casual, but I can tell that his mind is running a mile a second.

He doesn’t know what to say to me.

He shifts in his loafers, and I hug myself, shivering in the cold breeze.

The Alpha glances at me. “Are you cold?”

I meet his striking gray eyes, and once again, I’m struck by how handsome he is.

Those cheekbones, so high…and his lips. They’re naturally plump and pink, and I just want to bite that carved Cupid’s bow.

Strange thought to have about an Alpha you don’t know from Adam, not to mention creepy. But his lips look as enticing as candy.

What were we even talking about again?

Of course. He’s asking me if I’m cold—an Omega who burned down his building.

Why would he care?

I glance down at my feet. “A little.”

Now, that is a downright lie. I’m very cold.

Penn deliberates for a moment. Then he shucks off his tweed jacket and hands it over to me wordlessly.

I stare at the offering as if it’s the apple from the Garden of Eden. As tempting as that jacket may be, though, the one covered in his new book smell, I can’t take his clothes.

I am not worthy of his consideration.

“No, I can’t…”

He smiles with his lips pressed tightly together, showcasing a set of handsome dimples. They make me stumble.

Wow. Just when I thought he couldn’t get any more handsome.

“I insist. You’re cold, after all.”

Finally, I take his jacket, and his warmth soothes me as I place it over my shoulders, leaning down to sniff the collar.

But I stop when I realize he’s watching me.

Oops. He saw; I know it, and now I try to act nonchalant as my cheeks blush bright red.

Nice going, Halle.

We’re distracted by the sound of Dane laughing, and we look up at the same time to see him patting the back of the police officer.

It looks like they might be good friends.

I just wonder when the cop is going to bring me in for questioning. No doubt he will throw me in the slammer. But I suppose it would beat sleeping on the street again.

However, if they arrest me, then they will trace me back to my pack. A simple fingerprint will confirm who I belong to.

I can’t go back to them; I just can’t!

Maybe I should run right now. But running will only make me look guilty.

But I can’t stand by while Dane and the cop discuss my fate.

Just as I start backing away, preparing to launch myself into the night, the cop walks away to his car.

Hold on.

“Good news, Petal,” Dane says as he returns. “You’re not going to jail. I explained everything to the police officer.”

Explained what? That I had been squatting in Penn’s bookstore and burned it down? It doesn’t exactly paint me in a good light, and I wonder what he really said to the cop.

I peer at Penn for confirmation, but the Alpha doesn’t meet my gaze again.

I can tell by the nervous expression on his face that he knows exactly what Dane told the cop, and I will get to the bottom of it eventually.

Dane turns to me. “So, do you have anywhere to stay tonight, Petal? Any friends?”

I think for a moment.

I do have one friend, Zara, but I haven’t spoken to her in months. I had to throw my phone away so that my pack couldn’t trace me.

They installed a tracking device on it after all.

Poor Zara must be so worried. She’s an Omega, like me. Someone I met at a local Omega get-together a few years back. We hit it off immediately since we had both lost our grandmothers.

But I can’t stay with Zara.

“No, I don’t,” I tell Dane.

Dane peers at Penn. Penn sighs, giving him permission.

The firefighter grins at me. “Well, you could always stay with us. Temporarily, of course. Until you get back on your feet.”

My heart thumps, and I shake my head. “No. I can’t intrude. I’ve already done enough damage to your pack.”

Meaning I’ve done enough damage to Penn.

Dane laughs. “Trust me, Petal. You would hardly be any trouble. Penn has already forgiven you, and Aiden would like you, I’m sure. Unless you don’t mind all the animals. He’s a vet, and owns a small practice on our property.”

Animals? Is that a serious question?

“I love animals,” I remark.

Dane’s grin widens. “That’s it’s settled. You’re coming home with us.”

This is all happening so fast. I look at Penn for support. Surely, he will rebuke the idea. As if he would want to share a roof with the Omega who ruined his life.

But Penn just shrugs, smiling at me surreptitiously. “It’s not as if we haven’t shared a roof before.”

Darn him for being so amicable and forgiving. I didn’t know people like him even existed. Does Penn ever get mad?

Dane wraps an arm around me. “Well, come along, Petal. You’re in luck. It just so happens that this was my last shift, so I get to be at the pack house for the next few days. That way, I can help you settle in.”

Well, I can’t say no to that logic.

“But surely you don’t want to spend your off time taking care of me,” I giggle nervously.

But Dane’s grins only stretches. “Nonsense. Now come on. Penn parked his car close by. Let’s get you home, Petal.”

Home.

That’s been a foreign concept for me for a while.

Still, I gather my pride and decide that I will go back with their pack. A pack I still don’t know the name of.

“Well, it looks like you’re now an honorary member of Pack Hope. Temporarily, of course,” Dane adds, as if he read my thoughts. He leads the way to Penn’s car.

Pack Hope.

How ironic.

I suppose it does beat sleeping on the street, though. Especially with the risk of them finding me.

All right. I will go back with them.

But it’s not for forever.I will have to face reality again some time.