Page 22 of Pack Me Up

Tommy, meanwhile, is rummaging through my streaming queue. “You still watch horror when you’re alone? You psycho. How do you not have night terrors?”

“I have security now,” I say, deadpan.

Tommy cackles, then glances over his shoulder at the twins. “You can go if you want. I’ll protect her.”

Colton flashes a grin, but his eyes stay glued to Tommy like he’s waiting for a chance to intervene. “You want us gone?” he asks, but I can tell he’s not expecting a yes.

I shake my head. “You can wait outside. Tommy and I need to talk.”

Tommy’s already sprawled on my battered couch, legs crossed under him like a preteen at a slumber party. He pats the seat next to him, and I go, excited to talk to Tommy about this.

The twins leave begrudgingly after reminding me they are right outside.

Tommy leans in, voice dropping to a stage whisper. “Okay, spill. It’s about those alphas out there, isn’t it? I could scent you on them, and the tension was off the hook!”

I can’t even try to deny it. “Yeah,” I say, on a long exhale. “The Phoenix Pack are my scent matches. All of them.”

Tommy’s jaw drops, then he lets out a delighted, high-pitched wheeze. “Holy shit! They’re, like, actually good guys.I mean, intense, really intense, but not assholes. You hit the jackpot. You’re gonna be the most protected omega in the city.”

He says it like it’s a blessing. I want to feel like I’ve just won the lottery, but my past is hanging on with claws, holding me back.

He hugs me, real quick, and I let him, because there’s nothing romantic about it. Tommy wouldn’t be attracted to me in a million years since he likes guys.

Tommy leans toward me, lowering his voice. “Did you tell them about-”

I shake my head. “Not yet.”

He nods, face suddenly serious. “You don’t have to. You don’t owe your trauma to anyone.”

“Thanks, Tommy,” I whisper.

Tommy lowers his voice and changes the subject. “So, what’s it like? The fated-mate thing. Does it feel like,” he makes a vague, swoony gesture, “a lightning bolt, or what?”

I blush, and it’s not subtle. “It’s intense like nothing else. I keep thinking I’ll wake up and it’ll be gone. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since I found out.”

Tommy shrugs, acting nonchalant. “I’d say I’m jealous, but I’m genuinely not. It’s nice to see someone get what they deserve for once.”

There’s a flicker of something in my chest, gratitude, maybe, or just relief at having someone who gets it, no strings attached. I lean into Tommy’s side, letting my head rest on his bony shoulder.

He hums, happy, and for a second, the rest of the world could fall away, and I wouldn’t care.

Then he hops up and yells, “I want to get to know them more,” as he opens the door.

Colton and Cody are standing right outside the door. Their eyes find mine immediately, and I give them a shy smile.

“Come on in, you two,” Tommy tells them before coming back to the couch.

He starts scrolling through the streaming queue, narrating his picks in a running monologue that’s mostly nonsense. He’s the only person I’ve ever met who can talk for five minutes about a movie he’s never seen and make it sound like he’s an expert.

Cody finally relaxes enough to lean against the wall, arms crossed, but more chill. Colton is still on high alert, scanning the room every thirty seconds like he’s expecting an assassination attempt.

Eventually, Tommy looks over at the twins. “You guys are welcome to sit, you know. Britt doesn’t have cooties. Anymore.”

Colton laughs. “Thanks, but we’re good.”

I nod at the couch anyway. “If you’re on watch, you might as well be comfortable.”

There’s a moment where I think they’ll both decline, but then Colton shrugs and drops onto the arm of the sofa, wedging himself between the cushion and the wall. Cody remains standing, but closer now, his shadow spilling over the floor like spilled ink.