Page 52 of Pack of Crooks

“Did you lose your shirt, Mad?”

“I left it for Hazel,” I say, eyeing the laptop in his lap. “What’s going on?”

“We found court records for Hazel’s mom, but nothing against Tristan.”

I drop onto the couch, drumming my fingers on the arm. “I get the feeling Hazel’s mom had other priorities.” There were no child support cases, but that doesn’t mean anything. An alpha like Tristan would have obliterated Hazel’s mom in court. It probably didn’t even get that far.

He would have paid everyone off. Made it impossible for the omega to do anything but shut her mouth. That’s how he works. So of course there’s no record of Tristan having a child to support.

She deserved better. Deserves.“She needs a better nest.”

Their gazes jump from the screen to mine. “You found it?”

Grimacing, I nod. “If you can even call it a nest. It’s a tiny closet. There’s barely any room to breathe.”

Ez frowns. “That’s not good enough.”

I nod. “What are we going to do about it?”

“Obviously build her a better one here.” Kill grabs his phone and opens Pinterest. “I’ll start making an inspiration board for the interior designer.”

I glance at Ezra, expecting him to be reasonable and remind us that courting doesn’t mean she’ll move in. Instead, he stares at Kill’s screen, giving his opinion—already certain Hazel will live here.

My chest warms. Some packs don’t always agree when it comes to claiming a mate, but not mine. We’re all on the same page when it comes to Hazel.

Fuck courting. That omega is meant to be ours.

sixteen

HAZEL

MAD

I left you a present. Can you find it?

I wake up to his text, eyes blurring from sleeping so hard, and his scent on my skin.He marked me. Delight zaps through me like an electric jolt, but it’s chased by frustration. Dammit. I fell asleep again. I’m going to have to drink some energy drinks or something if I want to catch them in the act of breaking and entering.

Even still, a smile works across my face as I yawn and glance around. A present, huh? Lottie’s still asleep. I crack a window, hoping to air the apartment out a little, but the act almost feels like a betrayal.

I love their scents. I love that they shamelessly cover me with their scent while I sleep. That they’re so obsessed they stalk me. Okay, that last one is probably a bad sign, but if it’s red, I’m a bull. Watch me charge at it.

I follow the trail of his scent through the apartment before it drifts out of the window. Panic lodges in my chest as Istop outside of my nest. It’s concentrated here. Shame slithers through me. A nest is for an omega, sure, but their pack joins them.

My nest has no room.

It’s lame.

I open the door, spot a new shirt on top of the pile of the ones I stole, and drop to my knees. Carefully holding the treasure, I bring the material to my face and breathe in, smothering a throaty moan.

God, he smells so good. They all do.

“Uh, Hazel?”

Screeching, I toss the shirt in the closet and tug the accordion door shut, peering up at Lottie with wide eyes. “What are you doing sneaking around?”

Oh, that’s rich coming from the omega with literal stalkers.

“I’m not sneaking around.” Her eyes shift to the closed door and her lips pull down. “What are you doing?”