Page 28 of Pack Scratch Fever

POE

I stare at my text message that I sent two hours ago.

What time should we arrive?

Piper hasn’t responded, and I’m tempted to drive to the rescue to make sure everything’s alright.

“She’s busy , Poe,” Maddox says, finishing buttoning up his black dress shirt. “Stop being weird about this and staring at your phone. You’re allowed to have fun, idiot. ”

“Quit trying to find something to worry about,” Avery adds gently from the kitchen. “We’re going to have a good time, and she can see that you’re capable of having fun.”

“Yeah, she needs to know that you’re not married to your work,” Maddox adds, checking himself out in the mirror.

Maddox decided that he was going to help me get ready, because he knows I have no business in a trendy bar. We settled on a deep grey button-up shirt and dark jeans for me.

I’m almost forty years old. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, but if Piper wants to go out, then we’re going out.

Besides, Avery and Maddox have a point.

I’ve connected with Piper in more ways than one, but most of it was during her Heat.

I need her to see that I’m not some workaholic who won’t make time for my scent match.

I’m fascinated by her, and it kills me that she doesn’t see herself clearly.

She thinks she’s not valuable unless she’s throwing herself into what she does, and I feel the same.

But around her, the voice in my head that insists that I could be better goes quiet.

I’ve been fucking dying to see her.

I wish she had taken up my offer to stay with us, but I knew she would say no.

She’s still guarded, but I’m willing to chip away at her defenses until she realizes exactly what we are.

Mates.

I intend to make her see that starting tonight.

Scents is true to its name.

Omega aromas waft throughout the illuminated area, some scents sweeter than others. The bar is impressive, with glass shelves that reach the ceiling lined with different colored spirits. The dance floor is on the far left, with a DJ booth in the corner.

Yeah, I’m too fucking old for this.

There’s only one reason I’m here, and it’s for the Omega that’s captured my heart.

“Where is she?” Maddox asks, looking around. “The shelter closed three hours ago.”

“She should be here,” Avery says, a slight frown tugging at his mouth. “I don’t see her. Are you sure this is the place?”

“Yes,” I snap. “Blair works here, and she said this is where they like to hang out.”

Maddox tilts his head and laughs. “Holy shit. I can’t even imagine you being here once. Are you going to be okay with that, old man?”

I grit my teeth. Maybe Maddox and Avery haven’t caught on yet, but I have.

Something’s wrong.

“He’s not that much older than us, Maddox,” Avery chuckles, while I close my eyes in annoyance. “I’m sure he could?—”

That’s when I smell it.

Bitter lemon.

Burnt sugar.

Piper’s here, but something is wrong.

My eyes snap open, and I stalk toward the right side of the building, near the far end of the bar. I weave past people, not caring if Avery and Maddox are still behind me.

I need to get to her now .

The first person I spot is Blair. She’s hunched over on her stool at the bar, pulling someone into a hug.

Not someone.

Piper.

What the hell happened?

“Oh, shit,” Maddox murmurs behind me.

Blair notices me before Piper does, and her green eyes narrow. Piper’s face is buried in her shoulder as Blair strokes her hair.

“What’s going on?” Avery asks gently, but Blair holds out her free hand before we can come any closer.

“I think it’s best you leave,” she says, her voice low.

Absolutely not.

Something happened to Piper, and it’s my business now.

She’s my Omega.

“Yeah, that’s not happening,” Maddox says simply. “Not until we know what’s wrong.”

Piper still hasn’t looked at us. She hasn’t even lifted her head from Blair’s shoulder, and I start to panic.

“Baby, please,” Avery says softly. “Please let us help.”

Blair scoffs and shakes her head. “I don’t think you can help at all ,” she snaps. “You’ll only make it worse.”

Piper’s best friend looks at me like she despises me, and my patience wears thin while panic gnaws at my gut.

Come on, baby, please just look at me.

“Look, there’s obviously some type of misunderstanding here,” I say, frowning. “Whatever it is, we can fix it.”

That’s when Piper finally lifts her head, and her eyes meet mine.

The first thing I notice is how bloodshot they are. They’re also shiny from crying, but there’s an emptiness behind them.

It’s as if she’s been drained of everything that gives her life.

It’s terrifying.

“You can’t fix this, Poe,” she says cryptically. “Why would you even want to? It’s all ruined.”

My stomach churns.

“What the hell are you talking about, baby?” Maddox demands. “Just talk to us. What happened?”

Piper’s scent, usually so sweet and mouthwatering, is warped by the alcohol that’s in her blood. Slowly, she pulls away from Blair and digs through her purse that’s slung over her shoulder. She produces a crumpled-up piece of paper and tosses it at me. It hits my chest and falls to the bar floor.

“I’m sure you have a copy somewhere,” she mutters.

Bewildered, I pick it up and smooth it out in my hands.

Avery and Maddox lean in to read it, and Avery gasps while Maddox curses .

My heart sinks.

“You knew me when you signed it, too,” Piper says coldly. “It even has our name on it. You couldn’t have missed that.”

I stare in horror at the document I’ve signed, verifying the sale of the strip mall to a new owner, with Furs and Purrs listed as one of the businesses.

I’m speechless. Whatever Piper sees on my face makes her chuckle darkly.

“It’s my own fault for not putting it together,” she croaks, flicking her gaze to Maddox and Avery. “This is what you do. People snatch up properties, quadruple the rent, and kick tenants out when they can’t afford it.”

“Piper, I?—”

“And I’m sure this isn’t the first person you’ve done this to,” she continues, “but you didn’t even have the decency to tell me first?”

The truth is, I didn’t even notice the rescue’s name on the paperwork.

I’ve been so burnt out from my job that every document became a blur.

“You also cosigned the proposed new lease, too,” Blair adds. “They want more than five times what we pay now.”

I remain in stunned silence.

“We can fix this,” Maddox says. “Poe can?—”

“It’s not just about me,” Piper continues. “You’ve hurt everyone that’s helped us, all of our volunteers. You’ve hurt my best friend. And you did it all while you were fucking me. ” Her voice cracks.

For a moment, none of us speak, the only sounds being the distant bass of the music and the chatter of other patrons.

My head aches. Weariness seeps into my bones, and I’m terrified I’m about the lose the one person I’ve ever longed for.

My scent match, my mate, is breaking down in front of me, and I’m the cause.

I didn’t look over those documents closely enough.

I failed.

I failed her.

“Piper, listen,” Avery says, holding out his hands. “It was an honest mistake, I’m sure. Poe would never have done anything to hurt you. None of us would. I promise . There has to be some way to fix this; we would never let anything happen to the rescue.”

She looks at Avery incredulously, while Blair keeps staring daggers at me. “It’s already happened, Avery. We have to shut down. We have to find places for all the cats to go, and I don’t even know who would be willing to take half of them. Especially Mister Whiskers.”

“Baby, we won’t let that happen,” Maddox says. Piper slides out of her barstool, and he tries to reach for her, but she slaps his hand away.

“Don’t. Touch. Me,” she hisses, and Maddox stills. “None of you will ever touch me again.”

No. That can’t happen.

“Tell me what to do to make it right,” I demand. “Just tell me.”

Piper just shakes her head and scoffs. “Fuck you, Poe.”

The venom in her words makes my chest ache.

Blair chews her lip and sighs heavily. “There are too many moving pieces,” she sighs, while Piper crosses her arms and leans against the bar. “Unless you’re willing to move all the cats into your house and renovate it so it’s feline friendly.”

I pause for a moment, and Piper takes it as a rejection of Blair’s suggestion. She sneers and shakes her head at me.

“Exactly,” she mutters. “The sale is done, and you cosigned it.” Then, she turns to Maddox and Avery. “I like you both,” she says, her voice softening. “I do . But this was never going to work.”

“Baby, don’t—” Avery tries, and Piper slams her hand on the bar, startling us and the bartender.

“Leave me alone! ” she yells. “Stay away from me, all three of you. I’m not your baby, I’m not your sweetheart, I’m not your anything.

” Poison spews from her mouth as she laughs bitterly.

“And the worst part is, this just shows me how much of a failure I am. My parents were right. I could never keep the rescue going.” She slurs her last words and slumps against the bar, angry tears in her eyes.

Her scent is murky with alcohol and despair.

You did this.

My own shortcomings have hurt the person that matters most to me.

The bartender, an Alpha with blonde cropped hair, looks to Blair. “Are they bothering you?” he asks gruffly.

Blair shakes her head. “We’re heading home anyway,” she says. She wraps an arm around Piper’s shoulders and helps her to her feet. “Excuse us,” she says, moving past us. Piper’s scent washes over me, and I fight every instinct to pull her into my arms.

My mate is walking away from me.

My mate hates me.

“We’ll drive you,” Avery offers. “At least let us get you two home.”

“Avery, please go away,” Piper sighs, resigned. “Don’t make this hurt any more than it has to.”

Avery’s face crumples as Blair looks back at us. “I’m stone cold sober,” she tells me. “And you really fucked up.”

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I truly am.”

“And I believe you, but it doesn’t matter. You’ve made our lives a lot harder now.”

“This is fixable!” Maddox snarls. “We won’t let her suffer, or you, for that matter.”

Blair shakes her head. “You already have,” she murmurs. “If you really care about her, respect her wishes and leave her alone.”

“We can’t do that,” I snap.

“Then you never really cared about her, did you?” Blair sighs, while Piper whimpers.

The sound makes my chest ache, but I can’t comfort her.

I’m the reason for that pain.

“Hey,” the bartender calls to me. “You leave them alone, or I’m kicking you the fuck out.”

Blair shoots him a look of gratitude before leading Piper out of the bar, leaving my packmates and me rejected and alone.

Leaving me with the knowledge that I’ve ruined our pack beyond repair.