Page 51 of Rugged Hearts: Part One

Running a hand over his face in frustration, Liam clarifies, “Her heat will be the most dangerous part. If bonding is quelling the worst of the temperature spikes, we need to wait to bond during the heat when she would need it most. Even with that it might not be enough but I think it will give us better odds. There was one case I saw where the omega bonded one alpha during the heat and it helped. She still ended up in the hospital, but if we have five people left to bond spread out over her heat…”

“Not very romantic,” Eli mutters.

“Better she survive her heat and you have the rest of our lives to romance her,” Jake says surprising all of us. It shut Eli up.

Thea looks overwhelmed. Her hand is gripping Parkers tightly. “How do you feel about all that Thea?” I ask. She deserves a say, no matter what Liam says.

“It makes sense. But…” she begins but stops suddenly.

“Continue,” Micah says, making her jerk her head in his direction in surprise.

“But what if I don’t feel ready to bond with everyone when my heat hits? I’m not saying never but we’re all on different levels still of getting to know each other.” She pauses and looks at Micah before continuing, “I know I’m pack and I’m not rejecting anyone.It’s just a big deal and I’d like to feel like I know the person I’m bonding to better.”

There’s still a sliver of suspicion in Micah’s expression, but he’s the first to turn away from her stare. I smile a little at that. I knew our omega was tough. Staring down Micah after everything he’s said to her was ballsy.

“Of course you should only bond with those you feel ready to take that step with. You already know the rest of us are ready when you are.” I turn to Liam. “Why don’t we continue courting as we have been, and before the heat starts, Thea can let us know who she is okay bonding with?”

He considers it but really the answer will be yes, none of us would force a bond. It likely wouldn’t work, since bonding has to be a consensual act—you’re letting someone connect essentially with your soul. No one can force that.

“That works. Your previous bloodwork estimated your heat hitting in late January to early February but with these mini heats happening so quickly one right after another, I’m positive that timeline has moved up. If you can be separated from these two long enough to come down to the office tomorrow, we can run new labs so we can get a better idea,” Liam says.

A deep growl rumbles through the room. All of us look to Keelan who’s looking at Parker in shock. Wait, no, that couldn’t have been him. We look to him and Thea now firmly in his lap with his arms around her, holding her close to him and looking at the rest of us like we’re about to steal her away.

“Parker!” Keelan barks out. After a moment Parker’s expression clears and embarrassment takesitsplace.

“Or in a couple days we’ll have you come to the office,” Liam adds on to appease Parker’s long dormant alpha side. Guess bonding an omega brought it out. This day has been full of surprises. Thea starts laughing at his comment which seems to be a chain reaction for the rest of us. I even saw Micah crack a smile. Slowly, but surely, he’s softening up to her.

40

BEFORE #4 - THEA

It’s been two months since the stalking started, and two weeks since the letters began arriving at our apartment. Just like with the flowers, I’m getting the letters three to four times a week. Some are worse than others. The worst are the ones that come with a “gift.” That’s the kind that arrived today. After that first letter, I was so overwhelmed with fear and panic, I kind of shut down by the end of that day. The longer this goes on, the angrier I get. I feel like this asshole has hijacked my life. It’s all I worry about now. I should be helping Connor plan our trip next month to North Carolina. Where we will finally bond.

After that first letter and with the second one arriving only two days later, we came up with a plan so I wouldn’t be home alone for the time being. I still don’t have a job, which at this point I don’t know how I could feel safe going to work somewhere again. For now I’m helping Max at his gym, working in the office. It’s not so bad, plus during any downtime, I work on possible marketing for the gym. He desperately needs a revamp.

It seems to bother Connor that his parents are helping us with this. I think it’s because we don’t have a pack. I’d imagine they’d be the ones helping, not his parents. I’m not complaining. Max may come off like a grump but he’s really not that bad.

I kind of want to hide the letter and “gift” that came today before Connor sees it. It’s the worst one he’s sent to date. The others have been various things I like: favorite flowers, music, books. Things showing he knows me, which is unnerving to say the least. Today though, it was a sex toy. Not just any toy, he apparently used one of those kits and made a mold out of his dick in order to create a life size replica in toy form. I threw up when I read his letter explaining the toy and what he wanted me to do with it.

Connor will be home any minute. Since I started helping at the gym we get home around the same time. Max usually brings me home, just to be safe. He did today and when we saw the package waiting, he made sure to stay with me until Connor arrived. I’m pretty sure he read the letter when I was throwing up because when I came back into the living room, a low persistent growl was coming from him. It doesn’t bother me. I know why he’s reacting that way.

Connor really is the spitting image of Max. They both have similar heights, muscular builds, dark brown hair, angular jaws. The main difference is the color of their eyes. Where Max has blue eyes, Connor has hazel ones like Sophie. The lock of the front door sounds as Connor comes in. He initially has a smile when he sees me but it’s quickly wiped away at my worried expression.

“Another letter?” he says, frustrated.

Before I can say anything Max bites out, “And a ‘gift.’”

Connor looks to me but I don’t have the energy to summarize it all. Max hands him the letter and Connor’s face goes from frustrated, to angry, to livid. His face turns red as he reads and a growl slips out, joining Max’s persistent one. I think this might be the one that pushes him over the edge into a full-on rage. That more than anything is why I’m glad Max is here. If anyone can help bring Connor back from an alpha rage, it’s him.

“What. The. Fuck,” Connor growls out in a voice I’ve never heard from him before. His alpha side is clearly riding him hard.

He’s looking around the room like he’s trying to find something. “Where is it?”

I don’t need to ask what he means. It’s still in the box on the kitchen table. Bile rises in my throat at the thought of that thing in the kitchen where we eat. It belongs in an incinerator. Connor doesn’t wait for a reply and just starts looking for it himself. It doesn’t take him long to find it and the resulting yell of frustration feels like it shakes the walls. The numbness overtaking me feels both like a blessing and a curse.

Max goes to the kitchen quickly when we hear a loud bang. Connor flipped the table. He’s heaving big breaths, looking kind of out of it. “That’s it. Thea, get your things we’re going back to the gym and I’m not leaving you here alone,” Max orders.

I do as he asks, not voicing any objection. Whatever his plan is, it’s to help Connor.