Page 23

Ambrose

“Where’s Seraphina?” I ask, the moment I step into the house. Getting out of our uniforms took entirely too long and then the drive back home had me on edge. I thought I was going to punch through the goddamn window. Lyle’s just as agitated but I need an outlet. Bad.

Callum’s smile quirks as he lets out a quiet laugh, rubbing his neck. “I left her in the guest room for a bit to double check security and came back to find her gone. Apparently, she wandered up to my closet and built a little nest. I checked on her about fifteen minutes ago. She’s out cold.”

Relief floods my chest as I lean back a little, finding Lyle there, his hands falling to my arms to steady me. “So, she’s okay?”

Callum shakes his head, his smile fading. “No, she’s terrified. This place is kind of big, and it’s bright as fuck. I’ve been hanging up some of the old curtains, but I think something happened in her apartment. I didn’t notice she was gone from the guest bedroom for a while, but she scrubbed herself raw before making a nest. Her skin’s red.”

“And you didn’t wake her up?”

Lyle sighs behind me, running his hands up and down my arms. Then he steps around me, kicking off his shoes. “Babe, I’m aware that you have a connection to her that most mates don’t facilitate until there is a physical bond. But, we’re all worried about her. You’re gonna have to dial it back from a ten to, like, a three. Deep breaths for me,” he purrs, forcing me to follow his command. “One, two, three, thank you. Now, go make sure she’s alright. I’ll be up soon.”

Lyle’s going to be right up here a few seconds after me but I dash up the stairs and into Callum’s room, finally able to breathe when I see her. She’s curled up in the back of his big ass closet, her head covered with one of his shirts.

I sit at the edge of the ring of clothes, reaching forward to drag my hand down her cheek, needing to feel her. A soft needy sound falls from her lips as she leans into my touch, nuzzling her face against my thigh. My purr starts and I let it flow, needing to soothe her. She opens her eyes, her blue gaze glazed with her preheat. I see she’s given herself over to her Omega instincts completely, our woman vulnerable to her designation. She throws me a small smile, a tremble wracking her small frame, before whispering, “Hi.”

“Hi, sweet girl. How you doing?”

“This place is too big and too bright. And Callum wasn’t there.” She pats the edge of her nest. “This is nice.”

“Fi, you can’t sleep in his closet,” I tease, “but we’ll find a place for you that’s safe, okay?”

She hesitates, her blue eyes searching mine, and then nods, still rubbing her cheek along my thigh, her wild berry scent marking me. She’s claiming me, her Omega weaving her scent into mine, a primal act that has my Alpha instincts roaring to claim her back.

Her voice breaks the silence, still so terrified. “Is he here?”

I frown, my hand pausing on her cheek. “Is who here?”

“I could smell him. He was there. I know it.”

Fucking hell.

I have to swallow back a growl, reminding her that no one else is here but us—the three men who have been in her space for the last few years. She slowly sits up and moves into my lap, her fingers curling into my shirt and her face nestled in the crook of my neck. Her tongue starts lapping at my scent gland, a soft, needy pull that sends my rum spice scent spiking.

She’s going to need us even more now and as much as I want to claim her, I also know that she will need our comfort first. My purr deepens as she starts nibbling on my neck, marking me as her own purr harmonizes with mine.

A heavy presence settles beside me, Lyle setting her bag beside us, the clinking drawing Seraphina’s attention. Her entire face lights up as she sees the bag. “They’re safe,” she whispers.

“Yeah, they are,” he purrs. “Why would you grab these? Ambrose could’ve always bought you more.”

She reaches for the bag and Lyle hands it to her, Seraphina twisting around just enough to unzip it and check the contents. “Because they aren’t just things. They’re memories. I don’t have any pictures and I’ve never seen the places Ambrose takes me. They’re all I have.” She pulls out a few and then a picture of her brother along with a family portrait that had to have been taken over fifteen years ago.

I make a mental note to start taking pictures and truly immortalizing the memories we make together. Her fingers continue to graze the different items, her mind lost in it until Lyle leans in to press a small kiss to her cheek. Her smile spreads wider, her Omega accepting his touch

“Baby, can you tell us what happened?” I can hear the strain in his voice, Lyle trying not to let his anger seep into his words.

Her entire body tenses as she pulls back a little, eyes wide with tears again. “I… I don’t know.”