Page 25 of Unbonded (Pack’s Companion #3)

I nod, because it’s not something I could forget in a hurry. Lee’s right hand was so bruised he couldn’t use it for a week, and when I asked him about it, he mumbled something about jumping in and defending an omega from a drunk alpha. “You mean the Fourth of July weekend?”

“Yeah, well he punched me in the face.” Lee points at the slight bump on his shapely nose. “It was right after I told him to step aside so you could be with someone who knew how to love you.”

Love me? Blood hums in my ears, and I can’t keep the shock off my face. “Who did you mean, Lachlan?”

“ Me. ” He straightens, some of that wildness draining from his expression.

He holds my gaze as he nods, slow and purposeful.

“But I’m not just in love with you, Katie.

I fucking adore you. You’re kind, and funny, and you have such a big heart.

If you gave even a sliver to me, I’d take care of it until the day I die… ”

“Lachlan…” I barely croak out his name before the wall behind me seems to dissolve and I feel my knees give way. My vision narrows so quickly, I stumble forward, and Lachlan catches me in his arms.

“Shit. Are you okay?” He grunts before I can answer, and lifts me off my feet, looping my arm around his neck. “Sorry, Katie. I’ve always had bad fucking timing.”

I shake my head, because his sunshine scent now covers me like a blanket, and I curl towards his neck. As I press my face against the tiny bump of his scent gland, he gives a full-body shiver. “Um. Okay. Katie, I’m going to carry you inside so we can call a doctor.”

“No.” I don’t care if Safe Haven is my only option for my heat; the thought of dealing with other people right now makes a whine climb up my throat. “I just want to go home. Can you get me a cab? Or Hector. His number is in my pocket.”

Lachlan grunts. “Screw Hector. I’ll take you.”

He strides away from the street, only stopping when he reaches a compact rental in the employees’ lot.

I don’t lift my face from his neck until he deposits me in the passenger seat, and I wrinkle my nose at the pine air freshener dangling from the rearview mirror.

As he climbs behind the wheel, he shoots me a concerned look.

“What do you need? More air? Heat?” I shake my head and after checking I’m buckled in, he pulls out of the lot and heads towards FDR Drive. “Relax, Katie. I’ve got you.”

It’s a nice thought, but he’s way over on the other side of the car, his hands firmly on the wheel. I study the console between us, wondering how I can edge a few inches closer. “Why don’t you have a bench seat?”

“It’s a rental.” Lachlan raises his brows at my forlorn tone. “You’re not feeling well?”

“Missing your scent,” I mumble, then scowl at his surprised look. “What? Isn’t there a chapter on scent-craving in your textbook?”

“Ah, yeah. But for alphas, not betas.” He tilts his head and gives his shoulder a tentative sniff. “I didn’t think I had much of a scent.”

“You smell like summer,” I close my eyes, trying to block out everything but the memory of that patch of skin between his ear and the curve of his neck. “Like sun-warmed sand, and salty breezes, with maybe a touch of lemongrass and coconut.”

“Really?” I slit my eyes enough to watch a huge smile spread across his face. “That’s… that’s pretty damn cool.”

“For you,” I mutter, wrapping my arms around myself. “I’m over here with gray skies and a cold outlook.”

“Oh! Yeah, I can fix that.” He quickly shucks off his jacket and hands it to me with a grin. “Your ticket to paradise, babe.”

I’d roll my eyes if they weren’t buried in the soft leather of his jacket.

It’s soaked in a California-sky-in-July level of sunshine, and I breathe it in, my toes curling in pleasure.

A small part of my brain is wondering why I’m having such an extreme reaction to a guy I’ve known since college, but I’m not about to let that ruin my high.

“We’re about a half hour from your place,” he tells me. “Why don’t you lie back, rest, and I’ll wake you when we get there?”

I comply with a happy sigh, and cocooned in his jacket, quickly drift off to sleep.

If I dream, they’re gentle, fleeting thoughts, and the next thing I know, we’re parked outside my brownstone.

As I peel my heavy lids open, Lachlan is crouched at my open door, shaking me awake.

“Shit, Katie. You were out cold. Tell me you’re okay, because I’m about to take you to urgent care. ”

“I’m fine. Just tired.” I sit up, my muscles protesting as I lean instinctively towards him. He doesn’t complain as my nose meets his neck and I rub it back and forth, soaking up his scent. “Can you come inside with me?”

“Yeah, of course. You have your keys?”

I pass him my purse, and he scoops me up like it’s the most natural move in the world.

I love being held like this, but Lee didn’t buy into the needy omega stereotype, insisting that all the pampering hype was just a marketing ploy.

He refused to indulge me, even on our bonding night, and I realize now how touch-starved it made me.

Lachlan, on the other hand, carries me with ease, and it’s hard not to appreciate his football muscles, especially when they’re wrapped in his sunshine skin.

I try to tell myself I’m stepping over a line by snuggling into him, but my blissed-out brain refuses to listen.

And then we enter my icebox of a house, and I’m thankful for every bit of warmth I can leach out of him.

“Fuck, it’s freezing in here,” he huffs, stomping into the living room and turning on the light.

I’m pretty sure I can see ice crystals on his breath, and I sigh. “Yeah, sorry. I haven’t been home for a bit, and the house always cools down fast....”

“What the hell?” Lachlan cuts my explanation off, his body stiffening as he turns in a slow circle, taking in the barren room. “Tell me that fucker didn’t leave you in a gutted house, Katie.”

I shake my head, too tired to get into this right now. “You know Lee as well as I do. I doubt he gave this place a second thought once he walked out.”

“I’ll fucking kill him,” Lachlan seethes, taking me over to the sofa and glaring at the pile of blankets I always keep in reach. “This is bullshit, Katie. You can’t live like this.”

“She won’t be,” a voice says behind us, and as he whirls around, I can feel the way Lachlan’s muscles flex in response.

I can’t really blame him; Bram is intimidating even when he’s in a mild mood.

And right now, he’s borderline furious, his gaze raking over Lachlan like he plans to dismantle him slowly and painfully. “Are you Stanley King?”

“No!” I yelp, squirming my way out of Lachlan’s arms. I’m still not steady on my feet, and they throw me matching scowls as I grab the back of the sofa. “This is Lachlan . A friend from college. He just gave me a lift home.”

When Lachlan casts me a pained look, it takes a moment for realization to hit me.

Oh crap . Right before I passed out, Lachlan Cook told me he adored me, and now I’ve friend-zoned him.

To make matters worse, it’s in front of a seriously dominant alpha.

While Lachlan is a confident guy, he had to put up with a lot of crap in college, not least from Lee, who always liked to remind him of his superior designation.

“We’re really good friends,” I amend, giving him an apologetic smile. “Better than I realized, in fact.”

“The best,” Lachlan beams back at me, his happy mood restored until he looks at Bram. “And who are you , man?”

“Um, this is Bram Webber.” I wave a hand at the alpha, whose hands are firmly planted on his hips. “He’s kind of my new boss.”

“She also lives with my pack,” Bram says curtly, his attention now firmly on me. “I called Hector, and he said you were sick.”

“Just a bit off,” I reply, trying to ignore the flutter in my stomach at the mention of his pack.

Lee wasn’t keen on that dynamic, either, and while I thought we were enough for each other, I was always intrigued by the idea of more.

“Um, I grabbed something at the pharmacy, so I should feel better soon.”

“Yeah, but you took it hours ago, and you’re still flushed.” I look at Lachlan as he brushes a thumb over my cheek. “Plus, you’re perfuming. A lot.”

“Perfuming?” Bram narrows his eyes. “You want to explain what you mean by that?”

“Katie’s always smelled like oranges,” Lachlan replies, frowning back at the alpha. “It’s sweeter now, though, and there’s something new. Like… a smoky, floral edge.” He tilts his chin to his chest, thinking. “What was that tea you were always drinking in college?”

“Japanese morning dew,” I whisper, staring at him in shock. “But I don’t smell like that anymore. Coffee, maybe…”

“Nah. It’s oranges and fancy tea,” Lachlan says, all confidence. “I could pick your scent out of a stadium of omegas.”

“I don't understand.” I look at Bram, but he’s still eyeing up Lachlan. “What can you smell?”

“Coffee more than tea,” he admits, scowling at the admission. “It doesn’t smell bad, just…”

“Not oranges and fancy tea,” I murmur, trying to keep the disappointment from my face. As an uber alpha, Bram’s senses are heightened, so shouldn't he be able to scent my natural fragrance if Lachlan can? Unless Lachlan only thinks he can smell oranges because he remembers it from college...

“What happened after you left Corbus?” Bram asks, interrupting my depressing train of thought.

“I didn't leave him,” I huff. “I went to see my doctor, but she wasn't there.”

“Dr Green is at a medical conference in Chicago,” Lachlan adds helpfully, but it draws another frown from Bram. “You know Kate's doctor?”

“Sure. You don't?”

I'd roll my eyes at their macho posturing if I wasn’t still feeling so drained. “I got some pills at the pharmacy and then went to see Lachlan. He was on his lunch break, so when I told him I wasn’t feeling great-.”

“Why?” Bram interrupts me. “Because of Corbus?”

I study him curiously. Why does he keep steering everything back to his packmate? Did Corbus say something about what happened between us in the car? “No. You know I'm having some issues with my hormones, and then there was an alpha in rut at the clinic...”

In three gigantic strides, Bram is right at my side, his eyes glowing with an almost feline menace. Eyeshine , my tripping heart informs me. Somehow, I’ve brought out the beast in Bram without even meaning to.

“Whoa, Bram.” I hold up a calming hand. “He visited the clinic before I arrived. I wasn't anywhere near him, but he left a really strong scent in the room. It turned my stomach, that’s all.”

Bram swallows hard enough for me to see his throat contract, but the menacing gleam in his eyes slowly fades.

“You shouldn’t go back to that clinic if they’re also treating alphas there.

I'll call your doctor and arrange a house visit.” He looks around, noticing my purse still in Lachlan’s hand.

“If you’re ready to go, I'll drive you home.”

He seems happy to ignore the fact that I’m standing in my official residence right now, but Lachlan catches my arm before I can take a step. “Wait up, I'm not leaving you alone with an uber alpha. You can come back to my hotel.”

I can’t even process that thought beyond the instinctive need to keep him close, and I look helplessly at Bram.

“Kate spent last night under my roof without any issues,” he says slowly, “and it’s a lot safer than a random hotel.

” Lachlan opens his mouth to argue, but Bram holds up a hand.

“We have plenty of room, if it makes you both feel better.”

I don’t miss his emphasis on both , because, the truth is, being near Lachlan is comforting. I’m too tired to wonder why that might be, but something tight inside me starts to ease as he says, “If that’s what Katie wants, then sure. Lead the way.”