Faith & the Dead End Devils (Sweet Omegaverse, #8)(103)

"Why didn't they take you to the Omega Center?" Eve asked me.

"The Omega Center isn't safe," Adam and I said at the same time. I glanced at my brother with a quick and grateful smile and then turned back to her. "Bear wanted to, but I begged him to keep me here with him, and he listened to me. Please. I want to see him."

"They are cooperating," Jamie said, standing at Eve's side and nudging her lightly with his shoulder. He shot me a warm smile, and I relaxed slightly.

When they weren't attacking my loved ones, Adam's pack seemed okay. Aside from Eve.

Adam's hand found mine at my side, squeezing my fingers and catching my attention. "I wanna talk with you alone."

His face was a surprise all over again. He was the person I'd seen almost every day of my life, and then he'd been ripped out of reach. Sitting next to him was a strange kind of dream. His scent was different now, notes of Eve and Garrett in the mix. His face had even changed in tiny ways, and there were shiny, healed bite marks glittering all over his throat.

"Let her check in with them, and then you can interrogate them to your heart's content while my sister and I catch up?" Adam asked Eve. There was a note of teasing in the question, but he still had to ask, and I couldn't help but glare at her out of the corner of my eye.

She glared back for a moment, our stares clashing, before nodding once. The big alpha, Rory, marched to the door without orders, opening it as I jumped up from the couch.

Bear, King, Chance, and Ghost were all waiting outside in the hall, and I launched myself into the mass of them, Bear's arms snatching me up off my feet.

"I'm fine," he and I said at once, my face buried into his shoulder.

I helped myself to a moment of his purring before finally lifting my gaze. King was sporting a swollen and quickly blackening eye, and Ghost's nose was bleeding, but Chance looked like he was unharmed.

"I'm going to talk to Adam for a bit," I said.

King's uninjured eye glanced over my shoulder. "We'll entertain the intruders," he said.

Bear set me down on my feet and I slid around his side to King, whose expression softened as he drew me into his chest.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Coulda gone worse," King said. He was tense, but he was rubbing his beard against the top of my head.

"The others?" I asked.

"Confused, annoyed, but it was wrapping up before most of them even put their pants on," King said.

I glanced in either direction but didn't see anyone. I had a feeling King was lying for my sake. There was no way Rider wouldn't use this to his advantage. King pulled away, reaching up to lift my chin. He studied me, scowl deepening.

"Was the tear gas fucking necessary?" he growled, glaring over my head.

"Apparently not," one of the alphas answered. The voice was gruff and I figured it was Rory.

Chance checked me over just as King had, letting me interrupt his study with a series of kisses. "I'm fine. You?"

"Fine," he said, nodding to the right. "Look at Ghost, though. If he keeps getting the shit kicked out of him, he's not gonna be so pretty soon."

I grinned at Ghost, who laughed. "You'll have to work on your personality," I teased.

"Very cute," Ghost answered, rolling his eyes. "Anyone care to fuckin’ catch me up?"

"I will," Chance rasped, kissing my cheek once more. "Go on. Talk to your brother."

But Chance held on to me, Ghost stepping slightly in front of us as Adam's alphas filtered out of King's office.

"Bar," King said to them. He arched an eyebrow. "It's a bit breezy. Someone broke the window, but it will have to do."

"Try not to let anyone get stabbed or tear-gassed," I said to Chance.

Eve snorted as she passed us. "No promises."

I tensed, but Adam was there in the doorway, smiling sheepishly at me. "We really weren't expecting you to, uh…be here voluntarily. She's sulking," he whispered.

Hands stroked my sides as Chance and the others followed after Adam's pack, and my brother and I were left standing in the hall.

"Sulking?" I repeated.

Adam nodded toward the office, and I took one last glance at the mix of packs before following him in. He shut the door behind me and I was surprised by how nervous it made me. Adam let out a heavy sigh and then rushed to me, arms snapping around me.

"I'm so sorry," he breathed. "Oh, god, Faith, I'm so sorry."

He was shaking, starting to cry, and it didn't matter that he smelled slightly different, or that I was still wired and tense from adrenaline. I had my brother back, and all the wrongness of the night and his military-grade badass pack could wait for another minute. I grabbed onto Adam, tightening my arms around him too.

"I'm so sorry that I put you in danger. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." His voice cracked, and my heart followed suit.

I couldn't say it was all right. That it worked out for the best. I had Bear and Chance now, hopefully King and even Ghost. But there was no band-aid for what I'd been through with Omikron.

"I'm so glad you're safe now," Adam said, voice thick with tears. I sagged into him and nodded, my own rising quickly.

"I thought you were Omikron. I thought they'd found me," I whispered.