12. Lily

Chapter 12

Lily

D o it! Fucking say how you feel about him!

I look at Jack, and my heart is pounding like I've just run a marathon. He's sitting there with that goofy grin on his face, and I'm overwhelmed by the urge to tell him everything. But how do you tell someone you love them when stuffing your face with food after what was arguably the best non-heat sex of your life?

"Thanks for the sandwiches." Great start, Lily. Real smooth.

Jack chuckles, and I swear it's the most charming sound I've ever heard. "Anytime, Lil."

I can feel my cheeks heating up again. God, he's so fucking perfect. I take a deep breath and force myself to look into his eyes.

"Want to watch some TV?"

Groaning inwardly, I give up. It's just not going to happen.

"Okay," he says, and gets up to grab the remote to the small TV set up in the corner of the bedroom. I rarely watch it, but right now, it's going to be a lifesaver from awkward silences and break up the boredom of being holed up in here while Emily sleeps. I don't want to disturb her at any cost. She needs the rest, and maybe tomorrow will look brighter for her. She is safe here —which I hope she knows—and we will continue to look after her for as long as it takes.

Jack flicks through the channels until he lands on some cheesy sitcom. The laugh track immediately sets the tone, and I let the absurdity of the show pull me in. It's a welcome distraction from my racing thoughts.

Jack settles back down beside me, our shoulders brushing. He hands me another sandwich, and I take a bite, trying to focus on the taste instead of my nerves.

"Remember when we first met?" he says out of nowhere, his voice filled with amusement.

"How could I forget? We were five, and you stole my bucket and spade at the beach." I see the sides of his lips turning up into a smile.

Jack laughs, eyes crinkling at the corners. "And then you chased me and threw a rock at my head. Still got the scar."

I roll my eyes. "It was a pebble, and you deserved it."

He grins, leaning closer like he's about to share a secret. "You were fierce even back then. Scared the hell out of me."

"Oh please, you loved every minute of it."

"Yeah, maybe," he says softly, his gaze holding mine for a moment longer than necessary.

My heart does a ridiculous fluttering thing, and I turn my attention back to the TV before I say something I'll regret. But Jack's voice breaks through my thoughts again.

"Do you ever think about those days?" he asks, his tone more serious now. "When things were simpler?"

I nod, swallowing hard as memories flood back—sunny afternoons playing in the sand, endless summers filled with laughter and not a care in the world before it all came crashing down when my pack sold me to the Omega Trials.

"All the time," I admit quietly. "I sometimes wonder what we would be like now if they hadn't done what they did."

"Same."

"Do you miss your family?" I blurt out and then wish I had kept that question swirling around my head instead.

"No."

The one forceful word makes me frown.

Jack's face hardens for a moment, and I see a flash of something dark in his eyes. Pain? Anger? Regret? It's hard to tell. "They supported your family's decision and did nothing to help you, even when I begged and pleaded. They are dead to me."

He climbs off the bed with the fluidity of the powerful alpha he is and disappears through the door, closing it quietly behind him.

"Oh," I mutter. That is not something I knew. He never told me until now. I can see why it was, or appeared to be, so easy for him to walk away from them and come here with me. But now it's all coming back. The thing about the Trials is, you can't keep track of them. They are the world's best-kept secret, and it is only an hour before the auction starts that alphas and packs who have expressed interest are notified. If you are more than an hour away, tough fucking luck. Try again next time. So, while the Trials may not be in the area as a whole, their scouts and security escorts are. And that is bad fucking news for me and for Emily.

Sighing, I reach over for the remote and turn the TV off. I climb off the bed and open the door to peek through at Emily. She is still fast asleep, and that makes me glad that she feels safe enough to be able to do so. The door to the bathroom is closed, so I assume Jack is in there, confirmed when the shower blasts on, making the old boiler thud into action. I cringe, but Emily doesn't even stir.

Closing the door again, I crawl into bed and close my eyes, letting rest wash over me, though my mind keeps circling back to Jack. To the look in his eyes when he spoke about his family.

When I hear the bedroom door creak open, I open my eyes to see Jack creeping tentatively inside, his hair damp and tousled from the shower, a fluffy pink towel wrapped around his hips. I snicker at the sight. He's too fucking cute. When he moves closer, his earthy scent is masked by my blueberry-scented shampoo and body wash, and I let out a guffaw louder than I should've. I clamp my hand over my mouth as he glares haughtily at me, trying his best to look all alpha-y despite the circumstances.

"Maybe I need to bring my own towels and toiletries over," he suggests, giving me a penetrating stare.

"Maybe."

My sly agreement makes him narrow his eyes. "Seriously?"

"Why not?"

He nods slowly, contemplating the why or why not of this. "You know what? Maybe I will. Your towels are an assault on my manliness." The challenge is laid bare, but we are still dancing around this issue. Both of us are as bad as each other. But it still drives home the very real problem of his prime alpha, whom I was trying to forget.

"Good," I retort, shoving Max Hamilton aside and pulling the duvet up to my chin. "I'm sure your ego can handle it."

He moves towards the bed, his eyes never leaving mine. "Scoot over," he says, and without waiting for me to comply, he nudges himself beside me under the covers. I make a face but lift the duvet higher to accommodate his massive body in my double bed.

"Just so you know, you smell like a berry farm," I tease, wrinkling my nose playfully.

"And you love it," he shoots back, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me closer.

I laugh softly, feeling my body relax into him. "Maybe I do."

For a while, we lay there in comfortable silence, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on my arm as I try to focus on anything other than how warm and solid he feels beside me.

"What in the hell are we going to do with Emily?" Jack whispers after a moment.

"Christ only knows," I mutter. "But we can't not take care of her now. She came to me for help, and I won't let her down."

"I know, but she can't stop here. That idiot enforcer knows where she is, which puts you in danger as well. I can't be here twenty-four seven."

"I know." The thought had crossed my mind. I can't shut my shop up, I'd go broke, but opening the doors every day while Emily is hiding out is not an option either. "Fuck."

"Yeah, fuck," Jack echoes softly, his fingers stopping their patterns as if he's lost in thought. The silence stretches between us until, finally, he exhales deeply. "We need a plan."

I nod against his chest, appreciating the steady rise and fall of his breathing. "Got any brilliant ideas then, Mr Man-With-A-Plan?"

"Not yet. But I'll think of something."

Yawning, I don't answer him. He will figure something out if I don't. Between the two of us, we have to have a plan of some kind. My own is to run like hell and never look back. But Emily is too young and too scared to do that.

"Find her a mate?" Jack mutters awkwardly after a few seconds.

"Oh, fuck off," I growl. "That's the last resort plan."

"Why is it?" he asks. "It's a perfectly fucking solid plan."

"She's eighteen and scared stiff. We don't even know if she's had her first heat yet!"

"Okay, Mama Bear. Calm down," he says, chuckling at me, making it hard to stay mad at his completely alpha suggestion. "It was just an idea I tossed out there."

"I know, and I'm sorry for getting angry. It is a solid plan in theory, but in reality, not so much."

"Yeah. Back to the drawing board."

We both stare at the ceiling, the weight of the situation settling between us, every second feeling heavier than the last. Jack's arm wraps tighter around me, and I take comfort in his strength, even if I can't see a way out just yet.

Jack's hand gently cups my cheek, turning my face towards him. His eyes search mine, and I can see the seriousness in his gaze. "We're going to fix this," he says firmly.

"I know we are," I whisper back, though I'm not entirely sure how.

Jack leans in and plants a soft kiss on my forehead before settling back down beside me. "Now get some sleep," he murmurs. "We've got a lot to sort out tomorrow."

I nod and close my eyes again, letting sleep drag me under, safe in Jack's arms, even if it is just for now.