Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Blake

H urt flashes across Chloe's face, and I realize I fucked up, but my head is too jumbled with Sadie being sent to the hospital and Quinn missing.

I don't have any mental bandwidth left to listen to someone trying to help who doesn't understand the situation.

Not even Chloe. Tears threatening to spill over, she hurries from the dining room, avoiding the rest of my pack.

How does everything keep going from bad to worse when I thought I held our dreams in the palm of my hand only last night?

"You really didn't spend any time getting to know her before you fucked her," Dominic mutters, his head bent over his phone.

Fury sweeps through me, and I spin toward him, tired of him and Nathaniel diminishing what Chloe and I shared. "Don't call it that!"

His head lifts, derision curling his lip. "What would you prefer, then?"

My body shakes with the desire to punch him in the face, and only the dining table stops me. "We made love last night."

"For fuck's sake." Nathaniel throws his hands up. "You've only known her for a week!"

"You didn't make love ," Dominic scoffs. "You did the same thing you always do and let your instincts lead you to the fastest route into her pants."

Boots heavy on the hardwood floor, I stomp toward him. "You know nothing about it!"

"I know a hell of a lot more than you do! I grew up with that woman!" Dominic flings a hand in the direction of the hallway where Chloe had disappeared. "And from this interaction alone, it's clear you didn't spend a single second getting to know her in the last week."

"Don't you mean you bullied that woman?" Lip curling into a sneer, I knock Nathaniel's hands away when he tries to stop me from rounding the table. "You tormented her."

"Yes, and I was good at it, because I knew her. Do you want to know what I did to drive her over the edge?" Dominic steps up to me, his chin lifted and regret in his eyes. "I filled her locker with broken condoms and tiny liquor bottles, because it was a joke around school that her mom was a fall-down drunk, and Chloe was a mistake ."

My fist flies at the same time Nathaniel shoves me backward, and my punch only glances off Dominic's jaw.

His head rocks to the side before he straightens. "Chloe grew up in Quinn's exact situation. You think you know her, but you just ignored and dismissed her when she understands better than anyone what Quinn is going through right now."

A humorless smirk curls his lips. "You think you made love to her? I'd believe that from Holden. But you? The bond may be humming, but you don't know enough about her to be anywhere near love . "

His phone dings, and he lifts it. "Your father is out of town until next week, and the ambulance took Sadie to Mosswood Care Center. Kyle is five minutes out with the water taxi, so you should head down to the docks now."

Turning on his heel, he casts a last look toward Chloe's room before he jogs upstairs, leaving me in stunned silence.

"I'll pack some treats for Quinn. She'll be hungry when she's found." Head down, Holden hurries into the kitchen.

Nathaniel pats my shoulder. "Fetch Sprinkles. We'll go with you to search for Quinn. She can't have gone far."

With a nod, I head past the staircase and down the hall, where I pause in front of Chloe's suite, my hand lifting to touch the door. The smooth wood warms under my fingertips, and I'm tempted to knock and apologize.

Time isn't on my side, though, and the need to help Quinn overpowers my longing. I promise myself I'll talk to her when we return. Chloe is so sweet. She won't hold this mistake against me.

With a heavy heart, I continue down the hallway to Sprinkles's room.

The scent of wet dog fills my nose as I step inside, searching for the giant Newfoundland. He's been out in the sectioned-off strip of grass while it rained, which means I'll have to get in here with the vacuum as soon as we come home, before Quinn demands to sleep in her castle.

"Sprinkles!" When he doesn't immediately appear, I walk to the doggie door and push open the flap. "Sprinkles!"

The enormous beast comes crashing into the room, barking with excitement. He jumps around me, his fur brushing my legs.

I pat the top of his head, the softness under my palm grounding me. "Go fetch your leash, boy."

Sprinkles bounds over to the closet, the tippy tap of his paws on the tiled floor echoing out from the small space.

He returns with a thick blue strap dangling from between his teeth, but instead of bringing it to me, he trots out the door.

Expecting him to lead me to the front door, I stride after him, and my chest constricts when he stops at Chloe's suite. He sits, tail wagging as he stares at the closed door.

A lump forms in my throat as I take the leash from his mouth and clip it onto his collar. "Not today, buddy."

We return to the dining room, and I find Nathaniel waiting, a canvas bag in hand. It must contain the treats Holden promised, though my bondmate is nowhere in sight. He's probably in the kitchen, stressing over which of Quinn's favorite meals to cook and writing a list of ingredients for Kyle to pick up while in Pinecrest.

Silently, Nathaniel and I leave the house, heading down the path we took not even an hour ago.

This time, the oppressive silence between us weighs down each step.

Unable to stand it anymore, I point to the dip in the gravel. "We need to bring in more rock to grade the walkway so it doesn't get covered by a puddle when it rains again."

Nathaniel only grunts in response, and silence falls again.

As we walk, Sprinkles runs ahead as far as the leash will allow, then bounds back to me, panting with excitement before something else catches his attention, and he's off again. Usually, I'd smile at his antics, but now the tugs on my hand every time he tests the strength of my hold give me one more thing that demands my focus.

If I could, I'd leave him here. But Quinn loves Sprinkles. The dog lends her the sense of security she needs to offset Sadie's erratic behavior, and I curse my sister for taking Sprinkles away from my sweet niece after they bonded.

The sound of gravel crunches beneath our boots as we turn left at the main path, heading down the slope toward the docks. A salt-laden wind rustles my hair, carrying a hint of seaweed.

Anxiety twists in my stomach, and I can't bear the silence any longer. "Just spit it out."

Nathaniel raises an eyebrow at me. "What do you want to hear?"

A frustrated exhale leaves me. "That I fucked up and got ahead of myself with Chloe."

"Since you understand, I don't need to say it." Nathaniel's clipped words make it clear he has opinions, though.

"Come on, just yell at me already." I clutch Sprinkles's leash tighter. "I know you want to."

Nathaniel shakes his head. "I'm not going to yell at you."

He can always be relied on to be a blunt asshole in these situations, and him refusing to perform his role only adds clutter to my mind.

Like a child, I ask, "Why not?"

"Because I'm not going to turn this into some Romeo and Juliet moment where you can romanticize throwing your pack under the bus to be with Chloe." Nathaniel's words sting. "Spend this time away figuring out what you're really feeling, without your Alpha's demands clouding your thoughts. Then, when we come back home, you need to fix the mess you made of things."

This reasoning side of Nathaniel leaves me more broken and confused. "But how? Everything is so complicated. I want to be with Chloe. Holden wants to be with Chloe. Hell, I'm pretty sure Dominic wants to be with her."

Nathaniel's expression softens. "Have you ever stopped to ask what Chloe wants?"

His question hangs in the air between us, making me realize I haven't considered her perspective. What does she want? A weight settles in my chest, as if I'm holding my breath and I don't know how to stop.

Chloe wanted to go to bed with me. But she never spoke of a future together.

Lost in thought, we continue down the path until the sound of waves crashing against the shore and the cries of distant seagulls pull me back to the present. The sting of salt catches on my lips, and I drag air into my lungs to ground myself.

"All right," I murmur. "I'll figure this out."

He claps me on the shoulder. "Good."

We reach the construction site first, where the machinery is quiet with no work started for the day, despite it being well past dawn. Usually, Nathaniel would be twitchy at the lack of progress, but he only stares at it with resignation.

Out in the bay, I spot the water taxi cutting through the waves, nearly to us. "We need to update Emily on what's happening. She'll have to take charge today."

Nathaniel snorts. "Pretty sure she's always in charge and just allows me to pretend otherwise."

A chuckle escapes, knowing there's more than a hint of truth in his words.

Together, we head down to the docks, where saltwater laps against the wooden pylons. The briny scent of the ocean strengthens, blocking out all else.

The boat bumps up to the dock, and Nathaniel and I tie the ropes to the anchors as workers swarm over the side.

I catch sight of Emily's steel gray hair and broad shoulders among them and wave her over. "Nathaniel and I need to go pick up Quinn, so you're in charge today."

She nods, her expression understanding. "Don't worry, I'll keep things moving despite the hangovers. Might even get back on schedule without Papa Bear growling at everyone."

The tension inside me eases, and I chuckle.

As we talk, I spot Kyle walking past, carrying a suitcase. A familiar-looking man by his side, and I struggle to place where I've seen his golden blond hair, high cheekbones, and hazel eyes.

"Is everything okay with your sister?" Emily's queston draws my attention back to her.

"Same old, same old." I roll my shoulders to loosen my tight muscles. "We'll know more once we speak to the doctors."

"Hang in there." Emily departs with a nod to Nathaniel as he joins me.

He peers back at the familiar-looking stranger as Kyle loads his bag onto the back of the golf cart, and confusion furrows his brow. "Who's that? We don't have any other renters scheduled."

The memory of where I know him from locks into place. Chloe at the Aurora Storm signing, and the man who had hovered right behind her the entire time.

"Chloe's agent, Grady," I say, the words heavy on my tongue.

Nathaniel frowns at this unplanned guest, but he doesn't press for more information as he climbs into the water taxi. "Come on, Kyle will be back in a few minutes. Let's prep so we can depart the second he returns."

A sense of dread curls in my gut. I turn to stare after the golf cart as it disappears up the path toward the Homestead.

Will Grady convince Chloe to leave before we get back? If that happens, I'll lose my chance to apologize and tell her how I feel.

Instinct tells me to chase after them. To stop Chloe from leaving.

But Quinn needs me now.

An ache opens in my heart, torn between the Omega I want and my niece, but Quinn wins out every time.

Praying for Chloe to still be here when we return, I step onto the boat.