Page 186 of All Packed Up

It wasn’t just a coincidence that his gym caught fire the same time they were taking care of Wendy while she was in heat.

The last thing she wanted to hear was that her alphas had targeted Nic, his gym, to get their revenge for taking their omega away.

That damned alpha of hers, Derek, would know what she was feeling, would have known she was in heat, likely despite the distance she’d put between them.

And they wanted to get back at Nic the only way they knew how.

He locked and held the phone to his lips, mind racing.

He needed solutions. He could wait until everyone was asleep, and then sneak back into the city to take care of business.

At least that way there’d be no risk to Wendy.

But how the hell was he going to sneak out?

He tried not to mourn what he hadn’t even left yet. There was no more time for sitting in the living room and helping Grif with the fire.

Not that he’d let himself do that much anyway.

Because he’d known this moment was coming from the second he pulled into the alpha’s driveway. Just as he’d arrived, he’d have to leave too.

Nic just didn’t think he’d be leaving just as the sparks between them were rekindling. He thought he’d successfully avoid Griffith the entire trip, get Wendy through her heat, and then… part ways.

Again.

Now, he wished they had more time. Maybe if he’d simply given in from the beginning, they could have made some real progress.

Or maybe this was a fucking reality check, and it was for the better. Griffith had his own life here in the middle of nowhere, and Nic had responsibilities, a business, in the city that needed his full care.

Especially now.

His vacation was over.

Clearing his throat, Nic scraped a hand over his face to wipe away any moisture he’d let escape.

A peal of laughter carried through the house, and Nic sighed. He was going to have to tell them what had happened. But could he do so without breaking down?

Nic slid his phone into his pocket, rubbed his hands over his face again, and went for the door. His throat grew tighter with each step. Would he even have a voice by the time he reached the bottom?

The tent was filled with chuckles and the rustle of blankets and bodies.

“Nic, is that you out there?” Wendy asked, and he winced.

“Yeah, can I come in?” He cleared his throat, pausing, hand outstretched toward the entrance.

“Well, duh,” she answered.

Schooling his expression, he pulled the fabric back to reveal the alphas and Wendy.

For it to be so soon after the heat, he still understood why everyone was in the tent, still marking her nest with their presence. But right then Nic wished there weren’t four sets of gazes to find him right away.

To linger on the red cheeks and the red rimmed eyes, and let’s be real, his nose was probably red too and he’d always been the ugliest crier.

“Nic?” Griffith asked first, because of course he did. Of course that stupid alpha could still read him like a book.

But it was Wendy who moved first, and she was crossing the nest in a matter of seconds, to pull his hunched over form down to her. It was comfier and probably better for his back in the long run, but what wasn’t better for anything was the way Wendy stared up at him with worried eyes that could see right through him, similar to Grif’s. “What’s wrong?” she questioned.

He let his eyes drift closed and grit his teeth against the tidal wave of emotion that washed over him unexpectedly. The information was still too new, he hadn’t been able to bury it deep enough yet.