Joker perks up, sitting up straight as he looks at our prime alpha with a feral grin. I can feel the righteous anger in the omega across the bond, and I can’t help but agree.
“It would still leave us at half strength. We don’t really know much about this guy other than he wants Delilah,” Phantom says cautiously.
“I’m not saying we leave now and wing it. But with the right planning, it’s an option that would solve the problem rather than kicking that can down the road,” Bones continues.
“I still don’t like this plan,” Joker mumbles crossing his arms over his chest.
“The minute you come up with a better one, we will consider it. But for now, I don’t see a better way to deal with this for good,” Bones says.
“He’s watching us, which means he’s got to be close by. I could just go out in the woods and hunt him down,” Joker says, eyes flashing.
“You’re more likely to end up meeting Darla again than to find him,” Phantom says seriously.
“Darla?” Delilah asks softly, looking at me.
“The local bear. She’s got a den in the area, and it’s almost mating season. That means there’s likely to be a few suitors in the area. Which honestly works in our favor for getting out of here without being observed too closely. He could be too busy avoiding the bears to watch,” I explain, speaking first to Delilah and then to Bones.
The prime alpha bobs his head, not agreeing or disagreeing, his brow pinched in thought. His amber eyes are distant, the tactical wheels in his head already turning.
“One day, Darla’s going to let me pet her. Just you wait,” Joker says.
“And that one day will be your last,” Siren finishes, pinching the bridge of their nose.
Joker lets out a scoff of mock offense but thankfully doesn’t continue to object to this plan. Delilah gives me a searching look, and I tilt my head curiously. She doesn’t give anything away in her expression, but she must find what she’s looking for because she leans more fully against me. Her head rests on my shoulder as she turns to watch Joker explain his plan to get Darla to trust him, a soft, contented smile on her face.
“I know it’s not much of a plan, but it’ll keep you safe long enough to get you back on your feet,” I murmur, nuzzling the top of her head with my cheek.
“I just want him to leave me alone, and your plan should do that. I trust you,” she replies, low enough for only me to hear.
My heart swells with a strange mixture of affection and caution. Hearing her admit that out loud means more than she realizes, even if I know logically she shouldn’t. My pack is a misfit group of murderers and outcasts. If anything, she should be looking to get away from us as fast as her cute little legs can carry her. But instead, she’s relaxing against my chest, giggling at the antics of my bond mate, like she’s been part of this team the whole time.
It’s going to break us when we inevitably have to let her go. But that’s a future us problem. For now, I wrap my arms around the frail omega beside me and hold her close while I still can.
Chapter forty-nine
Ifyou’daskedmea few weeks ago if I’d ever let the walking anxiety diagnosis anywhere near my room again willingly, I would have punched out your lights. But here she is. Sitting on my bed. Watching me rifle through my closet.
I’m not confident that I’m going to find a ton of clothes that will actually fit her, but this crazy ass plan Cross came up with requires that she and I look as identical as possible. Thankfully, she’s put on some weight since being with us and doesn’t look liable to blow away in a light breeze anymore, but I’m not exactly a supermodel. Still, if we can get Delilah bulked up with some extra layers, then it should fool someone looking from a distance.
The silence stretching between me and Delilah feels cavernous, and I don’t know what to say or how to fill it. I’ve been meaning to talk to her since we took the chip out, but this isn’t exactly an easy subject to approach.Hey, so um. Remember your old prime alpha? The one who was brutally murdered in your nest? Yeah, so that was my brother that I hadn’t spoken with in, like, a decade. Can we chat about him?
Perfectly normal small talk, obviously.
“Do you think this will work?”
The sound of Delilah’s soft, barely there voice makes me jump slightly as it cuts through the air and I turn, leaning against the doorframe of my closet with my hands in my pockets. I let out a long sigh as I look at her. She’s doing that thing that Joker sometimes does, where she doesn’t sit normally. This time, her legs are crisscrossed, but she’s hugging her knees. God, omegas are so flexible.
I shrug with one shoulder. “It might, and no one’s come up with a better one in the last few days, so it’s a risk worth taking.”
Delilah nods, looking at a spot in the air between us thoughtfully. “I still can’t believe someone put a chip in my neck and I can’t remember how or when or why.”
“Well, the why’s pretty easy,” I start with an ironic chuckle. “It was to track you, just in case you ran.”
Delilah looks up, her naturally perfect eyebrows furrowed. “Run from where? From the facility? That place was locked down tight.”
My lips twist sideways and I give her a knowing look. “Sure, that place was. But no one was ever meant to stay there long term, remember?”
Delilah’s eyes go wide as she finally meets my gaze. “Do you mean…”