AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I need her.
Zane shakes his head, his eyes hard. “There’s nothing to think through. We can’t do this to Aria. It’s not fair to her, and it’s not right for us.”
I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. The thought of losing Aria before we’ve even had a chance… It’s unbearable. I look at Malachi pleadingly. “Malachi, please. We can’t just give up on this.”
Malachi holds up a hand, his expression pained. “Dash, I know how you feel. I feel it too. But Zane has a point. We have to consider the consequences.”
Quinn runs a hand through his hair, his expression a mix of concern and determination. “Wait, we can’t just…we can’t just walk away from this,” he says, his voice rising slightly. He looks at each pack member in turn, his gaze lingering on Zane. “We chose to bring Aria into our lives. We can’t pretend none of this happened just because it’s gotten more complicated.”
The room falls silent, the weight of the decision hanging heavily in the air. I can’t accept it. I won’t.
“No,” I state firmly, straightening my shoulders. “I’m not walking away from this. From her. We’re the Clarke pack, for crying out loud. If anyone can make this work, it’s us.” I won’t give up on her because I have a gut feeling so many have given up on her, and I won’t be that person.
Zane scoffs. “And how exactly do you propose we do that, Dash?”
“I don’t know!” I snap back, my frustration boiling over. “But there has to be a way. We can’t just let some outdated system dictate our lives. Not when it comes to Aria.”
Malachi’s deep voice cuts through the tension, calm but with an undercurrent of authority. “Dash, I understand your concerns. We all do.” He looks around the room, his gaze steady. “But we need to approach this rationally. Yes, the Scent Synergy program has been in place for decades, and yes, going against it would have consequences.” He pauses, his expression thoughtful. “But we made a choice to protect Aria. We can’t back down now just because it’s gotten more complicated.”
“Then we deal with the consequences,” Quinn says firmly, a determined glint in his eye. “Together. As a pack.” He looks at each of us in turn. “I know I’m not the only one who feels this connection with Aria. It’s more than just her scent. It’s…everything.”
Zane crosses his arms, his expression thoughtful. “Before we get too carried away, we should probably look into her background a bit more. That police report she mentioned…it might be worth investigating further.”
Malachi nods. “Good point. We’ll add that to our to-do list. We need to understand her situation fully if we’re going to move forward with this.”
Zane’s jaw tightens. He looks away, conflict written all over his face. “I don’t like this at all, but…” He exhales harshly. “Fuck it. If we’re doing this, then we’ll do it right. We need to be all-in.”
Relief floods through me. I clap Zane on the shoulder. “Exactly. We’ll figure it out as we go, but the important thing is, we’ll stick together. Right?”
Fuck me, this whiplash is killing my vibe.
“I’m not pulling from Scent Synergy.” Malachi makes the decision right then, but before we can protest, he holds his hand up. “She ran,” he reminds us. “It doesn’t matter how much we are in this, she ran. She needs to be all-in too.”
I feel like I might puke. “She must have been scared,” I protest, recalling how quickly she bolted from the hotel. “Hell, I’d be scared too if I had four alphas chasing after me. But that doesn’t mean we should give up.”
I toss myself at his feet and look up at him. It isn’t a position I’ve ever been in before. I’m not even mad about it. I’d beg and plead for this woman.
“You feel that strongly about her?” he asks me.
“Yeah.” I nod a little too excitedly.
“One month,” Malachi says, his voice low and filled with gravity. The air in the room seems to thicken, each of us feeling the weight of his words. “One month, and then we decide together. All of us, as a pack. If we take her on, then we will need to decide whether or not we are a pack who takes on an omega or not. And whatever we choose, we live with the consequences.”
My stomach churns, and I’m pretty sure I’m about to shit myself.
Zane’s eyes narrow as he looks at Malachi. “One month? That’s all we get to figure this shit out?”
Malachi nods, his expression serious. “One month. We need to give Aria space and let her process everything, but we also need to be clear about our intentions. If we’re going to pursue this, we’ll do it as a pack.”
Quinn rubs his face, looking exhausted. “And what if she doesn’t want us? What if she decides this is all too much?” He never once looks at any of us.
The thought of losing her sends a chill through me, ice-cold dread settling in my gut. I’ve only just found her, and already, the idea of her absence feels like a physical ache.
Malachi’s voice is steady. “Then we respect her decision. We won’t force anything, but we owe it to ourselves, and to her, to at least try.”
I nod vigorously. “Exactly. We’ll show her that we’re serious, and that this isn’t just some passing fling.” I give Quinn my very best stink eye. I sure hope he didn’t treat Aria as a fling.
Zane still looks uncertain, but he doesn’t argue. “Fine. One month, but we’ll do this right. No games, no bullshit.”
