Page 73 of Blizzards and Brews

The entire place was bare. Not even a single photo was left on the walls.

I’d purchased a tiny home for a reason, but it had never felt bigger than it did now, even with four extra bodies inside it.

My fingers trailed over the ripped wallpaper as I let out a deep breath. The guys seemed to know I needed a minute, but that didn’t stop me from feeling the tension in the air. Spencer and Adam were pumping out pheromones something fierce, and I could feel the residual anger down the bond.

There was one last place I had to check and I hoped against hope it was still intact. I’d never told anyone about it, but seeing the state of the rest of the place didn’t have me feeling particularly hopeful.

Walking over to the stairs that led up to the loft I went to the fifth stair up, running my fingers under the edge for the hidden latch. I held my breath as it opened, my built in safe coming into view, fully closed. Punching in the code I was relieved to find all my important documents there, including the remaining photos I still had of me and my parents. There was some emergency cash there too, but truthfully, I kept most of my funds in the bank.

I was angry, sad, and thankful all at the same time.

I’d lost so much this past month but I’d also gained the world too.

The anger I felt from the bond turned steadying as the guys gathered around me, and I could only imagine how it would feel if I had more bonds than Adam. Their support meant the world, and I realized it didn’t make me weak to lean on them, it just made me human. I’d do the same for them in a heartbeat.

My past might have been gone, but my future was right before me.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Dustin

Seeing Lindsay’s heartbroken expression as she looked around her tiny home had my fist clenching at my side.

I wanted to hunt down the man that took all of this from her and make him pay. From the look on Adam, Spencer, and Ollie’s faces, they agreed wholeheartedly.

Lindsay didn’t say much as she gathered everything out of her safe until it was completely empty. Then, she gave us a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“At least he didn’t take the important things, right?” she offered with a fake, cheerful voice.

My stomach turned as I watched her eyes slowly scan over the room. I knew she was picturing everything that had been here before, taking a silent inventory of what had been taken from her.

Plain and simple, that man had taken advantage of a beta who had taken a chance on him. Lindsay didn’t trust easily. She said she was having fun but if they took it this far then there was more there than a quick fling.

She took a risk, and he had proven to her that she shouldn’t trust anyone she didn’t truly know.

At least her trust in us never wavered. We’d never give her a reason to not trust us and never would.

The frustration and sadness echoed in her eyes as she headed back to the truck, and we all piled in. No one said a word until we were back at the pack house. She ran up to her room to drop everything off.

Right now, she needed something, and I wasn’t sure what we could offer. She needed an escape. Spencer and Adam were too abrasive, too angry right now even if they tried to hide it. Ollie would likely be too sympathetic, he was the softest of us by nature.

But right now, she needed to not think about anything but letting it go.

Spencer’s gaze landed on me. His eyes narrowed as I watched the gears turning in his head. He had a plan and I was glad, because I wasn’t sure what I could do at the moment.

“You’ve been behind us every step of the way,” he said in a low voice, mainly meant for me. “You’re the foundation of this relationship with her. You’ve backed us all when we needed it and made sure everything went smoothly. Lindsay needs you. She looks to you for calm, and right now, she needs that in spades.”

“That’s true,” Ollie agreed. “You helped prep Adam’s date, kept us all focused, gave support during heat when we were distracted.”

My chest warmed. I hadn’t realized they’d noticed all the things I did in the background. It was just who I was.

“I’m calling a Holloway,” Spencer said. His words hung in the air for a moment as he slowly turned to me.

“For you?” Ollie asked him. My brother was as confused as I was, the conversation wasn’t making sense anymore.

“For her and Dustin,” Spencer clarified. “She needs to escape. Take her away for a bit, be there for her. You’ve been there for all of us, and right now, I know that’s what she needs.”

Adam clenched his jaw as he stared at the other alpha. Every instinct in his body was likely yelling that he was the outsider, that he didn’t get to choose what was right for her. That we had known her for years and had some kind of higher claim.