CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Two weeks later
It wasn’t quite autumn yet. Not officially, and not figuratively since it was still very warm out. Even with the sun already set hours ago, the air was still warm. I’d stepped outside, hoping it would be refreshing. It wasn’t.
I’d received the news before dinner. Bartholomew had called and admitted that the judge had deemed that the prosecution had enough evidence to move forward with my case. It would still be months before I had to actually go into a court room, but it was officially in my future. My name was on some court docket.
I wasn’t surprised, although I was ... disappointed. Somehow, I’d thought with Bartholomew being a fancy lawyer that he’d get the case dropped. Not even the prestige of Bartholomew’s name could rival Adam’s ego.
Because that’s what it came down to. In less than a year, Adam would be up for reelection, and he wanted my case to act as fodder for his cause.
There was nothing I could do.
Well, not about the case at least. A preliminary judge was apparently the last—albeit also the first—word of whether the case would become real. And it was very real.
I wasn’t going to let Adam ride a victory to reelection. Oh, no. At this point, whether my case won or lost, he was still going to claim he rode at the helm of the ship named Change. If he won, he’d no doubt congratulate himself for being the captain and if he lost, he’d blame the system and demand change. Either way, he was winning with his constituents.
Maybe it was petty. Maybe it was cruel. I wasn’t sure if it wasn’t both. But I was going to do everything in my power to stop Adam from being reelected.
For so long I’d gone back and forth, contemplating what I was going to do, what I was willing to do. And what a privilege that was. The ability to step back from a fight, to choose whether the cause was worthy enough for me.
Atlas didn’t choose to be an omega any more than I chose to be a beta any more than Oaks and Everett chose to be alphas. Despite that, we were all being forced to endure the social agendas of elitists who wanted to act a certain way and force other people to do the same.
If I did nothing, then I was complicit in the destruction and abuse of the designations. My own, and of my pack’s.
That had never been the type of person I was.
I’d always conformed to my designation. I’d worshiped omegas and deferred to alphas. I was a good beta. And sure, maybe if the system wasn’t corrupted by bad people, it would have worked. But it was. So it didn’t.
The front door opened, the sound jerking me from my thoughts. I’d brought my crackers out to munch on and I clutched them to my chest like I wasn’t supposed to be eating them.
“What are you doing out here, Babygirl?” Everett was shirtless, just in his boxers that he must have put on to come find me. His voice scared the few crickets and bugs that had thought it was safe.
“Just thinking.” I lifted the sleeve of crackers. “And a little snack.”
“Mind if I join you?”
“No, I’d love it.”
He disappeared back inside for a moment before reappearing with a few bricks of chocolate. “Thought I’d bring my own treat.” Everett came to stand by my side on the porch, looking out at the dirt and parked vehicles like he was a king surveying his kingdom.
Breaking off a piece of chocolate, he silently offered it. Usually, I tried not to eat so much sugar during my late-night cravings. Usually, I didn’t have a future court date.
I took the piece and layered it on my next honeyed cracker, enjoying the two flavors together before offering a cracker to Everett who did the same.
We stood in silence for a long time, just eating our way through the treats. I wasn’t truly hungry, but that hadn’t stopped me from eating half the sleeve myself.
I forced myself to stop. To twist the plastic wrapper and pretend to knot the sleeve shut.
“Have you made a decision?” Everett asked, breaking the silence.
“About what?”
“Lilith. Being a whistleblower for the OC.”
“Oh.” I unraveled the sleeve and took out another cookie. So much for being done for the night. “Yeah, I think so.”
“You don’t sound happy about it.”
“It doesn’t feel right to be excited. I’m fighting for a cause because the traditionalists are literally trying to take away rights of the other designations.”
“True. But you have to celebrate the small victories. Like making a decision on what you want to do. If we put off celebrating until the traditionalists aren’t in power anymore and everything is good...”
He trailed off, although his meaning was clear. I even agreed with it.
For some reason, my next words were, “I’m going to call Rosalie tomorrow. Let her know that I can’t finish planning the event for my sister.”
I hadn’t spoken with my family pack in the last two weeks since they’d hung up on me. That wasn’t even unusual. They only ever called when wanting to discuss whatever event plans were coming up.
I was surprised that my sisters hadn’t reached out to me simply to yell at me for my opinions or to tell me that they didn’t want me planning their anniversary event. Apparently, betas were good enough to plan bonding ceremonies, just not good enough to be a part of them.
I was sad to give up planning my sister’s event. I was good at party planning. I liked it, even. But with my family, it was a thankless position. Worse, it was an expectation. As if being beta meant I had to plan the events.
No, I wouldn’t mind planning my own bonding ceremonies, or parties for my friends. Maybe even something for Koda’s graduation. Because I knew they’d appreciate it. It would be like its own gift. Not an obligation.
“I think that’s a good call,” Everett agreed. “You’ll have a lot on your plate coming up. We could even hire a house manager if you want. Help ease the burden around here.”
I whipped my head to the side, wondering if he was serious, but Everett just had a goofy grin on his face.
“Come on, Babygirl. You had to know I was joking. You’re the best chef. And you take care of us like no one else can.” He wrapped an arm over my shoulder and pulled me close, kissing my temple. His skin radiated heat which was impressive considering how warm it was outside. The bugs had gotten used to our presence and had started chirping and buzzing again. “But if you ever need help. We can find someone to ease that burden. You don’t have to take it all on yourself. You know that, right?”
“I know. I’m good, though. At least for now.” I liked taking care of my mates. I liked feeling as though they needed me. Liked providing for them.
A knock on the door had me smiling. “Come in.”
The door opened, revealing Oaks. He took one look at the food in our hands and turned back inside, leaving the door open. When he reappeared, it was with the mason jar full of honey, although he’d left the honeycomb inside.
“That’s just pure sugar,” I told him.
“Exactly,” Oaks agreed, nodding like I was making the suggestion, not judging his choice.
“With the chocolate and the honey, you’re never going to get back to sleep.”
“Didn’t seem like you were planning to come back to bed anyway, darlin.” He kissed my cheek and then stole a cracker. He’d left the jar’s lid inside, so he easily dipped the cracker into the jar and then gracefully accepted a piece of chocolate from Everett. “So, what’s got you up, thinking hard, at this hour?”
“Just nerves. I know Bartholomew said it would be weeks before I had to go into court but ... I don’t know, it just seems scary.”
The door creaked open again, making me jump at the sudden noise. Atlas came outside, simultaneously looking giddy with excitement while also looking like he could lay back down in bed and fall asleep instantaneously.
“You all left me,” he grumbled. “I don’t like it.”
Atlas came with his own offering. Some sort of box with a gold strip of fabric wrapped around it and tied into a bow. Must be some fancy cookies to come in a box like that.
Beside me, Everett let out a big sigh and Oaks just seemed to shake his head, unable to stop the smile from forming on his lips.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Courting gift.” Atlas stepped up so he was right in front of me, no doubt wanting to block my view of my other mates. Atlas was possessive with my attention. I liked that, too.
“I thought we were going to wait to give her this one?” Oaks asked. He didn’t sound annoyed, though, just amused.
Atlas shrugged, not even bothering to look up at Oaks, completely unrepentant. “I think this will help cheer her up.”
“I’m not sad,” I told him. “I just came out here because I couldn’t sleep.” Still, I couldn’t stop glancing down at the little box. What was inside it? It was such an awkward size. Bigger than the palm of his hand, yet not quite shipping box sized. Definitely bigger than a broach, although not tall enough for a notebook or pen.
“Well, then, I guess you don’t need this?”
I glared at my mate. “You can’t tease me with a gift. That’s just mean.”
“This is just to cheer you up. But if you’re all fine and dandy, pet, then I’ll save it for another day.”
“Really? You can tolerate knowing there’s a gift in the house for me that I haven’t opened.”
Now it was Atlas glaring at me. “I could manage.”
“Fine. Then we’ll see who can last longer—”
“All right. Fine. You win. Just open it.”
I laughed, my heart feeling lighter even as my cheeks started to hurt with how hard I was smiling. Everett grabbed the sleeve of crackers from me, and I carefully took the box, the weight of it much heavier than I’d anticipated. Okay, so it wasn’t cookies.
When I undid the fabric crisscrossing along the box, Atlas grabbed it, playing with it between his fingers. I didn’t need a superior sense of smell to know he was feeling anxious. Atlas wasn’t a male that was typically calm, but his fingers were impatiently tugging on the gold fabric like he was thinking of taking the box straight out of my hands and opening it himself.
“Maybe I should wait until morning?” I teased.
Atlas growled. “Don’t be a brat, pet, or you’ll be opening your gift with my cock in your mouth, unable to even mumble the words ‘thank you’.”
Promises, promises.
The box opened with a fancy flourish, like even the container was meant to be displayed. I pulled out the glass container, which was obviously a bottle of perfume, the little squeeze-puff handle an older style. It was a round bottle, only about half an inch wide, and made of glass. Real glass. It didn’t have any words or labels on it, nothing to denote what was inside or even who had made it.
“You got me perfume?” I wasn’t sure how I felt about the gift. Mostly surprised. Atlas hated my perfumes. The only reason he’d let me bring them into the house was if I agreed that they’d stay in the box from my apartment—as if caging them in carboard would keep me from using them.
“It’s a special scent,” Everett said.
“We designed it ourselves,” Oaks added.
Despite it being a gift from my whole pack, Atlas’s nose wrinkled. “Personally, I don’t think you need a perfume. I like your natural scent.”
Everett growled, obviously disliking our mates’ words.
“But—” Atlas glared at Everett, “We all know that these court proceedings are going to be stressful for you. We figured, if you wanted to go back to using descenter and perfumes, you could use this.”
“It should smell like us,” Everett said. “Like pack.”
“We found a perfumer in the city and sent in swatches of our scents.” Oaks gave me a look at whatever he saw on my face. “Swatches from our sweat. Such a dirty girl with her mind in the gutter.”
I held the bottle carefully, my mind racing as I traced my fingers over it. Perfume that smelled like my pack. It was a mix of the old and new versions of myself. A part of me didn’t want it—or more truthfully, didn’t want to want it. But I did. As much as I’d wanted to say that I’d overcome the societal standards and expectations of being a beta, it wasn’t completely true. Sure, at home, when I was inexplicably happy and safe, it was easy to pretend designations didn’t exist. That my pack and I were just us. Four lovers.
That perfect picture would quickly crumple when I was in a court room, terrified about my unknown future while some lawyer tried to make me out to be an abuser. I knew myself well enough to know that the stress would have me back to wearing descenter and perfume, desperate to hide my own raging scent of uncontrollable emotions. Because as much as I broke free from the standards when I was home, when I left the ranch I went back to being a beta. Surrounded by alphas and omegas. Expected to act a certain way.
“Thank you.” I held the glass container tightly in my grip, worried it would suddenly fall from between my fingers.
This made the whole thing more real, and that was terrifying.
“Have you made a decision about Lilith?” Oaks asked. His words were careful, his tone soft.
“She says she’s going to do it,” Everett answered on my behalf.
“I think that’s a good call, darlin. You were born to be a protector.”
That made me laugh. “I’m a beta. Pretty sure protector is not in my blood.”
“Pretty sure you’re wrong, Babygirl. You’re the one that alters your scent to appease the other designations. You’re the one who spent years of your life helping omegas. You’re the one that stepped up to protect Hannah. What other betas do you know who do that?”
“You are more than your designation, darlin,” Oaks added, stepping closer to me until I was fully and completely surrounded by all three of my mates. “Everyone else might look at you and see a beta, but I’ve always thought of you more like an alpha.”
I choked on air. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“No, no, I agree.” Atlas nodded, a look on his face like he was thinking through an intense problem. “Most alphas always claim that they’re the designation that best protects and provides for an omega, but you’re the one that cooks for me. That cleans the house and literally breaks the law for me. It’s all talk with them. But you. You actually act. You help.”
Everett agreed, “It’s more than I’ve ever done, Babygirl. That’s going to change now. We’re going to support you. Your alphas and your omega. We are going to support you. Our pack center.”
Tears burned behind my eyes.
It didn’t feel real. Their words. Their love for me. I was just a beta. I was supposed to be the member of the pack on the sidelines, providing and caring for the others, simply content to be included. Betas were taught not to expect bonding into a pack. And if we were, miraculously, bonded in, then we would be the oil in the machine. Not part of the production, just the help to ensure all the other parts continued to move equally.
My pack had been perfectly content before I came along. They were happy and bonded. Yet they’d still wanted me. They chose me and rather than letting me exist on the peripheral of their lives, they all turned to face me, reaching out to include me.
I wasn’t alone anymore. Hadn’t been for months.
My hand came up to trace the Wilder name around my throat. Not cling to it, just touch it.
For the first time, I truly felt like I belonged, like I was more than what society had told me I could be. I was Eve. Mate to Everett, Atlas, and Oaks. I just so happened to be a beta.
The End