Chapter 12
12
APRIL
Malicious compliance .
I chant the words in my head as I enter the ballroom, doing my best to look like I belong.
I keep my head high, my eyes soft, and my smile sweet.
Yes, I’m holding to the contract—and the pack will be getting exactly what they signed up for.
A doting, loving Omega.
But that doesn’t mean they get to have me anymore.
I catch sight of my reflection in one of the brass mirrors on the wall. The gown I wear is positively sinful. It showed up days before the event, and Devyn almost fainted when she saw it.
She’s also the one that helped me into it today. Skylar was at the café, and Devyn begged to do my hair and makeup.
I’m truly lucky to have a such a kind, supportive friend. Her excitement made me excited, and as I catch my smoky eyes and blood-red lips in the mirror, I feel empowered.
I’m ready to bring that pack to their fucking knees.
The gown fits me perfectly, my cleavage full and my waist slim due to the tight silk bodice. The back of the dress trails after me slightly, and the black heels I wear are the perfect height to avoid me tripping on it.
I know who is responsible for sending the dress, too.
Donovan.
Why does he do this? Why plaster me with gifts and unnecessarily lavish items when it will all be over soon?
I don’t understand his contradictions, and after days of trying to, I’ve decided I’m done.
He doesn’t get my heart, nor my pain.
And neither do Hunter and Liam.
My therapist thinks it’s a… decent plan.
I you can’t make someone else change—I can only change the way I adapt to the situations.
Such as appearing to know what the fuck I’m doing in a ballroom surrounded by the richest people in the country.
“April!”
Sophie hurries up to me, lifting her skirts as she does. She looks striking in the deep emerald color and smells just as lovely as last time. Her eyes light up with a smile, and I slightly relax.
From what I can tell, Sophie is a genuine person.
I could see her fitting into our friend group back in Isleton.
“Hello, Sophie,” I say easily, taking a sip from my champagne. “It’s good to see you again. Your dress is sublime.”
She laughs. “Everyone is looking at you, you know. That blood red is breathtaking on you. Your pack agrees.”
She angles her head slightly, and I follow her gaze to see Hunter and Liam staring at me, both slack jawed.
It would be comical if my heart wasn’t breaking on the inside.
Hunter is in an all-black suit with his dark hair slicked back. Liam is in a charcoal grey suit with a white shirt, his dirty blonde hair styled back as well.
I can’t look at them anymore. My heart aches, and I turn my attention back to Sophie.
Malicious compliance.
“Did you come here by yourself?” Sophie asks, frowning. “They arrived without you.”
I keep my smile polite despite the thudding in my heart. “I had business back at home,” I say. “With my café.”
Sophie scoffs. “They haven’t moved you in yet? That’s ridiculous. If you need to be closer to your café, why haven’t they bought you a house yet?”
I blink, the question catching me off guard. “What?”
“You should all have a packhouse together,” she says, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “They should get you one closer to your home, if it's important to you. I’ll talk to them. They’re being so stupid.”
I open and close my mouth. “Uh?—”
An arm slips around my waist at the same time a delicious scent of eucalyptus and mint swirls around me.
“Liam, you haven’t bought her a house yet?” Sophie gapes at the Alpha standing next to me. “She’s your Omega. What’s wrong with you?”
It’s easy to lean into Liam’s embrace and rest my head against his chest.
I missed him so much, and I have the frightening urge to cry.
But he doesn’t need to know that. I’m just doing my part as an Omega with her Alpha.
Liam presses a kiss to my hair, and I ignore the painful thrumming in my heart.
“She can have as many homes as she wants,” he says. “We’re just waiting until she’s ready.”
My stomach sinks, but the smile stays on my face.
Sophie looks horrified. “April,” she says, her mouth open in shock. “They want to give you the world. They’re so in love with you!” she smacks Liam’s arm playfully. “Trust me. Just let them do it!”
The champagne churns in my gut, and I have a horrifying image of vomiting all over Sophie’s dress.
They’re not in love with me, obviously.
It hurts to hear the lie from Sophie’s mouth.
I turn out of Liam’s embrace and finally meet his gaze.
His forest green eyes are so full of warmth and happiness that I can only look at him for a moment before turning away.
“I need to use the restroom,” I say smoothly. “I’ll be back.”
And before Sophie can offer to go with me, I hurry away from them.
I don’t know what I’m doing.
How can I keep my charade up if one look from Liam is enough to send me to my knees?
He smells like home, like happiness, like…
Love .
I’m not having these thoughts right now. My job is to be maliciously compliant.
But still, I hurry past the ballroom and down hallways, looking for a restroom just so I can catch my breath.
This event is held at a restored Victorian estate, and no matter how many winding hallways I rush through, I can’t find the damn bathroom.
The second floor is blocked by velvet ropes, and I pause at the top of the stairs.
I shouldn’t go through.
But the pounding in my chest is painful, and I can’t catch my breath if I’m forced to hear the chatter of the crowd.
“Fuck it,” I hiss, unhooking the rope and stepping onto the second floor.
If someone catches me, I’ll feign innocence and say I was looking for a bathroom.
Positioning myself away from the stairs, I lean against a closed mahogany door and inhale deeply.
I count my breaths, allowing the outside noise to fade away until all I experience is the sensation of my breathing.
Everything fades away until oxygen fills and exits my lungs.
Eventually, my panic subsides, and I sigh deeply.
I will get through this event.
I just have to survive the evening, and a few more events after that.
Then, I can go back to Isleton and truly start living.
I can?—
“I thought I’d find you up here.”
I turn my attention to Hunter, who stands at the top of the stairs, hooking the velvet rope back into place. “You know there’s no trespassing up here, baby,” he tsks. “Such a rule breaker.”
“You’re trespassing, too,” I breathe, doing my best to sound angry. His scent is spicy and potent, and it takes all my willpower to not throw myself into his arms.
My womb clenches, and I freeze in place as a drop of slick slowly trickles out of me.
Oh, this is absolutely not happening right now .
“I’ve never cared about rules,” he says easily, taking a step toward me. “Especially not when it comes to you.”
“Go away,” I huff. “I’ll be down in a moment. I just needed a break.”
His smirk fades. “From us?”
I sigh. “From all of this,” I motion around the floral wallpaper lined hallway, then to my dress. “It’s a lot.”
He crosses his arms and leans against the wall next to me. I stay silent, hoping he’ll leave, but then he heaves a long dramatic sigh.
I turn to him. “ What ?”
His eyes are mischievous. “You used the phone I gave you,” he purrs.
“So?”
“So, you still like me.” His grin is wide and wicked, and I want to smack him.
He’s infuriating.
“Are we in high school?” I snap.
“No, baby, if we were in high school, I would say you like like me.”
My face flames.
“It’s not funny, Hunter,” I say finally, my voice softening. “I can’t do this. We can’t do this.”
He hums and turns to face me, leaning on his shoulder against the wall. “Says who?”
This close, the wall sconces illuminate the gold in his eyes, and it’s all I can do to not throw myself into his arms.
“You know who,” I reply.
Donovan.
He clicks his tongue and runs a hand through his hair, messing up the slick hairstyle. “I had time to think about our conversation,” he says lowly. “And frankly, you pissed me the fuck off.”
My eyes widen in shock. “I’m sorry ?”
“ I tell you who I am,” Hunter says. “Not him. Not anyone else, for that matter. I show you who I am, and you don’t get to believe my packmate over me.”
I frown as guilt floods my veins. “I didn’t?—”
“The same goes for Liam, too,” he interrupts. “Let us show you who we are, just as you did to us.”
I take in a breath, horrified at the mistake I’ve made.
What if they had judged me based on what others had said about me? What if they believed media clips over the words that come out of my mouth?
“It was a contract, and it should stay a contract,” I say evenly, refusing to acknowledge his point.
Coward, my inner voice says. Such a coward, when you know he’s right.
He laughs, bitterly. “I don’t know whether I should kiss you or choke you, sweetheart.”
My stomach does a flip, and once more, my womb clenches. I take in a sharp breath, and he notices.
“I won’t do this without the three of you,” I insist. “I want all of you, or none of you.”
Hunter’s eyes flash, and then he’s grabbing my hand and opening the door, throwing us into the room and keeping it cracked behind us.
“What are you doing?” I hiss. “We will get caught!”
I take in the surroundings. It’s a beautiful guest bedroom, with a canopy bed and an antique dresser to the side. Bronze sconces hang on the walls, and a stone fireplace is in the opposite corner of the room.
But I barely have time to acknowledge it before Hunter is pushing me against the wall and placing one hand above me, resting his palm on the wall and caging me in.
“According to Sophie, I’m supposed to have bought you a house by now,” he whispers against my lips. “Will this one do, sweetheart?”
And then he’s kissing me, and I don’t stop him.
He tastes spicy with the hint of mint, and I’m embarrassed by how loudly I moan against his lips.
Was he listening to the conversation? How did he?—
“And are two cocks not enough for you?” he continues, bringing his mouth to my mating gland. With my hair pulled back, it’s exposed, and I inhale sharply at the feeling of his lips against my sensitive skin. “You’d have to take three to be completely satisfied?”
My head spins and I burn with arousal.
I forget everything but the way Hunter makes my body come to life.
I close my eyes and tilt my head back, giving him better access to my mating gland, pleasure coursing through my body.
“I…ah…”
The hand not caging me in lifts underneath my skirt, moving up to my inner thighs. “I missed you,” he pants. “I missed you so fucking much, sweetheart. You have no idea.”
His fingers brush against my clothed pussy and he groans against my skin.
Then, vicious laughter from downstairs echoes, and my eyes snap open.
Reality sets in.
I can’t have this, and I refuse to give in to him.
I yank myself from Hunter’s mouth and slap his hand away, despite my inner Omega screaming for more.
He knows I’m soaked, but it doesn’t matter.
“We’re not together,” I hiss out. “None of this is real.”
His eyes flare. “It’s very fucking real,” he says, keeping me caged in. “Stop lying to yourself.”
My eyes widen in disbelief and anger. “Fuck off, Hunter,” I spit.
But he takes a step closer, until our chests are almost touching, and he licks his lips. “Make me,” he whispers.
I stare into his eyes, looking into the swirl of rich amber and gold, and make my decision.
Malicious compliance goes out the window, and so does the concept of taking baby steps when my palm connects with his face in a loud slap .
So dramatic, April.
My hand burns as his eyes widen, but then a smirk forms on his face. He barely flinched, and if anything, it only excited him more.
“Oh, we should have been doing this a long time ago,” he purrs, delighted.
“You’re insane,” I hiss. “Leave me alone. Next time, I’ll use my fist.”
And probably break my hand in the process, but at least my point will get across.
Hunter takes a step back and lowers his arm, allowing me to move from the wall. His gaze falls to my lips. “Think about what I said, April. And believe us when we show you who we are. Donovan included. His actions speak louder than you know.”
He leaves the room, leaving me breathless and alone.
My cunt aches, desperate for more, and my inner Omega howls in despair, lonely and touch starved.
Part of me wants to run after Hunter and drag him back in here and desecrate the poor antique bed.
But the rational part of me knows this will hurt more in the end.
So, I catch my breath, fix my hair, and unhook the velvet rope to head down the stairs.
I don’t even make it to the ballroom before I’m stopped by a guest.
He’s dressed in a black suit and white button-up shirt, and his copper hair is slightly tousled and falls stylishly into his eyes.
He’s almost as tall as Donovan, and smells pleasant, like warm chocolate and sweet bourbon.
He’s an Alpha through and through, but with a genuine warmth on his face, one that slightly reminds me of Liam.
“You’re with Pack Axton, correct?” He stops me right before the entrance to the ballroom and grins at me. “I’m Connor. I would say I’m friends with Donovan, but I doubt he uses that word to describe anyone in his life.”
I bark out a bitter laugh as I take his outstretched hand. “You nailed that on the head. I’m April. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Operation Malicious Compliance is back, with April Version 2.0.
Skylar would smack me for sounding so dorky.
To my surprise, Connor takes my gloved hand and presses his lips to it. “The pleasure is mine, April. I’ve been waiting to talk to you since I first heard about you.”
I take my hand back, confusion and trepidation building in me. “What have you heard?” I ask cautiously.
“Oh, nothing bad,” he says quickly. “I was actually going to talk to you about your café, if you don’t mind.”
He appears genuinely excited, and his green eyes are bright with interest.
He’s polite, warm, and appears intelligent.
Immediately, Devyn’s face flashes in my mind.
She would like him.
“Actually, that would be great,” I admit. “I’m happy to discuss anything surrounding it.” I tilt my head, curious. “What would you like to know?”
“I’m always looking to invest in smaller businesses and was wondering if you have any plans to expand.”
“I…”
I should have been prepared to talk about this, but I had no idea anyone would even bother to ask about it.
My tiny little café in the middle of nowhere?
What on earth would anyone want with it?
“Sorry, I know that’s kind of weird to just ask,” he laughs awkwardly. “Especially since we just met. But Liam and I were chatting, and he was mentioning how great your café is. And I was wondering if you would be open to a discussion.”
He cocks his head and grins, and again, Devyn flashes through my mind.
“Sure, I guess? If you don’t mind me asking, is there a reason you’re interested in my café?” I motion to the guests in the ballroom. “I mean, I’m sure there are more interesting businesses out there, or ones that could churn out more profit.”
“Ah.” He chews his lip and shifts his weight on his feet, looking a bit awkward.
Very Devyn’s type.
“I own an indie coffee company and am always looking to spread my product out,” he says.
My ears perk up. “Wait? Really?” I gush. “My best friend and I are coffee enthusiasts. We try our best to use local, ethically sourced coffee as much as we can. It’s one of the things I love the most about my shop.”
His grins so hard dimples show. “Yes! I want to work with cafés and hopefully spread the word about the product. If you like, I could even give you some first to try, and then you can decide if you want to carry it.”
I’m genuinely excited, and for a moment, I forgot about all the drama with Pack Axton.
But then I hear shattering glass and follow Connor’s confused glance.
To the side is Donovan, watching me with daggers in his icy eyes. The sound was from him squeezing his glass so hard it shattered in his hands.