Pack Fever: Omegaverse Romance

Chapter 4

Four

Strumming the strings of the guitar, I tense out the notes of a tune that came to me in my dreams. I remember the beats. Now, I’m trying to patch it together on the stage in a dimly lit room of the rundown building we bought when our first record went gold. We grew up in the town of Haven, and between every gig, every tour, we return home to the place where it all started for us. To the location where we wrote our first album, the stage where we first performed, and the spot where we hid from the world.

“Fuck, yeah, this one is going to sell like crazy,” Seth states, grabbing my attention to him, sprawled out at one of the tables in the empty bar, his eyes glued to the book he’s scribbling in.

He’s been at it all morning, writing the lyrics of our next song. He’s convinced it’s going to shoot us back up the charts and off the front page of every fucking online site about him.

Rock Bottom. Fever’s Lead Singer Collapses. Sparks Concern.

Fever Tour Tragedy. Substance Abuse Rumors Resurface.

Seth Striker: A Star’s Struggle Off the Stage.

It’s never fucking ending. Even two months later, the headlines are relentless.

“Just make sure the lyrics aren’t as dark as your coffee,” I taunt, gaining his middle finger and a ghost of a smile.

“Don’t worry, I’m aiming for more… bittersweet and angry,” he grunts.

Seth has issues, but don’t we all? We’ve been friends for as long as I can remember, since primary school, and even then, we all shared one dream—to start a band. We made our fantasy come true, but reality isn’t always as perfect as dreams.

“We need it to get Kent off our fucking backs,” I murmur, my fingers working the strings.

Our music producer is breathing down our necks since we’re months overdue with new material. The magic that once flowed so easily seems to have dried up while dealing with the band breaking up and coming back together, with Seth’s collapse, and with the constant demand.

The last tour nearly broke him, so we made a deal—no more big international tours for the next couple of years until we calm the hell down. Seth claimed he was better, but the cracks showed on tour. The pressure, his past, the constant fucking starlight is why we’re back in Haven—to ground ourselves.

The strings on my guitar vibrate under the pressure of my fingers, the sound echoing off the walls. In a few hours, this place will be back to its mundane bar self, but during the day, it’s our practise room.

I remind myself we had to be at Seth’s parents’ place tonight, celebrating his grandfather’s ninetieth birthday. The man supported Seth—bought him his first guitar and taught him how to play it.

We avoid family events at any cost, but Seth’s close with his grandfather. Even if his cousins only ask for money and want to benefit from his fame, he can never do well enough in his dad’s eyes.

I clench my teeth at the upcoming night, but we’ll get it done and leave early. I’d rather stay home and order food and invite some fans. I’m in the mood for a good fucking.

“Your tune’s gone off, mate,” Seth calls out, his pen pausing above his notebook.

A growl scratches the back of my throat just as Jasper bursts into the room from the side door, gasping for air like he’s been running. And the guy never runs. Even if he is being chased by a fucking hoard of zombies, he takes his time.

“Um, listen,” he begins.

Seth and I groan, knowing full well that’s his way of saying he’s done something we’re not going to like.

“What’s up?” Seth asks.

Before Jasper, the drummer of our trio band, can answer, there’s a knock on the main entrance door. The bar manager enters before any of us answer. His face is red like it’s obvious he’s been put out, and something’s disgruntled him.

“There’s someone here to speak with you,” he advises, a crease furrowing his brow.

I shrug as Seth stands from his seat, and I’m exchanging glances with Jasper, who’s definitely at the bottom of this.

Then they step inside, two Nexus enforcers in their fucking uniforms, chins high, arrogance painted on their pinched faces.

What the fuck do they want?

Any time I’ve dealt with them, they’ve destroyed families, ripping Omegas away to match them with Alphas who don’t deserve them. Fucking assholes so afraid to allow Omegas and Alphas to find one another. They control people’s lives. I’m not a fan, and I sure as fuck don’t want them snooping around us.

“What’s this?” Seth demands, staring at the two enforcers, large brutes who I doubt have much between their fat ears.

The air thickens with tension, the kind I embrace, especially if it ends with me punching someone in the face.

The enforcers stand there, rigid with authority, when the tall one says, “We apologize for the intrusion, but we’ve been informed that a wanted Omega was seen entering these premises. We require immediate access to search the property. I’ve been informed that you, Seth Striker, are the owner of this establishment, right?”

“There’s no Omega here,” I blurt out instead of Seth answering, the words tumbling from me with an angry instinct. “You’re wasting your time. So, you can turn around and fuck right on back to where you came from.”

Their glares sharpen, but I meet them head-on. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Jasper cracking his neck, his shoulders bunching up like he’s ready to nail these bastards to the wall by their balls.

But it’s Seth who strides toward them with the confidence and prowess of a wolf.

“Do you have a warrant?”

The enforcers exchange a concerned look, which answers the question. That’s when the shorter, stockier man weighs in.

“No, but do you really want to go down that path and get the Nexus management team involved? Especially with your… band’s already tainted reputation all over the media.”

A nerve pulses in Seth’s neck, but he’s stronger than me not to slam a fist into his face. Nexus is government owned, giving them more power than they should ever be permitted. Now, the lot of them behave like they’re fucking gods.

Seth’s hatred for Nexus runs deep, carved out of the pain they caused his younger sister.

“Well, you clearly know who we are,” he begins in a mocking tone.

I grin because I love when he gets in these pissed-off moods.

They nod, almost eagerly, showing a flicker of something like admiration in their gazes. It’s sickening to have them fanboy over us while being assholes.

“Then you understand how sensitive our workspace is, how protective we are of our work and IP,” Seth continues, circling them like a predator. “For all I know, you’ve seen the song I’m working on, heard the tune Reed is playing, and will sell it to another producer. Then what happens next?”

“We would never,” one buffoon starts, but Seth cuts him off with a curt wave of his hand.

“I’ll tell you what happens next.” He rubs his chin, glaring at them. “We’ll sue your fucking asses until you’re stripped to the shirt off your back and living on the streets for coming into our workspace unannounced and uninvited.”

“But we?—”

“Zip it,” Seth growls as the enforcers back up, the color draining from their faces.

“You heard him,” I snarl. “There are no Omegas here, just us working, so get the fuck out. Come back if you have a warrant, and be ready to lose everything.”

For a moment, nobody moves, then the enforcers retreat, fury in their eyes. The door slams behind them.

Seth storms off to check the hall, his voice a sharp command to the bar manager to ensure the front doors are locked. No one is ever allowed to enter our premises when we’re working without our knowledge.

I fix my gaze on Jasper, whose casual shrug doesn’t match the tension in his eyes. When Seth comes striding back, his brows are drawn together.

I set my guitar down, then hop down from the stage, saying to Jasper, “Please tell me you haven’t stolen an Omega?”

He rolls his eyes. “More like the little mouse stole my phone.”

Seth’s face scrunches up with confusion, and I’m just as baffled.

“Wait, you brought a mouse into our home? I mean, you’ve taken in so many cats and dogs, nothing should surprise me anymore.”

Jasper heaves a deep inhale. “Come on, let me show you. It’ll be easier because we may have a problem on our hands. And mind you, I found homes for all those animals that needed help.”

My eyebrows raise, and Seth shakes his head.

“When you say problem,” I begin. “You mean, you’re sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, and now it’s landed on our doorstep?”

That earns me one of Jasper’s infamous frowns, the one that manages to scold and mock me all at once.

“This one may not be so easy to handle,” he admits, then exhales heavily, as though whatever is going on weighs on him.

“Well then, show us,” Seth states.

We head down the hallway of the place we’ve called home for years. The building might appear rundown to an outsider, but to us, it’s comfortable and safe. It’s where we strip away our fame and become the three friends who simply play our music.

Finally arriving upstairs at Jasper’s room, he strides over to the bathroom and pauses at the door. Hand on the handle, he turns to us with an intensely serious look.

“Now, have an open mind,” he says. “And whatever you do, don’t be your fucking jerk self, Reed.” He grins mockingly.

My shoulders flinch back. “Fuck you. Now, open the damn door.”

The moment he swings it open, my mouth falls open at the sight in front of me.

It’s a gorgeous, petite blonde passed out in the shower stall.

Dread curls in my guts.

“What the fuck have you done?” Seth’s voice slices through the silence.