Chapter 5 #3
My gaze landed on the photograph where it still lay atop its envelope. I stared at it, feeling the mating mark on my neck pulse with a rhythm that matched my accelerating heartbeat. Someone had violated Blake’s security, invaded our sanctuary, and threatened my alpha.
And now I knew—I was carrying his child.
The knowledge sat heavy and precious in my chest. With just two pink lines, everything had changed. The threatening photograph that should have scared me into backing down instead filled me with a fierce determination that had everything to do with the life growing inside me.
“They made a mistake,” I said quietly, my voice carrying an edge that surprised even me.
Blake looked up from his conversation with Jake. “How do you figure?”
“I don’t know how I know, but I think they’re scared.
” I resisted the urge to rest my hand protectively on my stomach.
Instead, I reached for the photograph. My eyes were immediately drawn to the sharp lines of Dominic’s jaw.
I longed to touch him, hold him, look into the stormy steel-gray of his eyes…
I handed the picture to Blake. “If they were confident in their position, they wouldn’t need to threaten us. They would have just let the legal system destroy Dominic and moved on with their lives. I say we double-down.”
“Leo—” Penny started, his protective instincts clearly warring with admiration for my resolve.
“No.” My voice carried an edge of steel that seemed to surprise everyone in the room. “They want us to stop digging? Fine. But they picked the wrong omega to intimidate.”
I looked around at my chosen pack—Penny with his fierce loyalty and dramatic flair, Jake with his hard-won survival instincts, even Blake with his corporate resources and protective alpha authority.
Jake’s fingers drummed against his thigh as his gaze shifted between our faces. “So, what’s the plan now?”
Blake’s jaw tightened. He’d shucked his jacket and tie, tossing them onto a nearby chair. There was still an air of tension about him, as if he were ready to leap to our defense at the slightest provocation. “I think it’s best everyone stay put for a few days.”
“No can do,” I said. “I need to follow up with Victor tomorrow. I told him I’d come by the new boutique to discuss his commission. Three o’clock Friday afternoon, remember?”
Blake’s expression immediately shifted to concern. “I know I said you could take that meeting, but maybe you should reschedule? In light of this threat—”
“No,” I said firmly, my rebellious instincts flaring. “I’m not letting them scare me away from my work any longer. This commission is important.”
Blake held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Then you need to let my driver stay with you at all times. He’s trained security. And I want Penny to go with you.”
The mention of going to see Victor made Penny’s scent spike with anxiety, his usual cotton candy sweetness taking on sharp, sour notes. His shoulders tensed, and I saw him swallow hard.
“Yeah, sure,” Penny said automatically, though his voice carried reluctance that everyone in the room could hear.
Jake, who had been quietly observing from his seat on the plush rug, seemed to notice Penny’s reaction. His gaze traced over Penny’s tense posture and the way my friend was fidgeting with his lucky pendant.
“Actually,” Jake said carefully, “if Penny’s got other things to handle tomorrow, I could go instead.”
The offer surprised everyone, including Jake himself, judging by the slight flush that colored his pale cheeks.
“You’d do that?” I asked.
Jake shrugged, trying to appear casual despite the nervous energy suddenly radiating from him. “I mean, if it helps. I don’t mind meeting new people, and it sounds like you could use the company.”
I saw relief flood Penny’s features, quickly followed by gratitude toward Jake that made something warm unfurl in my chest. “I’d appreciate the company, Jake.”
“Really?” Jake’s voice gained confidence. “I’ve been wanting to see how the other half lives. A high-end boutique sounds like it might be educational.”
Penny reached over and squeezed Jake’s hand, his scent warming with affection. “Thank you,” he said simply, but the weight of gratitude in those two words was unmistakable.
I felt the mating mark on my neck pulse.
Through the bond, I could sense Dominic’s presence, a tingling cascade that rippled from the base of my skull and down my spine.
The tiny hairs along my nape stood at attention, ghostly fingers gently tracing my vertebrae with warm electricity—like raised hair on the back of one’s neck after a fright, but infinitely more pleasant.
Could he feel me like this too?
Outside Blake’s windows, the lights of downtown Millcrest were beginning to twinkle in the gathering dusk. Somewhere in this city, people who thought they were untouchable were probably congratulating themselves, thinking they were winning.
My hand unconsciously moved to rest over my stomach where my secret grew.
They were about to learn that they’d severely underestimated what an omega could accomplish when he had everything to protect.