Chapter 12
TWELVE
JEWEL
The summer issue of Horizons had been published today, and I was on the front page. I’d planned my scent-matching event to coincide with the release, obviously.
The title was From Grieved to Gilded right beside a thirst trap of yours truly.
My phone buzzed.
Laurel: I could have gone my whole life without seeing this, you know.
She’d linked me to the Horizons socials page. It was a video compilation of clips from the shoot, with one very sensual clip of me eating a banana. I rolled my eyes.
Me: Please. I didn’t force you to watch it. It was amazing, though, right?
Laurel: You tell me.
She’d attached some screenshots of the comments.
Muddydios: He’s exactly who he thinks he is, absolute icon.
Branaadon: I’m never going to recover from this
LanaNicole: why is this video three hours long?
Fanfan4ever: I feel like I just did a line of coke
Guppiestarz: how many times have you watched this? me: yes
BonkersZat: play this at my funeral so people know why I died
Me: What can I say? The people want the banana, La-la. I am simply a vessel for sexiness.
Laurel: Barf
Laurel: Seriously, though. Proud of how you spoke up for gold packs.
I clicked open the op-ed, skimming the interview.
I was curious how it turned out; these things could be a bit of a trust exercise. I was impressed to find Nate had done amazing.
God, this was just perfect. I wondered if a copy if it would make its way to Ascend. Bliss had loved these kinds of magazines, so maybe they’d get to know I was out. Free.
Ugh, what a depressing thought. This day was supposed to be all about me, and I was going to make it perfect.
?
Hugo
“Not quite.” Jade’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me. We were sitting outside Laurel’s office, and she was trying to teach me how to cheat at cards.
“This is impossible,” I told her, throwing my hand down.
She picked them up with a grin, starting to shuffle again.
Rosalin came down the corridor, frowning at something on her phone.
“Morning!” Jade said.
She gave us a smile. “Is Jewel here? Or is he late again?”
“He’s waiting inside,” Jade said, waving at the door.
At that moment, it opened, and Finch peered down the corridor. “Where are they?” he muttered as Laurel appeared at his side. “They’re going to make me late.”
“Just go, honey,” Laurel said. “I’m sure they’ll be here soon.”
Finch hesitated but then turned. He kissed Laurel on the head. “You sure?”
Laurel waved him away. “I think I’ll survive five minutes without my alphas. Knock ’em dead.”
“You’ll do great, Finchy-poo!” Jewel’s voice called from inside the room.
Finch pinched the bridge of his nose as he stepped away. He stopped briefly to say something to Rosalin before hurrying down the corridor. Rosalin stepped inside the office, closing the door.
“Want to try again?” Jade asked.
“How about a break?” I countered, standing up and going to the coffee machine.
The elevator at the end of the corridor dinged, and the doors slid open.
I looked up, expecting Kaos and Ocean, but instead a lone alpha holding a briefcase stepped out.
He went to talk to Laurel’s secretary and then headed our way.
Something about him set me on edge, and I found myself tensing as he walked by.
Jade joined me by the machine as the alpha knocked on Laurel’s door. “What’s that meeting about?” Her eyes didn’t leave the alpha as he was let inside.
I shrugged. “I don’t keep up with all that.”
She was still staring at the door, a small frown on her face. “I swear I know him from somewhere. You haven’t seen him before?”
“Nah.” I would have remembered him.
“Where have I seen him before…?”
Her eyes widened, and she grabbed my arm. Adrenaline spiked in my system as she took off toward the door, dragging me with her.
“He’s bad news,” she hissed. “I don’t trust him—”
My aura split the air, and I crashed through the door.
Three sets of golden hair turned toward me, but I was focused on the alpha. There was a glint of metal as he raised a gun into the air.
Time seemed to slow.
I wasn’t close enough.
Jewel turned, and I saw his body twist toward the attacker.
The gun was pointed right at him.
“NO!” Jade’s scream pierced the air a split second before the gun went off.
My ears felt like they were bleeding, and there was a ringing in the air, but that was nothing compared to the abyss of fear that my heart had plunged into.
Jewel and the attacker hit the ground, though I didn’t hear it. Had the shot hit him? It couldn’t have. There was no way.
Jewel twisted the attacker’s arm, pulling him close and smashing his knee into the guy’s face. The gun skidded off to the side.
Jewel was moving, his skirt now covered in blood. I tried to ignore that as I reached them.
It was an alpha, his aura palpable as he roared and tried to shake us off. It was too late for him, though. Jewel had his arm locked down. The human body was made of joints and muscles, and if someone twisted your arm just right, the strongest aura in the world couldn’t make it move.
Not in a direction it wasn’t designed for.
My arm wound around his throat, and then it was over in one snap.
The man’s body went limp beneath me, and I was left on the ground, my breaths coming hard and fast.
It was over.
A touch on my cheek had my head whipping round, but it was only Jewel. His face hovered inches from mine, and his eyes glittered with victory. “Nice moves,” he said in a low voice. He didn’t seem to be in pain.
I grabbed him, looking for a wound, but I couldn’t find one. “Are you okay?”
Jade skidded on the floor beside us, her eyes almost as panicked as I felt.
“I’m fine.” Jewel wrinkled his nose as he saw the blood on skirt. “Oh, god. That’s absolutely disgusting.”
The door burst open, and Kaos and Ocean flew in, out of breath.
Kaos snarled and practically pounced on Laurel, scooping her up in his arms. He took her to the corner of the room, his body blocking her in.
I could hear her voice murmuring to him.
Ocean ran his fingers through his curls as he looked at the body of the assailant.
I helped Jewel to his feet, double-checking he was unhurt.
“Christ.” Ocean looked pale and shaken. “We got trapped in the elevator. We were supposed to be here, but—it stopped. Kaos said it was sabotage and got it moving again, but…” He trailed off.
“Hmm. You know, it would have been helpful if you’d just knocked him out, Hugo,” Jewel said, nudging the body with his toe.
“Why?” Jade demanded, while I stood up on shaky legs.
Jewel rolled his eyes. “Because there’s not much he can tell us if he’s dead.”
“You sure? Or are you concerned because you hired him in the first place?” Jade’s voice was shrill, her hands balled in fists at her sides.
Jewel’s mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”
Jade jabbed her finger at him. She looked was close to tears. “This is exactly what you did last week, with that alpha at Golden!”
Jewel swelled up, indignant. His face had gone slightly blotchy. “I didn’t do this!”
“Bullshit!” Jade hissed. “Was it for publicity this time? Or do you just like everyone swooping in and fussing over you? Bet you think it’s so funny to make us panic like that!”
“You think I’d hire someone to come in here with a gun?”
“I don’t know, Jewel? Would you? Add it to the list of crazy fucking ways you’re trying to get my attention!”
“That’s enough!” I roared, and they both closed their mouths. I took a breath. “Look, if Jewel says he didn’t do it, he didn’t do it. God knows he has enough people who want him dead, especially today.”
Jewel’s hand rested on my arm. “Thank you, Hugo.”
“I’m leaving,” Jade snapped. “I don’t need this bullshit.”
She stomped over to the door but stopped before she left. I could see a tremor in her hands as she turned back to glare at Jewel.
“Just because you didn’t hire him doesn’t mean it’s not your fault. I told you not to do this stupid event, and look what happened.”
She gave one more disgusted look at the body on the floor, and then she was gone.
?
Laurel had doubled security, but I still felt on edge. The attack on Jewel had been much too close. I wasn’t letting him out of my sight, so here I was in his changing room as he prepped for a pre-event interview.
I mean, I knew this was Jewel. He could protect himself.
The idea of leaving him alone made me physically ill.
He gave me a smirk as he stepped out of his stall but was waylaid by a stylist.
I trailed after him as he sat down next to a reporter.
“You stated you’re planning to reject any scent match you find today. Is that a hard line?” the reporter asked. “I know there are a lot of hopefuls out there, wondering if they can change your mind.”
Jewel laughed.
Even before the attack this morning, I’d been out of my mind with anxiety thinking about this event. Jewel was about to go and meet hundreds of alphas.
Let them scent him—in the hopes of finding the ones he was ultimately biologically compatible with.
It was a painful reminder of what I couldn’t give him. As a lone alpha, I couldn’t scent match with any omega.
Only packs could do that. Because a single alpha wasn’t what an omega needed.
“That is absolutely a hard line.”
The reporter raised an eyebrow. “Never say never, though, right?”
“I’m confident on this one. I’m spoken for.” Jewel’s heated gaze met mine.
I saw the reporter start to turn her head and quickly ducked out of sight, my heart racing.
By the time I’d settled myself and come back into the room, Jewel wasn’t there. I scanned the room again to check for him, but there was no one except the camera crew and the reporter packing up.
Shit.
Where had he gone?
I surged forward, making the reported look up in alarm. “Where did Jewel go?” I snarled.
The blood drained from her face. “Through that door,” she managed, pointing.