Chapter 42
“I hope you’re watching over me. Laughing at the chaos Fate brought into my life.”
The cold December wind whips through my hair, biting at my neck.
I lift the collar of my coat higher to ward off the worst of it.
Serenity’s grave stands before me. Covered in a light dusting of snow, with the tiniest sprouts of flower stems peeking through.
Soon they will bloom, adding color to this dreary place.
“Bea is… amazing. Bright. Colorful. Sassy. You would love her. I hope you do love her. Because I do. After I lost you, I wasn’t sure I would ever feel this way again. Didn’t want to. Fate had plans for me, though. Wonderful plans.”
Laying my hand on the top of Ren’s stone, I stare up at the cloudy sky. Bea will never replace the mate I lost. Never fix the hole where Ren’s bond should sit. But like my Omega, I have room in my heart for more love. I feel just as deeply about Bea as I did about Ren.
“Be at peace, Ren, and know I am, too.”
Leaving the cemetery with a promise to return after winter thaws, I head back into Starburgh.
It’s early evening. The perfect time to pick my mate up from work and take her out to dinner and a movie.
The local theater is playing a special run of her favorite teen drama movies to celebrate the anniversary of their release.
Soulbound’s building is busy as everyone leaves for the day. I move off to the side of the main lobby and am surprised when I see Bea’s close friend Foster waiting nearby. He looks nervous holding a small bouquet of red roses, shifting from foot to foot. His eyes are glued to the elevators.
They ding, drawing my attention. Bea steps out, stealing my breath and dulling the world around me. She’s beautiful. Dressed in a pair of tight pink skinny jeans with a cut-up Candy Courage shirt beneath a pastel rainbow cardigan.
A smile lights her face when she sees me, her steps quickening. One of our music producers, Manny, keeps pace with her. Teasing her, if the blush crawling up her neck is any indication. I meet them halfway.
“Hello, butterfly.”
“Alpha.” Bea’s voice purrs out my designation, making my cock twitch with the first inklings of desire. The things she does to me without even touching me.
“Manny, it’s good to see you.” I offer him a smile, which he returns.
A voice clears beside us. Foster’s face is red as a tomato as he steps up beside me. I glance at Bea, eyes wide as we watch him press the flowers into Manny’s shocked hands.
“No fucking way,” my mate whispers, clinging to my arm and bouncing on her heels. “This is epic!”
Chuckling, we say our goodbyes, leaving the flustered men behind to speak. I suppose we may see more of Manny in the future, if he and Foster are going to be a thing.
“Up for a date?”
Bea spins, pressing her lips to mine for an all too brief kiss. “With you? Always. So long as it involves food!”
Her laughter is like music tinkling through the air as she dances to my waiting car. Love fills our bond, warming me from the inside out. “I love you,” I tell her, pressing another kiss to her lips as I buckle her in.
“I love you, too, Alpha. Now feed me!”
Lex snorts, arms crossed over his chest as he leans against the back of the couch and watches the news broadcast Shiloh is playing on his laptop. Word finally broke about the breeding ring takedown, including the sentencing of the senators involved in funding it.
“Fucking assholes.”
“Their money won’t get them out of this trouble,” Creed assures us. If the government weren’t being so open about the evidence they uncovered, things might be different, but no one wants to risk jumping onto a sinking ship.
“Governor Williams, you have very close personal ties to Senator Brown and her family; are you saying you knew nothing about her involvement in the breeding ring?”
“Senator who? I don’t know what your sources are, but we weren’t close. I barely know her. Had I known what she was doing, I would have put a stop to it! It’s just terrible what happened to those people.”
Fates, how that man ever got elected, I’ll never know. He’s a damn idiot. A corrupt one. Given how often anti-designation rhetoric appears in the Alabama state legislature, I highly doubt he was unaware of what she was doing. He just wasn’t dumb enough to let his name be involved.
What’s even less shocking than the suspicion now cast on everyone with ties to Senator Brown is the sentencing of New Hampshire’s Senator Pierson. The man who was running for President with Grant Montgomery’s backing until the Pastor was arrested last summer.
Reporters ask the New Hampshire state officials similar questions; their answers are much smarter than Williams’, but no less telling.
It seems our government is due for an overhaul.
We can only hope the citizens in these states will pull their heads out of their asses and elect people who will actually do good for them.
“As shitty as the past year has been, it feels like good things are coming.” Bea stares out at the city, wrapped in Ridley’s arms, where they sway by the windows.
“Two of the largest anti-designation cults on the East Coast were dismantled in the last six months. That’s going to lead to big changes. Whether they are good or bad… well, only time will tell,” Lex explains.
“Big moves are in play on the West Coast, too.” We all glance at Creed, who shrugs. Having a federal agent in our pack is helpful when shit is about to hit the fan. Luckily, whatever happens out there shouldn’t affect us. Much.
“We should go on vacation,” Bea says, suddenly changing the topic. “With Orbital Somatic’s future up in the air, now is the perfect time for it. Somewhere tropical and warm.”
Her phone rings, so I grab it off the island and hand it to her. Kissing her cheek when she sees her mother’s name on the screen. “Wherever you wish to go, Omega, that’s where I’ll be.”
My packmates voice their agreement before we leave her to catch up with her mom. Since Marcus’s threat against her family a few weeks ago, she’s called to check in with them more often.
Their island heat turned out to be Transitional, something that happens to Omegas when their bodies stop preparing them for breeding. It’s a big change, one she is slowly helping support her dad through. Apparently, the mood swings are unreal during this phase.
Grabbing my phone, I text my sister to check in. If we are going on a last-minute vacation, I’ll need to make plans to see my family before we leave. The presents waiting in my closet deserve to be in my niece’s hands before the holiday, not after.
Passing by the couch, I notice Shiloh is already searching for flights and hotels for us to stay in.
Anticipating whatever our Omega will need for the trip.
He’s a great pack Alpha. Very thoughtful but stern, keeping the rest of our group in check.
He was built for this, even if it took him a long time to admit it.
“Somewhere with a spa,” Lex demands over Shiloh’s shoulder. “She needs to relax.”
Grinning, I leave my packmates to sort things out and follow my Omega to her bedroom. She cuddles against my chest as she talks to her parents.
Her weight settling against me is everything I’ve ever dreamed of.