Chapter 9
STERLING
We stand outside the club and I fist the back of Hayes’ shirt. I love him with my whole heart, but the man is a fucking menace of the highest order.
“Pax, what the fuck is this?” I nearly growl and he rolls his eyes, any mention of his first name irritates him.
“Remember the Omega I said I took to Zach’s tournament?”
“And?”
“Well, she works here. I thought you guys could come and meet her,” he says, and something on his face falls.
He’s nervous, and this means something to him. This isn’t typical Hayes stirring shit up for entertainment. He hasn’t shut up about the Omega and how she helped clean out those dickhead Alphas all day.
Nate looks skeptical, crossing his arms over his chest, glancing at the purple neon sign that reads Lavender Moon. I run a hand over my bare head and look between the two of them.
Hayes is clearly hung up on this Omega, who happens to work at a scent club. And Nate is hung up on his ex-girlfriend's daughter.
What a complete clusterfuck.
We’ve all been on the same page for a while, that we wanted a complete pack with an Omega at the center. Someone soft, who could tame Hayes a little, who could give Nate the affection he’s always craved, and for me? I’ve always wanted someone I could take care of completely.
Nate lets me give him guidance often, but he’s still an Alpha. As far as Hayes goes, I don’t think there’s an Omega on the planet who can ever really tame him.
“Please, Nate. Just meet her,” Hayes says, knowing he needs to appeal to him and not me.
“Yeah, okay. I just don’t understand why you didn’t tell us we were coming here,” Nate says.
“I thought if you knew where we were going, you would bail.”
He’s not wrong. I can already tell Nate’s going to take out a ridiculous amount of money to just hand it over to these Omegas while probably avoiding eye contact.
Hayes tosses a hand around Nate’s neck, nearly dragging him to the front doors.
“I promise you’re going to love her. Just give her a chance.”
Security checks our ID and takes our phones as Hayes and Nate take out cash. The club is high end, not seedy like so many other similar clubs in Vegas. No, Lavender Moon is for the elite and it’s clear in every finish in the place. It’s clean, secure, and opulent in a way I wasn’t expecting.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Hayes came here to find an Omega.
He likes letting people underestimate him just as much as he enjoys flaunting what he has.
Our relationship is currently open until we find an Omega we want to settle down with.
We were free to play and see if that person possibly fit into our pack dynamic.
So far, no one did, no other Alpha, Beta, or Omega.
Hayes leads us to the bar, a tiny woman with a megawatt smile and pink hair rests her elbows on the counter.
“Hayes! You brought your pack mates. What can I get for you?”
“Hey Maggie, this is Nate and Sterling. Can I get three IPAs?”
“You got it,” the bubbly Omega says, filling their glasses up.
I glance at Hayes, is this the Omega that seemingly changed his life in a single night?
“What’s the theme tonight?”
“Scent night! Duh,” Maggie says, pointing to her top covered in strawberries.
“Stupid me,” Hayes says, tipping the girl and walking us over to a particular stage.
“Was she—” Nate starts to ask, and Hayes waves him off.
“Maggie’s sweet and all, but no. Sit your cute little ass down, and wait for the show,” Hayes says.
I glance over at him, trying to get a better read on the situation.
It all pieces together, or crumbles apart, when Cherry Pie by Warrant comes on and two women come out. A blonde that takes the opposite stage and then another with familiar burgundy hair takes our stage.
A white bikini with splattered cherries is the only thing she’s wearing. A huge smile is on her face as her ridiculously tall heels help her get on her stage.
She doesn’t look down at the audience as she grips the pole, doing a few rotations, before getting into the song, flipping her hair as she climbs up. Her strength is astounding as she uses her hands and calves to climb, before gripping it between her thighs and spinning.
Another song plays, and more Omegas take their places on stage. Clearly the song relates to their scent in some way, but I can’t look away. Not as the sweet girl who came to the firehouse spins around on a pole captivating everyone around us.
Hayes is grinning and Nate…well, Nate looks like he might have suffered an aneurysm. He sits there unblinking, his mouth agape as he looks at the girl he hasn’t been able to rip from his mind.
Hayes’ and Nate’s dream Omega is the same girl, and I’m not sure if this makes things more or less complicated.
I lean toward Hayes, Hailey still completely unaware that we're here. If I move quickly, I could get Nate out of here, if he doesn’t want to take this further.
“You fucking knew it was Hailey,” I rumble against the shell of his ear.
He finally breaks his stare from where she’s dancing to look at me.
“I knew if I didn’t force his hand, he’d never make a move.
I know you only met her at the firehouse, but she’s special, Sterling.
She’s the fucking one, and I know that sounds crazy, but the fact that his Hailey is also my Hailey?
Tell me that isn’t fucking fate. Tell me she couldn’t be our missing piece. ”
He says it with conviction, all jokes aside. It’s not often he’s serious, but there’s one thing he didn’t take into consideration.
Hailey’s reaction.
I turn and face the stage and it’s the moment she realizes the three of us here. Her eyes widen and suddenly her grip slips. It’s like all my years of training kick in and I’m halfway on stage before I realize it.
She half catches herself, as I grab her hips to help her stand on her massive wobbly heels.
She gasps and takes a deep breath, her nails digging into my wrist as she tries to regulate her breathing.
“Baby girl, are you okay?” I ask her, not letting go of her hip.
She glances down at Hayes and Nate, but I don’t stop staring at her to see their expressions.
“Give me the word and I’ll drag them both out of here by the back of their necks.”
She hides behind my much larger form, and I’m grateful she doesn’t let go of me.
“Hayes…you, and Nate are in a pack?” she says.
“Unbonded, but yes.”
Her eyes well with tears. “Did…did Hayes know? Is this all some sick fucking joke?” she says, her hand dropping from mine.
“Hey. Hey,” I say more sharply, grabbing her face.
“Cherry, you want me to step in?” security asks and she shakes her head.
“Hayes didn’t know who you were before the tournament. He figured it out then. Nate had no idea. I had no idea.”
“I need to get out of here,” she says, breathing fast. She’s still shaking and unstable as I help her get off the stage and, I guess, help her walk backstage.
“Hailey,” Hayes says, following us. “Are you okay?”
She spins, her anger brighter than the sun as her hands ball into fists.
“What? Did my mom put you up to this to humiliate me?” she says and Hayes’ face falls completely.
“What? No. Baby, what?”
“Why else would you all come here, other than to laugh at how pathetic I am? That I thought you liked me, that I felt something with Nate. Is this a punishment?”
My brows furrow so deeply I worry I’ll give myself a headache as I take in all her words.
Suddenly an Alpha nearly my size approaches us. His suit is sharp, and he exudes power.
“Cherry, are you safe?” he asks, not even asking us any questions.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Martinez,” she says shyly, wiping her eyes.
“Don’t be sorry. Are these men bothering you?”
“Please let me explain,” Hayes says to Hailey before glancing at the man. “I fucked up, Ian, but she’s not in any harm,” he says.
“I didn’t ask you, Paxton,” Ian replies, and Hayes is properly chastised.
“Can we use one of the VIP rooms to talk, please?” Hayes asks, not deterred from being scolded.
Ian glares at Hayes, and Hailey wipes her face.
“Okay,” she says weakly.
“I’ll send Thomas with you, he will be right outside if you no longer feel comfortable,” he says sweetly before turning to Hayes. “Don’t make a habit of making my Omegas cry,” Ian says, glaring down at my Beta, before walking away.
The man is actually pretty fucking terrifying. I also didn’t like the way he referred to her as his; I know he means as an employee, but still, doesn’t mean I like it.
Hailey wraps her arms around herself, not letting any of us help her walk as she slips through an open curtain and sits on a smaller chair in the corner. Her body language is agitated as she sits on the edge, bouncing her knee and continually touching her face.
Every instinct in me wants me to pick her up and comfort her, to make this all right. Alarm bells are ringing in my head that her first instinct was that we were some puppets being used by her mother to humiliate her.
Nate and Hayes sit on the opposite couch, and I stay standing.
Hayes goes to open his mouth and I give him a look. “I think you’ve said enough,” I tell him as I approach Hailey, getting down on my haunches so we’re face to face.
Her pretty gray eyes search mine and I sigh.
“Hayes’ intentions weren’t malicious, he just has absolutely no tact.
We aren’t here to trick you or judge you.
We’re here because Hayes really likes you and figured out you were the same Hailey that Nate’s been talking about.
For some ridiculous reason, he thought this would be the best place for this information to come to light.
Nate and I didn’t know you worked here until right now,” I say calmly, and hold eye contact with her the whole time.
“Well, now that you know I work here, I guess that changes things,” she says, but looks over my shoulder to look at Nate.
For the first time since Hailey realized we were here, Nate speaks.
“Sweetheart, this changes nothing,” he says, and when I glance back, his cheeks are rosy red.
Hayes places a hand on Nate’s knee, and I know Hailey is tracking the motion.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think this through,” Hayes says, getting to his feet and coming over to Hailey. “I thought if they saw you like this, they would understand.”
“Understand what?” Hailey says, her hand rubbing against her collarbone in an anxious motion, her skin turning pink in the wake of her fingers.
“That you’re perfect. That you should be ours.”
Hailey licks her lips and stares at Hayes.
“It was one night,” she whispers shyly and Hayes shrugs.
“All I needed was one night. I just wanted to get everyone on the same page and now I realize it was misguided. I’m sorry.”
“Do…do you still feel that way?”
“More than ever,” Hayes says honestly.
Hailey’s gaze snaps to mine. “We’ve barely spoken a few words. You don’t even know me.”
I smile at her. “I think I’d like to though. Get to know you, that is. Preferably not at your job,” I drag that word out, glaring at Hayes. “Now that we’re all being honest and wanting to do things right, perhaps we can do things the proper way.”
She places her hands between her thighs, that damn knee still shaking frantically.
“The proper way?”
“A courtship,” I reply easily and her eyes go wide.
“Oh, well. I mean, I can’t quit my job.”
“No one is telling you to quit anything. This means we want to date you, see if this is a good fit. For everyone.”
She bites her bottom lip, and she takes a moment to sneak a look at all of us.
“I haven’t dated a pack before. I’m not sure I’d be any good at it. I’m not like my mom,” she says the last bit quietly, and it’s clearly directed at Nate, who’s now standing with me and Hayes, hovering over this poor woman.
“You not being anything like her is why I haven’t been able to get you out of my head. Not since the day I left that house or since you came back into my life. I can’t help but to feel like it’s fate,” Nate says earnestly.
She shifts in her seat. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Hayes repeats, his breath hitched like he thought he fucked this all up.
“Yeah, okay. We can go on a date. I have to finish my shift,” she says abruptly, and stands, making us all take a step back to give her space. She gives us a soft smile before leaving the small VIP space.
As soon as she’s gone, Nate and I turn to glare at Hayes.
He has a grimace on his face. “In retrospect, I realize this was not the best way to go about this. But it did work out in the end.”
“You better make right by her. She’s been through enough,” Nate says, a finger pointed at Hayes’ chest before he leaves the room as well.
“I fucked this up,” Hayes says, sitting down in the chair Hailey just left empty. He runs his hands through his hair and I sigh, taking over and petting his head.
Hayes is brash and impulsive, but equally just as complicated.
“If you actually like her, if you want to keep her, you can’t do anymore of this bullshit. No more secrets, no more going behind our backs. Do you understand?”
He nods and I scratch his scalp; he begins to calm down.
“Now, let’s go home, fuck the disobedience out of you, and plan this date.”
“Okay,” he replies with a shaky breath.
It’s going to take an endless amount of patience to keep us all in one piece.