Chapter 41 Delilah
FORTY-ONE
Delilah
I let myself into the house, feeling a bittersweet sensation as the reality of what Margie said about me leaving Omega Village barrels into me.
I’m not like Kady, who still likes her independence since finding her pack.
I know I’d find it too hard to be parted from them, but I’ll sure miss this place… Stella House has been my home.
“Hello?”
I’m met with silence, indicating that they’re not back yet.
I ignore the tugging in my chest, willing me to return to Nash.
Instead, I hurriedly climb the stairs to my room to quickly change my clothes while pushing through the discomfort caused by our separation.
Taking out a suitcase, I begin going through my closet, humming to the tune of a song that Jagger sang to me while I was falling asleep yesterday to ease my restlessness. Unfortunately, it doesn’t help much.
“Delilah!” Before I get the chance to start packing my things, Sabs’s voice calls from downstairs, the front door slamming. “Are you home?”
As I head downstairs, I hear the faint voices of Faye and Kady, who must’ve also just arrived.
Faye and Kady are in the kitchen, but Sabs is wrestling her sneakers from her feet, still sweaty from her volleyball practice.
“Sorry. I ran all the way back as soon as I got your message. I saw Nash outside. Is…” Her eyes round, seeing my neck when she stands. “OH MY FREAKING GOD!”
Her scream has Kady and Faye racing out of the kitchen.
“What is it?” Kady scans me for injuries. “What did he do? I have my family lawyer on speed dial—” Her mouth hangs open, eyes lingering on my neck. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Oh, Delilah!” Faye squeals, bouncing over and pulling me into a tight hug. “Congratulations!”
“I…” Kady’s mouth opens and closes. “I thought you were taking it slow.”
“So did I,” I shrug, “but there was a special moment, then I just figured, why wait? I’ve spent the last year wondering about the what-ifs. I don’t want to waste any more time when I know they’re my matches.”
“Okay!” Sabs drags me into the living room to sit down, dropping next to me and pulling her legs up underneath her. “I’m going to need you to tell me every last detail.”
Kady peers out the window through a crack in the blinds. “So I assume by the fact that it’s Nash outside—”
“You bonded Nash first!” Sabs claps excitedly. “It was the giant hands. I knew it! Those monster hands must be really skilled at—”
“Give her a chance to breathe, Sabs.” Faye curls up on the chair. “Though I would love to hear the full story.”
I give them a quick rundown of what happened in the workshop, minus all the sexy details, despite Sabs wanting to know the ins and outs.
“A handmade special edition.” Kady nods, clearly impressed. “I wonder if he could do something special for The Valley Voice. I’ve been thinking of putting together a special historical volume with all of our most popular issues.”
“You’re seriously thinking about The Valley Voice at a time like this?” Sabs shakes her head. “Delilah just bonded!”
“Sorry, Del. I have work on the brain.” Kady smiles apologetically. “It sounds like you made the right choice for you. I know how much you’ve always wanted to find a pack, so I’m happy for you. Truly.”
I beam, collapsing against Sabs’s shoulder.
From the car, I can sense Nash’s emotions. They’re a thrumming vibration in the back of my head. He’s impatient but otherwise fine, and being able to feel his presence puts me at ease. He’s not going anywhere.
“The whole sensation will take some getting used to,” I admit. “But I know he’s my match. All of them are. It’s so hard to describe, but it’s like…”
“You’ll never be complete without them?” Faye wipes at her eyes. “That they make you whole?”
“Exactly!”
“How are things with you and Jagger?” Kady arches a blonde eyebrow. “Have you guys discussed bonding too?”
“I know that he’s my match, but the timing has to be right…” I sigh. “Now that Pack Fire has split—”
“What?” Sabs almost falls off the sofa. “Since when?!”
Kady rolls her eyes. “Since when do you fall behind on the latest gossip?”
“I’ve been busy kicking ass on the volleyball court all morning,” Sabs tells her.
After I briefly fill Sabs in on what happened, she grips her forehead, stunned. “Whoa.”
“It shows how serious he is about you and your future,” Faye states solemnly.
We all turn toward Kady when her cell phone starts ringing. She sends it to voicemail, but then it starts up again.
“Sorry.” She huffs. “It’s Calder. If he’s calling twice, there must be an emergency. This better be good, Cal. I’m kinda in the middle of—” She stops talking, listening intently. “But how?” Her cheeks flush in as she angrily bangs her fist on the coffee table. “We got rid of them all!”
As I watch Kady’s nostrils flare, a rush of something ice-cold creeps underneath my skin, flooding my senses. What the hell is that? It’s a physical jolt to my system, making my fists clench and giving me the sudden urge to punch a wall.
“It’s okay, Del.” Faye puts her hand over mine, instantly sensing my change of mood. “Feeling their emotions takes some getting used to. It’s always the most intense at the start.”
I gulp, realization sweeping in that it must be Nash I’m feeling. But why is he so angry?
Seconds later, heavy pounding on the door sounds like a beast is trying to break its way inside.
“Stay here,” Kady barks as she stomps to let Nash in while staying on the line with Calder.
Sabs shudders. “I hate it when she uses her scary voice.”
Faye nibbles her bottom lip. “Whatever it is, it must be serious…”
When Kady returns with a raging Nash at her side, I have no idea what’s going on. And they both look livid; I don’t know who is madder out of the two of them.
“Is someone going to tell me what all this is about?” I can feel the fury radiating off Nash like heat from a furnace. I quickly jump up, wanting to calm him down. He relaxes a little when I stroke the tense muscles in his arms, but it doesn’t dampen his anger. “Talk to me.”
“It’ll be better if I show you.” Kady tells me as she grabs her laptop, turning it so the screen is facing me. “See?”
The other Stellas and I crane our necks to get a look. The headline makes my stomach sink.
THE GIRL BEHIND PACK FIRE’S brEAKUP.
Relief sweeps through me as you can’t see all of my face in the photograph, just a side-profile and lots of curls. It was taken on the night Jagger fled the stage and followed me out of Club Knotty.
Comments rapidly flash onto the screen, multiple new ones rushing in every second.
WHO IS THIS SLUT?
LET’S KILL HER!
BURN HER TO THE GROUND!
Dread sweeps through me.
“They’re just trolls, Del.” Sabs rubs my back. “Pathetic fucking trolls who have nothing better to do than hide behind a screen. Ignore them.”
“No one is going to hurt you.” Nash’s possessive rumble is so deep it vibrates in my own chest as I gnaw at my nails. A nervous habit I have yet to break. “We need to go home. Now.”
“Staying off campus is a good idea,” Kady agrees. “SVU is small, so it’s only a matter of time until Delilah’s identity is exposed.”
“But I haven’t even packed yet.” What to take with me is now the last thing on my mind. “I don’t know where to start…”
“I’ll go quickly pack a bag for you,” Faye offers, presumably sensing my overwhelm. “I’ll put in the essentials. If you’re missing anything, I’ll get Cole to drop them off later.”
She hurries away before I have a chance to answer, still dazed.
“How did the photo get out?” Kady turns on Nash. “Was it Jagger? Did he do this?”
“Of course not. He’s never wanted any of this,” he growls protectively. “Jagger has always wanted to hide Delilah’s identity and protect ours.”
His fury is clouding all my own emotions, making it hard to think straight.
“It’ll be okay.” I nuzzle into Nash’s chest as he wraps his arms around me.
“Sorry.” He shakes his head, his mood settling now that I’m closer. “I’m feeling more… rattled than usual.”
“Laz told me he was super emotional the week after he and Faye bonded.” Sabs nods knowingly. “It’s like a massive man-period.”
“Uh…” Nash clearly doesn’t know how to respond to that, turning his attention back to Kady. “Maybe it was Brad or Drew who leaked the photos? They’ll be angry about him leaving the band.”
“But Calder and I paid for all the copies of the photos.” Kady, who’s been pacing back-and-forth, freezes. “All but one. There is one other person who had a copy…”
“Valerie,” she and Nash say together.
All the pieces of the puzzle fall into place.
“Who the hell is Valerie?” Sabs asks. “A jealous ex?”
“Jagger’s manager,” I correct her. “Well, ex-manager now.”
“I never liked her.” Nash drags his palm over his head. “This has Valerie written all over it.”
“What a bitch!” Sabs exclaims. “If I get my hands on her, I’ll…” Sabs looks around for the nearest appliance. “I’ll get that lamp, and—”
“We’ll do everything we can to get it taken down, Del,” Kady cuts Sabs’s threat short.
“But I can’t make any promises.” She grimaces.
“It was easier when nothing was printed, but now that the picture is out there, it’ll be a lot more difficult.
As soon as one gets taken down, another will pop up, and at the rate that it’s being shared…
I don’t think we can do much to stop this. ” Her face falls. “I’m so sorry.”
“This isn’t your fault,” I rush to reassure her. “Not every situation can be controlled, even by Kady Sinclair.” I know that not being able to have a handle on a narrative is one of Kady’s biggest nightmares. “This is something I knew we’d have to face one day, right?”
Although now that the moment is here, I realize that I was wholly unprepared for it. I had been so angry at Jagger for trying to protect me, yet now, seeing just a few of these comments, I understand exactly what he was trying to protect me from.
“I can at least stop your name from being printed.” Kady’s voice regains its usual confidence. “Leave it to me and Calder.”
“I bet Jagger and Tae probably haven’t seen the photo yet,” Nash muses. “Jagger’s already inundated with so many messages about the split. I should call to let them know.”
“I’ll ring them after you leave,” Kady promises. “The sooner you go, the better.”
The sound of a heavy object bumping down the stairs grows closer. “All packed!” Faye rejoins us, breathless and flushed, wheeling along my bulging suitcase. She wipes her brow. “I think I got everything you’ll need.”
“How did you pack so much in such a short time?” I ask.
Kady eyes the swollen case with approval. “It’s best to be prepared for every situation.”
Nash’s anxiety is rising. “We should go now.”
“Don’t worry about all your classes.” Sabs grabs my hand. “Kady knows all the boring forms to fill out, and Faye’s done it all before.”
Faye nods. “I’ll email you over everything that needs signing for when you get a minute.”
I’d anticipated we’d have more time to catch up, but since arriving, it feels like we’ve been swept up in a whirlwind. And now I’m going to be leaving for god knows how long.
“Will you guys be okay without me?” I look at my friends. “What will you eat? I promised I’d bake for your next practice, Sabs…”
“Looking after yourself is more important than cookies!” Sabs squeezes my hand.
“I have Noodles and Chill on speed dial. If I need a cake fix, all I need to do is head to Delilah’s for a free slice—thanks to Jagger.
” She pulls me in for a long hug. “Don’t let all the outside bullshit ruin this time for you, okay? ”
“Sabs’s right,” Faye agrees, tugging me away from Sabs for another lung-squeezing embrace. “It’s so important that you and Nash make the most of this time together. The adjustment period is pretty special.”
“I’ll keep you updated with everything that you need to know,” Kady looks up from where she’s already working on her laptop. “But my advice? A full-on media blackout. That goes for all of you. Just remember to check in with us so we know that you’re being well taken care of.”
Nash kisses the top of my head. “She will be.” He takes my hand. “Now let’s go home.”