31. Ezy
Chapter thirty-one
Ezy
E zy Aged 26
Gael presses his lips to my shoulder and then pushes off, paddling for all he’s worth. The wave picks him up, and then he’s gone.
I sit on my board and glance at Kelly, who is lying on his back, staring up at the sky.
“Kelly?”
He rolls his head towards me.
“You all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
I don’t know how true that is. There is a big secret that Kelly is keeping from us. I have no idea what it is, but it eats at him sometimes. Then again, I never told them who I was either.
Kelly Raines and I wouldn’t have rubbed shoulders in my world. He wasn’t rich enough.
My family would have looked down on my alpha. I swing my legs up and lie on the board, paddling towards the beach. The cool water rushes over my arms, and I’m reminded that I escaped.
I’m free.
The wave carries me into shore, where I walk onto the beach and sit down.
Black Valley is nice enough. It’s a pretty thriving little village. I peel my wetsuit down to my waist and pause when I see a group of men surrounding something. Curiosity and instinct are what have kept me alive so far.
I approach and spot the woman, her cheeks red and flushed. Her hair is a rainbow of browns and golds, and her skin is sun-touched gold. She steps back and cries out.
The sound infuriates me.
I shove into the group of betas and send them sprawling.
“Back the fuck up!” I bark.
The woman trembles behind me. I want to look back at her. I want to say something, but the guys are furious.
And drunk.
I turn my head just enough to see her out of the corner of my eye.
“Go. Get safe, I’ve got this.”
She backs up, but when a beta goes after her, I intercept and knock him out. The others launch themselves at me. A few hits later, and I’m having a good time.
By the time Gael arrives with Kelly, the betas scatter, and when I look for the woman, she’s gone.
I feel like I’ve lost something important. It hurts more than I expect it to.
P resent Day
We arrive back in Blackburn on a day where it’s drizzling. Aspyn is already uptight, so this makes everything worse. Luckily, though, I have our accommodations sorted.
Sort of.
A limo picks us up from the airport and drives us thirty minutes to my own personal hell.
I get more and more tense, though Aspyn seems to realise it and sits beside me, but I’m sure we’re just winding each other up, stressing each other more.
Beau slides in between us and puts an arm over each of our shoulders.
“Who is going to take care of it?”
Aspyn snorts. “Are you god now, Beau?”
“Damn close. My dick is your god now, beautiful.”
Aspyn rolls her eyes, but there’s a tiny smile on her face.
He swivels his head to me, his piercing eyes lock on. “The ghosts can’t hurt you, but if you want to go and trash every room and remodel it, we can. Hell, we can fuck in every room and mark your territory all over it.”
“Wouldn’t that be pissing?” I ask dryly.
“Cum is so much harder to get out, though,” Beau points out helpfully.
I snort a laugh and catch Gael’s worried eyes. “I’m okay.”
He was there through all the nightmares, through me learning to become someone else. Gael is the only one who would really know how hard this is for me.
He gives me a half smile and tightens his fingers on Keagan’s. The heat broke the barriers between us. Not all the way, but most of it. There is a familiarity and respect building between the seven of us now that didn’t exist before.
We pull up the long driveway, and I close my eyes so I don’t have to watch the familiar procession.
At last, the car turns and slows to a stop. The pack exits the limo before the driver can open the door, and I follow, wincing as I set my eyes on the massive, ancient home that has been part of my family legacy for a hundred years.
“Hmmm.”
I roll my head to Keagan, who is trying to contain his reactions.
“You can say it.”
“It’s very…” He stops and tilts his head to the side, looking at the gargoyles perched by the front door.
“Yeah, I know. Sadly, it only gets worse inside.”
Beau snickers and guides Aspyn up the three stairs. I make a mental note to get a ramp put in immediately.
I follow them up and freeze when Holt opens the door. I haven’t seen him in forever. He just looks like an older version of himself. Nothing much has changed, even the sneering, disgusted look that he always graced me with is right back there.
Aspyn shrinks away from him.
“We did not know you were expecting visitors, Master Boothe.”
“Alpha!” I snap. “And you did know, I left instructions with my lawyer. But nice try. Good to know you haven’t changed.”
Holt sniffs and turns back into the property. He's tall and thin, almost painfully so and his hair is wispy and white, but those cruel hazel eyes are exactly the same. “I have prepared your bedroom. I shall prepare some for your guests.”
“Pack. My pack will be staying with me. In my bedroom.”
Holt’s eyes widen, and, I swear, I think he might very well pass out from the shock.
I’d like to see it.
This beta gave me hell, tattling on me and delighting in making my life as uncomfortable as he could. Why the fuck is he still here?
Norman Winchester is standing inside, tapping furiously on his phone. He’s my lawyer and the person I elected to be in charge of my estate while I was absent.
As soon as he sees me, he smiles widely. I stalk over and gesture to the butler, who is moving very slowly out of the room.
“Why is he still here?”
Norman smiles at my pack and returns his gaze to my face. Everything about him is average, but his goodness shines out of him like moonlight. I could not believe he was a lawyer when we met some five years ago at a bar on an island so far from here. Making him my lawyer was a no-brainer and one I have not ever regretted. “He’s here because your parents stipulated that he was here until he retired.”
“So retire him.”
“I can’t do that without talking to you, and you wouldn’t come and meet with me in order to discuss it.”
I growl, but my lawyer just smiles. He’s got a backbone of steel, and he’s certainly not afraid of someone like me.
“Let’s discuss it, then.”
“Oh, sir, we have so many things to discuss. Let’s go to your office. But, firstly, finding someone who knows this property will take time. You need him, I hate to say it, and also, you know what they say about keeping your enemies close.”
I glance back and give my pack a small smile and follow Norman to the office. The pack file in and sit on the chairs scattered around the room. It’s weird having them all over the place instead of together. I look at them for two seconds and shake my head, gesturing for them to drag their chairs up next to mine.
Once we’re settled, I look back at Norman in expectation.
“Okay, let’s go over this again. You have the estates in-”
“Wait!”
He stops, cocking his head and politely staring at me.
“I don’t want to talk about the properties. I’m not interested in any of them.”
“But-”
“I need something else right now.”
“What’s that?” Norman clears his throat nervously.
“I need power. I need contacts. Hmm. I want you to bring me the rich and uber rich. We need to host a very large, very impressive party.”
Norman sits back, glaring at me. “Why now? Do you know how much work that would take?”
“There is a person in our sphere trying to hurt my omega. I want to destroy him. For that, I need contacts,” I say it out, watching his face pale.
“You don’t know anyone here!” Norman protests.
“Not true. This is Kelly Raines and Gael Dahan. The Raines will come. And the Dahan’s will if I dangle Gael.”
Norman shakes his head. “We need to sort out-”
“I’ll do it.”
I look at Gael. “What?”
“I’m good at stuff like this. Organising and delegating. Let me handle the estate and things that need your attention. You guys handle the parties and other projects.”
Norman glances between us and leans in.
“Before you ask me if I trust that alpha, know I’ve been bonded to him since I was twenty-two years old. There is no one I trust more.”
Kelly clears his throat.
The room clears their throats.
I swallow a laugh and shoot them a mock glare.
“Gael’s got it handled,” I say with confidence. “Do everything he says or suggests.”
“Fine, sir. I’ll organise for a party planner to come out tomorrow. When are you planning on having this event?”
“A week.”
He chokes, violently coughing. “A week? But, sir!”
I stand up and walk out of the room, enjoying the way he continues choking in the background.
The dark halls are filled with the paintings of my judgemental ancestors. All I can smell is the lemon wood polish that Holt has always used. The velvet red carpet is totally clean without a single speck on it. Past the old wood doors with their engraved angels and heavy doorknobs are rooms with massive windows, ancient pianos, a library with books no one will ever read, and more haunted memories than I care to admit.
I hate being here. It’s making me feel hunted, alone, depressed.
The pack flanks me but keep apart, trying to give me some space. But I’m not sure I want that space.
I open the door to my room. Nothing has changed. It’s like stepping backwards in time. The bed is still oversized and covered in black materials. My desk is by the window, with the chair I used to sit in and stare out at the grounds, wishing and praying for a miracle to occur.
Aspyn gets in front of me and grips my shoulders.
“Hello, Ezekial Boothe.”
I blink and look down at her. “Hello?” I cast a confused look at Kelly, but he’s too busy studying the books on my bookshelf.
“You’re perfect the way you are. No one wants you to change. You aren’t alone.”
I stare down at this incredible omega. I already know I’d do anything to keep her. Anything at all. Every day, I’m learning something new about her or sharing things about myself I never thought I would tell.
She smiles up at me, and I reach up and cup her face. My fingers run over the scar tissue, and she flinches slightly, but I don’t let go.
“You see my scars, and I don’t flinch,” I murmur.
“Yours can’t be seen.”
“Can’t they?”
I dip my head down and kiss her before she can answer. She wraps her arms around my neck and hangs on, and that brings me back. I feel the ice that has surrounded me melt away and the warmth of the pack return.
“I’m going to explore this museum.”
I smirk as Keagan and Beau leave the room, knowing they are giving us privacy, and also that they have been dying to go explore since we got here.
Kelly leans against the window and looks out over the vast estate. I lift Aspyn up and carry her over there.
“What do you think?”
“It’s very…manicured.”
That’s a very good word for it. Everything has been planted and shaped to achieve a certain aesthetic. A certain appeal. The shrubs are cultivated to grow in odd shapes, and when they get to a certain point, they are carved into the shapes of horses or men.
The grass is perfectly green and even. It’s an ocean of colour that just has no life. There are no tall trees but the tall willows my mother planted that frame the backside of the lake.
She loved that lake. Right up until it got birds. The horror of birds coming to swim in her lake enraged her. She had people come and remove them. They came back. At one point, she was going to go out and shoot them.
I managed to get through to the authorities in time, and one quick threat to the local reporter stopped any attempted at duck genocide.
It’s odd that I’m thinking about these memories when I haven’t thought about them in such a long time.
“My mother liked everything to be controlled.”
Shale steps up close, his hand brushing mine. A sign of comfort from my alpha.
“Like me. I need control.”
“There is control, and then there is insanity. This is crazy,” Aspyn says. “There’s so much garden, and it’s so orderly.”
I snort. “You haven’t seen the half of it, but come on. I’ll take you on a tour. There are some really interesting rooms here I think you might enjoy.”
“What kind of rooms?”
I smirk. “Hidden rooms. Known only to members of the Boothe family line.”
“Ooh, show us.”
I lead them out and around the house. Showing them the seven secret rooms and tunnels. A couple of them will be helpful for the party. Just in case he shows up. We can remove Aspyn to safety before he even gets a look at her.
“Now, we need to contact Kit.”
“Who’s Kit?” Shale growls.
“Kit is Raider’s Alpha, and he is a guru when it comes to clothes,” Kelly says absently.
Aspyn looks around, confused. “So, we need clothes now, too?”
“Yes. We need something that will make us stand out. Basically, we’re going to splash around, throwing money this way and that until we get everyone’s attention. Only when we have that will we have the power to dethrone him.”
I turn to look at Kelly.
“I need you to call them.” I know he knows what I’m asking.
“All of them?”
“All of them!”
Kelly nods and excuses himself.
I turn and smile at Aspyn. She’s nervously fidgeting.
“I won’t let you go anywhere unless you are totally comfortable. Nothing else matters to me but you.”
She relaxes, sighing, and I pull her into my arms.
“We’re going to get through this. We can make a life here. It will be okay, Ezy.”
“I know. Everything is going to be perfect. We have the perfect plan.”
I just wish I didn’t feel so awful being here. I try to imagine the rest of our lives in this mansion, but I can’t.
I know we’re thinking we might stay in the city, but if I’m honest, it’s not me anymore.
I hate it here already.