Chapter 25
Akira
We're sitting around a table in the VIP lounge, the music thumping below us but muted enough up here that we can actually talk.
Emilio has his phone out, typing away in that forum he thinks I don't know about.
His fingers move quickly across the screen, a small smile playing at his lips as he reads the responses.
Liam's arm is draped around his shoulders, Emilio leaning into the touch without even thinking about it.
He's been happier now than I've seen him in years.
Maybe ever, actually. The tension that used to live in his shoulders has eased, replaced by something softer.
He laughs more, smiles more, lets himself relax in ways he never did before.
Watching him like this, surrounded by the club he built and the people who love him, makes something in my chest warm.
The announcement about the pregnancy went better than any of us expected.
Sure, there were negative comments and assholes saying things that made me want to track them down.
But the overwhelming response has been positive.
People congratulating him, telling him how brave he is, sharing their own stories of being pregnant Omegas running businesses.
It's given him confidence, made him stand taller.
Emilio laughs at something on his screen, and Liam leans over to read it.
They're so comfortable with each other now, the months of hooking up having built a foundation that's evolving into something deeper.
Part of me used to be jealous of what they had, how easy it was between them.
But now I'm just grateful to be part of it, to be included in this thing we're building together.
A commotion at the VIP entrance makes us all look up.
Raised voices, the sound of someone pushing past security.
Then I see him. Zaden, drunk and belligerent, trying to push his way into the VIP area.
He gets past the first security guard, shoving the guy hard enough to send him stumbling.
The second security guard just looks bewildered, muttering something about how Zaden can't come in acting like that but that doesn't deter the Alpha.
"Where's my fucking brother?" Zaden shouts, his words slurred. "Emilio! Get out here!"
Otto appears, grabbing Zaden by the back of his shirt and dragging him back. But Zaden fights against the hold, wild and out of control in a way I've never seen before. This isn't just drunk. This is unhinged.
Liam stands up in a fury, his entire body going tense. The protective instinct kicks in immediately, his Alpha rising to the surface. He moves toward the entrance, ready to handle Zaden himself if Otto can't contain him.
Emilio watches, one hand cradling his belly protectively.
Fear flickers across his face, his breath coming faster.
He's terrified of what's about to happen, of the scene Zaden is making in the middle of his club.
All the good energy from the evening evaporates, replaced by the familiar anxiety that Zaden always brings.
Pulling Emilio into my lap, I wrap my arms around him, keeping him close, keeping him safe. "It's okay," I murmur against his ear. "Otto's got him."
Otto does have him, actually. The older man is stronger than he looks, years of working security giving him the skills to handle belligerent drunks. He gets Zaden in a hold that immobilizes him without causing injury, then starts dragging him toward the exit.
"Call the police," I tell one of the nearby security guards. "Make a big spectacle of this. I want everyone to see who Zaden is."
The guard nods and pulls out his phone. Within minutes, the police are on their way. The whole VIP section has gone quiet, everyone watching the drama unfold. Some people have their phones out, recording. Good. Let them record. Let the whole world see what kind of man Zaden really is.
Liam comes back to sit with us, his jaw still clenched with barely controlled anger. Emilio is breathing really hard, his chest heaving with each gasp. "What the actual fuck," he manages to get out.
"He's losing it," Liam says, his hand finding Emilio's. "Whatever he and Charles had planned, it's falling apart. He's desperate."
Movement catches my eye at the edge of the VIP section. Charles, scurrying toward the back hallway like a rat abandoning a sinking ship. The sight makes a predatory grin spread across my face. Finally. Finally, we've got him cornered.
"I'll be right back," I say to Emilio, gently moving him off my lap and back onto Liam's. "Call the police again, alright? Tell them Charles is here."
Not waiting for a response, I stalk after Charles.
He's moving fast, probably trying to get out before the police arrive.
But I'm faster. Years of chasing down people who owe me money, who try to skip out on deals, who think they can fuck with my business and get away with it. Charles doesn't stand a chance.
I catch him in the back hallway, away from the cameras and the crowd. Grabbing him by the shoulder, I spin him around and pin him against the wall. His eyes go wide with fear, and he should be scared. Because I've been waiting for this moment for days.
"What's the point?" I ask, my voice taking on a dangerous edge. "What was the fucking point of all this?"
Charles tries to push me off, but I don't budge. "The club should have never gone to an Omega," he spits out. "I'm not answering to some pregnant slut who thinks he can run a business."
The words make rage flood through me. "Then you should have quit like a regular person. Not drug the owner and support an asshole like Zaden."
"It was supposed to be simple," Charles says, still struggling. "Discredit Emilio, get him voted out, install Zaden. I'd have real control then, not have to deal with an Omega's emotions and instability."
Pulling my fist back, I punch him square in the jaw. The impact sends his head snapping to the side, blood spurting from his lip. "What happened to River? He was alive when I left him."
Charles laughs, the sound full of bitterness. "He got what was coming to him. I couldn't have this shit blow back on me because Zaden can't do his job. River was going to talk, going to tell the police everything. So I made sure he couldn't."
The confession hangs in the air between us. Charles realizes too late what he just admitted, his eyes widening. I snort, shaking my head. "So you thought you'd just get us locked up, Emilio kicked out, and then what? Use Zaden as a puppet to run the club?"
"You don't know anything," Charles snarls, finding some of his confidence again. "You're here to do the same thing. Take over the club, use Emilio to get what you want."
"Actually, I don't want the club," I say, my voice dropping lower.
Something shifts in my chest, clarity cutting through the anger.
"All I want is that stubborn Omega. I want his love and attention and his adoration.
I want him to look at me like I can be his whole entire fucking world.
And you almost took that away from me." I punch him again, harder this time.
Charles's head bounces off the wall, and he slumps slightly.
"But you won't ruin what my Omega has built. Not now. Not ever."
Footsteps sound behind me, and a voice calls out. "Mr. Stark, please step away."
Turning, I see Detective Lania and two uniformed officers. They must have been close when the call came in about Zaden. Perfect timing, actually. I step back from Charles, my hands raised in a gesture of compliance.
Detective Lania approaches Charles, pulling out handcuffs. "Charles Morrison, you're under arrest for the murder of River Harrison." She starts reading him his rights, the words familiar from a thousand cop shows but surreal to hear in real life.
"What the fuck," Charles says, blood dripping from his mouth. "This is all a big misunderstanding. You can't arrest me based on what this thug says."
Laughing, I shake my head. "That thug just got you to confess to murder. On camera, actually." I gesture to the security camera mounted in the corner of the hallway. "Everything back here is recorded. Isn't that right, Otto?"
Otto appears at the end of the hallway, his expression satisfied. "Every word. Already sent the footage to Detective Liana’s email."
Charles's face goes pale, realization dawning on him. He played right into our hands, confessed everything because he was too arrogant to keep his mouth shut. The officers finish cuffing him and start leading him away, still protesting his innocence despite the confession we all heard.
Emilio is standing at the end of the hall, watching everything unfold.
Liam stands behind him, protective but letting Emilio see this moment.
See justice being served. As Charles is dragged past them, Emilio's expression morphs into pure satisfaction.
This is what he's been waiting for. Proof that he was right, that Zaden and Charles were working together to destroy him.
I walk toward them, my knuckles throbbing from the punches, but the pain is distant. Emilio meets my eyes, and something passes between us. Understanding, maybe. Or recognition of what we both just admitted.
"That's a confession if I ever heard one," Emilio says, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"It was," I agree, stopping in front of him. The words I said to Charles echo in my head, and I realize they're true. Completely, terrifyingly true. "I think I'm in love with you, Emilio Ardyn. I know my brother got there first, but fuck if I don't want a piece of you too."
Emilio's smile widens, his eyes going soft in a way I've never seen before. "I think I'm in love with a couple of Stark Alphas."
"Damn, I've been waiting to hear those words from your mouth, Mili," Liam says, his arms wrapping around Emilio from behind.
Emilio blushes, his cheeks going pink. The sight is adorable, this fierce Omega who runs a nightclub and takes no shit from anyone getting flustered over a confession of love.
I lean down, capturing his lips in a kiss.
It's different from all the other kisses we've shared.
Softer, sweeter, full of promise instead of just heat.
When we break apart, Emilio is smiling. Really smiling, the kind that reaches his eyes and makes his whole face light up. "So what now?"
"Now?" I grin, pulling both him and Liam closer. "Now we go celebrate. Charles is going to jail, Zaden will rot in a cell, and you just told us you love us. I'd say that calls for champagne."
"I can't drink," Emilio points out.
"Then sparkling cider," Liam says, pressing a kiss to Emilio's temple. "And we'll drink enough for all three of us."
“The four of us.”