40. Nora
40
Nora
"Are you sure you want to do this, sweetie?" Nolan says, wrapping his arms around my middle.
We're in the bathroom without the shattered mirror, and I'm trying to get ready, but there is an Alpha or a Joey in here every few minutes checking on me, I'm sure, making sure I'm not breaking glass again.
To be fair, I do not think my hair would look good any shorter.
"I am. I think this is the only way we can all finally be free of this." Two days ago, when we spoke to Alicia and I told her my idea, she was hesitant and cautioned against it. She warmed up quickly, though, when Dr. Greene did yet another press conference, talking about the investment that was made in me, how heartbroken he was as my Alpha, how I was due to start my heat soon, and I was going to be taken advantage of by a "feral pack of unsuitable Alphas."
My Alpha, Levi, who is clearly feral with his bright eyes and messy hair, pokes his head into the bathroom. "Hey, doll, are you ready?" he says with a wide smile.
"She is," Nolan answers for me, spinning me away from the mirror. "You look incredible."
Today, I am not the Perfect Omega.
Today, I am Nora Summers. Soon, hopefully, to be Nora Sloane.
I won't pretend like this is easy for me. Most of the time, I have to stop before every decision I make and everything I say to see if this is really me or if this is the Perfect Omega pushing through. But the past few days have been a balm on my jagged soul. We've grown so much closer through tears, affection, and laughs in this tiny house. I know now more than ever that I am ready to tell everyone that Pack Sloane is mine.
I've dressed today in ripped black jeans, as Blaine favors, white sneakers, like Chase, a plain white T-shirt that matches the one Nolan has on, a leather jacket like Joey, and for my sweet, cozy Alpha, I have my hair up in a messy bun with a massive black velvet scrunchy wrapped around it.
All the men look sharp, pulling out all the stops to be impressive today. Levi has on dark slacks and a white button- up shirt with a soft gray blazer on top. His gold glasses perch on the end of his nose. Nolan has on a white t-shirt, a light-washed denim jacket, and dark jeans. Joey looks incredible in his all-black ensemble, complete with boots and a black leather jacket. Chase is wearing jeans and white sneakers and has opted for a white button-up like Levi's, but he has his sleeves pushed up and a few buttons on the chest undone to show off his considerable number of tattoos. And my bad boy, the one with the flirty, sexy smile, who my mother would've forced me to cross the street if she saw, Blaine, is in all black like Joey, with long chains hanging from his jeans, studded bracelets on his arms, and boots that run up his calves.
We're a mismatched crew that somehow manages to fit together perfectly, and I couldn't ask for anything more.
In the living room, Rebecca from LunarNews1 is attaching her square camera to the wall and rearranging our furniture to set up seven chairs in a staggered position so all of us can be on camera at the same time.
When I first called her, Rebecca was blown away. I saved her card from that first interview we did together, and I remembered the absolutely pleading look she gave me at the interview where Dr. Greene claimed me. When I told her I wanted to give her the exclusive on the real story of the Perfect Omega, she jumped at the chance. We had someone from the MC Club meet her at a gas station and then bring her in so she couldn't reveal our location, but I don't think she would've.
She's been wanting to look out for me from the beginning, I think.
"Nora!" she says when she sees me and walks over to shake my hand. She's wearing a sleek red dress to match her bright red lips and nails, and her hair is up in a high, smooth ponytail. The Beta reporter is fierce, and I can absolutely see why she's considered one of the best in her field. "You look incredible. Is this your pack?"
I nod and introduce her to the men, who all take seats, leaving the front two open for Rebecca and me. "This is going to be live, right?" I ask her, for probably the fourth time. "If it's not live, we're going to be in trouble."
She nods, pointing to the camera. "Yes, that is patched into the station. As soon as I click the button, it'll override everything on the channel and come in as a breaking news bulletin."
"Your bosses are okay with that?"
Laughing, she takes her seat. "They will be when this produces the ratings I know it will." I have to appreciate her hustle. In this case, it serves me well. She turns around and looks at each of my guys, nodding her approval. "Everyone ready? Let's go."
With a click of the remote in her hand, a small red light glows on the square, and she grins. "Good evening, Lunarcrest City. Rebecca Kahn here with a breaking news bulletin for you, and this is one you're not going to want to miss. I am sitting here with Nora Summers, the Perfect Omega, and Pack Sloane. Nora, why did you call this interview today?"
"Well, Rebecca," I say, smiling and crossing one leg over the other. "I have a bit of a secret to reveal to Lunarcrest City." Despite everything, I am still very comfortable putting on a show for the camera. In this situation, it works in our favor.
"A secret? Do tell!" Rebecca says, matching my tone and positioning.
"I'm not perfect," I say simply, leaning back in my chair. Rebecca laughs. "I mean it. I have been paraded around this city as the Perfect Omega, but that was a lie. I wasn't perfect. I was brainwashed. Dr. Albert Greene genetically engineered and raised me not to be the Perfect Omega but his Perfect Omega. From the moment I was conceived, he had every plan to take me as his own."
Rebecca gasps, and it's not fake. "I'm sorry, are you saying he groomed you from birth to be his Omega?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying. And when he found out I scent matched Pack Sloane, he threw his weight around and revealed that he had purchased the rights to me as a person from my own mother."
"You can't own a person," Rebecca says, scandalized.
"Tomorrow, my lawyer will go before a judge to try to get arrest warrants for my pack thrown out. The warrants are for theft, Rebecca. Not kidnapping. Theft." Nolan's hand lands on my shoulder and squeezes reassuringly.
"Can you tell me about Pack Sloane?" Rebecca pivots, noticing Nolan's touch.
I look at Nolan and Joey, and they nod. Joey starts. "Nora came into a bar I moonlight at and had a drink. I thought she was the prettiest, sweetest thing I ever saw, but then she left."
"And I saw a man leave the bar and attempt to assault her. She went into Omega drop, and I caught her," Nolan says, picking up where Joey left off. "It's then I realized she smelled like home to me."
"He was near tears," Joey says through a laugh. "Never once seen that man choke up over anything, and here he was holding my little bird and misty-eyed."
"He took me to my home and came back the next day with the whole pack and immediately took me into their home," I add.
"It was a rough transition," Levi says, leaning forward, elbows on his knees. "The training Dr. Greene had done with her was quite damaging, to the point where she thought she was not allowed to whine, she asked us for permission to do anything, and in general, was submissive to an extremely unhealthy level. She really broke through a lot of it when she met my father, who is also an Omega."
"It sounds like, all things considered, you all were getting along well," Rebecca says. "What happened?"
"I did," Chase says bitterly from the back row. "I own Bea's kitchen and had put a dessert for Nora on the menu and wanted to surprise her. The Perfect Dessert. A lemon bar strawberry shortcake – a blend of both of our scents. It's beautiful in its simplicity, really with -"
"Chase," Blaine says, cutting him off. "The point, not the recipe."
Rebecca laughs, and I join her. Chase's face flushes, but he nods. "An Alpha who worked there tried to scent her, and I fired him and threw him out. It seemed to have made it on social media or something because Nora's mother and Dr. Greene showed up."
I twist uncomfortably in my seat. Even though there are no studio lights, I'm burning up, and the fact that all my secrets are going out to the world makes me feel a little light-headed.
"They showed up with cops," Chase continued. "And Dr. Greene barked and ordered Nora to 'heel,' and it was like she had no control over her body. He had her completely conditioned." His fingers flex, and I can see the emotion overwhelming him from the memory.
Blaine must see it, too, because he steps in. "They didn't let us see her again. They told her we didn't want her because she was 'ruined' and she thought we abandoned her. We didn't know what was going on until your interview."
"The interview where Chase trashed the studio, knocked out a few of our technical crew, and stole Nora," Rebecca says.
"That's the one!" I say cheerily. "I don't want to get into the details of the abuse I suffered during those weeks I was kept from my Alphas and Just Joey." The faux-honorific slips out, and Joey chuckles. "Because we're here to set the record straight." I stand up and walk back to stand between all the chairs of my pack. "I am not scent matched to Dr. Greene. He is an abuser, full stop." The assertiveness is a bit foreign to my ears, but the pride in my men's eyes buoys me. "I want nothing to do with him. I am not, and will never be, property of the Design Clinic, Dr. Greene, or even Pack Sloane."
I'm sweating, my skin flushed. I'm not used to speaking so firmly in front of people, but I push through the sensations. "I am my own person. I have the right to make my own decisions. How my DNA and genetics came to be does not matter. No one can be perfect. There is no one way to be a perfect Omega. A perfect Omega takes care of themselves, loves who they are, and loves their pack." I look at my five guys, my smile wide. "I love my guys. I love my pack. I am not stolen, or kidnapped, or coerced."
Rebecca, smiling, turns sideways in her chair to look at me better. "Do you have anything to say to Dr. Greene? I have no doubt he's watching."
"Can I swear on air?" I ask, and everyone laughs. "Dr. Greene, I'm coming for you. What you've done is criminal, abusive, and assault. The things you have done to me, said to me, the ways you have touched me," my body shakes, and admitting what he's done to me for the world has my stomach cramping. "I hope you rot. I hope you're put away so you can never even look at another Omega again."
Blaine pulls me down onto his lap, nuzzling his nose in my neck. "Oh," I add. "And I don't need your permission or anyone else's to bond. It's a law that needs to be thrown away and removes Omega's agency as people. We are not property to be bartered, goods to be sold. We are people, and we have worth outside of our designations."
Rebecca looks at my men, who don't even notice because all of their eyes are on me. I feel extra hot under their gaze, and my body cramps again.
Oh.
OH.
"Anything you men want to add?" Rebecca asks the men, unaware of what my Alphas all just figured out.
"Yeah," Nolan says as Blaine stands up, keeping me held to his chest. "Our Omega is going into heat, and we're going to officially bond her so Dr. Greene can't even attempt to get his disgusting hands on her again."
"We'll be happy to do a follow-up interview in four or five days," Joey adds, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Until then, any questions can go through our pack lawyer, Alicia Ronson. She'll be acting on our behalf while we care for our Omega."
"And by the way," Chase says, looking at the camera head-on. "If anyone from law enforcement is watching, you may want to consider arresting Veronica Summers, considering she sold her daughter into abuse and enabled it to continue her entire life. If another pack that was less honorable than my brothers and I had matched with Nora, chances are she would've lived a short, brutal life."
I wave at the camera and smile at Rebecca. "You may want to go now. They're possessive in general, I can't imagine how they're going to be during my heat."
A few growls from my guys are all the convincing Rebecca needs. "The Perfect Omega, perfect no more but loved and cared for the way she's always deserved. What a story for the ages. For LunarNews1, I'm Rebecca Kahn. Remember, talk is cheap unless it's cable."