47. Nora
47
Nora
The police are here.
I can tell because there is a dull roar of noise outside the door, hinting that a crowd has gathered. Of course, the news of the arrest warrant spread, and Alicia warned us this was a possibility.
Peeking out the curtains, I can see people with signs standing across the street. If I squint, I can make out a few of the phrases.
Omegas are people, too
Omega rights are human rights
People are not property
Stop overdesign
Perfectly Imperfect
Justice for Nora
The sight of the supportive crowd gives me just a glimmer of hope, but it does little to quell the rapid thumping of my heart or the knot of anxiety in my stomach.
My men stand behind me, each looking impossibly handsome despite the fear and vulnerability in their eyes. Levi, with his gold glasses and perpetually messy hair, wears a tweed jacket with khaki slacks, the ivory shirt pressed and buttoned to the top. I told him there was no need to bother with a tie, but he still likes the top button done up.
Beside Levi, Blaine looks like the polar opposite. I was able to force him into a pair of slacks, forgoing his signature black denim. A pair of black canvas sneakers and a plain black button-up, the sleeves rolled three times, complete his look.
Nolan's dark skin is complemented by the powder blue polo he's got tucked into his dark khaki chinos. He's freshly shaven, and even the buzz on his head has been touched up.
Chase was the hardest to get dressed. He's still fighting against the idea of giving himself up and leaving me. I have reassured him multiple times I will be just fine. We have decided Joey will stay inside during the arrest, worried that if we call attention to him, they may try to arrest him, too. Chase will never be okay with this, but he eventually lets me dress him in a clean white button-down and olive green slacks. The top three buttons on his shirt are open, showing off the beautiful moth tattoo he has, and the sleeves are rolled up to his elbows. He looks tough, respectable, and handsome. I have no doubt that he will be judged harshly for the number of tattoos he has painting his flesh, but I don't care.
If someone can't see beyond the ink into the man, they're fools.
It was a fight with the guys to get them to agree to let me wear a dress. They worry that if I present an image of the Perfect Omega, it will seem like they're forcing me into that same mold. I can understand the fear, but there are parts of me that will always be that Omega. Not everything I did, wore and thought was bad. There were some good habits that I do not mind continuing.
Even if I will sometimes need help determining if it's good or not.
So we compromised.
I'm wearing a sage green dress, but the men convinced me to wear my lemon-patterned apron with the ruffled black and white polka-dotted bottom on top of it. It gives the dress a fun flair, and with my white canvas sneakers I look casual but still put together and like an Omega. Since I'm wearing an apron, it would be silly not to have some sort of baked good available for the police officers, so I've got a container filled with fresh cookies under my arm.
I don't bother asking the men if they are ready. They never will be. I won't either. But it's up to me to get this moving because the quicker they are arrested, the quicker they'll come back to me.
I fling open the white front door to our pack home, and immediately, I am accosted by sounds and the pulsing light of camera flashes. My bond lights up with a protective flare of aggression from someone in the pack. I think it's Nolan, but I'm not great at telling them apart yet.
"Nora, is it true the men kidnapped you?"
"Nora, how do you feel about Dr. Greene saying you cannot be trusted to make decisions for yourself?"
"Nora! Are those bond marks around your neck?"
"Nora, which Alpha is your favorite?"
"Nora, is it true that your Alphas abuse you?"
That last one cuts through the din of the crowd, and I hold my hand up, doing my best to silence the crowd. Surprisingly, they calm down, every single one hoping to get their question answered.
"I am not here to answer questions. My Alphas have been falsely accused of stealing me. Not kidnapping me, stealing me. I am not property, and they do not treat me as such. I am cherished in their arms. These charges are inappropriate, and though I am loathe to see my Alphas leave mere hours after finishing my heat, I understand that this is just a roadblock to getting them home."
The reporters clamor over one another again.
"Are you saying you don't agree with our legal system?"
"So you think you know better than the DA?"
"Did you really just finish your heat?"
"Yes," I sigh through gritted teeth. "I did just finish my heat. Any Omega knows this is a highly emotional time, and instead of enjoying a lazy day with my pack, I am here, fielding invasive questions by people who treat me as if I am an object for public consumption." I gulp at the ferocity of my words, worrying about how I will damage my pack's case. But that worry melts away when I feel four hands touch me, emboldening me.
"Now, the only interview I will be giving will be to Rebecca at LunarNews1 due to her sensitivity and familiarity with our situation. Please leave peacefully. This is a quiet neighborhood, and it would be terribly rude of us to disrupt our neighbors."
An overwhelmingly tall man approaches the steps of our home, smiling tightly at me. "Ms. Sloane," he says quietly. He is the first person to address me using my pack name, and for some reason, it's enough kindness to make me want to burst into tears. "I don't know if you remember, but I was outside your home. I'm the one who gave you the note from these Alphas."
"Oh yes! Unfortunately, as you saw, my mother didn't let me read it, but I appreciate your effort all the same, mister…"
"Detective Walsh."
"Detective! I appreciate your efforts all the same. Here," I push the tin of fresh chocolate chip cookies that had been resting in the crook of one of my arms toward him. "I made cookies. Just because you're not coming into my home doesn't mean you're not a guest and shouldn't be treated as such."
He takes a few steps back, holding his hands up. When he speaks, he's got an accent that I can't quite place. "No, sorry, I couldn't accept those."
"Please, Detective. It… Well, if I'm being honest, I'm feeling a bit unmoored by all of this, and it would make me terribly happy." He rubs his fingers between his eyes like I've given him a headache and then nods, taking the tin from me and passing it off to a Beta that was approaching from behind him.
The Beta opens the tin and grins, grabbing a cookie and biting into it. "Thank you, Ms. Sloane," he says. "We appreciate your hospitality in such difficult circumstances." The Beta shoots the Detective a scathing glance and walks away, moving back to keep the crowd from pushing to our front door.
"I have felt terrible since I heard what happened to you once you left your mother's house, Ms. Sloane. I… I have an Omega at home. I can't imagine what your pack is going through, and I'm sorry I have to take part in your further traumatization." The Detective shakes his head, pushing his hands into his pockets. "I don't agree with what I'm doing here." He looks at the Alphas hovering over my shoulders. I can feel them in my bond, a tangle of frustration at being so close to another man that I try to soothe as best as I can. "I want you all to know that. I don't think this is right that they're saying you're property, Ms. Sloane. I'm not going to do the cuffs and perp walk thing the department wants me to do. I'm just going to climb into my car and escort your vehicle, okay? My partner will follow behind."
A vice that had my heart in its grip relaxes. I didn't realize how much I was dreading seeing them in cuffs. "I appreciate that more than you could know, Detective."
"It's the least I can do. Truthfully, your Alphas should be getting awards for their restraint. If this was happening to my Omega, they'd be making true crime documentaries about me." My laugh surprises me, and just the knowledge that there are some people on the inside who support my men is enough to let me take a full breath for the first time in hours.
I turn to my Alphas, my gaze flitting from all of them. "Be on your best behavior," I lecture. "Don't fight, don't scream, curse, or insult. Alicia will be waiting for you there. I need you all to get home to me quickly, and you won't be able to do that if you upset everyone you encounter."
Chase rolls his eyes at me but caves when I stare him down. "Fine, princess. But I want you to know I'm not happy about this."
"None of us are," Nolan says, cutting him a sideways glance. "But this is the hand we're dealt, and we've got to play it through. We're not out of chips, though."
"I do feel like I'm pantsless again," Blaine mutters. "But at least our Omega is a card shark."
"This poker analogy is getting out of hand," Levi chuckles. "Come here, doll." I step into his outstretched arms, sinking into his rich leather scent, the spices tickling my nose and embracing me with a sense of safety. "I love you, Nora. We'll be back soon."
Nolan pulls me from Levi's arms and kisses me softly before wrapping me up and squeezing me into his chest. The rosin scent, woody and citrusy, reminds me of moments where I could forget my troubles and just exist in the moment. My pack leader presses a kiss to his bonding mark. "Love you, sweetie. I'll be home before you know it. We've got another workout class with our name on it."
"Oh, this time, can we try the one where they use the pole?"
"Absolutely not!" Nolan's laugh is contagious, and I can't help but join him.
Blaine pulls me away from the pack lead but not before saying, "I don't know, man. It could be fun to see you on a pole," which earns him a smack to the back of the head. My bad boy Alpha, who really isn't bad at all, pulls me in for a fierce kiss that almost bends me over. "Honey, don't worry about us at all, okay? It's not my first time in jail."
"Wait, what?" I gasp. "You've been in jail before?" My eyes widen as he shoots me this crooked grin that makes me weak in the knees.
"I'll tell you about it some other time, love," he teases, pressing a kiss on my own and spinning me into Chase's tattooed arms.
"Alpha Chase," I whisper, wrapping my arms around his waist.
"Princess," he replies, pulling one of my hands off of him and raising the wrist with his bite mark to his face before kissing it. "Goodbyes are bullshit. A few words aren't going to be enough to make up for all the days I will miss and have missed with you. Nora, you came into my life against my will but treated me with kindness and patience despite all of the shit I put you through. I will always regret that I didn't welcome you with open arms, but I will never regret you. You're the love of my life, okay? So I'm leaving my heart with you. Take care of it."
I stand on my tiptoes and press a kiss to his mouth, squealing when he deepens it by pushing his tongue into my mouth. The connection between us feels like a live wire. I step away, panting, swatting him on the chest with the back of my hand and giggling.
Looking at the Alphas of my pack, I fight back tears. "I love you all with every piece of me. Come home soon."
My heart is beating so loudly, my tears falling so fast, that I no longer hear the crowd of reporters and supporters. Instead, I fold my hands in front of me, compose myself the best I can, and watch my Alphas climb into their SUV and drive away from me, wondering if they'll ever be able to come back.