51. Chase
51
Chase
"Princess," I say quietly, stepping into the nest. "Can I come in?"
Nora sits up from the pile of blankets she has wrapped around herself, her big blue eyes watery but her face plastered with a fake smile. "Alpha Chase, of course."
I know this is a delicate matter. I do not want to encourage her to fall back into this persona, but I also know that she went through a trauma, and today just piled the shit on and made it worse.
Sitting down beside her, I adjust the tattoo blanket over her lap and then grab her hand in my own. I slide my fingers down her palm and rest them on her wrist, feeling the slow thrum of her pulse under my bite mark. It should be faster, right? Why is her heart rate so slow?
"What can I help you with, Alpha?"
"I wanted to talk to you about a few things."
She feeds her fingers through my own but keeps her back rigid. A duality of cold poise and easy affection.
There's no fucking way that I am going to let the woman I love disappear because of the absolutely vile garbage spilled by an Alpha who had to create a child just to have an Omega. Unable to earn the love of one, he opted instead to force Nora into being what he thought an Omega should be.
I am not going to let that limp-dicked motherfucker break my girl.
My phone hangs heavy in my pocket like it carries the weight of the world within it. And it does, in a way. This is my only plan for helping Nora see she is more than the Perfect Omega. That Dr. Greene was wrong when he said there was no Nora.
"I wanted to read you something," I say quietly, opening up the web browser on my phone. "Well, many somethings."
"Of course, Alpha. Whatever you desire." I forgot how eerie it can be hearing her speak with that breezy voice. It's so unlike the Nora I've come to know and love.
I want that Nora back, so I need to remind her of who she is.
And maybe this won't work. Maybe I'm way off base, and she's going to ignore everything I say, and I'll have to try something else. But she's worth every effort. No matter what I have to try, how often I have to remind her just how special she is and how much I care for her, I'll do it.
I'm not sure if I'll ever forgive myself for how I treated her at the beginning. For the appalling way I acted and the shitty things I thought and said. But she forgave me, even if I didn't deserve it.
And she deserves to know that that forgiveness, that care, that gentleness, none of that is the Perfect Omega.
That is Nora fucking Sloane. My Omega. My princess. The only woman other than my momma I have ever loved.
I'm not the only person who thinks she's special. They always say don't read the comments on the internet, but when it comes to Nora, it's time she knows what they say.
"'I met Nora at the gym. She was there with one of her Alphas. They danced in a hip hop cardio class and Nora's face was just lit up with joy. It was contagious, you know? To hear someone say that a woman as alive as Nora Sloane is property is absolute insanity. How did this even make it to court?'"
Nora squeezes my hand but doesn't speak. She doesn't even look at me. She just stares across the room at the doorknob of her bathroom, the chrome expertly polished by nervous hands and so reflective I can see the depths of despair in her eyes shining brightly on its surface.
And then I continue.
"'My daughter told Nora she wanted to be the perfect Omega too. And I expected Nora to say something like we always heard in interviews, about how the Perfect Omega behaves. Instead, she told her that she seemed pretty perfect already. As a mother, that was one of the kindest things she could've said to my child.'"
"'Believe it or not, she was my bartender once. Cute little thing, and so sweet. I don't even understand the point of this trial. She's not property. Property can't make a killer martini."
"'Her Alpha almost bit off my head for looking at her, and I can't blame him. It's impossible to communicate just how sweet and kind she is in person. I cannot believe someone would take advantage of her the way Dr. Greene did.'"
"'When I heard about this trial, I was appalled. Nora is so much more than an Omega. I ran into her grocery shopping, and I was having a bit of a breakdown. She helped me put together a meal to impress my in-laws. It was really kind, and the meal turned out great!'"
"'I'll admit that I am biased when it comes to Nora Sloane, but I hope everyone reading this article takes this to heart. One of Nora's Alphas is my brother, and I've never seen him as happy as he is with her. She is so caring and loving. I could never have dreamed that he'd find someone who was so good to and for him. I don't blame Pack Sloane for what they did. If it was my Omega, I'm not sure if I would've shown the restraint they did.'"
"'Oh man, she bartended for you too? What a wild night. I'm a regular at Roberto's, so I've known Joey for a bit, and I couldn't believe it when he told me that they met there. I thought for sure she'd be awkward, but no, Nora is fucking hilarious. Like seriously, she has such a bright sense of humor. She gave Joey so much shit, and the dude is massive and scary. She turned him into a puddle.'"
"Alpha," Nora says quietly, interrupting me. "Why are you reading all of this?"
I wrap my arm around her waist and hoist her onto my lap, burying my nose into her neck and inhaling the sweet strawberry shortcake scent that harkens back to so many good memories in my life. "I have one more, okay?" She nods, melting into my arms, allowing herself the comfort she's been so sorely needing these past few hours.
With her face against my chest, where she can't see my hands, I put my phone down. This next one isn't from the comment section of a news article, but she doesn't need to know that yet.
"When I met Nora, I wasn't sure what to think. That's a lie. I knew exactly what to think. I thought that the Perfect Omega was an act, put on to manipulate people. The situation ended up more nuanced than I could have ever believed. You see, the Perfect Omega was something that was forced upon Nora, but it wasn't something she was doing with negative intentions. It took me way too long to see that. I'm actually pretty embarrassed at the shit I said and did. But Nora showed me so much more grace than I deserved. Every day I learn a little bit more about who she is, the real Nora Sloane, not what someone told her to be. And guess what? Nora Sloane may not be following the brainwashed Perfect Omega protocol that a monster with a God complex pushed upon her, but that doesn't change the truth of everything."
Nora looks up at me as my voice catches and reaches up to brush a tear off my cheek. "The truth of it is that Nora Sloane is the perfect Omega. Not what the media has said the Perfect Omega is. No, Nora Sloane is the beautiful, kind, funny, gentle, caring, thoughtful Omega that is perfect for me and my pack. And I am so lucky to have her in my life."
She's impossibly still as I finish my impromptu speech. I have to admit, I am probably not the best person for this. I know I argued that this needed to be me, but fuck maybe that was a bad idea.
Her shoulders shake with sobs.
I fucking broke her.
I made it worse.
I run a hand through my hair, pulling at the ends, wondering how the hell am I going to salvage this. I never wanted to hurt her, I was trying to help her remember she is so much more than what that asshole tried to do to her.
Just when I'm about to send out an SOS to the pack, her little hand traces the tattoos up my neck before she rests it on my cheek. I swear it's like a hot iron, branding the feeling of her attention on me forever. When our eyes lock together, every worry and doubt I've had melts off me like a kid's ice cream cone. Every insecurity drips to the floor, unable to be put back together.
Gone.
Forever changed.
"Alpha Chase," she says in a thick voice. "Chase Sloane." I straighten my back, adjusting her slim hips to face me, pulling a leg on either side of me. "I realize now that I never told you why I was upset."
"I kind of guessed."
She drops her gaze, taking a shaking inhale. "What if the jury agrees with him? What if they determine that I am nothing but a product, a possession?" She fists her hands in my white undershirt. "What if the jury says that I am not Nora Sloane? What if they think I am just the Perfect Omega?"
I grip her chin a little too tightly, forcing her eyes to stay on me. We're so close that our noses almost touch, and I go a little crosseyed looking at her, but I need her to see, hear, smell, and taste the sincerity in every word I am about to tell her.
"Fuck them. If that's what they decide, fuck them. I'd go to jail for the rest of my life and never regret it because I kept you safe. We can bounce right now, Nora. Let's find a country that doesn't extradite, with good Omega protection laws. I don't need to wait for a verdict to know you're more than they could ever imagine."
I roughly smash my mouth on hers, tasting the salt of her tears and pouring all of the affection I can't find the words for into her. She sighs into my lips, her body losing all of its tension as she throws her arms around my neck. She throws the bond wide open, and that empty slot that was left fills up with every feeling that lives inside my girl. Sadness, fear, and anger flow through me, but not towards me. No, towards me, I only feel love. Just pure, unadulterated affection flows between the two of us. I'm not sure how long we stay tangled together, but eventually, the rest of the pack must have gotten antsy because they come wandering in.
"I got gelato," Levi says softly, holding up a cardboard container and a handful of spoons.
Joey smacks Levi on the shoulder, hissing, "Read the room, pup."
"I like gelato," Nora says, climbing off my lap and crossing the room to take the pint from Levi and kissing him gently on the lips.
Blaine pushes past Joey to get in the room, both of them lightly touching Nora as they pass her. Someone gets the smart home speaker to play some soft music, and then Nolan appears in the doorway with a bouquet of yellow roses and a plastic clamshell of chocolate chip cookies.
When did they go to the grocery store? We weren't up here that long, were we?
As a pack, we pile into the nest, eating sweets and loving on our Omega. We'll spend all night reminding her just how important she is to us.