Chapter 49
FORTY-NINE
My reflection gazes back at me, and I wonder who this woman is. Where did she come from? With bite marks on my flesh and light in my eyes, I could be a different person than who I was a few months ago.
“I love it,” I tell the stylist. “I needed a refresh.”
“It suits you,” she gushes while fluffing up my new style. “Your pack is going to love it.”
My pack.
My chest warms behind the scar that once defined my adulthood. Five happy bonds twist and turn together.
“Yeah, I think they will.”
A soft chime fills the space, and I look up, eyes locking with Wyatt as he slips in.
“Whoa,” the young Beta says, unable not to look at my handsome Alpha. “That’s your Alpha? No wonder your smile is so big.”
I laugh as I stand up and snag my purse, crossing the strap over my neck so the bag rests on my hip. “One of them.”
Wyatt is talking to the Omega working the front desk before he swipes his credit card. By the time I make it to his side, he looks down at me with a sweet smile, eyes shadowed by the brim of his cap.
“I love it, princess,” he says, leaning down and kissing my cheek softly. “You look gorgeous.”
I’m sure that one day I’ll get used to the compliments, but it’s not today. My face warms with a blush that I can’t hide. He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me close to his side as we leave the salon together.
After everything we have been through recently, especially the stress of what happened at the Hawks compound, all the guys decided we needed to do something fun and relaxing.
I vetoed a spa day fairly quickly, considering how horrifically bad my last one had been, but I agreed a haircut was a good idea.
It feels like a fresh start, like some of the bad memories are being swept up and tossed away.
“What’s next?” I ask my Alpha, snagging his hand and weaving our fingers together. “Where are the other guys?”
“They’re getting us a table at the restaurant. You’d think it’d be easy to get a table for six with how many packs are in the city, but this place is smaller, so sometimes it’s hard to get a spot.”
He guides me around a corner, and I chuckle when I see where he’s taking me for lunch.
“My brother loves this place,” I say as I slip through the door to the Greek restaurant while Wyatt holds it open for me.
“Jordan, too, but she doesn’t come here as much as she used to since her office isn’t nearby anymore. ”
Sebass is on his feet, waving at us, directing us past the host stand and to a table in the back of the small place.
There’s a seat saved for me at the big round table, positioned between him and Charles.
Atlas is next to Charles, with Harvey on his other side, leaving Wyatt to take the only seat not directly beside an Omega, something he grumbles about loudly.
After my pack sufficiently gushes over my haircut and how much they like it, I feel the server move up behind us.
“Hi, everyone, I’m Lanie, and I’ll be taking care of you today.”
My eyes widen, and I whip my head around, staring at the blonde Beta woman. I have to bite my lip to keep my tone level.
“Hi, Lanie, I think we’ve met before, but it’s been a while. I’m Athena Valentine.”
I shouldn’t be as happy as I am to watch the color drain from her face, but I am not the bigger person.
It may have been years ago that Lanie fucked over Jordan while they worked together at Hurry Up and Grow, but I can hold a grudge, even if Jordan’s life has turned out so much better for leaving that place.
“Right,” Lanie says, dragging out the word as she looks furtively around the restaurant, most likely to find someone to take over our table. “Good to see you again.” Her voice is as stiff as her spine when she doesn’t spot another server nearby.
“You too. Glad to see you’re doing well!”
She stumbles over our drink orders and disappears. My Omega leans around Charles and narrows his eyes suspiciously at me.
“What was that about?”
I wave his concern away. “Nothing much. She messed with my family and tried to take everything from them. I had heard a rumor that she lost her career and struggled to find someone who would hire her, but it appears she landed on her feet.”
My pack doesn’t seem so convinced about my good intentions, but when another server drops off our drinks and takes our order, none of them stop me when I burst out laughing.
“A dog groomer?” I say as I follow Harvey into the shop, which occupies a small portion of a run-down strip mall.
He runs his fingers through his hair before he holds the door to the back room open for me. “It’s one of our many legitimate investment properties.”
“Money laundering joints, you mean?”
“Hey!” Charles pipes up, crossing his arms over his chest. “It is a completely legal stream of income, and we have hundreds of happy clients.”
I climb onto his lap and wrap my arms around his neck.
I’ve been feeling much more affectionate since we bonded.
Maybe it’s because I can now feel their intentions and the authenticity of their affection.
Whatever the reason, none of them are complaining.
“The actual private investigation business isn’t enough? ”
“It’s one of those businesses that can operate in a gray area. I prefer to diversify our investments.” Charles nuzzles into my neck before kissing across my shoulder that hides the bite mark he placed there. “Plus, I like dogs.”
“We’re getting a dog?”
“Now that we have someone in our pack who isn’t gone at unpredictable hours like we are? Sure thing.” He adjusts me until my back meets his chest, facing me out toward Harvey. “I think we could adopt a dog.”
“A dog?” Sebass comes bounding into the office through the back door, his eyes wild with excitement. “We’re getting a dog?”
“Do we need a dog when we have Sebass?” Harvey asks sarcastically. “At least he’s potty trained.”
Sebass rolls his eyes as he leans down to give me a soft kiss. “Hey, Omega,” he whispers against my lips.
A shiver of arousal rolls down my spine at the tone of his voice. I’ve only been with the guys once, during my heat, and I need to rectify that quickly. I want to be able to fully enjoy what they feel like, what they taste like.
I squirm a little in Charles’s lap, and his hands go to my thighs to still me.
“You’re going to have to stop that, or this meeting will not be productive,” he hisses in my ear.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking about, but I have a pretty good idea considering it smells like a blizzard in here right now. ”
Wyatt and Atlas come in through the front of the facility, playfully arguing.
“Tell your brother to back off and quit meddling. I don’t need his help.”
“Well, you tell your best friend to leave me alone,” Wyatt responds. “He seems convinced you need a bonding gift.”
“Bonding gift?” I ask, looking around Harvey to get a better view of the two of them. “That’s a thing?”
Wyatt throws his hands in the air. “Apparently!”
“Betas do engagement rings,” Sebass pipes in helpfully. “So I’m not surprised it’s a thing.” He slides up to Atlas and wraps his arm around the Omega’s waist. “What do you say? Wanna wear our ring?”
Atlas shoves him. “No, I don’t want to wear your ring.”
Sebastian’s face falls momentarily before it bounces back, and he turns to me. “You will though, won’t you?”
I look down at my hands. I’ve never worn much jewelry, but that doesn’t mean I can’t start now. It would be nice to have a little nod to the Beta I used to be.
“Are you proposing to me, Sebastian Lupine?” I tease, hopping off Charles’s lap. “Because I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to do that on your knees.”
His eyes heat as he kneels on the floor in front of me. “Don’t tempt me with a good time, because I will rise to the occasion every time.” He grabs me around the hips and yanks me closer to him.
He’s so tall that his head can fit under my chin, which means his mouth is right at my breasts, and he immediately sucks on them through my shirt.
“You two knock it off,” Harvey says, pushing Sebass away with his boot. My panties and chest are damp, and I shoot my lead Alpha a glare. He snags my chin with his hand. “I promise we can play as soon as we’re done with the meeting, okay? They’re going to be here any minute.”
Like his words have summoned whoever it is we’re meeting here, the bell on the door chimes. Atlas tosses me his flannel overshirt, and I immediately pull it on, buttoning it up to hide the wet patches over my nipples.
A pretty blonde Omega in a pair of black jeans and a pale pink shirt comes through the door, followed by a pack of people. The back room is cramped, but we make it work.
The Beta of the pack, a big man in a leather jacket and boots, clasps hands with Harvey.
“Alright, Harvey?” he asks as a greeting.
“Alright, Mouse,” my Alpha responds, a humorous glint in his eye.
“I’m going to kill my dad for telling all of you that,” he grumbles, taking a step back.
Sebass and one of the Alphas, a man with dark hair and a goofy smile, embrace one another. “Blaine, buddy,” Sebass says, clapping him on the back. “Thanks again for all your help.”
“Happy to,” he responds. “Now you can return the favor.”
Another of the Alphas, a dark-skinned man with a buzzed head and muscles so large he makes Wyatt look small, steps forward and holds his hand out to Charles. “Nolan Sloane,” he says.
Charles rises to his feet and shakes the man’s hand. “Charles Lupine. Clearly, some of our pack mates are acquainted. This is Wyatt, and these are our Omegas, Atlas and Athena.”
The blonde woman’s smile brightens and takes a step forward, extending her hand to me.
“Oh, hello! Blaine has mentioned you both to me. Two Omegas in one pack! How wonderful! I’m Nora, Nora Sloane.
” The name tickles something in the back of my mind.
She must notice something on my face because she giggles, a tinkling, feminine sound that makes my laugh sound like a guffaw.
“I can see your brain working. You recognize my name because it used to be Nora Summers. They called me the Perfect Omega.”
“Holy shit,” Atlas says, taking a step closer to her.
We stare at each other in silence, our pack shuffling awkwardly behind us. Eventually, one of her Alphas breaks the silence.
“Okay, cool, you guys all know each other’s traumas, can we continue?” The Alpha is tall and thin, with bleached hair and a lot of tattoos. His tone wasn’t necessarily rude, but it was short.
Nora fists her hips and rolls her eyes. “What Chase means to say is that you do not have to share your story with me. None of us has had a good experience with the Design Clinic. But that’s actually why we’re here today.”
Harvey leans against the desk that Charles sits behind and props one of his feet up. “It must be important for you to call in a favor already. What is it you all need from us?”
Nora looks at the buff Alpha, who nods encouragingly. She takes a steadying breath and folds her arms across her stomach. “I am hoping you can help us locate someone.”
“And Blaine can’t? I mean, he just proved he’s great at finding people who are trying to stay hidden,” Sebass asks. He shoves his hands into his denim pockets and looks at his friend. “You haven’t had any luck?”
“I’ve been trying for a while,” he admits, ducking his head sheepishly. “No luck.”
The door to the backroom opens, and a slight man with glasses and sandy blond hair pokes his head in. I can hear the babbling of the cute, dark-haired baby that’s resting on his hip. “Bea’s getting antsy,” he says, giving us an apologetic grin. “I think she’s hungry.”
“We won’t be much longer,” Nora says, stepping forward to kiss him on the cheek.
The big Beta pats Harvey on the back and heads to the door. “I’ll help him out. You all be here as long as you need.”
Once they’re gone, Nora turns back to us. “I am hoping you can help find a woman for me. Unfortunately, I don’t have her name. All I have to go on is what the media called her. Plain Jane.”