51. Ashlyn
CHAPTER 51
Ashlyn
Happiness hums through my body as I towel-dry my hair, warmth still clinging to my skin from the shower. I wipe the steam from the mirror with a hand towel, revealing my reflection—flushed cheeks, relaxed features, and the four crescent-shaped marks that now ring my neck. Proof. Undeniable, irrefutable proof that this is real.
Not part of the fake dating arrangement Shelley wants. Not some fleeting fling.
Real.
If the constant, simmering awareness of them wasn’t enough—the way their emotions pulse through me, tethered by the marks—then the sight of them on my skin is. And soon, the world will know too.
I trace the faint edges of each mark with my fingertips, my lips curling into a smile. I hang the towel on the hook and step out of the bathroom, padding barefoot down the plush hallway toward the living area of the hotel suite.
Todd is sprawled out in a chair by the window, his long legs stretched out, his head tilted back, looking more relaxed than I’ve seen him in years. But the moment I step into the room, his gaze finds me, and a slow, easy smile spreads across his lips.
“Come here, gorgeous,” he says, patting his lap.
I don’t hesitate. I move toward him, and as soon as I settle on his knee, he wraps his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. His warmth seeps into me, and the soft rumble of a purr vibrates from his throat.
“I don’t want to go back to the real world,” he murmurs, his lips brushing against my damp hair.
I sigh, my fingers tracing lazy circles against his chest. “Me either.”
“We could cancel the tour,” he muses. “Disappear. Hide out in some remote cabin—just the five of us.”
I snort a laugh. “A remote cabin, huh?”
He shrugs, his fingers skimming along my spine, making me shiver. “Or a random hotel penthouse. But I figured a remote cabin would be harder for Shelley to find us and murder us for ruining her plans.”
I sigh, the reality of everything creeping in. “Yeah. I should call her. I have about a million missed calls. I’ll be lucky if I still have a job.”
Before Todd can respond, the suite door swings open, and Jake strides in, carrying a tray of coffee cups, followed closely by West, who’s balancing a plate of croissants and fruit like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Xayden trails behind them, a room service cart in tow, grinning like he just got away with something.
“Breakfast,” Jake announces, setting the tray down on the coffee table. His eyes flick to me and Todd, his lips quirking. “Though I see some of us are already cozy.”
Todd tightens his grip around my waist, shooting him a lazy smirk. “We’re just discussing our plans to run away from civilization.”
Xayden snickers, dramatically lifting the lid off one of the silver platters. “What, and deprive the world of Primal Pulse’s comeback? You wound me.” He grabs a strawberry from the fruit plate and pops it into his mouth, his eyes glinting as they land on me. “Though I wouldn’t mind a few more days locked away with you.”
Heat flushes up my neck, and I reach for a croissant to distract myself. “A few more days, huh?”
West, quiet as always, sinks into the chair opposite Todd and me, his dark eyes steady. “We have a show tomorrow. Shelley’s going to want answers before then.”
I sigh again, my appetite suddenly wavering at the mention of reality creeping back in. “Yeah. I know.”
Jake slides a coffee toward me, the rich aroma curling into the air. “We’ll figure it out.”
Todd nuzzles into my hair, his voice a quiet promise. “We already have.”
“Right.” I exhale, sinking into his warmth, the cup cradled between my hands. I take a sip, the familiar taste grounding me. It’s exactly how I like it—hot, strong, and just the right amount of sweet. “But if we did run away to that remote cabin in the woods, I wouldn’t have this amazing coffee.”
Todd huffs out a laugh, his chest vibrating against my back. “Oh, I see. Coffee’s more important now?”
I tilt my head to glance up at him, playful but serious. “Are you going to make me choose?” The moment the words leave my mouth, my stomach clenches. Shit. Did I just ruin the mood?
The air shifts, but before the weight of the past can settle between us, Xayden breaks the silence with a dramatic groan, flopping onto the couch beside me. “Never again, sweetheart,” he says easily, stretching his long legs out in front of him. “The plan for the cabin will just have to wait until we can build you your own coffee shop.”
I laugh, tension unwinding from my shoulders. “Oh, so now I get an entire coffee shop?”
Jake smirks from across the room, leaning against the counter with his own cup in hand. “Of course. Can’t have our omega suffering from caffeine withdrawal.”
West sits on the arm of the couch, his gaze steady. “A remote cabin wouldn’t be so bad,” he murmurs, watching me over the rim of his cup. “We could write. Play. No distractions.”
“Except for me,” I tease, taking another sip.
West’s lips twitch. “You’re the best kind of distraction.”
A warmth unfurls in my chest, spreading through my limbs, leaving me feeling more settled than I have in years. This is real. This is mine.
Todd squeezes my waist, his voice a soft murmur against my ear. “We’ll figure it out, Ash. Together.”
I hesitate before calling Shelley. My fingers hover over the screen, my stomach twisted into knots. There’s no doubt she’s been waiting for me to call, and I already know exactly how this conversation is going to go.
With a deep breath, I press the button. The phone rings once. Twice.
Then—
“Ashlyn. Finally.” Shelley’s voice is clipped, her words tight with frustration. In the background, I can hear voices, the rapid-fire clicking of a keyboard, the unmistakable chaos of her office when she’s putting out fires.
I open my mouth, but she doesn’t give me the chance to speak.
“I have spent the past three days trying to do damage control while you’ve been—” she exhales, lowering her voice, “— hiding away .”
My throat tightens. I knew this was coming.
“You disappeared, Ash. You were supposed to be seen, making headlines in a good way. Instead, we get this .”
A click, then the ping of a forwarded link. I glance at my phone screen, and my stomach drops as the article loads.
"PRIMAL PULSE’S OMEGA VANISHES: HEAT OR HONEYMOON?"
The article is brutal . Speculation about my absence, the canceled shows, the sudden silence from me and the band. Fans are furious. Some are jealous . Some are calling me unprofessional . The media is already spinning a thousand different stories—each worse than the last.
I swallow hard.
Shelley sighs, the sound clipped and tired. “Look, Ash, I pushed for this. I thought it was a good angle, I thought the press would eat it up—but I didn’t account for this . You obviously didn’t take your blockers. Fans are turning against you. People are questioning if you’re serious about your career. The network is not happy.”
I grip the phone tighter. “And what exactly are you saying, Shelley?”
“I’m saying end it .”
A deep inhale pulls through my chest.
“The fake dating, the story— all of it ,” she presses on, voice firm. “Come back to New York, do some press appearances, reclaim the narrative. We’ll spin it however we need to, but you cannot stay where you are. Right now, you’re making headlines for all the wrong reasons.”
She’s making me choose.
Between them .
And my job.
The silence stretches long between us, and I know she’s waiting. Waiting for me to say that I’ll do what she wants. That I’ll pack my bags and leave them behind. Again.
My stomach churns, my emotions tangled in a mess too big to sort through.
Then—movement.
A shift in the air.
I turn just as Todd steps into the room.
His eyes lock onto mine, taking in my stiff posture, my white-knuckled grip on the phone. I don’t know how much he’s heard, but it’s enough . And I know he can feel what I’m feeling, because I can still feel his emotions.
His jaw tightens.
But when he speaks, his voice is steady.
“You should go.”
I shake my head. “Todd?—”
“We’ll always support you, Ash,” he says simply. “No matter what. The tour will only keep us away for a few months. You can fly out on weekends.”
His words slam into me like a punch to the gut.
Because that’s what I wanted to hear, isn’t it? That, this time, they won’t make me choose? That they’ll stand by me, even if it means letting me walk away?
Then why does it feel like my heart is splitting in two?
I want to stay.
“I’ll stay,” I say, the phone forgotten in my grip. In the distance, I hear Shelley’s voice, commanding and insistent, telling me I need to be on the next plane out.
Todd steps closer, his hands settling on my arms, grounding me. His scent—amber and sandalwood, warm and steady—wraps around me, pulling me back from the edge of my spiraling thoughts.
“Ash, not this time,” he says, his voice gentle but firm. “We’re stronger than we were before. We aren’t young and stupid anymore. I love you. We all do. And we aren’t going to make you follow us around like some groupie on tour.” His thumb brushes along my skin, soothing. “Go back to New York and be the badass judge you are on Omega’s Top Model .”
My breath catches. The weight of his words presses against my ribs, stealing the air from my lungs.
Because he means it.
Because this time, they’re letting me go .
And it feels nothing like it did before.