Chapter 28
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
SIMONA
I adore spending time with the Scorned Girls and always have. Usually, their energy is infectious. Today is different though, I have a clawing need scratching up the back of my neck. I’m not sure if it’s solely because of my heat either. I can’t shake the feeling something bad is coming.
“Are you okay, Sim?” Heidi leans in as she asks softly.
I ignore the champagne she offers, taking a sip of water instead. “I feel pretty ordinary, ruining the party before it starts.”
Tristan’s scent reaches me at the same time her arms wrap around me. “You did not ruin anything. You’re an amazing friend by telling us. No shit, I should probably take a leaf out of your book and share some of my secrets with you guys. Do you think that would help? Like I get so guilty sometimes, but other times I figure you wenches have enough to deal with. Plus, you know a little bit of mystery is good for the soul.” She talks a mile a minute, flipping all over the place like she usually does .
“If it’s about King, I don’t want to know,” Heidi glares at her.
But a Scorned Girls glare is not the same as a glare from any other person in the world. Sure, it’s full of bitchy love but the big bold love by far overrides the touch of snark. Much like the banter we share. I know we cross lines, but we do it understanding completely there’s no undercurrent of shitty intention. Being with the girls has certainly been an eye opener, and I love the way we are with each other. Secrets included.
“Says you,” Tris snarks back to Heidi, her lips pulling down. Although not even an ugly gesture like she’s currently doing mars her beauty. “Any updates for us on how things are going with waiter-boy?”
Heidi’s mouth falls open, a flash of hurt shadows her eye, but then it’s her turn to get cuddles. “I hate that he hurt you so much, Ho. You know Sim and I would be able to beat his ass up if you want us to.”
“So true, Heidi. I mean, we might get a couple of decent shots in. Although, let’s be real, Kai would probably keep walking into our fists and beat himself up better than we ever could.”
“True, but let’s not waste time on yesterday’s news,” Heidi answers flippantly. Her apple scent gets tart as she speaks, and I nearly start crying on her behalf, making the girls shake their heads.
“Are you sure you don’t want to take another heat suppressor?” Heidi offers as she starts rummaging through her tote. Being the heiress of Verdune Pharmaceutical means she always has a stockpile of the best Omega medication with her.
The small pink pill she gave me as soon as I told the girls I was going into heat is already starting to work, ironing out some of the jagged edges happening inside my body. Nothing will stop me reacting like I’m on an emotional rollercoaster, but at the same time that’s nothing new.
“No, I’ll be a good party-pooper, I promise,” I say, looking back at the flowers Koz filled the limo with. Using them as a means to hide my tears while I put myself back together. “He loves her so much, doesn’t he?”
“He does. Our girl loves him just as much, Simona,” Heidi says quietly, admiration in her voice, maybe a touch of jealousy too.
Understandable though. From all accounts, he has never wavered in his devotion to our bestie. She never has either—nor has she balked at Koz’s chosen profession. And yes, that is me being entirely judgmental, influenced by society’s expectations of what a criminal should be. I know people with university degrees, old money and silver spoons have the capacity to be completely narcissistic assholes, Brody is the perfect example of that, but it doesn’t mean it’s still easy to endorse Koz’s criminal activities.
“I have no doubt, Sim, you are going to get swept away in the most epic love story. From the instant you meet who you’re meant to fall in love with, you’ll do things that will make you question who you are. But that’s okay, they’re meant to flip your life upside down. They’ll teach you once and for all about what a remarkable person you really are. I mean, we keep telling you, but I still see the disbelief in your eyes. Falling in love though, I think you’ll finally understand for yourself how we see you. Even if you stink like a skunk after using that cheap shit from my competitors.” Heidi leans back, taking me with her. Her head falls on my shoulder in an unexpected, but touching, display of her affection towards me.
Heidi isn’t a huge touchy-feely person. That doesn’t detract from her capacity to love. And like she herself suggested, I suspect her real pack, and not the ones she is currently agreeing to pack, will give her the safe space for her to heal so she feels like she can display her love however she chooses. Which I can relate to in spades.
“You know, Raney’s going to want to choke Koz out for everything he has planned. It’s pretty extravagant,” Tristan says, kicking her feet up on the seat opposite us.
Heidi and I follow suit, and Tristan takes a photo. Of course it’s incredible, the armful of wisterias in all their stunning variation, matches perfectly the dresses and shoes he also chose and asked us to wear.
“She’s going to bawl.” Tristan links her hand with mine. “You can cry with her. I mean you would anyway, heat or not.”
I twist and bite her shoulder, making her screech right into my ear before we all settle back in for the rest of the drive from the airport to wherever we’re picking Raney up. Koz left a detailed itinerary, which none of us really paid attention to, except the main points, of course. Spoiling her is high on his agenda, which is why he flew us in to surprise her. We’ll do everything to make her Packing Day memorable.
Tristan nudges me. “What do you think Puck’s going to be like?”
“Besotted?” Heidi answers with a straight face before a small smile starts to grow. “It’s a sweet story. I’m glad Raney and Puck got the chance to find each other, it’s nice to see love wins. He sounds slightly obsessed.”
“Understandable. She’s a right honey. What about the other two Alphas?” Tristan asks, seriously.
“Well, Koz has a lot of guns, he’ll probably use one of those if they ever upset her again,” Heidi adds seriously.
“Or he’d get the Phoenix Group to help,” Tristan says, stretching her feet out further. I lose sight of her foot under all the flowers .
Beside me, Heidi goes stiff as a board. I squeeze her hand tighter and pretend she didn’t just react to our discussion. She’d hate the attention, and I completely understand that.
“Well, let’s hope there’s no need for guns and bloodshed.” As I rest back, enjoying the drive, that feeling of unease continues. Like someone is following us. Maybe I’ve manifested a stalker instead of only using the idea as a smokescreen.
“Sim, you know the stalker thing, when do you think it started?”
“As soon as he realised I could speak,” I whisper. And it’s the truth but in a non-truthful way. Brody did start being obsessive in his persecution as soon as I tried to defend myself.
“That’s so not cool. Maybe you should tell Unity so they adjust your schedule at Rejoice.”
“Slight exaggeration there, Tris,” I offer back. Completely serious.
“You’re too modest, Simona. And always have been. Since the first day I’ve been envious of the way you speak and how you say things. You have a beautiful voice, and clearly everyone else thinks it too. You won the competition; you’re speaking to a packed auditorium,” Heidi schools me and before I know it, they’ve both made grand assumptions on my success. Entirely wrong assumptions, but I don’t do anything to correct them either.
Our chatting lulls as the car takes the exit to the hospital.
“Tristan, do we need to get your foot removed from your mouth?” Heidi asks slowly as we all lean forward to see exactly where we’re going.
Tristan hums a bitchy hum. Her comeback is making her snicker already. “I figured we were here for your personality transplant. ”
Heidi splutters ungraciously, nodding her head. “Good one.”
The limousine glides to a stop in the garage of the hospital. Even in the dull overhead lighting it’s easy to see the number of guards Koz has stationed everywhere. He never takes Raney’s protection lightly. His attention to detail extends past guards though. He’s made this look as romantic as possible. It’s totally Raney. She’s going to love all the special embellishments he’s managed, as well as hate being the centre of attention.
Our door gets opened by one of Koz’s people, and we’re helped out of the car and given a bottle of champagne. The guard speaks with the utmost respect as he outlines Koz’s instructions.
Once we’re all in position, waiting for Raney’s arrival, Heidi leans down so she can whisper into my ear. “What I always do when I’m not feeling myself is to borrow something from each of you. I take Tristan’s effervescence, Raney’s fortitude and your gentle heart and let it give me the strength I need. Give it a go. Once our girl is packed, tell her the truth about your heat. Seriously, as soon as Koz and Puck pack her, they’ll be knotting her stupid. At her insistence, of course. We won’t see her before dinner tomorrow at the earliest.”
A stillness descends as the elevator dings. It’s as if everyone takes a collective breath, and when the doors open and Raney steps out, the shock and wonder on her face is exactly how I imagined it.
I sob like a baby, with both Tristan and Heidi helping to hold me up, when Koz proclaims his devotion. Puck steps in and says a few words, but I don’t catch half of them because of my wailing.
After reassuring cuddles from my girls, I jump headfirst into Heidi’s suggestion, taking on the individual energy of each of the Scorned Girls as my own. It’s definitely Tristan’s influence that has me bending Raney over and dry humping her all the way into the limousine while Tris continues giving lip to the entire universe.
As the tires of the car screech and the champagne rains down on us, we make our getaway. Raney’s glare as she slumps against the leather and wisteria covered bench seat is matched by the cold welcome she gets from us.
“What?” she sasses.
Heidi leans forward, her movements slow and intentional. “Don’t you ‘what’ us. We said photos of Pucky boy were expected. And you agreed. Straight a-fucking-way too.” She looks at Tristan and me. “Did we get any?”
We both gasp, making sure to overexaggerate as well. And then we dissolve into laughter which sets the tone for the next few hours. We deal with Heidi’s asshole ex’s appearance, but a quick call from Raney to Koz resolves that, leaving us to get back to making Raney’s day as special as it can be.
Of course, she whinges and bitches as loud as possible, but that’s Raney. And it’s why we all love her dearly. Her usual means of protesting is completely one-eighty when we pull up to Birdie the Omega super store, and Raney loses some of her confidence.
Tristan comes to her rescue and snuggles her into a bubble-gum cuddle before she whispers and talks Raney off a ledge. I take the chance to shoot a text to Ryder letting him know I’m going okay and have taken a heat suppressor to help me through the day. I don’t get a response and before I can think too hard about why, I refocus on Raney. Now she’s got sheer terror on her face.
“No dress?” she stutters as she turns away from Birdie’s facade .
“You have to trust all of us and let us make your dreams come true.”
Those words might be aimed at Raney, but they arrow deep into my psyche perhaps because I’d heard something similar said to me recently.
Despite that, my earlier reticence evaporates completely. I adore being with the girls, and it’s easy to get swept up completely in the beautifully romantic moment.
Time passes in a collective Omega-focussed shopping frenzy as we trawl like hunters through each and every shelf of Birdie’s. Raney even loses most of her grumbling regarding Koz’s very expensive courting gift but then she starts getting antsy because she no longer wants to wait to do the actual deed. Except that goes against Koz’s plans, so we’re filling in time and sticking to his schedule. Therefore, we shop.
There’s so many eyes on us while we are inside Birdie. Logically, I know I’m safe. Knowing I am is in complete contradiction to how my designation is interpreting all the people watching. My Omega is going off her head, clawing at me, telling me to get the hell out of here and go anywhere else to wait for my scent-matched Alphas. The need to leave and the constant din inside my head makes it much harder to keep up the appearance that I’m okay. Not even the distraction of finally meeting Puck who is incidentally the sweetest, hockey-playing Alpha, completely and hopelessly smitten with Raney, quells or distracts me from my rapidly increasing anxiety.
My heat has never made me feel this way. Admittedly, I’ve never gone into heat knowing I’ll be spending the time with Alphas. Up to now, it’s been a lonely, painful experience. I’d be confined to my room and drugged to my eyeballs. At Unity, the founding family expected the same. I knew it was cruel, but after meeting Hendrix, Dominic, and Ryder, I got a better understanding at just how controlling the founding families have been. To intentionally isolate an Omega when they need love and touch the most is disgraceful.
I find a quiet corner, needing a break from pretending I’m doing alright, and to soak up the comforting reassurance Dominic has been sending my way. Switching my phone back on I get alert after alert. They’re coming. They’re nearly at the airport. They’re arranging everything, waiting for a pilot. After reading the messages a few times over, I finally feel my designation starting to relax. I shoot one off with another update that I’m still at Birdie, and that I’m desperate to see them.
Tristan gives me an understanding smile. I barely manage to get my phone back in my bag and she’s enveloping me in a bubble-gum cuddle and dragging me to the last phase of Raney’s surprise. The Birdie shop assistant has been amazingly helpful without being pushy. She’s done pretty well juggling the personality of the other girls, but she huddles closer to me than the others, as Raney is accompanied by Heidi. It’s pretty obvious what the room is for—the makeup chair kind of gives it away as does the counter of hair products. Before Raney’s protests even start, Heidi and Tristan lure her into the chair by reminding her how little time we have left. Emmalina, the assistant, leaves us.
Sadly, there’s another reason for bringing Raney into the small room, so we can break some news to her. Heidi starts speaking, since she’s the expert, but in typical Raney way she inadvertently beats us to the conversation we need to have with her.
“Where did you disappear to before?” There’s reluctance, and accusation, in her question. And while it’s aimed directly at Heidi, because Heidi did disappear with Koz, Raney includes us all in her interrogation .
My impending heat is making everyone’s emotions feel like they are my own. So, while Heidi gives Raney the run down on her disappearing act—it was to run an ADV test on Raney’s other childhood love, Hayes—I hug the shit out of one of my most favourite people in the world.
Raney and Heidi work through what results the test should provide before moving straight to the actual findings of the ADV test they did on Hayes. In all honesty I tune out near the start of their discussion because I get caught up on the telltale signs of an Alpha suffering ADV Heidi outlined. Particularly the distinctive grey skin rash and excessive mood swings. Two worrying signs for any Alpha but seeing them on Brody recently, and coupled with him being at one of the leading hospitals that treats the virus, it doesn’t take me long to go from A to B.
I add a few things to their conversation here and there but I’m not really present. At all. I get caught inside my thoughts even as we get ready to go.
The only thing that pulls my attention is Raney with Koz. They are hot burning passion, completely unapologetic in their need for each other. A flash of heat races up my spine. I look at Tris, whose eyes are on King, before checking with Heidi to see if they’re similarly affected, and I know my girls well enough to read envy on their faces.
As a blonde steps out of the shadows, Raney’s whole demeanour shifts.
Heidi leans in to whisper in my ear. “Given the fact Koz hasn’t killed him yet, wanna bet that’s Hayes?”
“Is she safe with him?” I ask, suddenly worried for my bestie.
“He doesn’t have ADV, never has.”
“Could you rely entirely on the symptoms, or do you need a test to confirm ADV? ”
Heidi turns and guides me away from the others. “What’s going on?”
I shake my head, completely and suddenly overwhelmed by even trying to explain the situation.
“Simona, what’s going on? You’re worrying me. Is it the suppressor? Your heat?”
She stares at me, wanting an explanation, but I’ve got nothing, and my eyes fall from hers as my own disappointment washes over me. I just don’t get why I can’t talk and think logically, but maybe she was on to something. The suppressor might be working too well, suppressing everything. Now that I think of it, I can’t remember what any of my scent-matched Alphas scent like.
I start to freak out a little more, at the same time bracing for a Heidi inspired lecture or explanation but instead, I get an apple scented cuddle. “After your heat I want you to come stay with me. You need a break. I’ll get the suite next to mine ready, no one will bother you, honey.”
Actually, no, I just need to tell you I have met my scent-matched pack. But see, I’m also really scared of Brody. I’m worried you’ll go after him or he’ll discover how much you mean to me, and he will come after you as a means of controlling me. God, I love you. Please forgive me for not being honest.
I make a full but silent confession to her. As she talks, she digs inside her bag without breaking our cuddle. She slides something into my pocket. “Duratious was formulated as a last defence for anyone facing an Alpha with ADV. It’s small enough to go where you go, designed to look like a lipstick in case any Alpha starts snooping through your personal belongings. I’m sending you the phone number of the Phoenix Group contact I have. You know where I am if you need me, and you know I’d drop everything if you do. But I have a lot of faith in you, Simona. Don’t you forget to have faith in yourself too”
With a final kiss to the side of my head, she stops hugging and takes a step away, putting herself out in front of everyone so I don’t have to.
“Excuse me. I need to freshen up,” I say quietly to no-one in particular, though almost every person looks my way.
Making my way back through Birdie towards the bathrooms, my phone vibrates in my pocket. Expecting it to be Hendrix with an update on their location, I nearly trip on my feet when I click on the tag for SinDaBella. Opening the App, I see a very distinguishable mask hanging on a hook with big bold text emblazoned across the black and white image. It’s very rockstar. It’s very Ryder. And his words have me melting.
@Koded.R.Genuine—
I’ve found my SinDaBella!
Ecstatic, mind blown, obsessed.
Writing loads of new material, but I am officially signing off for a while.
My girl needs me, and she comes first.
Like always, be fucking kind to each other.