Chapter 6 Impossible Choices
Impossible Choices
Ross
The sharp scent of her fear cuts through the room, bitter and unmistakable. It makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck, even though I know that we’re safe here.
Oli tightens his grip on her hand while Caleb shifts beside him. His focus locks on the door. Every muscle in his body tenses, ready for whatever comes next. I straighten; my inner Alpha instincts stir beneath the surface.
The door creaks open. Jethro steps inside, his expression calm. He’s already shed his jacket and shoes. A faint frown touches his face as he takes in Sandra’s wide eyes and her grip on Oli’s hand.
He lifts his hands, palms open, and takes a careful step forward. “It’s just me. You’re safe.”
Sandra exhales, her shoulders sagging. Her scent changes; the sharp edge of fear recedes, though not entirely.
Jethro moves closer and glances toward the window. “Snow’s coming down hard. They’re saying we could get a foot, maybe more. Roads won’t stay open much longer.”
I glance towards the window. It’s coming down harder now than it was while I cooked breakfast.
Jethro rubs the back of his neck. “I shut the bar and sent everyone home. No one’s going out in this weather, not in Willowside.”
He stops beside the bed and places a hand on Sandra’s shoulder as he leans across Oli; his eyes search her face. “You’re safe here. I won’t let them come near you.”
Her scent returns to the sweetness of the sage and jasmine I’m becoming used to. My own instincts settle. Snow might keep them out, but it also means she stays. I want that; we all do. But, does she?
Jethro glances between Sandra and Oli, then shifts his attention to the trays at the foot of the bed. His gaze shifts toward Caleb and me. He nods, the message clear. “We should clean this up before someone spills something.”
Caleb and I move, collecting dishes. Jethro joins us. Sandra moves to help as well, but Oli stays close to her, keeping her in the nest.
“We’ll be back,” I tell her while balancing a tray.
Caleb and I carry the trays out, Jethro following with the rest. We carry everything into the kitchen and unload it onto the counter. Jethro puts food in the trash or containers, while Caleb and I wash and dry the plates.
Caleb rinses the soap from a plate and passes it to me. “She’s terrified.”
I nod, drying it on autopilot. “Can you blame her?”
Jethro leans against the counter after he finishes clearing the food and plates. “We need a real plan. We can’t just wait.”
I glance at him. “What kind of plan?”
He exhales. “Something to protect her, that keeps them from touching her again.”
That edge returns to his voice. It’s the same tone I imagine he used when giving orders during his time as a commander in the military. It reminds me he’s the one most prepared to keep us safe from threats like the mafia.
He drags his fingers through the scruff on his jaw. “If they come, I’ll call in Alpha Law. But for it to matter, we have to be bonded. All of us. If the bond takes, the law holds.”
It’s an old law, from a time when hierarchy governed our society and wasn’t just an option. If a scent-matched Omega bonds and the bond takes, the Omega becomes part of that pack. No other Alpha can contest it without facing consequences. Sandra rejected Nero and Emilio. That leaves her unclaimed.
Caleb pushes up his glasses. “What about her father? The debt?”
“We pay it.” Jethro pins him with a stare. “Whatever it takes. We erase it. No more excuses for them to chase her. The bar makes us a surplus at this point. We can afford it.”
I look toward the stairs that lead up to the nest. It’s a lot. But the choice feels simple. “Let’s do it.”
Caleb nods.
Jethro nods again. “Alright, we won’t bring it up right this second, but we will soon. Let’s watch a movie and help her relax.”
With all of us on the same page, we return to the nest room.
Sandra and Oli remain curled together. Jethro eases into the nest and positions himself to her right, leaving space.
Oli shifts, staying close on the other side.
Jethro extends his arm, welcoming them in.
Sandra hesitates, then leans into him. Oli presses closer, and Jethro wraps his arm around both of them.
I climb in on Oli’s other side and reach over him, brushing his side as I take her hand. There’s a deep need inside me to touch them both.
Her hazel and brown eyes meet mine, questioning. She’s searching, not just for answers, but for assurance. I offer her a smile, and she returns it as she places her fingers into mine. Her grip tightens. I brush my thumb along hers in a steady motion.
I keep her hand in mine and lean back to grab the remote from the windowsill behind the bed.
The television flickers to life and fills the room with a soft glow.
I flip through the options and settle on a light comedy, something easy.
The five of us settle into the nest. The room fills with quiet laughter and the sounds of the movie.
Bit by bit, Sandra relaxes. Her breathing evens out, and the tension leaves her frame. For now, she feels safe.
My inner Alpha settles, knowing both my Omegas are here beside me.
The snow continues to come down hard. It might be worse than the blizzard we had around Christmas. A fire crackles in the hearth, casting a warm glow over the living room. We’re sprawled around the coffee table, the Monopoly board set up between us.
Jethro stretches out on the rug, his head propped on a pillow, pretending he’s bored.
He’s taken the role of ‘banker.’ Which, for him, mostly involves snide comments about our financial decisions.
Oli perches on the edge of the sofa, focused on his properties, a deep line between his eyebrows.
Caleb sits cross-legged on the floor, his money organized into meticulous piles.
Sandra curls up beside Oli, laughing at how seriously he’s taking whether to buy Kentucky Avenue.
The sound is beautiful, bright and real, stirring something deep in me. My inner Alpha responds with a buzz of warmth, protective and proud, like I’ve found something worth guarding for life, even though Oli also makes me feel that.
I want to make her laugh again. It’s strange to feel like this, less than twenty-four hours, and I’m acting like a teenager.
All of us are. I can’t help it. Something about her pulls me in.
Makes me want to protect her, keep her safe, make her smile.
It’s like she’s always belonged here, a missing piece we didn’t know was missing.
“I’ll take it.” Oli picks up his colorful cash.
Jethro grunts as he sits up and takes the money from Oli before passing him the card. Sandra tosses the dice and moves her Scottie piece, landing on the same Kentucky Avenue Oli just bought.
She throws up her hands. “You’re going to bankrupt me!”
Oli grins. “All’s fair in love and Monopoly.”
She bumps her shoulder against his. “I think you just like showing off.”
He winks. “Can you blame me?”
She counts out her money and passes it to him, then hands me the dice, her fingers brushing over mine.
I roll the dice and get eight. I bounce my top hat token across the board until it lands on Pennsylvania Avenue, wide open and unclaimed.
“Yes!” I pump my fist. “I’ll take it.” I count out the funds and Jethro gives me a dirty look as he has to play his part again, but hands over the property card.
Caleb rolls his eyes. “Show off.”
I flash a grin. “Jealousy is a green-eyed monster.”
He huffs and looks back at the board before he picks up the dice.
With my turn done, I stand and stretch. “I’m making hot chocolate. Anyone want some?”
Sandra perks up. “Ooh, me!”
Jethro lifts a hand from the floor. “Of course.”
Oli bounces in his seat. “Extra marshmallows.”
Caleb nods. “Just the hot chocolate for me.”
In the kitchen, I grab cocoa mix, milk, and marshmallows.
Laughter and chatter float in from the living room, filling the kitchen with a cozy, familiar energy.
It wraps around me like a well-worn blanket.
I pour cocoa into mugs and top each with a mountain of marshmallows.
As I work, the certainty settles deep. We’re going to protect her, no matter what.
She’s part of our pack already, and turning her away now feels unthinkable, no matter what happens because of that choice.
I return with the mugs. “Cocoa delivery.”
Jethro sits up and takes one. “You’re a lifesaver.”
I hand Sandra her cup and then Oli, his overflowing with mini marshmallows. “Extra marshmallows, as requested.”
She smiles. Her dark hair catches the firelight. “Thank you.”
Caleb takes his without glancing up.
“Alright, who’s Oli bankrupting next?” I settle back in and take a gulp. It’s warm, sweet, and perfect.
Oli grins as he wipes a chocolate stash off his lips. “I’m claiming Park Place!”
“Not if I get there first.” Sandra reaches for the dice. She pauses and glances at Jethro as he sighs from his spot near the cash box. “Are you ever going to actually play? Or just judge us from the sidelines?”
Jethro smirks. “I’m providing moral support and keeping you honest.”
“Hey!” Oli and I protest in unison.
Caleb doesn’t look up. “They would cheat.”
“Would not.” I toss a marshmallow at him. It bounces off his glasses.
Sandra laughs again, her smile reaching her eyes as her shoulders relax. It pulls a faint grin from Caleb, even as he tries to hide it behind his mug. I swear my heart skips a beat. Based on the others’ expressions, they’re in the same boat as me.
Oli reaches over and nudges my shoulder. “You going to stare all night, or take your turn?”
It takes me a moment to notice she’s already gone. I flush and look down. “Right. Rolling.”
Just as I shake the dice, Oli’s phone rings. He checks the screen. His smile vanishes. “It’s Dr. Ramirez.” He answers, listens, then looks at Sandra and hands her the phone.
Her hand trembles as she takes it. “Hello? Yes, this is Sandra. Hi, Dr. Ramirez.” Relief crosses her face. Then it shifts. Her eyes widen, and she pales as her free hand flies to her stomach.
She nods, then murmurs, “I need time to think. I’ll reach out.
Thank you.” She ends the call and passes the phone back to Oli.
Tears enter the corner of her eyes. She blinks fast, but can’t keep them at bay.
After a moment, she heaves a sigh. “No STIs, thank the gods for that.” She chokes the words out through sobs. “But my IUD failed. I’m pregnant.”
The words hang in the air, the fire’s crackle, the only sound filling the silence.
Oli wraps his arms around her and pulls her into a hug. Jethro stands from the floor and moves closer. Caleb looks stunned. My gut tightens as I try to think of a way to comfort her.
What can I say or do to make this news not hurt?
Nothing comes to mind, and it makes me feel terrible.
After a minute, her sobs slow. She wipes her eyes. “She said it’s up to me on how I want to handle it. She can refer me to a clinic that can...” she trails off. “But I don’t know if I can do that.”
She swallows. “She also said, with Omegas who are attacked, if they find their scent-matched Alphas before the second trimester and fully bond the baby’s genome changes, it’s an evolutionary protection thing.
The DNA reflects the bonded Alphas. I’ve heard of that, but I’ve never spoken with an Omega who had the chance to try it. I thought it was a myth.”
Silence falls again, and my mind races more. We’ve always wanted kids, but Oli can’t carry to term. The grief from that has been too raw to consider adoption or surrogacy until now.
Jethro perches on the L of the sectional. “It’s your choice. Whatever you decide, we stand behind you.”
Oli nods. “Always.”
Caleb adjusts his glasses. “We’ll figure it out.”
I meet her eyes. The words finding my mouth. “We’ve got you.”
She looks at each of us. Fear and confusion flicker there, but so does hope. “I don’t know what to do,” she whispers. “I never thought I’d have children. I never thought I would find scent-matched Alphas. I planned on being alone.”
Jethro clears his throat. “You don’t have to decide now, Sandra. Breathe. We’re here.”
She leans into Oli. He runs his hand through her hair. We sit in silence, letting her take in the news. I want to know what the others are thinking, but this isn’t the time or place to talk about it.
After a bit, she sits up. “I just need a bit of time to think. She says I’m about two weeks along.”
Jethro nods at her. “Take it. No matter what you choose, you don’t have to do it alone.”
I know he means it. We all do. We’re staying with her, no matter what.