Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Harlow
I'm just starting to relax against Cae, wondering exactly where the rest of the day is going to lead us, when the apartment door opens.
No one is expecting the door to open, so the second it swings open, we all snap our heads in that direction and freeze.
Two very unexpected Omegas walk in. My mother and Caelum’s mom, Marissa.
“Mom?” Cae and I both ask at the same time. Cae still has his arms around me with Lachlan close at our side.
I'm pressed chest to chest with an Alpha that already has a mate as our fucking mothers walk in.
The thing that makes this even worse is the fact that my tits are also hanging above the living room couch.
The two women walk in chattering cheerily, make it a few steps, suck in a deep breath each, and pause.
The two Alphas and I watch in horror as the mothers’ eyes flick between us and the painting and back. I'm expecting some level of outrage seeing as I'm not a part of this pack, and I have always known my mother's expectations of me are beyond my ability to reach… But even I am capable of realizing that hooking up with a pack that already has an Omega, isn't my finest moment.
Even though the other Omega really was their biggest selling point… I'm not sure either of these women really care about that, though.
Caelum must also be bracing for some level of shock and outrage because his hold on me tightens.
Lachlan takes a step forward like he wants to block their view of us. It's really sweet actually. If anyone knows just how overbearing these two mothers are, it's him and Quin.
But I should have known better.
These women never do what we expect. I think they find it more entertaining to leave all of us, but especially me, always guessing.
Because the next words out of my mother's mouth make my jaw hit the fucking floor.
“Harlow, finally! Oh my god, you have no idea how long we've been waiting for this! I am so glad you finally came to your senses, Cae!” She claps her hands together and actual tears fill her eyes.
Literal fucking tears.
It takes a moment for the insinuation to hit its mark. The Alphas both tense up as a burned edge saturates their scents.
She's my mother, and I love her dearly, but I'm not sure if there's another human on this planet that can enrage me quite like her.
I used to think Cae pissed me off more than anyone else… I can see now that I was fucking wrong.
Because as I stand here between the literal audacity of our mothers, I just wanna protect Cae from whatever bullshit this is.
“Now, we finally have hope for those grand babies!” Caelum’s mother whispers, the tears that had been filling her eyes a moment before start trailing down her cheeks.
“We can plan the most amazing bonding ceremony. Can you imagine, Rissa?”
Caelum’s entire body trembles against me. Lachlan’s muscles are tight, and he looks ready to start throwing punches.
Of course, that's also the moment Quin's head pops out of the hall. His face is red, his eyes bloodshot and glassy.
The tears that threatened to spill over the edge of his lashes put me on edge.
I've never been this angry with my mother before in my entire life.
She's done a lot of really shitty things, and I've always just forgiven her. Made excuses like, that's just how she is. She means well. She just doesn't know how to express it. She has a kind heart. She just doesn't have subtlety.
But I've never seen her more cruel than I do at this moment.
Quin doesn't move to get any closer to us. He simply stands there in the hallway threshold, halfway between the mothers and us.
His body is shaking, and he looks ready to fall apart. I fucking hate it.
The silence stretches on so long that our mothers seem to realize that maybe they've said something wrong… Especially now that Quin is out here, too.
I saw the way their eyes widened when he stepped into the room. Did they think he was fucking gone or something?
Did they think I was replacing him in this pack? That I was Lachlan and Cae's new Omega?
“You're fucking kidding me, right?” I finally snap, no longer able to hold my tongue. Not about this, not about anything… Not ever again. “I've put up with a lot over the years because you two mean a lot to me.” I step away from Cae, and he reluctantly releases his hold on me. Thankfully, he doesn't need any prompting and immediately moves to Quin's side.
Even in the face of his mother's scrutiny, he would never abandon his Omega.
A fact that fills me with pride.
Lachlan seems torn, like he isn't sure whether he should comfort Quin or have my back.
It only takes him a few seconds to realize that in this moment, Quin needs his Alpha.
Their scents spike, reaching out to comfort Quin. It's not quite enough to quell the raging anger inside of me, however.
I have never been so sick of my mother's shit.
Marissa, Caelum’s mother, has the absolute fucking gall to look confused.
“Harlow–” she starts, but I cut her off.
“No. Absolutely not.”
I'm more than happy to take the full brunt of their anger. Their hostility.
Not that either of them should be hostile or angry. No, that's reserved for us.
The kids that they've spent so many years trying so hard to push together that they ended up pushing us apart.
What could have happened if there wasn't this rivalry between Cae and me? Would he have come to me when we were in high school and told me what the other boys had been planning?
Instead of spreading insane rumors about me because he thought I would never believe any word out of his mouth?
Would I have had the bravery to tell them about my feelings sooner? Not just how I felt about Cae in the beginning but how my feelings developed for Quin too. About how attracted I was to Lachlan?
How Quinton’s scent made me feel half feral with need every time I spent more than a couple of minutes in his presence as we got older. Well, more like a couple of seconds, honestly.
“I'm ready to say a bunch of things that can never be taken back. Most of them would be said in anger, and while some of those things might be true, I don't enjoy being cruel and hurtful. Though, if I did, it would seem I got it from my mother,” I scoff, shaking my head. “I used to think that you were just strong and hard-headed. Pushy because you were confident. Now, I don't think I know you at all. Not the good things about you, anyway.”
“Harlow!” This time it's my mother who snaps my name, the tears in her eyes actually make my heart ache. Funny how that happens. She spent years not giving a single shit about my feelings or how she makes me feel, but the second my words hurt her, it feels like I've been stabbed in the chest.
“I'm gonna leave now before I say anything else… Because somehow the woman whose words always seem to cut me deepest, is also the same person who told me not to say something if I don't have anything nice to say.” I push past them toward the apartment door, grabbing my keys on my way by. I don't have anywhere to go, but I'll find somewhere. Anywhere is better than here at this point. “I suggest that you make it up to them while I'm gone. You not only owe Quin an apology, but maybe consider begging them for your forgiveness, so they don't cut you out of their lives completely.”
“Wait…” my mother tries to stop me with a delicate hand on my arm. I shake her off, stopping at the entryway table to grab my purse before stepping forward and grabbing the door handle.
“No, Mom. Because despite what you might think is best for me or best for them… I'm not a part of their pack. I am not their Omega. I'm unmated and unbonded. They are a unit.” I point to the three men still standing in the hallway.
The looks on their faces speak volumes for what they're no doubt feeling right now. I can see their pain, and I can practically feel their heartache.
But I can also see, pride? Admiration…
I think maybe they're grateful to me for sticking up for them and their mate.
I nod to them before turning away and walking out the door, slamming it shut behind me.
Caelum
I was scared that this would happen.
Quin has always sensed my mother's animosity toward him. It's not like she's very fucking subtle about it.
I've tried to tell him it doesn't matter what she thinks, that she's got no influence on my decisions.
That I don't care how badly she wants me to have babies.
Part of the reason why I didn't try to repair things with Harlow sooner was this.
This reaction. The fucked up things that they just said without outright saying them.
The second the door slammed shut behind Harlow, my mother let out a sob. My instinct to soothe her kicks in, but I fight it easily.
She's an Omega, after all. Sensitive. Delicate. Ruled by her instincts and emotions. Needing the protection of an Alpha.
She was a good mother, and I never resented her until the day I bonded with Quin and Lachlan.
What should have been a happy celebration turned into a fucking lecture.
She had bitched me out for choosing a male Omega. Like it hadn't been clear since I was seventeen years old that I was in love with him.
Like there was any other choice.
Even if Harlow was in the picture, Quin was always also right there. Our friendship laid the groundwork.
This only ended one way. Pack Baker was only going to exist with Quin as the heart of it, and Harlow as the soul. Something that's become even clearer to me now.
Harlow cares about Lachlan and me, but our Omega is her center. Without Quin, I don't think she ever would have agreed to live here. Maybe, if I hadn't acted like a dumb jackass in high school, but even then…
Would he and I have been enough for her if Quin was never here first?
Sure, we all needed her for different reasons, but she needed us, too.
Needs. We need her, and she needs us.
I turn Quin in my arm, so he's facing me, his back to the mothers. Lachlan moves, so that he's blocking their view of us, his shoulders wide and arms crossed over his chest.
The statement is clear, you two stay over there, and you don't deserve to see this private moment.
“Listen to me, Quinton,” I growl as my scent naturally responds to his distress. “No matter what they say or how shitty they are, you have always and will always be more than enough.”
I press a kiss to his forehead and then pull him into my arms for a tight hug. I tap Lachlan on the shoulder and pass our Omega to him once he turns around to face us.
“Take him to Harlow's room, get him all cuddled up in her scent,” I say, nodding my head down the hall. “I'll take care of those two. Be ready because once they're gone, we're going after our girl.”
“You don't have to make them leave,” Quin whispers softly. “They're right, I can't give you children the same way that Harlow can.”
“Quin, you might not be capable of growing a child in your body, but there are so many other ways to build a family. To build a pack. We're gonna go get Harlow because we fucking love her. Because we need her. And she needs us. Not because she has a uterus. In fact, uterus or no uterus, I think we can all agree we would still ravish her.” I wink, trying to lighten the mood. Thankfully, it works because Quin chuckles, and his scent of peach cobbler warms the air around us.
“Come on, you naughty little thing, let's go snuggle up in our girl's bed while your Alpha kicks those two pecking hens out.” Lachlan tucks Quin under his arm and leads him down the hall toward the bedrooms.
I take a deep breath, steadying myself, and then turn to my mother and Emily.
“Caelum,” my mom looks at me with her large, pleading amber eyes, the ones she passed down to me, and I steel myself against the need to comfort her. I can't protect Quin if I never stand up for him.
And to do that, I need to stand up to her.
“Quin didn't deserve that,” I start as I step into the kitchen and stand before them. Both of their scents are sour with hurt and anger. The most prominent thing I sense, though, is guilt.
“I'm so sorry,” my mother shakes her head, swiping at the tears streaming down her cheeks. She sniffs, so I reach for the box of tissues we keep on the counter, handing them to her.
“I believe you.” I don't tell her that it's okay because it's not. I don't say I forgive her because I don't. I can't.
Because I choose my pack. I choose my mate. I choose the life that we could have with Harlow.
And I do choose Harlow. Not because her mother wants me to, not so that we could, maybe, one day have babies.
Not for any reason other than the fact that we just care about her.
We love her.
We want to be with her.
We want her in our pack.
And I'm sure as fuck not going to let these two ruin that.
“But believing you doesn't make what happened any better. It doesn't change the years that you've spent resenting Quin. It doesn't change the amount of time you’ve spent trying to force me and Harlow together. It doesn't erase the last eleven months I spent wondering how I was going to convince you to accept Quin.” I shake my head, crossing my arms over my chest because at the end of the day, I'm still an Alpha, and I don't enjoy watching my mother cry.
My instincts are urging me to hug her. To offer her comfort when I know the best thing for her right now is for her to sit with this feeling.
To let it sink in.
“I can't offer you forgiveness. That's not for me to give you. What you've done has hurt me, yes. But more than that, it's hurt my pack. It’s hurt my mate. And it's hurt Harlow. Quinton is the only reason that she agreed to stay in this apartment. He's the one that was here when she needed someone. He comforted her and offered her support. Friendship.” I point down the hall behind me. “That Omega down there, loves Harlow,” I tell them what I've known all along. “He is her center, and she is his. Without both of them, Lachlan and I have no center. No pack. No bond.”
I shake my head at them in disappointment.
“I didn't realize…” Emily murmurs.
“How could you? You spend half your time trying to convince yourself that Harlow is someone that she isn't and the other half trying to turn her into someone else. You've never considered simply accepting who she is.” I let out a long sigh when Emily flinches.
“I understand. I'm-I'm so sorry, Caelum.” My mother nods her head, tightens her hold on her purse, and turns to Emily. “We should go.”
Emily nods, but as they turn to leave, I clear my throat.
“The key,” I say, holding my hand out, palm up. My mother nods, pulling the key out of her purse and placing it in my hand. “This was supposed to be for emergencies, not so you could just barge into the apartment at any point just because you felt like it.”
“We just wanted to see how Harlow was settling in…” Emily trails off when she sees the look on my face. “Obviously, we were misguided, and overstepped our boundaries, I suppose.”
I raise my brow at her, “You suppose?”
I let the corner of my mouth tip up slightly, not quite a smirk or a smile but just enough to lighten some of the tension between the three of us.
I'm not letting either of them off the hook, but I also don't want them to think that I'm not willing to give them another chance. Of course, that's entirely dependent on what Harlow and Quin decide they want.
“I'll see you both soon.” I nod, escorting them out the door. I give them a few moments to get a few steps away before I shut the door and lock it. I'll have to change this lock, of course, because I know both of those women certainly have a copy of the key.
And I wouldn't put it past them to absolutely use it again if we are able to successfully repair this relationship.
They are still our mothers, after all. And we can only expect them to change so much. They do have their limits, I think.
I take another deep breath, steadying myself. Walking back to Harlow’s room to get my pack mates, I’m ready to claim our girl. I'm not sure where Harlow’s run off to, but we'll follow her scent.
And then we'll bring her home and make her ours for good.