57. Hailey
Chapter 57
Hailey
M orning light streams through bulletproof glass, casting strange shadows across the kitchen floor. It’s been three days since the restaurant incident, and I’m starting to notice the little ways our lives have shifted. The constant soft beep of the security system. The way Stone checks his phone more frequently. How Jax’s eyes constantly scan the perimeter whenever we’re near windows.
But there are other changes too—ones that make my chest warm despite everything.
Like now, watching Finn water his plants in the early morning light. He moves with purpose, checking each leaf, each stem, as if reconciling these perfect replacements with the memories of their predecessors. Sometimes his hand lingers on a particular plant, his expression distant, and I know he’s thinking of Ren.
A quiet footfall behind me announces Jax’s presence before I see him. He moves to stand beside me at the counter, his body radiating warmth in the cool morning air. It’s only after he’s been there a moment that I realize something: I hadn’t tensed when he approached. Hadn’t felt that instinctive spike of fear that used to come with an alpha’s presence .
The observation settles in my chest, quiet but significant. A year ago—even a month ago—this simple moment would have been impossible. But here I am, comfortable in their kitchen, watching my mate tend his garden while an alpha stands peacefully at my side.
I catch Jax’s eye and offer a small smile, which he returns. He doesn’t comment on the change, doesn’t need to. This is how it’s meant to be. I don’t need to be afraid. I’m getting better every day.
I open my mouth to say something but before I can, Stone appears in the doorway, his phone pressed to his ear. His expression is tight, controlled, but I catch the tension in his jaw. “Yes, I understand… No, that won’t be necessary… I appreciate your concern, but—” He cuts off, listening, and his scent shifts subtly—pine tinged with something sharper.
Another client canceling, probably. They’ve been steady over the past few days, each one citing vague reasons. They—neither he nor Jax—have ever experienced anything quite like this in their many years of doing business.
As the phone call ends, Stone’s gaze meets Jax’s. They have a silent conversation before Stone’s shoulders sag. “We’ve gotta go all in on that Burlington merger. Otherwise…” He doesn’t finish his sentence, instead shutting his mouth and clenching his jaw.
“The gala…” Jax offers.
Stone shrugs. “It’s either that or leave everything up to chance at this point.”
Another moment passes between them, one in which I can almost feel the air fill with tension.
Their business is suffering…and it’s all because I came into their life. I’m sure of it.
“Hailey.” Jax’s voice is careful. “I wanted to ask you something about…before.”
My stomach tightens, but I nod. We’ve been through this dance over the past three days—gentle questions about my time at the Academy, trying to piece together anything that might help them track it down.
“The truck you were in,” he continues, keeping his voice low. “Do you remember how long you were traveling? Any landmarks, sounds?”
I close my eyes, trying to force my mind back to that day. But like always, it’s just fragments. Darkness. The scratch of the blindfold. The rumble of the engine. “I…I don’t know. They kept us blindfolded.”
Jax nods. “What about at the Academy? Anything you ever saw…or heard?”
“Even something you might have smelled,” Stone adds, stepping closer.
I squeeze my eyes shut tight, forcing my mind to find something. Anything . I want to help. Need to help. After everything they’ve done for me, every small detail I can remember might be the one that matters. The one that helps keep us safe.
“Bleach,” I say finally, the memory sharp. “Always bleach. They kept everything so sterile. It was mostly betas handling us, and they have no scent at all…” I feel the familiar guilt creeping in—how useless my memories are, how little help I can be. But then my breath catches as another memory surfaces. “There was one. An alpha. A woman.”
“Widow,” Stone offers. “Yes. You mentioned her before.”
“And you’re sure she was an alpha?” Jax’s voice is careful, controlled.
“Yes. I only knew because I caught her scent once. Just once.”
“What scent?” Stone presses gently.
“Jasmine.” The word comes out barely above a whisper. “But faint. Muted. Like she’d bathed in blockers to try and hide it.”
“Jasmine?” Finn’s voice makes me open my eyes. He’s moved closer, a small spray bottle still in his hand.
I nod slowly .
Stone nods, too. “That’s new information. Jasmine’s distinctive. We can work with that.”
“Can we?” Finn’s voice has an edge to it. “How many people wear jasmine perfume in this city alone?”
“It’s something,” Jax says firmly. “More than we had before.”
“We need something more concrete.” Finn bites his lower lip and I can tell he’s turning things over in that brilliant mind of his. When his gaze snaps to mine, I know he’s got it.
“That girl,” he suddenly says. “The omega on the TV.”
My heart stutters in my chest. Vi. The alphas immediately tense, sensing my spike of anxiety.
“What omega?” Stone asks, his voice careful.
“Vi,” I whisper, and the name feels foreign on my tongue after so long. “She was…she was with me. At the Academy.”
“Vi?” Jax steps closer, his dark eyes intent. “Who is this Vi?”
“Another omega. We were in the truck together.” The words start spilling out now. “When we escaped…she had to run. Into the forest. She couldn’t—couldn’t stay with me or they would have caught us both.”
The silence that follows is deafening. I can feel the weight of their stares, the shock rippling through the room.
“How long?” Jax’s voice is dangerously low even as he turns to Finn. “How long have you known about this?”
“Since the mall.” Finn’s jaw tightens defensively. “And when exactly was I supposed to bring it up? Between the attacks and the threats and everything else going on? Besides, she’s not lost in the forest anymore—she’s been caught stealing. That means she made it out.”
Jax starts pacing, his movements tight and controlled. “If she’s from the Academy, they’ll be after her, too. If they haven’t caught her yet, maybe we can find her first.”
Stone shakes his head. “The police are already involved. We don’t have more resources than they do?—”
“No,” Jax stops abruptly, his gaze shifting to the new bulletproof windows, the reinforced doors. “Maybe we don’t. But we know someone who does.” His eyes meet Stone’s. “Ren.” The tension in the room shifts at Ren’s name.
For a moment, no one speaks a word. Jax’s throat moves, his voice softening as he turns to me. “Was there anyone else? Other omegas who made it out?”
I shake my head slowly. “I don’t know. When the beta came after me, I just…ran. Everything was chaos.” I bite my lip, looking between them. “Do you really think Ren could find Vi?”
Jax lets out a bitter laugh. “Probably. At this point, I don’t know who the fuck he is. Anything is possible.”
“He’s still around,” Stone says quietly, and something in his tone makes us all turn to him. “He’s been checking the security logs. Monitoring the cameras.”
My gaze automatically shifts to one of the mounted cameras outside the kitchen window—one of dozens now surrounding the property. I swear the lense moves when I focus on it. The thought of Ren watching, invisible but present, sends a shiver down my spine.
“You knew?” Finn’s voice is tight. “This whole time?”
Stone meets his stare evenly. “I can see the access logs. He’s been logging in regularly, checking the feeds. Making sure we’re safe.”
“Safe?” Jax’s laugh is harsh. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”
“He’s protecting us,” Stone says firmly. “In his own way.”
“His own way almost got us all killed.”
“You don’t think he knows that? Why the fuck do you think he hasn’t come back?!” Stone’s words drop like boulders, and there’s an edge to his voice now. “Right now, he might be our best chance at finding this omega before the Academy does. He might be our only chance at putting all these pieces together.”
I watch the tension build between them, and that guilt resting just under my skin rises. Ren’s gone because of what he did to me. My thoughts shift to Vi, too. She’s alone, hunted, trying to survive just like I was. Just like I still am.
“We need him,” I whisper, and they all turn to look at me. “We need Ren now.”
“I’ll reach out,” Stone says finally, breaking the tense silence. “I still have ways to contact him. Whether he responds…” He lets the thought hang unfinished.
“He’ll respond,” Jax says, and there’s something almost resigned in his voice. “He always does when it matters.”
I glance at Finn, finding his eyes already on me. He gives me a small nod, and I can see the wheels turning in his mind, planning, calculating. That brilliant brain of his never stops working.
“If Vi’s still free, still running,” he says slowly, “she might know things. About the Academy, about their operations. Things that could help us understand what we’re up against.”
“ If we can find her,” Stone adds.
“ When we find her,” Finn corrects, and his certainty makes something warm bloom in my chest.
Finn smiles at me and I feel a little stroke of excitement. Finally, a real thread to follow . Through the tentative beginnings of our bond, I can feel his steady warmth, his unwavering support.
“Breakfast?” Stone suggests, clearly trying to shift the mood. “I can make those protein pancakes you like, Finn.”
“The ones with chocolate chips?” Finn’s eyes light up slightly, though I notice how they drift to the window again, searching.
“Obviously.” Stone’s lips quirk up. “Hailey, there’s fresh berries if you want them. And before you say anything—” he holds up a hand when I start to protest, “—it’s not special treatment. They were on sale.”
They weren’t. I know they weren’t, because I saw the receipt he tried to hide yesterday. But the fact that he’s noticed I like berries, that he went out of his way to get them…it makes something warm swell within me .
“Thank you,” I say softly, and I mean it for more than just the berries.
As Stone moves to the stove, I watch him work. His movements are efficient, practiced, but there’s a gentleness to them that I’m starting to notice more and more. The way he measures ingredients carefully because he knows Finn likes consistency. How he heats the pan to exactly the right temperature because he’s learned my preference for golden-brown edges.
I’m watching Stone prepare breakfast when a sudden wave of warmth ripples through me, starting low in my belly and spreading outward. I grip the counter harder, my thighs pressing together as I try to breathe through it. The sensation isn’t overwhelming yet, but it’s insistent—a warning of what’s to come.
Finn notices first, his head snapping up from the plant he’s tending. His nostrils flare slightly, and I watch his pupils dilate as he catches my scent. He sets the spray bottle down carefully—too carefully—and moves toward me.
“Hailey,” he murmurs, voice low enough that only I can hear. “Do you want to go upstairs? To the nest?”
The heat in his gaze makes my breath catch, but I shake my head. “After breakfast,” I manage, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’m okay for now.”
It’s not that I don’t want his help—gods know how much easier he makes these moments. But I can’t bear to pull focus right now, not when Stone’s phone keeps buzzing with cancellations, not when Jax is busy trying to find who is behind the Academy, and not while Ren…while Ren is missing. My discomfort can wait.
“You sure?” Finn’s hand finds my lower back, and the touch sends sparks dancing along my skin. “Your scent is getting stronger.”
I notice Stone and Jax deliberately not looking our way, though their movements have slowed. They’re trying to give us space while remaining acutely aware of every shift in my scent, every small sound I make .
“I’m sure,” I say, managing a small smile. “The pancakes smell too good to leave.”
Finn studies me for a moment longer before nodding, though his hand doesn’t leave my back. “Okay,” he says softly. “But the moment it gets too much…”
“I know.” I lean into him slightly, drawing comfort from his presence. “I promise.”