23. Date Night In The Midst Of The Rodeo #3
"For Cole, she was submissive and traditional," Austin says quietly. "Everything he'd been raised to expect in an Omega. She let him lead, deferred to his decisions, made him feel like the Alpha his father always said he should be."
The picture they're painting makes my stomach churn. I know this game—watched other Omegas play it at Iron Ridge, becoming mirrors instead of people, reflecting back what Alphas wanted to see instead of showing their true selves.
"She weaseled her way in," Mavi continues, his hands clenched on the table. "Slowly, carefully. Small gestures of care that seemed genuine. Remembering preferences, anticipating needs. By the time we realized it was calculated, we were already half in love with the image she'd created."
"We thought she was the one," River admits, and the pain in his voice makes me want to reach for him. "Started making plans. Marriage, bonding, building a life together. Cole was ready to propose."
"What happened?" Though I suspect I already know. The performance can only last so long before the mask slips.
"She got comfortable," Austin says. "Started making demands.
Nothing huge at first—little things about how we spent money, who made decisions, whose name went on what documents.
But it escalated. She wanted control of the ranch finances.
Wanted Mavi to use his skills to dig up dirt on business rivals.
Wanted River to falsify veterinary records for insurance fraud. "
"When we pushed back," Mavi's voice goes hard, "she showed her true colors. The sweet Omega act dropped completely. She threatened to leave, to find Alphas who'd appreciate her properly. When that didn't work..."
"She played victim," River finishes. "Went to her grandfather—the Mayor—crying about how we were controlling, abusive, neglectful. How we'd promised her things and reneged. How we'd manipulated her into a relationship she didn't really want."
The implications hit me like cold water. "She lied about abuse?"
"Extensively and creatively," Mavi confirms. "Had stories for every bruise from ranch work, every time one of us had to leave for emergency calls. Painted a picture of four unstable Alphas who couldn't be trusted with an Omega's safety."
"The whole town turned on us overnight," Austin adds, bouncing Luna gently as she fusses. "Businesses we'd worked with for years suddenly found reasons to end contracts. People crossed the street to avoid us. The fire station started scheduling me for every shit shift they could justify."
"It nearly broke us," River says quietly. "The pack, I mean. We started turning on each other, wondering if maybe we had done something wrong, if maybe we were the monsters she painted us as."
"Why didn't you leave town?" I ask, though I think I know the answer.
"Because running would have looked like guilt," Mavi says. "And because this is our home. Our ranch. We weren't going to let her chase us away from everything we'd built."
"So you stayed and endured it," I murmur, understanding flooding through me. The careful way they've courted me, the hesitation about pushing boundaries, the way they seem to expect rejection at every turn—it all makes horrible sense now.
"The rodeo," Austin continues, bringing us back to the present, "has been my family's tradition for generations. Even when I was working in Helena, I'd come back for it. It's the one piece of home that felt untouchable. But now, with this new rule..."
"Sarah's making sure you can't participate," I finish. "One more way to punish you for not being the Alphas she wanted you to be."
"It's petty," River says. "In the grand scheme of things, missing one dance isn't?—"
"It's not petty." The words come out sharp enough to surprise me. "It's cruel. It's taking something that matters to you and using it as a weapon. It's showing you that she still has power over your life even after everything."
I look between them—these men who've shown me nothing but kindness and respect, who've careful of my boundaries even when it cost them, who've been slowly teaching me that not all Alphas see Omegas as possessions or tools.
The thought of someone hurting them, of using their capacity for love against them, makes something protective and fierce rise in my chest.
"But if you go," I say slowly, pieces clicking together in my mind, "if you show up with an Omega on your arm, keeping your tradition despite her grandfather's rules..."
"It's like saying she didn't win," Austin finishes, a small smile tugging at his lips. "That we've moved on."
"Payback?" River asks, catching my line of thinking.
"Payback," I confirm, feeling a grin spread across my face. "Against this Sarah chick who thought she could break you."
Austin blinks at my vehemence. "Well... I guess, yeah."
"Good!" The energy building in my chest needs outlet, needs action. "Make sure Luna's in bed and you're ready by eight."
I'm already moving toward the stairs, plans forming rapid-fire in my mind. What does one wear to make an ex-Omega jealous? Something that shows I'm not playing games, not pretending to be something I'm not. Something that says these are my Alphas now, and I protect what's mine.
"Willa?" Austin calls, confusion clear in his voice. "What are you doing?"
I pause at the bottom of the stairs, turning back with what I know is probably a wicked smile. "Getting ready for the rodeo, silly. Let's go make an Omega jealous."
The stunned silence that follows is deeply satisfying. I can see them processing—the shift from their explaining their pain to me taking charge, making their battle mine.
"Operation: Payback is in effect," I announce, unable to resist the dramatic flair. "Nobody messes with my pack."
My pack. The words slip out without thought, but I don't take them back.
Because that's what they are, aren't they?
These men who've been hurt but haven't let it make them cruel, who've offered me shelter and safety and the space to heal.
Who've shown me what Alphas can be when they see Omegas as partners instead of possessions.
Sarah thought she broke them. The Mayor thinks he can control them. They're both about to learn what happens when you threaten someone under Willa James's protection.
I take the stairs two at a time, already mentally cataloging the new clothes River bought me today. That white romper is definitely coming out to play, and maybe some of that confidence I found on horseback this afternoon.
Behind me, I hear Austin's voice, soft with something that might be wonder:
"Did she just claim us as her pack?"
"I believe she did," River responds, and the warmth in his tone follows me up the stairs like a caress.
Tomorrow night, we're going dancing. And Sarah, wherever she is, is about to learn that her little games have consequences.
Because I might be new to this pack and still be figuring out where I fit, but one thing I know for certain:
Nobody hurts my Alphas and gets away with it.
Operation: Payback, indeed.