Chapter 25 Cherished #2
Reverie's eyes snap to Theo immediately, startled by the intensity of his reaction. Her scent spikes with surprise and a hint of uncertainty.
"That shit isn't happening with us," Theo says flatly, his voice leaving absolutely zero room for argument or debate.
"None of it. Not the rentals, not using your money for their appearances, not the financial manipulation, not the different treatment compared to other Omegas, nothing.
That's done. That chapter of your life is completely closed. "
He takes a breath, visibly forcing himself to calm down before he scares her.
"Come on. Let's find Nash so we can get you shopping properly."
He starts to walk purposefully toward where Nash is standing down the street, clearly planning to march us all to the nearest boutique immediately. But then he pauses mid-step. Stops completely.
Turns back around with deliberate, measured purpose.
Here it comes.
The reason he really drove to Millbrook today.
He reaches into his black gym bag with one hand, digging past his water bottle and workout towel, and pulls something out—a small rectangular piece of plastic that catches the weak winter sunlight and gleams.
A credit card.
Brand new, still pristine.
He presents it to Reverie formally, holding it out between two fingers like it's something precious and important.
Which it is.
She frowns, looking at the card with genuine confusion written all over her expressive face. Her eyebrows draw together, her lips purse slightly.
"I don't need your card, Theo. I appreciate the thought but I have some money saved from the odd jobs. I can buy what I need. I don't want to be a burden or—"
He shakes his head firmly, cutting her off before she can finish that self-deprecating spiral.
"Look at it carefully. Read what's on it."
She takes it hesitantly, like she's afraid it might burn her or disappear if she grips too hard, turning it over carefully in her small hands. Her eyes scan the front surface, moving left to right as she reads the embossed letters.
Then her eyes widen comically—huge and round and disbelieving.
Her mouth falls open in a perfect O of shock.
"Huh?" The word comes out breathless and small. "This is... wait. This has my full name. Reverie Ophelia Sterling. My middle name too. This is a credit card in my name? Not yours? Mine?"
She looks up from the card to Theo's face, then swivels her head to look at me, her expression a complex mixture of shock and disbelief and something that might be hope but she's clearly afraid to fully acknowledge or believe in because she's been let down too many times before.
She can't quite process it. Can't quite believe someone would do this. Set up financial independence for her without strings attached.
I smirk, relief flooding through me.
"Damn, they approved it fast, huh? I thought we'd have to wait until next week."
She looks between us, her confusion somehow making her extra cute. Her nose scrunches up slightly and her head tilts like a puppy trying to understand a new command.
"What do you mean? I didn't apply for a credit card. I don't understand what's happening right now."
I step closer, keeping Snowfall's reins loose in my hand. The mare stays calm, sensing the importance of this moment.
"None of us enjoyed hearing that your past pack didn't take care of you in the slightest," I explain carefully, keeping my voice gentle and steady despite the anger simmering hot beneath the surface when I think about Kael and his pack's treatment of her.
"No Omega should ever be worrying about money or basic necessities or financial security when they're in a pack.
That's fundamentally not how pack dynamics work.
That's not how it should ever work in any healthy pack structure. "
Theo nods sharply, his expression deadly serious.
"So the three of us sat down two days ago…right after you signed the contract with Evergreen Media…and talked about how to help you build actual financial independence. Not just throwing money at you, but setting up real foundations for long-term stability."
"We inquired with Millbrook Community Bank about getting our Omega a credit card of her own," I continue.
"Applied on your behalf using the personal information and documentation from your contract with Evergreen Media, which actually helped significantly with the approval process.
Your social media presence, even before going viral today, showed consistent engagement and income potential. "
Theo shifts his gym bag higher on his shoulder, the leather strap creaking slightly.
"That was the real reason I drove to Millbrook this morning instead of staying in Oakridge for my workout.
Needed to pick up the physical card from the bank before they closed for the day.
Called Nash yesterday, asked him to swing by as backup just in case I didn't make it in time due to my gym schedule running long, but turned out my timing worked perfectly. "
He points to the card still clutched in her trembling hand like it might disappear if she loosens her grip.
"It has no spending limit. None. Use it for whatever you need…
clothes that actually fit and make you feel good, professional camera equipment for better content creation, lighting setups, editing software subscriptions, groceries, gas for traveling to other small towns, books from that independent bookstore you love, craft supplies for whatever hobbies make you happy. Whatever you need or want."
"Don't worry about the payments or monthly bills," I add firmly. "Whatever you spend will be cleared by us at the end of every month. The three of us split it equally. That's not negotiable and it's not a loan. You're not paying us back."
"The critical part," Theo continues, "is that paying off the balance monthly in full builds your credit score rapidly.
Your name on the card, consistent usage, perfect payment history—all of that creates a financial profile.
Do this consistently for six months and you'll not only be able to get additional cards in your name with different banks, but you'll be eligible for business loans with favorable interest rates, car loans without requiring cosigners, eventual mortgage applications when you're ready. "
"All the financial tools most people take years to build," I explain, wanting her to truly understand the full scope of what we're giving her.
"You'll have them in half a year. Six months of consistent credit building and you'll have options.
Real options. Independence that can't be taken away by anyone. "
Reverie seems completely speechless.
Her mouth opens and closes repeatedly but no words emerge. Her eyes are shimmering with unshed tears that catch the weak winter sunlight. Her scent shifts to something overwhelmed and grateful and disbelieving all at once.
I continue, my voice softening even further because I can see how close she is to breaking down.
"I remember you mentioning the other day at the diner that you love to bake.
That your grandmother taught you all her recipes before she passed.
I know you pick up odd jobs here and there helping out Hazel at Sweet Haven Bakery when she needs extra hands during busy seasons or when she's short-staffed. "
"But this—" I gesture to the credit card "—this gives you the foundation to potentially start your own business if that's something you want to pursue.
Your own baking business. Making your grandmother's recipes available to more people.
Selling at farmer's markets in different towns, online through social media, maybe eventually opening your own shop or operating a home-based commercial kitchen. "
"Building credit makes all of that financially accessible and realistic," Theo adds, his voice losing some of its usual gruff edge.
"Eventually you can finance commercial-grade kitchen equipment—professional ovens, industrial mixers, proper refrigeration.
Get a business vehicle with your name on the registration—one of those cute vintage trucks or vans you're always photographing and sharing on your content.
That would be critically important if this small-town travel content strategy takes off the way we all think it will. "
"You could combine both," I suggest, the idea forming even as I speak.
"Travel content and baking business. Visit small towns, document their Christmas traditions and local charm, sell your baked goods at their markets.
Build both brands simultaneously. The travel content brings followers, the baking gives you additional income streams and business credibility. "
She tries to speak again but the words catch painfully in her throat.
A single tear escapes, rolling slowly down her flushed cheek and catching the light.
I reach out instinctively—can't help myself—cupping her face gently with my free hand while keeping Snowfall's reins secure in the other. My thumb catches the tear carefully, wiping it away with tenderness I didn't know I was capable of showing someone I've known for less than a week.
Her skin is incredibly soft and warm despite the December cold biting at all of us.
I can feel her pulse fluttering rapidly beneath my palm where it rests against her jaw.
She looks so small right now. Vulnerable. Like she can't quite believe this is real, that someone would do this for her without expecting something in return. My chest aches with the need to protect her from ever feeling that way again.
"Wow," she whispers, her voice breaking slightly on the single syllable. More tears threaten to spill. "You guys really thought this through. All of it. Every detail. The credit building, the business opportunities, the path to independence. You planned this together. For me."
"We did," I confirm simply, honestly, holding her gaze so she can see the truth in my eyes.
"Because you're our Omega. Even if it's temporary based on the six-week contract terms, even if you decide after Christmas that you want to move on and find a different pack or stay independent, that doesn't change the fundamental fact that right now, in this moment, you're part of our pack. And we take care of our own. Always."
I take her hand—the one not death-gripping the credit card like a lifeline—and wrap it securely in mine. Her fingers are cold from the winter air, small and delicate compared to my larger, work-calloused ones.
Then I gather Snowfall's leather reins more firmly in my other hand and start walking slowly down the sidewalk, gently tugging Reverie along beside me.
Millbrook's main street spreads out before us—charming storefronts with their Christmas decorations twinkling in the afternoon light, people bundled in winter coats carrying shopping bags, the smell of cinnamon and coffee drifting from the nearby café.
It's the kind of picture-perfect small town that makes people nostalgic for simpler times.
Snowfall walks calmly beside us, her hooves making soft clopping sounds on the pavement. She's completely relaxed now, all her earlier stubbornness gone. Sometimes horses just need the right handler.
Sometimes Omegas need the right pack. Someone who sees their value, who protects without controlling, who builds them up instead of tearing them down.
"Our pack takes care of each other," I say as we walk down Millbrook's main sidewalk toward where Nash is waiting with an expression that clearly says he knew this moment was coming and is pleased with how it's playing out.
"You're part of that equation now, Reverie.
Whether it's temporary based on what you ultimately decide about us, or permanent if things develop and deepen the way I honestly suspect they might, that card is yours.
We'll take care of you for as long as you need us to…
six weeks, six months, six years, whatever you need. "
I lift her hand to my lips, pressing a gentle, lingering kiss to her knuckles.
The gesture is probably old-fashioned, definitely something I picked up from reading too many historical romance novels for research purposes, but it feels absolutely right in this moment.
Her skin is soft against my lips. I can smell her scent stronger here—vanilla and caramel and citrus all mixing with the winter air and horse and my own maple-honey Alpha scent.
"And once we're completely assured you're set up properly—financially stable with good credit, business running successfully if that's what you choose, independence firmly established so no one can ever control you through money again—the card will still be available to you," I whisper against her skin, my breath warming her cold knuckles.
"So if you want to buy any new release books or splurge on signed first editions from your favorite authors, be our guest. Consider it pack resources."
She blinks rapidly, more tears threatening to spill over and streak down her cheeks. She nods slowly, carefully, her voice barely audible when she finally manages to speak.
"Thank you so much. This means the world to me. More than you could possibly understand. More than I can properly express right now."
I squeeze her hand gently, protectively.
"We know. We understand more than you think we do."
Because Nash looked into her past pack but with the tidbits she’s shared, it’s very clear there’s been financial abuse, emotional manipulation, and using her labor without compensation.
We understand exactly what she escaped from and exactly why this matters so much.
Theo moves smoothly to her opposite side, flanking her as we continue walking down the sidewalk.
The three of us create a protective formation around her—me on her right with Snowfall clopping along peacefully, Theo on her left with his gym bag slung over one muscular shoulder, both of us larger and taller and creating an unmistakable shield between her and the rest of the world.
Anyone looking at us would see exactly what we are: a pack.
An Alpha pair protecting their Omega as we walk through town.
"It's time you really see how an Omega is supposed to be treated when cherished by those around her," Theo mutters, his voice low but fierce with absolute conviction.