Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
One month later
HOLLIS
Looking around the room, I grin happily at how full it is. I asked my sister and her pack to come over for Sunday dinner and I think it needs to become a tradition.
Caleb and Felix are discussing something in hushed tones and I want to be obnoxious and cuff both their ears while reminding them that ‘secrets don’t make friends.’ Although I do really love my secrets.
Mal is cooking up a storm right now, and Lars is in the kitchen making sure the dessert he’s baking doesn’t burn. Hopefully they don’t kill each other.
“There’s a lot of testosterone in the house,” I tease my sister. She glances at me and I notice that she looks a little preoccupied. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to move but my little house is too small for my pack,” she groans.
I feel a moment of panic and tightening in my chest at the thought of her leaving.
“I like that you’re so close,” I murmur.
“I do too, and I feel like we’re just getting to know each other. I don’t want to move,” she wails. “Every open property I’ve looked at is at least a half hour away. That’s too far to walk over and have coffee at!”
Fuck. It's like she’s been thinking about this for a while.
Every male in the room turns to look at us, clued in by the intense feelings we’re both experiencing. Even Lars and Mal pop their heads out of the kitchen worriedly, their gazes on us.
“Everything okay?” Remy asks. “Things feel heavy over there.”
“Nova is worried about moving away,” I sigh, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms as I glare at my best friend standing in the doorway of the kitchen.
“I haven’t brought it up,” he denies. “Even though I have to regularly duck my head to make sure I don’t knock myself out.”
“Mmhmm,” I mutter. “Well, while I can respect that your pack needs more space, I have to say that I’m not a fan of her moving half an hour away.”
“Who said anything about that?” Caleb asks.
“I did a search for homes in the area that would be large enough for us all,” Nova explains, her lip quivering. God, she’s going to kill me. “They’re all really far away.”
The last words are said on a wail and every alpha in the room fucking flinches. I guess our voices are more similar than my sister and I think. Especially when we’re upset.
“What if you build on the property we own next door?” Malcolm says quickly. “Come on guys, it’s not like we have a plan for it. We bought it as an investment.”
“At least let us pay for it,” Caleb says.
“Please don’t,” Remy says, shaking his head. “It came up for sale a few years ago and we bought it on a whim.”
“Do you really think we had any tenants before Nova?” Felix adds. “Mal felt fucking pulled to her when she posted that she was looking for a place. Not in a mate type pull, calm down, people. It was more that he felt the need to protect her. We’ve all come to feel that way.”
“Wait, what?” Nova asks, tears still flowing.
“The very idea of you living in your van or with some creepy fuckers as your landlords made me feel like I was going to break out into hives,” Mal explains. “I responded to your posts and told the guys we were going to have a roommate on the property.”
“We believe in trusting your gut,” Brice shrugs.
“But you didn’t know me, and you hadn’t met my sister yet,” she says vehemently, her gaze shooting over to me. I shake my head, taking her hand when she holds it out to me. “Why would you take a chance on me like that?”
“Faith. I also would have had nightmares otherwise,” Mal says honestly. “There are too many omegas who go missing, as we all know.”
Nova nods, her encounter still fresh in her mind from a month ago as she brushes away her tears.
“Has there been any more information about your sister?” Nova asks Caleb and Lars.
“Just that the auction is coming up,” Lars says. “I want to go see if I can find her. She’s been lost for so long.”
“I have the address, and I can reach out to Clara on the dark web as a buyer as well to see if I can describe Alisa as closely as possible to see if she does have her,” I suggest.
Caleb glares at me, but I shrug.
“No one likes when I log into the dark web, but it’s the only way to get information,” I remind him. “Mal, please don’t burn dinner. Lars, whatever you’re baking smells amazing. Make sure to check on it. Felix?—”
“I’ll grab your computer for you,” he says. “You’ll just fixate otherwise.”
“My, how you know me well,” I tease Felix, enjoying the way my sister giggles, trying to shake off the rest of her sad mood.
“Nova, seriously, build a house on the property next door. It’s huge, and we bought it for a song,” he says. “We’ll get golf carts to go between the properties, and make sure to extend the fences. One key fob for both gates sounds like it would work for us.”
Nova’s lips twitch as she nods. “That does sound really nice…”
“Golf carts for these guys may make them a neighborhood menace,” I mumble under my breath, taking the computer and logging into the dark web. “I think it’s important for you to design your own space though, Nova.”
“You didn’t,” Brice says, raising an eyebrow.
“You’d let me change whatever I want,” I say flippantly.
At his nod, I grin triumphantly.
“It helps that this house is beautiful as it is,” I add, my fingers moving.
“It still feels so odd to not contribute to the property,” Tyde says. “There’s a lot still up in the air, other than that we are in a pack.”
“Lars and I will sell our place if we’re living together,” Caleb says.
“I suppose I can have caretakers for the property outside of the city,” Tyde murmurs.
“It may be nice to have a place to go when my migraines hit. Although, I’m taking a faster acting nasal spray now that helps them before they get too bad. I grab for it the second I feel it, and I don’t think Nova’s felt them at all,” I say.
“I haven’t,” she says slowly, eyes widening in excitement. “I’m so glad something is working for you. I was going to ask you if you’d had a migraine recently because I haven’t felt a whisper of pain.”
“I stopped playing the martyr,” I admit. “A part of me hates reaching for medication so often. It’s nice not to feel hungover from how awful they are. It gives me more time to live and I’m completely behind that. Tyde, you can also use the house just to get out of the city for a weekend.”
“That’s true,” he agrees.
“Let’s do this. What kind of change do you have in your pockets?” Brice asks.
Tyde pushes his hand into his pocket with a puzzled expression, but pulls out a penny and a nickel.
“I don’t usually carry change…” he says almost apologetically while I message a third party person to help me get in touch with Clara.
I’ll have to pay out the nose for the privilege, but I don’t have to tell anyone that, right?
“Give me what you have,” Brice says, standing and walking over to Tyde.
My lips twitch as I watch as my sister’s alpha is outmaneuvered by mine. There’s a reason that Brice is such a phenomenal businessman. Tyde drops the change into his hand curiously, while Brice grins triumphantly.
“Pleasure doing business with you,” he says. “I’ll have Kendra draw up the paperwork for me tomorrow and you can start clearing the space for construction.”
“What the fuck just happened?” Tyde breathes as my pack chuckles.
“It looks like you just became a property owner for ah, six cents!” Remy crows. “Congratulations.”
“Oh that was really dirty,” Tyde groans. “Thanks, I guess.”
“I’m working on my contact,” I announce, loving the way this conversation is going.
I’m so excited to get to live permanently next door to my sister.
“They’re asking Madam Clara if she has an omega of Alisa’s description now.
I have a few contractors that I can give you names of.
One of my clients extended their house recently and they couldn’t stop raving about the work. ”
Pulling out my phone as I wait for this person to get back to me, I text the names of the contractors to Caleb.
“Dinner in fifteen,” Mal calls out as I nod absently.
Unknown
There’s a girl by her description. Madam Clara isn’t willing to do an early buyout or to work with someone behind a screen. You’ll have to attend her next auction.
Making a face, I ask my counter question.
Me
I understand completely. Is the next auction still in June at the West Street location in Savannah?
A long moment of no return message has me tapping my foot on the ground.
“Come on,” I whisper. “Don’t leave me hanging.”
“You know when to push,” Caleb reminds me. I can feel waves of his anxiety, it’s almost palatable. Tyde purrs for him, surprising me as he goes to sit by him. Caleb wraps his arm around him, allowing him to comfort him.
My eyes narrow as my sister sits on the edge of the chair, watching him with a small whine. Caleb opens his other arm to her, and she rushes toward him. Caleb catches her around the waist and drags her into his lap.
Well that’s interesting. Good for them for figuring their shit out.
Unknown
No. That is no longer valid information.
“God, you’re such a dick,” I groan.
Me
How much is it to get the correct date, time, and location?
Unknown
Well that’s specific.
Me
Trust me. Fucking me over is inadvisable.
“Hollis,” Caleb bites out.
“My contact is trying to milk me for money,” I grind out. “At least, I think that’s what their angle is. Why give the info for free when you can insist on someone’s first born daughter?”
“Our first born daughter better not be on the table for negotiations,” Brice growls. “You’re better than that.”
“I am,” I agree. “I’m waiting for a response so I can counter, baby.”
“Let her cook,” Nova mutters. “Be patient, guys.”
“Thank you, little sister,” I say. “Here’s the counter.”
Unknown
The information will cost you a hundred thousand dollars.
Rolling my eyes, and I shake my head.
Me
And your reassurance that you won’t stiff me?
Unknown
The first part of the information you need is that this event has been moved up to next month.