Chapter 35 Kady #2
Snarling, Calder glares at Warren. “Looking to take us back to jail again?”
“It can be arranged.” Warren’s response is deadpan, his eyes narrowed.
Calder grits his jaw and takes a step forward, but Hale pulls him back. “Easy, Calder.”
“What’s going on?” Riven eyeballs my dad before checking on me. “Are you okay, Kady?”
“I’ll tell you what’s happening.” Dad doesn’t allow me time to answer, jabbing his finger in Ezra’s direction. “This so-called professor is telling me that my daughter is his scent match.”
Hale’s head jerks to Ezra. “You said that?”
Ezra lowers his head, toeing the ground. “Something like that.”
“I knew it.” Riven beams. “I could tell you felt it too.”
Ezra rolls his eyes, a smile gracing his lips. Despite the tense situation, his shoulders seem looser than they have the entire time we’ve been in Rose Harbor.
“Ezra’s correct, sir.” Hale gives my father respect that he definitely doesn’t deserve. “Kady is our scent match.”
“Kadence?” Dad prompts. “Is this true?”
My heart thunders against my rib cage at an alarming speed. I draw in a deep breath, looking at the expectant faces waiting for my answer. Their expressions are a mix of fear, confusion, and hope.
I regard each of them.
Ezra, the plant loving professor who swept me off my feet the moment I met him.
Hale, the caring leader with a heart of gold who puts everyone before himself.
Riven, the genius with a sensitive side and a unique way of looking at the world that gives me a new perspective.
And Calder, the feisty asshole who loves a challenge almost as much as I do.
“Well?” Dad taps his foot. “I’m waiting.”
“Yes.” Daring to finally voice the truth out loud is terrifying, but I can’t deny it anymore.
Not after this weekend. Not after getting to know them.
Not after knowing I would willingly marry another pack if it meant saving them.
Saying it once makes it easier to say again.
I speak louder this time, with more confidence. “They are my scent matches.”
There is no doubt. Now that it’s out there, my muscles seem to relax, like they were hanging onto tension I didn’t know was there.
Ezra tightens his grip on my hip, Calder claps Riven on the shoulder, and Hale only has eyes for me, his entire face lighting up.
“Unbelievable.” Dad’s cheeks redden. “How do I know you’re not lying again?”
“You showed up here uninvited, remember?” I point out the obvious. “I’m here out of my own free will. I never expected you to show up.”
“And who is this pack anyway?” Dad sniffs. “Not just any riff-raff alphas are good enough for my daughter. Matching with a Sinclair is about more than attraction and biology. More importantly, these alphas are nobodies. They can’t do anything for you, while the Oakwood Pack—”
Alpha pheromones are practically flying through the air. Hale rests a hand on Calder’s arm when his entire body begins to shake and Riven’s forehead wrinkles. I can feel the fury radiating from them—not only about my father’s comments but because of the way he’s talking to me.
“I am the CEO of Valen Enterprises.” Hale steps forward, keeping his voice calm despite the vein pulsing in his forehead. “We can provide for your daughter financially.”
“Valen Enterprises?” Dad recoils, taken aback. “As in the Valen Enterprises? Warren!” He clicks his fingers. “How didn’t I know about this?”
“I-I-I…” Warren pulls out his phone again, wildly tapping at the screen. “I guess we must have missed it.”
“Find out who did the research, and fire them!” Dad blasts before turning back to Hale. “Keep talking, boy.”
“My father is Nicholas Valen. You’ve done business with him over the years.”
Dad’s head swivels to Warren, who sheepishly nods to confirm it’s true.
Dad scratches his head. “I suppose that does change things somewhat.”
“Why does it matter that Hale’s father is Nicholas Valen?” I throw up my hands. “Pack or not, I don’t need to rely on an alpha to provide for me. I can take care of myself. I work hard.”
“We know, baby girl,” Ezra murmurs into my hair. It’s the first time he’s used the nickname since our steamy session in the alley, and it causes a warm fuzziness to spread through me. “But you don’t have to do everything alone anymore.”
“And what do you expect me to do with this news?” Dad plants his hands on his hips. “Should I tell the Oakwood Pack that you’ve found another pack, and the wedding is off? Again? I’ve already ordered flowers.”
“I suppose you’ll have to cancel them,” Riven replies matter-of-factly. “They should have a refund policy.”
“A r-refund policy?” Dad shakes his head in a daze.
“For the flowers.” Riven shoots him a funny look as if questioning how he’s already forgotten.
I snort and cover my mouth with my hands.
“And there’s one more thing too.” Hale squares his shoulders. “We’ll be happy for Kady to continue her studies at SVU while working at The Valley Voice. Being part of our pack doesn’t make her our property. She’ll have all the freedom she wants, with us supporting her and vice versa.”
Calder nods fiercely in agreement. “Kady will never have to give up anything for us.”
“And you’ll bond with her?” Dad’s eyebrows scrunch together. “To keep her safe from other alphas?”
The atmosphere shifts, my shoulders tensing. Bonding isn’t something we’ve discussed. Accepting the Valen Pack as my alphas is one thing, but the biological tie of a bond is quite another.
“That’s Kady’s choice,” Hale replies without missing a beat.
“However, I can give you my word that, bonded or not, nothing will ever happen to her with us around. We’ll protect her with our lives.
” Hale looks at me before continuing. “Even if she never wants to bond, that’s okay.
We’ll never force her to do anything she’s uncomfortable with. ”
“Really?” My voice comes out sounding choked. It’s pretty much assumed that an omega will bond with her pack. “You mean that?”
Ezra squeezes my shoulder. “Of course.”
Dad’s eyes momentarily soften, a look I haven’t seen on his face since Mom died.
“I promised your mother you’d be taken care of, Kady,” Dad murmurs. “I want to be sure you’re not making a mistake.”
“I’m not.” I feel it in my bones that this is right. That this is exactly where I’m meant to be. “This is what I want.” I swallow hard. “They are who I want.”
Seeming to accept this despite his reluctance, Dad nods slowly before Warren clears his throat. “The jet is waiting, sir.”
“I’m staying here, Dad.”
“I can see you’ve made your decision.” Dad dips his chin curtly.
“And if you’re sure about this, then I guess I have no choice but to accept it.
However, I do have conditions.” Of course, he does.
He still won’t relinquish control entirely.
Maybe he never will. He wags his finger at me.
“I want things done properly this time. Official announcements must go through my team, understood?”
My mouth opens to respond before I decide to simply nod. The Valen Pack doesn’t know my father, but I know this is the closest we’ll ever get to his blessing.
“Warren!” Dad claps his hands. “Call Timothy Oakwood, and cancel the suit fitting.”
I grin at the thought of Timothy Blue Cheese Oakwood being rejected for a second time.
As Warren nods dutifully, I swear I see a small smile cross his usually sullen expression before it vanishes in a flash, making me question whether I imagined it.
“Before I leave, I’d like to have a word with my daughter.” Dad glares at the others. “Alone.”
No one moves.
“Would you like us to stay, Kady?” Hale asks.
“It’s okay.” I smile at him. “I’ll be fine.”
“We’ll be right inside.” Calder’s eyes stay fixed on Warren, obviously still suspicious of him.
I slip on my sneakers then step up onto the porch, gesturing at the swing. “Do you want to sit down?”
Dad’s lips purse in disapproval. It’s not exactly the plush boardroom chairs he’s used to, but he takes a seat anyway while Warren returns to wait by the car to give us some space.
“Is this really what you want, Kady?” Voice lowered, he speaks in a more caring tone. “The Valen Pack?”
“I never wanted to find a pack. You know that.” I wring my hands. “But as much as it pains me to admit it, they’re my scent matches. I can’t imagine not being with them.”
“Scent matches are hard to ignore.” He looks wistfully in the distance, like his thoughts have temporarily transported elsewhere. “I know I’ve been hard on you in the past.”
“And controlling?” I bump him with my shoulder.
His face morphs, struggling to get the words out. Admitting that he’s wrong is an alien concept to him. “I admit arranging a wedding without speaking to you might not have been one of my finest moments.”
I snort. “Understatement of the year.”
His expression softens, smoothing out his deep wrinkled forehead that’s permanently creased from his constant scowling and concentrating.
“I always look out for your best interests.” He takes a few seconds before continuing, picking his words carefully.
“I know that my decisions haven’t always affected you in positive ways, but I act how I do because I’m trying to protect you.
All I want is to keep you safe.” He grips his forehead, shaking his head.
“But you’re independent like your mother.
Strong-willed.” He smiles fondly. “Pig-headed at times.”
It’s the first time he’s spoken about Mom in years, the pain he feels visible in his eyes. He and Mom were childhood sweethearts.
“You can’t shield me from the world forever,” I tell him. “Mom wouldn’t have wanted that. She wanted me to be free. To be happy. She taught me that I could do anything I wanted and that being an omega would never stop me.”
“She was a wise woman.” His voice is thick. “Like you.”
My heart warms as a single tear dares to slide down his cheek. Beyond Dad’s cold, robotic front, I get a glimpse of a man who is intent on running from his pain. He’s spent years distracting himself with new wives, money, private jets, and work, not allowing himself to face it.
“Dad…” I don’t know what to say. Neither of us has ever been good at expressing our feelings, which is painfully obvious in this moment. Mom was better at it.
“I know.” He pats my knee clumsily, sparing me. “I better be off.” He jumps up and straightens his suit, back to his usual self again.
“I guess I’ll see you at the end of the semester.”
He replies with a single, decisive dip of his chin. “I’ll get my PA to check my diary. She’ll reach out to schedule a jet and pencil in a dinner with your pack if I have spare time. You know it’s a busy season.”
“I know, Dad.” Disappointment swells in my chest. I thought we were finally having an emotional breakthrough, only for it to be dashed again abruptly. “Hopefully we’ll catch up then.”
He merely grunts then storms back to the car where Warren waits to whisk him off.
I stand and watch them drive away, questions flooding my brain. Without the Valen Pack, is that the kind of life I was destined to have? Would I end up like my father, so emotionally distant and focused on work that it’s nearly impossible to spend any time with those I love? It sounds… lonely.
I look back at the cabin and see the outlines of my four alphas inside the cozy cabin, reminding me that I have another choice. A life that’s filled with excitement, laughter, and people who care about me. For the first time, a future with them feels a lot less scary than a future without them.