Chapter 37
37
Rhett
I hated the synthetic, artificial residue scent dampeners left in my nostrils, but having our omega in such tight quarters with another pack made it mandatory.
Between our pack and Pack Stone, the private plane we’d once again borrowed from Upshine Media was almost full. And while the majority of the flight had been spent in pleasant conversation while Hazel took turns sleeping on our laps as we discussed Pack Stone’s new role with Elizabeth Dutton’s Omega Sanctuary, as we neared the East Coast, my stomach flipped and my chest tightened.
As if sensing the shift in my mood, Hazel stirred and blinked sleepily up at me from where she’d been curled on my lap for the last hour. Her brows pulled together. “What’s wrong?” She kept her voice soft so as not to alert anyone to her concerns.
I dropped a kiss to her forehead, some of the tension easing as I focused on her. “Nothing, love.”
Beside me, Jude snorted. “Liar.”
I glared at him, but couldn’t call him out since he wasn’t wrong.
Hazel sat up, pulling her feet from where they’d been in Jude’s lap. She rolled her shoulders and looked closer at me. “Talk to me, Rhett.”
I pressed my lips together, not sure how to confess that I was nervous about being around my parents and thrust back into their world. I hated it all—the politics, the fakeness, the constant deals and secrets.
“It’s his fucking family,” Jude reminded her, twisting in his seat to angle his body toward Hazel and me.
Hazel tilted her head, assessing me with her golden eyes. “What can I do?”
My omega had the sweetest heart. “You’re doing it, pet.”
She smiled, almost shyly, before leaning against my chest once more and nuzzling closer. I dropped my head and inhaled her sweet scent, glad the industrial strength scent blockers pumping through the ventilation system didn’t completely obscure the rich chocolate of Hazel when I took a hit directly from the source.
Jude leaned over and rested his head on my shoulder, letting me know he was there for me without saying it. I knew for a fact Jude would take whatever came next at my side, but I hated how my parents made snide comments about the beta that had stolen my heart. It grated on my already frayed nerves.
“Motherfucking bag of limp dicks,” Oakley snarled from the row in front where he’d been huddled around a table with Crew, Kellan, and Silas. Bowen was sacked out on the long couch in the back.
Hazel stiffened and twisted to peer through the seats as Crew demanded, “What?”
Oakley hissed a breath and tossed his phone on the table. “They found Carter Martin in his cell an hour ago with a makeshift noose around his neck.”
Hazel trembled. “He killed himself?”
“Or they wanted someone to think he killed himself,” Silas added.
“Shit,” Crew muttered.
Hazel swallowed. “But why would someone kill him?”
“Because Carter knew too much,” I replied, smoothing her hair back with my hand.
Her gaze dropped. “Too much about… me?”
“This isn’t your fault, baby,” Jude told her with a shake of his head.
“He’s absolutely right, love,” I confirmed.
Kellan and Crew stood, turning to lean over their seats to see Hazel.
“Absolutely not,” Crew practically growled.
“But—” Hazel tried.
“No,” Kellan barked, his dark eyes practically on fire. “Carter pissed off more than us, sugar. Whether he killed himself or someone else did it, it doesn’t matter. His death is solely his own responsibility—not yours.”
Her jaw went tight, and I worried she’d argue her culpability, but then she sagged. “Okay,” she acquiesced in a small voice.
A soft purr started in my chest, my biological need to see her soothed and content kicking in at her unhappiness. When she cuddled closer, seeking the comfort I was offering, the alpha inside me roared in pleasure. Stroking her hair, I felt her limbs go boneless.
Crew gave me an approving nod as the pilot announced we were making our final descent into the nation’s capital.
Silas stood to wake Bowen as Kellan and Crew turned back around in their seats.
“You should get into your own seat, love,” I murmured, already hating the loss I’d feel from her in my arms, but her safety was non-negotiable.
Without waiting, I leaned over, placed her in the seat across from me, and buckled her belt. Only when she was secure did I fasten my own.
Hazel’s lips turned down. “I hate this part.”
“Of flying?” Jude asked.
She nodded. “Landing always freaks me out. The bouncing and the bumping…” A shudder ran through her.
“It’ll be fine, Haze,” Crew called to her, reaching between their seats to brush her shoulder.
Hazel fought a smile as she ducked her head. The twinge of anxiety in her part of our bond blurring as we all used the pack bond to push our confidence into her, building her up and easing her fears.
Jude leaned in closer. “You know those pack bonds go both ways, right?”
I shot him a look.
But Jude, as always, was unapologetic in his dogged support of me. “We’re all here for you, too. It’s okay to lean on us, Rhett.”
My jaw tightened. “I know that.”
Jude’s brows shot up. “Do you? Because it feels like we’re going back to see your family, and I can already feel the walls you’re erecting.”
I snorted, my eyes lifting to the ceiling. “You just wanted a chance to say ‘erect.’”
“That’s a given,” he replied with an indignant scoff, “but it doesn’t make what I’m saying any less true, babe.” He squeezed my hand. “You’re your own man, Rhett Dutton, and I love the fuck out of you.”
I arched a brow. “And here I thought you just loved fucking me.”
His grin was instantaneous. “That, too.”
I leaned in to kiss him softly as the plane touched down, and our foreheads smacked together. Stars burst in my vision, and not the kind I usually got from his kiss.
“Ow,” he muttered, rubbing his forehead. “I saw that conversation ending with more romance than pain.”
I huffed out a laugh before smoothing his hair back from his forehead to make sure he was okay.
Scowling, Jude batted my hand away. “Dude. It’s a bump on the head.”
“Any time you get hurt, I take it seriously. From papercuts to?—”
“—bullet holes?” he teased.
“Not amusing,” I snapped as the plane taxied to the assigned spot for us to disembark. I looked out the window and spotted a fleet of black SUVs.
Wonderful. My parents had come to greet us.
I glanced down, mentally checking to be sure I looked presentable. It had been a lesson drilled into my head that I’d never been able to forget. Even when Jude hid my trousers and button ups, I always had a spare set in my car or office to make sure I was perfectly pressed and polished.
“You look great,” Hazel told me.
My gaze swept across her next, imagining what my mother would say about her leggings and t-shirt. I swallowed a growl, already knowing if my mother started in on Hazel, I wouldn’t be able to control myself.
Then again, neither would my pack.
This next week was going to be a series of navigating landmines and dodging bullets, not exactly the relaxing vacation our omega deserved.
A chime signified we were clear to unbuckle and get up, and we all moved as one to stand. Other than a small bag Hazel had brought on board with essentials she wanted close, our luggage would be collected by the staff and brought to our suite at the Continental Hotel in downtown D.C.
I fell into step behind Hazel and in front of Jude as we exited the plane, walking down a long staircase to the tarmac where my parents waited. My fathers all wore matching black suits, their ties the only color variation. My mother was dressed in her usual skirt, blouse, and jacket with heels and a strand of pearls.
And several paces away were a few men with cameras, ready to document the moment for whatever online rag would run the story of the Senator and his pack greeting their son’s new omega in the nation’s capital.
Lovely.
“Hazel,” Mother greeted with a warmth she reserved for cameras. She stepped forward and leaned in to kiss Hazel’s cheek.
Hazel’s nose wrinkled a second before she schooled her features into a gentle smile.
“Nice to see you again, Mrs. Coulson,” Hazel replied.
Mother giggled and pressed a hand to her pearls. “I’ve told you, darling. We’re family now. Call me Mirabelle.” Her gaze swept down the length of Hazel, her smile going tight around her eyes. “My, what an interesting choice of attire. I wish I could dress for comfort over style.”
Hazel shrugged. “Usually I wear my pack’s clothes, but I figured I should look a little more put together for company.” She turned to look behind us. “You’re welcome, Oak.”
Oakley grinned, reading the room easily and never passing up an opportunity to antagonize someone. “You never have to dress up for us, babe. We’ve seen you in a lot less.”
Another gasp. “How… fascinating.”
“Right,” Hazel agreed with a smirk as I moved to greet my family.
“Mother. Fathers.” I inclined my head to the three men while lowering my head for my mother to kiss my cheek.
I was about to draw back when her fingers dug into my shoulders. “I cannot believe you brought him . Have you no sense of honor to your omega at all?”
I jerked back, breaking her hold and biting my tongue to keep from replying.
Kellan and Crew closed ranks around us while Jude—my perfect beta—tried to step back, forever resigned to his space in the shadows when it came to my family.
“Crew, Kellan.” My father nodded at the other alphas. “Pleasure to see you.”
“I’m sure it is, Senator,” Kellan gritted out.
Crew stayed quiet, his eyes ablaze and a muscle fluttering in his jaw.
I was at a loss for how to comfort Jude and tell my parents their comments—or lack thereof—were utterly inappropriate. Disparaging and ignoring Jude’s existence was simply not all right.
“Jude.” Hazel beckoned him forward with a grin.
Unable to deny her call, Jude moved to her side.
Hazel slid an arm around his waist and cuddled against him, blinking up to look at his face. “Is the hotel close? I’m tired and you promised me we’d spend the rest of the day in bed.”
My mother’s shocked gasp ripped through the air.
Hazel turned and fixed her with a cold stare. “Are you all right, Mirabelle? You don’t look so good.”
Mother’s mouth gaped open for a second before she leaned in with a harsh whisper. “Hazel, dear, if my son has forced his… unconventional lifestyle on you, I apologize. We raised him better.”
She cocked her head. “You raised him better than to treat people with love and respect regardless of their designation? To know someone’s worth doesn’t depend on their status?”
Mother paled and looked to my fathers for what to say next.
But Hazel was quicker. “Or are you saying that my beta isn’t good enough for you? Tell me, Senator, is that part of your platform? Segregating betas from packs?”
My father’s cheeks turned pink. “Absolutely not. Our society would fall apart without the innumerable services and positions betas fill.”
“Oh! So, you’re not designation phobic, you’re homophobic.” Hazel’s eyes narrowed, and Kellan choked on a laugh as Crew grinned.
My father, the unflappable senator, was utterly frazzled. “Of course not.”
Hazel lifted a brow. “Then you may want to greet all members of our pack before the represented media outlets report that you’re ostracizing Jude. I mean, assuming they’re here to show how much you value your son and his family.”
My father stared at Hazel, and I could see him warring with putting her in her place and not causing a scene.
A soft growl started in my chest, a warning that he better make the correct decision.
Looking like he was swallowing glass, he turned his dark eyes to Jude. “Wonderful to see you again, son.” He held out a hand.
Jude straightened his shoulders, one arm still wrapped around Hazel as he used the other to clasp my father’s. My father couldn’t hide his grunt as Jude squeezed harder than necessary.
“Great to see you, too, Senator Coulson,” Jude replied.
My other fathers stepped forward to greet Jude, and when it was my mother’s turn, she was practically shaking with rage as she gave him a hasty kiss on the cheek before all but throwing herself backward.
“As great as this has been,” Hazel started, “I’m exhausted. Can we go to the hotel, please?”
“Anything you want, love,” I assured her, wondering where this tiny wrecking ball of an omega had come from. I glanced at my parents. “Excuse us.”
“We were hoping you’d join us for dinner,” Mother said quickly. “If not your whole pack, then at least you, Rhett. We have so much to discuss.”
My gaze slid to her. “No, we really don’t. I’m spending this evening with my pack. We have quite a few things planned while we’re in town, but I’ll let you know if we have any free time.”
We, not me, because I was done letting my parents force a wedge between my pack.
Crew clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”
I turned to leave as my mother gasped yet again and scurried forward, her hand outstretched to grab me.
With a snarl, Oakley pushed between us, his hand on the gun holstered at his side.
“Rhett!” Mother’s shrill voice called to me as she stumbled back.
The Senator glared at Oak while pulling my shaken mother into his arms. “How dare you.”
Oak’s face might’ve been made of stone. “I dare because she tried to grab Mr. Dutton. It’s my duty to see to his safety.”
“I’m his mother ,” she screeched.
Oak shrugged his massive shoulders, easily the biggest alpha in our group by far. “My job is to protect Pack Dutton from all potential threats.”
“And you think my omega is a threat to her own son?” One of my fathers demanded.
“I treat any level of crazy as a threat. Ma’am,” he tacked on with a smile and a mock salute.
Hazel turned her head into Jude’s chest, but I saw her shoulders shaking with silent laughter. Crew and Jude were trying to hide a smile, but Kellan was outright cackling. Even Silas and Bowen looked amused.
“I’ll let you know if we’re free, Mother,” I said with an air of finality before gesturing my pack to the waiting SUVs. We split up, with Crew, Kellan, Silas and Bowen getting into the first car while I got into the second with Hazel, Jude, and a smug Oakley.
Once the door was closed, Hazel’s giggles filled the car while Oakley started the engine and threw her a grin.
“You’re my hero,” Hazel managed between gasps of laughter.
“Funny,” Oakley said, starting to follow the first car, “I was about to say the same thing to you.”