Chapter 38
38
Hazel
The last time I’d been to D.C. was on a trip with my parents in the summer between eighth and ninth grade. Calla had come with me, and I remembered us both lamenting the oppressive humidity ruining our perfectly styled hair while we wandered from museum to museum. Each night, we’d returned, frizzy haired and exhausted, and fallen into our beds at the Intercontinental Hotel.
The hotel had been updated since our last stay—the opulent golds and crystal converted to a more modern, industrial sleekness—but it still felt familiar. We stepped into an elevator that I knew my parents had been in before.
Our room was on the top floor, one of the many luxury pack suites the hotel offered, with stunning views of The Mall and several museums. The furniture matched the rest of the hotel with sharp, clean lines and brighter tones.
It had three separate bathrooms and a nest that could be tailored to the omega’s needs. I knew my pack had called ahead to have it arranged for me, and I expelled a relieved breath when I peeked my head into the small, dark space. It was big enough for us all to fit easily, but not much bigger.
There were no windows. Just strands of twinkling lights and an overhead light with an adjustable dimmer. My favorite deep purples, rich reds, and vibrant blues made up the overall color scheme. I knew the space wouldn’t feel right until I had all of my pack’s scents embedded into the fibers of each thread.
“Nest okay, sugar?” Kellan asked, coming up behind me to peek into the room.
I nodded and turned to grin at him. “Perfect. I didn’t even know hotels could do this.”
“Not many do,” he admitted. “Most have pack suites, and some have emergency heat nests, but this hotel chain is known for their ability to customize. They have properties all over the world.”
“Wow,” I murmured, following him back into the living room area.
Kellan winked at me. “We plan to take you to many of those places.”
A vacation sounded nice… once we got a few things settled and handled.
“We’ll get there, sugar,” Kellan told me, pulling me to him with a hand wrapped around the back of my neck as someone knocked on the door.
Oakley’s pack was downstairs in their own room, so I stiffened as Jude walked across the floor and yanked open the door with Rhett and Crew watching closely.
“Hey.” I heard the surprise in Jude’s voice a second before I heard Thane.
“May I come in?”
“Uh, yeah. Sure.” Jude moved back and Thane stepped over the threshold.
Dressed in an impeccable black suit with a white button-down that made his gray eyes look ethereal, he entered the suite with an undeniable swagger and confidence that filled the room.
“Brother,” Thane said, inclining his head to Rhett.
“What are you doing here?” Rhett demanded, not giving his brother an inch.
“I came to see my sister,” he replied, flashing me a grin that had Kellan growling.
I laid a hand on Kellan’s chest while I spoke to Thane. “What do you need, Thane?”
He looked hurt. “Do I need something to want to see my family?”
“Considering your history of always working an angle? Yes,” Rhett replied in a tight voice.
Thane pressed a hand to his chest. “You wound me, brother. Didn’t I just prove we were on the same team?”
“One gesture of goodwill doesn’t erase years of being a prick,” Rhett answered.
Thane’s mouth dropped open to retort.
Crew folded his arms across his chest, pulling his t-shirt tight across his muscles. “Talk or walk your ass back out the door before I push you through it.”
Thane’s eyes lit up. “Is that a threat, Crew?”
“Wanna find out?” Crew snarled.
Rolling my eyes, I waded through the cloud of alpha pheromones and testosterone. “Can we all act like adults?” I asked in my sweetest omega voice, including the softest whine at the end.
Immediately, all the alphas—Thane included—lost their fight. Jude hid a smirk but gave me a nod.
“Can we sit down?” I added, walking over to the far end of the L-shaped sectional and curling into the corner.
Kellan was quick to snag the seat beside me and Thane, wisely, took the spot at the far end. Jude and Rhett sat in the middle, but Crew came to sit on the arm beside me. I dropped my head against his thigh and smiled when I felt his fingers delve into my hair, stroking and combing through the tresses.
“For the record, I truly didn’t come here to start an argument,” Thane began. “I came to see how you were settling in, but also to see if Hazel had any plans for tomorrow.”
Once again, my pack was instantly on edge.
“Why?” I asked quickly.
“Jensen said he can get you in to see Logan,” he told me.
The air whooshed out of my lungs. “Seriously? When?”
“Haze,” Crew softly said my name and shook his head, “it’s risky?—”
“One of you can come, too,” Thane interjected. “Ideally Rhett, since it’s easier to explain letting my brother tour the Greenhouse.”
“Greenhouse?” Rhett echoed.
“The name of the center where Logan is staying,” Thane explained. “Jensen is part of the team that oversees all operations for that property and ten others like it across the East Coast. That being said, alphas aren’t allowed on the resident floors, so Hazel will be on her own for that. But as I said, the only other people up there are omegas.”
I turned to Crew. “I need to see Logan.”
Emotions warred on his face. “Okay, we’ll talk about it.”
My eyes narrowed because there was nothing to talk about. I was seeing Logan—I owed Logan that much. I needed to make sure my one friend during my entire hell with the APA, was okay.
Thane cleared his throat. “If you all agree, I’ll have a car come to collect Rhett and Hazel tomorrow morning around ten. I can assure you, the house is safe. Also, Jensen and I will be there.”
Rhett stared at his brother. “Why now, Thane?”
Thane jerked back like he’d been struck. “Pardon?”
“Why are you helping us now ?” Rhett demanded. “What’s changed after years of quarrels and rifts?”
“Nothing,” Thane replied, and I felt the truth of his response resonate through the room.
Rhett scoffed and started to stand. “If you can’t be honest?—”
Thane stood as well. “I am being honest, Rhett. Absolutely nothing has changed for me. I’m the same Thane you’ve known all your life.”
Rhett scoffed. “We both know the brother who was my best mate isn’t the man in front of me now.”
“Rhett, I am ,” Thane insisted. “You and I want the same thing—we just have different opinions on how to accomplish the goal.”
“Care to elaborate on that?” Crew questioned, leaning forward.
Thane rubbed his temples. “Fine, I’ll spell it out. My pack is just as concerned about the roles of omegas in American society as you are. Finding Hazel pulled your pack into a game we’ve been playing for damn near a decade. You don’t know what you’re up against.”
“And you do?” Jude arched a brow.
“Absolutely,” Thane retorted. “Kyland, Jensen, and I have been gathering all the data and information we can. From the heat houses to the beta born omegas to the dark underbelly of Infinity Solutions.”
My breath caught. “What’s a heat house?”
Thane winced. “It’s where your friend Logan is.”
“Explain,” I whispered.
Thane blew out a hard breath. “There’s a shortage of omegas for alphas. Without an omega, alphas go feral or go in destructive ruts. Since Variant O wreaked its havoc on the world, violent crimes are up nearly two hundred percent. Some of the lawmakers, Kyland’s father included, thought the answer was male omegas.”
Numbness washed over me, and I felt my pack close ranks. Kellan’s hand rested on my thigh and Crew’s hand clasped the back of my neck. Rhett came around behind the couch to stand at my back while Jude slid to the floor and maneuvered between my feet.
Thane sat on the edge of the glass and gold coffee table to face me at eye level. “Male omegas are another… problem in our society.” He held up a hand when I started to protest. “I don’t feel that way, but I’m quoting our illustrious President.”
“Male omegas are ostracized by society, but they still have needs that must be met, including when they go into heat,” Thane said softly.
My brain easily connected the dots. “So, they put them in houses and pay for all the expenses and in return, alphas can come in and…” I swallowed bile back down as it burned up my esophagus.
Thane nodded. “It’s all consensual. Alphas and omegas sign contracts, and the omega has the power to say no, but when the alternative is being homeless or starving… Well, that really isn’t much of a choice, is it?”
I shook my head. “Logan?—”
“Is safe,” Thane cut me off almost fiercely. “When news broke of what happened to you, and that my brother’s pack was involved, it was easy to put things together. Jensen used his contacts within Omega Services to ensure Logan landed somewhere we could control.”
Rhett cleared his throat. “Thank you.”
Thane inclined his head. “Of course. I know things have been strained between us, brother, but it’s only because I have to keep our parents happy so they don’t shut us out. It’s the same with Kyland’s father. If we show our hand too soon, it’s not just us that this affects. Male omegas will be sent back to the streets, unable to hold a career thanks to their omega status, and unable to rent an apartment or go anywhere unescorted. They’ll be at risk for rogue alphas to hurt and abuse them.”
“I wish you would have told me,” Rhett murmured, and I felt the sadness in him. He’d missed having his brother in his life for the last several years.
“I’m telling you now,” Thane replied.
“What else do you know about the beta born omegas?” Crew asked, voicing the question I desperately wanted an answer to.
Thane grimaced. “Not much, to be honest. Kyland is trying to get access to his uncle’s records, but it’s damn near impossible. Infinity Solutions is a vault.”
“We know,” Jude said slowly. “We have a friend of a friend working on it.”
Thane straightened. “Who?”
“A hacker Bowen knows,” Kellan answered. “We’ve never met him, but he helped us find and rescue Hazel.” He drew lazy circles on my thigh.
“I’d be interested to know if he finds anything we can use.” Thane looked hopeful.
Crew gave a reluctant nod. “We’ll share whatever we find with you.”
“Thank you. Now, I can’t tell you how important it is that you all watch your backs while you’re here.” Thane looked at each of us. “From what we’ve learned, the beta born omegas are extremely protected, which makes Hazel the wild card.”
“Meaning?” Crew gritted out.
“Meaning, we don’t think they planned on anyone knowing about their less-than-legal experiments on betas,” Thane replied. “We have no idea what they’re doing or how they’re doing it.”
I cleared my throat. “We know how they pick the omegas and kinda how they make them change.”
Thane’s gaze snapped to mine. “How?”
I glanced at my pack, waiting for them to nod in agreement that sharing this was all right. Once they did, I took a deep breath and explained to Thane our theory about the rh-null blood type and the birth control implant.
“And you have this implant?” Thane’s gray eyes were swirling with emotion.
“It’s in my father’s lab,” Crew confirmed. “They’re trying to see if they can reverse-engineer the product.”
Thane seemed relieved. “Good. If Infinity Solutions got ahold of it, they’d destroy it. Security at your father’s lab?—”
“Is some of the best in the business,” Crew stated.
“Double it,” Thane said. “Triple it. Nothing is safe and secure when the President and his pack are involved.”
“One thing I don’t understand,” Rhett mused, “is why Kyland is all right with taking down his father and his uncle.”
“Because they killed his mother.” Thane’s voice dropped into a growl.
I gasped. “Why?”
“That’s Kyland’s story to tell,” Thane answered cryptically. “But I can assure you Kyland’s only goal in life is to be the antithesis of his father, and the sooner we can do it, the better.”
“Why?” Kellan demanded, his tone suspicious.
Thane’s jaw muscle flexed. “The things they did to her, subjected her to, no omega should ever have to endure. Hell, no human should ever endure that hell.”
My heart twisted, an aching sort of understanding connecting me to this woman I’d never met.
“I should get going,” Thane said, standing abruptly. “We’re expected at the President’s house for dinner tonight.”
“Is there anything we can do?” I asked.
Thane gave me a soft smile. “Trust your pack and stay safe. You’re the one miscalculation Infinity Solutions has made, and we can’t risk anything happening to you. I don’t just say that because you’re an integral part of sorting all this out. I see the way my brother and his pack look at you. You are my sister now, and I will do whatever I can to protect you.”
“Thank you,” Rhett told him, coming around to reach a hand out to shake his brother’s.
Thane hesitated, a look of raw vulnerability shadowing his features. “I’ve missed you, brother.”
“As have I,” Rhett admitted. He leaned in, giving Thane a one-armed hug.
“I’ll see you both tomorrow,” Thane added as he turned to leave.
“See you tomorrow,” I echoed.
Once the door was shut, Crew turned to me. “Hazel?—”
“I’m going,” I said, not wanting this to devolve into an argument.
His lips twitched and he pushed a lock of hair back from my face. “I know, little one. I wanted to make sure you were okay with everything that was said here, and that you still feel safe.”
“We can be on a plane tonight if you don’t,” Kellan added, rubbing my back.
Jude leaned against my shins, his presence calming.
“We can’t go back,” I decided. “If we can do anything to help the others—especially Logan—then we have to try.”
Rhett towered over me. “You’re certain?”
“How can I sit at home and ignore a problem I might be able to help fix?” I countered.
“All right,” Crew agreed. “Tomorrow you and Rhett will go with Thane to see Logan. My father has a few friends in Congress who might be willing to speak to me, too.”
“Bowen’s hacker friend is working on compiling a list of all the rh-null women in the United States,” Jude added. “If we’re right, and Infinity Solutions gave them to certain packs, it all started here. Hopefully some will be at the gala.”
“You think?” I wasn’t so sure they’d be somewhere so visible.
Crew smirked. “Baby, never underestimate an alpha’s need to show off how pretty and perfect his omega is to a room full of people .”