Chapter 87
EIGHTY-SEVEN
LAUREL
“You’re an angel,” I said as Kaos climbed back up into the nest, duffel bag in tow.
“By the way, what the heck kind of evil spirit is possessing your cat?” he said.
“It took me nearly an hour to find him because he’s black and hiding in the back of your closet.
Then he was acting like I was murdering him when I put him in the carrier.
He shot right under a couch when I let him out, and I didn’t see him again. ”
He showed me his forearms, which were now covered in scratches. I grimaced. Jade had given us the location of a safe house of hers, and Kaos had taken Muppet there for safety.
“I’m sorry. He’ll probably stay there for a while. He did that to me when I first got him. He’ll probably refuse to eat for a few days as well.”
Poor Muppet.
Kaos sighed dramatically and planted himself next to me, his leg brushing mine.
I pulled the duffel bag over, handing out the contents like Christmas presents.
Finch’s notebook came first, and I felt a distinct flood of relief from him the moment he held it in his hands.
Kaos had the majority of the contents and took them over to the corner he’d claimed to start setting up a workstation for himself.
He looked up as I reached into the side pocket of the bag, pulling out the gun and thigh holster I kept there. The metal was cold, and it felt heavy in my hands as I turned it over.
“I’ve dreamed about using this gun for a long time,” I said, looking up and meeting his eyes. “Does that make me crazy?”
Kaos reached out and stroked my cheek. His eyes were large and soft, brows creased with worry. “No. It’s completely sane to want to kill your enemies.”
“You’re an expert on being sane, now?”
“Certified,” he said, grinning at me.
I changed out of my dirty clothes and strapped on the holster, inspecting and loading the gun just how Hugo had drilled into me. I pulled on a mid-length dress over it, wanting easy access for whatever lay ahead.
Finch was scribbling away in his notebook as I plugged in my laptop, connecting to the suite’s Wi-Fi. When I opened my email, the message I’d been waiting for had come through. Shatter had reached out.
The first half was all about helping feral alphas.
As we discussed, a scent-compatible omega is the best option. I’ve included some resources for other therapies for your reference, but they have been proven mostly ineffective.
I skimmed the links she’d sent, then I read the second half of the message.
The second question was your strange symptoms. Everything is just a theory at this point, but I will say it’s likely that omegas could potentially get bond sickness as well.
The good news (hopefully?) is that the cure would be allowing for the natural pack dynamics to take place. Contact, soothing, nesting with alpha scents, etc. But if the alphas are rejecting you, for instance, showing hostility or aggression, it could get worse.
If you’re in trouble, please let me know.
Shatter Kingsman
That was good; my strange symptoms wouldn’t get worse, then. I typed back a reply, telling her that I was not in trouble but thanked her for asking.
“Shatter Kingsman emailed,” I told Finch and Kaos, scrolling up and flipping the screen so they could see it. “Ocean should get better as long as I stick around.”
I looked between them, cautiously hopeful.
“So, I can stay with you guys to help him get better?” I asked.
There was a pause, and my anxiety spiked, my face going a bit hot.
“How else will we care for you?” Finch asked.
“You want to care for me?” I squeaked.
“You’re our omega,” he said, causing more heat to flush my cheeks.
I mean, he’d said as much, but I was still as happy as when he’d said it earlier.
We settled, and I lay back, staring up at the fairy lights on the ceiling. We’d get Ocean out, and then I’d start a new life with them. Where they would care for me, as Finch put it. I wasn’t sure what that would look like, but my inner omega was sure excited about it.
“Laurel?” Finch said, drawing my attention to him.
“Yes?”
“I’ve been helping go over all the stuff we’ve found on Dax’s phone,” he said. “Do you remember the ‘Gem’ we suspected was extortion material?”
I nodded. I hadn’t thought about it much since Kaos had mentioned it the other day.
“I think I’ve figured out what it’s code for. I’m sorry,” he said, turning his screen toward me. It was a log of messages between Dax and Prince.
Prince: I just don’t see why we can’t tell my parents. I think they’d help us.
Dax: No. If you’re wrong, we’re dead.
Prince: But Ash knows what about Jewel. Wasn’t he the one who brought him to you?
Dax: Idiot. I told you to use Gem. And your dad brought him to us for Madison to execute.
Dax: We don’t need them. We proceed with the extortion using what we have. If he balks, we go to plan B. Thad dies.
My head snapped up to look at him, my heart breaking as I connected the dots.
Gem. Jewel. Jule.
All this time looking, and the answer was right under our noses. The Lucas pack had extortion material, proving what Father had done.
That he’d brought Jule to them to execute.
“Well, now we have our own blackmail material,” I said, my voice sounding deceptively strong. “In writing that they’re planning to kill him.”
“Laurel. Did you scroll down? They reveal where they’re keeping the proof. Evidence of what really happened to your brother. It’s in the tunnels.”
He paused, searching my face.
“We’ll get it,” I said firmly. There was a lump in my throat, but I didn’t want to fall apart here. “I want to know. What happened in the end.”
Finch nodded and reached over to squeeze my hand. I closed my eyes, steeling myself. I could do this.