Ivy #2
"So here I am, telling it again. Except this time, it's direct to you, not through a publicist or reading from a script I wrote beforehand. I don't need any of that, because unlike Wade's version, mine is the truth."
I hold my gaze steady on the camera.
"Sue me for that."
Twenty thousand fucking viewers.
The chat is a waterfall now. I can't process it, it's going too fast, but the tone has shifted.
And not in Wade's favor.
One comment catches my eye.
Where's the rest of the pack??
"They're here," I say, glancing off-screen with a grin.
Thane appears first, coming up to stand behind the couch to my right. He manages a wave, which is hilariously awkward and cute on an alpha like him.
The chat starts going off.
"You already know Thane, of course," I say, smiling. "Team captain. Pack leader. The first alpha who marked me, because I asked him to."
Plague drifts into frame next, his dark waves loose past his shoulders. He settles on the arm of the couch to my left, crossing one leg over the other.
"And Plague," I say. "The smartest person I've ever met. He almost became a doctor. Now he just aggressively mothers all of us and fusses over our scratches."
"I do not," Plague murmurs, but his lips twitch.
"I'M HEEEEERE!"
Whiskey vaults over the back of the couch and lands hard enough to bounce every cushion and launch Plague off the side, even jostling Wraith, who growls groggily against my neck.
Plague flops back into frame, hastily fixing his hair and cursing Whiskey out under his breath, shoving him aside to make room.
Or trying.
I keep the camera on them so no one accidentally gets a glimpse of Wraith.
OMG WHISKEY
the only alpha I'd want tbh
so fucking HOT
WHAT IS THAT ON HIS NECK
A hickey?????
It almost looks like a mark?
I swear to gods I saw a mark on his neck at the last game
Whiskey just grins, tugging at the collar of his t-shirt in mock sheepishness and displaying the mark even more.
That's too big of a bite mark to be from Ivy
omg omegas don't usually mark alphas!!
WAIT THE SHIP IS REAL???
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
"And you know Whiskey, of course," I say, trying not to laugh at how red Plague is turning. "Former Marine. Professional chaos agent. Our first date was a rage room."
"Second-best night of my life," Whiskey says to the camera, settling his muscled arm along the back of the couch.
I see someone in chat ask what's the first.
"Marking night," Whiskey says easily, kissing the silvery scars on my shoulder.
PLISKEY PLISKEY PLISKEY
did plague mark you???
OMG GUYS I THINK I SEE SOMETHING ABOVE PLAGUE'S TURTLENECK
take your shirt off Plague!
PLAGUE
The comments are flying so fast the screen is a blur of text I can't hope to keep up with, but patterns are emerging and I'm catching glimpses here and there.
we believe you Ivy!
fuck Wade Kelly
where's Wraith???
show us Wraith!!
where's the hot Russian alpha
he's Canadian
girl come onnnnn you know what I mean
val would eat wade for breakfast
Wraith tried
Valek is hovering at the frame's far edge, arms crossed, shoulder against the doorframe, his body positioned between the camera and the hallway behind him. He isn't looking at the screen, just in my general direction, his silver eyes flat and watchful.
Standing guard.
I turn the screen enough to show him to the chat, and it loses its collective mind.
VALEK!!!
sir you are standing there like a final boss
is he single
he's literally her mate did you not watch the press conference
RUIN MY LIFE VAL
"Both Val and Wraith were protecting me," I say. "Wade was threatening me right there on the ice." I look at Valek. "He may not be the best at saying how he feels, but he's very good at showing it."
The slightest ghost of a smirk curves his lips.
Thirty thousand viewers now, and it seems like half of them are commenting all at once. I have to fight to read any of it, and I only manage to because they're all asking variations of the same question now.
where's Wraith
WRAITH
we want Wraith!!
is he okay???
please show Wraith
We just want to know he's okay
My throat tightens.
They're asking for him, and not to gawk.
They're worried.
"Wraith is right here," I say quietly. "He's always here."
I try to turn my head so I can see him behind me, but I can't really, not from this angle. I squeeze his hands where they're still overlapping on my stomach. I'm not sure if he's paying attention. Not even sure if he's awake.
I can't just put the camera on him. Especially not when he isn't wearing his mask, however certain I am they can't see his face, the way he's buried in my hair.
"Wraith?" I whisper. "Can I move the camera?"
He nods slightly.
Okay.
Here goes.
I zoom out, and the frame suddenly makes sense of what just looked like an oddly dark background this whole time.
It's Wraith's sweatshirt.
His shoulders span wider than the couch cushion behind me. My entire body fits inside the cage of his arms with room to spare.
My hair obscures most of his face, but not his eyes. Nothing could hide those impossibly blue eyes, not even the exhaustion darkening them, watching the screen with the quiet wariness of someone who expects the worst and is bracing for it.
The wall of chat text stutters, then slows.
Oh. It was lag.
oh my goddd
HE WAS HOLDING HER THE WHOLE TIME??
I'm literally sobbing
our protective king
those EYES
he has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen
is he okay?? he looks tired
wraith are you sleeping enough
"He does have the most beautiful eyes, doesn't he?" I say, tilting my head back against his collarbone. He buries his face deeper into my hair, and I feel his jaw clench against my scalp.
He's embarrassed.
This seven-foot-three feral alpha is regarded as the scariest player in the league, and strangers complimenting his eyes makes him shy.
"He's been dealing with a new medication," I add, keeping my voice casual because I know he wouldn't want me to make it a big deal. "He's okay. He's strong. But if he seems tired, that's why."
I press back against his chest and his arms tighten around me as he nuzzles deeper into my hair, the points of his teeth pressing gently against my scar and the marks on top of it.
And the purr I've been missing so much flickers to life. Faint and unsteady, like a pilot light catching after being out too long, but deeper and rumblier than it was in the tent.
IS HE PURRING
I can literally see his chest vibrating omg
the way he just pulled her closer
I will never recover from this
ok but his hands are huuuuge
the scars on his hands too
he's been through so much
we love you Wraith
WE LOVE YOU WRAITH
The phrase catches and multiplies, flooding the chat in a cascade.
WE LOVE YOU WRAITH
WE LOVE YOU WRAITH
WE LOVE YOU WRAITH
And the numbers keep climbing. I don't even know what to do with that. It's more people than would ever fit in the arena, all watching from their phones and laptops.
I catch one comment about Wraith's face that makes my stomach lurch, but before I can even process it, it's drowned beneath all the love and support.
so when is Wade's lawsuit getting laughed out of court
someone get this girl a lawyer because I will PERSONALLY crowdfund it
fuck defamation charges this is the TRUTH
Right.
The lawsuit.
I almost forgot why I went live in the first place.
"So." I look straight into the lens, Wraith's eyes burning over my shoulder. "Wade's family wants to sue me for telling the truth. For saying out loud what he did to me behind closed doors. And I want to be really freaking clear about something."
I hold up our joined hands, Wraith's scarred hands completely dwarfing mine, the rest of the pack pressing in around me. Even Valek.
"The Ghosts gave me something Wade did everything in his power to convince me didn't exist. Something many omegas are convinced don't exist. And you know what that is?"
I pause.
"A choice."
The chat goes so nuclear, it stops working.
Thane's phone is already buzzing with so many notifications from Eliza and gods know who else flying across the top of the screen, it's actually getting hot and slowing down.
Here comes the fucking army.
Your turn to be scared, Wade.