6. Juliette
CHAPTER SIX
juliette
Blinking down at the small velvet-lined box in my hands, I fight the urge to fidget under the weight of their intense stares.
I’ve got sweat forming in my pits and horse shit on my boots, which I was able to scrape off…
mostly. In a last-ditch effort before I walked out the door, I sprayed just enough perfume to keep me from smelling bad enough to gag a maggot and managed to sorta brush out my tangled hair.
Running a world-renowned training facility while also practicing for an upcoming rodeo championship and struggling to have any kind of social life isn’t always glamorous, what can I say?
And then there’s them —the Alphas of Pack Latham.
Tailored jackets. Shiny buckles. Boots so clean you could eat off of ‘em. Hair that’s never had a strand out of place and teeth so white there’s no way in hell it’s natural.
“Um… Thank you?” I grimace the second I realize it came out as a question rather than sincere appreciation.
It’s impossible to miss the throng of Darling residents openly watching and whispering about us like it’s completely in their right to do so. Can’t help but wonder when the hell my life turned into such a shit show.
Oh. Right. Around the time my father, in his infinite wisdom, decided he knew what path was best for me and threatened severe consequences if I didn’t stay as far away from his enemy’s son as possible.
“Open it,” Alex suggests, drawing me back to the present with a hopeful expression on his handsome face.
Of course, all three of the older Alphas in front of me look like they could appear on the cover of Country Living, and their bank account could probably cure the hunger epidemic in at least three small countries.
Why are you being such a whiny little bitch, Juliette? You promised Daddy you’d give the pack a chance, so that’s what you’re going to do.
With my promise to my father ringing through my head, I lift the lid. A gorgeous diamond and sapphire necklace that probably costs more than the annual operating expenses of the Kentucky Derby sparkles up at me. What is a girl like me supposed to do with jewelry like this ?
“It’s…” I try to come up with a word that won’t offend them. “ Too much . I can’t accept this.”
“You can, and you will,” Mark replies affectionately, stepping forward. “You’re going to be our Omega, Juliette. We’ll give you the world one diamond at a time.”
Any other Omega in their right mind would swoon at that. But not me. I was raised with money and pedigree. I understand that having those things doesn’t automatically mean you’re a good person. No. Things like loyalty, kindness, and compassion mean so much more in the grand scheme of things.
“You know I don’t need anything fancy. I’m a simple girl.”
“There’s nothing simple about you, Juliette,” Liam murmurs. “You’re kind, hardworking, and a wonderful mother. We’re the lucky ones here. Let us spoil you and take some of the burden off your shoulders.”
The mention of Charlotte is yet another reminder of why I agreed to this courting in the first place. It’s not just about me anymore. My daughter deserves to have a male role model in her life, and I’d do anything to give it to her.
And yet, with that thought, comes an image of her father—the man I’ve struggled to forget for four long years. That one impulsive night left me with more than I bargained for, yet I wouldn’t change it even if I could.
“He’s right. You could come live with us. We can pay for a crew to handle the daily business affairs, and you can finally step back from the rodeo circuit.”
My eyes snap up to Mark’s. “What do you mean, step back from the rodeo circuit ?”
He reaches for my hand. “Look, you’re running yourself ragged trying to do it all, and with Charlotte to consider, we just thought it might be best if you could focus on something else for a change. Maybe find a new hobby that allows you more time at home and?—”
“Hobby? This hobby is how I’ve made a life for myself and my daughter, outside of family money, while also turning my grandmother’s training facility into a highly reputable brand in the rodeo world.
I’ve been back on the circuit for over a year now.
I’ve finally worked my way to the top again. Why would I?—”
Liam shoots a nervous look at the other two Alphas before stepping closer. “It’s just that our lifestyle requires flexibility to travel, and it might be difficult to work around your current schedule. That’s all. We can hire a nanny or even two to help tutor and care for Charlotte, and?—”
“Nanny?”
Alex elbows Liam out of the way. “We’re not saying you have to make any decisions right now. We know it’s a lot to think about, and we just wanted to let you know where we stand.”
Think about walking away from the one thing I’m good at—the one thing that makes me feel like me and not the mindless Omega Daddy thinks I should be? And putting my daughter in the care of a stranger? Could I do that? Do I want to do that?
The urge to call Elliott and Ezlynn damn near chokes me, but I swallow down the rising panic.
I am worthy of love. I am deserving of everything life has to offer me. I will not let fear or the toxic voices win.
I repeat the mantra we learned at the OTC all those years ago until my shoulders start to relax degree by degree. What would Elliott say, I wonder, if the pack that claimed to want her also wanted to change an inherent piece of who she is?
She’d tell them to go eat a dick.
The first real smile I’ve had all evening forms on my face. I close the box and hand it to Mark. “I really can’t accept this.”
Before he can respond, I hear Charlotte’s voice call out, “Mama!”
When I turn, I feel my stomach fall through my feet.
Kash is standing large and proud, twenty feet from us, with my little girl tucked close to his chest. For the span of a few heartbeats, the entire crowd disappears.
It’s just me and my best friend… all grown up.
When I glance at Charlotte, she’s all smiles, but it’s the man beside her that surprises me—Wyatt, the Beta from the other day.
He must be one of Kash’s packmates. And when my eyes shift to the man standing on the other side of Kash, all the blood rushes from my head until I’m pretty sure I might throw up or even pass out.
Beck. The Alpha that rocked my world and gave me a daughter four years ago. The same daughter that my ex-best- friend is holding while standing next to the Beta I can’t get out of my head. They’re all here…in Darling.
Well, Hell’s bells!
Kash confidently strides toward me as Charlotte whispers something in his ear. He grins, at least until he looks back at me.
“Juliette.”
“Kash.”
“Wait a goddamn minute,” Wyatt blurts out. “ She’s your Juliette?” Kash grimaces, but before he can open his mouth, Wyatt continues. “You’re telling me JJ Wilde is your best friend from childhood turned Miss High Standards?”
“Wyatt!” Kash snaps.
“And not only is she my JJ and your Juliette, she’s the Omega Beck fucked into heat four years ago?” He lifts his hat off his head, running a hand through the long blond strands. “Holy christ on a cracker. My mind is fucking blown right now.”
“For fuck’s sake, Wyatt. Shut the hell up,” Beck barks.
I’m pretty sure I swallowed my tongue because I can’t manage to get any words past the lump in my throat. My past and my present are colliding in a way that may just send me spiraling if I can’t catch my goddamn breath soon.
With Pack Latham having stepped closer at the threat of other Alphas inching into their territory and said Alphas glaring at them with murder in their eyes, I suddenly feel as trapped as a roped calf in the rodeo.
Their scents are sharpening into a toxic mixture that’s trying to force a whine from my strangled throat.
“Kash Ford? Didn’t know you were in town,” Liam murmurs, reaching around me to stick out his hand. “How’s your father been?”
Kash stares at the offered hand, his nostrils flaring as he holds Charlotte a little tighter. “He’s doing well, thank you.”
“That’s good to hear.” Alex slips his arm around my lower back, staking his claim in the only acceptable way he’s currently allowed. “Your pack here seems to already be familiar with our Omega. Introduce us.”
His possessive words don’t go unnoticed, and Charlotte slips her tiny arms around Kash’s neck as she glares daggers at the men behind me.
Don’t you dare fucking fall like a fainting goat, Juliette Callahan. He. Is. Still. Your. Enemy.
Welcoming any opportunity to extract myself from the absolutely horrid scene playing out around me, I give my daughter a beseeching look and manage to squeak, “Hey, sweet pea. Why don’t you come with Mommy so we can let the men talk?”
“I like Mr. Kash. He calls me jelly bean.”
She squeezes his neck tighter, and the smile that lights up his face is better than fireworks on the fourth of July. Without the scowl that typically resides there, he’s almost handsome.
Ha! Keep lying to yourself, bitch, Elle’s voice says in my head.
“I’m Wyatt.” The Beta gives Kash a stern look. “The man on the other side of Kash is my older brother, Beck.”
The latter hasn’t said a single word. No. His eyes have remained locked on me tighter than a moth to a flame. Then his hand lifts to turn his baseball cap backward, giving me a full glimpse of blue eyes so familiar that I gasp.
An image of him from that night flashes in my mind. The fact that what we did created a life so precious I’ve thanked God for her every day even while I cursed him for giving her eyes that reminded me of Beck every time I looked at her does nothing to quell my rising distress.
My scent sours slightly, but it’s barely noticeable with all of the Alpha pheromones flooding the air around us.
Fuck. Beck’s just as yummy as he was four years ago, but so much larger with an air of intimidation that is most definitely working for the needy Omega in me.
What can I say? I’ve been suffering through a four-year dry spell, and my vagina is suddenly remembering all the ways he can make her come even though my brain is throwing out alarm signals.
Slick begins to run down my inner thighs even as every breath I take restricts my lungs.
My entire body is at war over the Alpha I’ve spent years trying to forget.
But he said it himself… He can’t be my Alpha.
He’s just a mirage in the middle of a desert, giving the illusion of being what I need, when in reality, he’ll disappear again just like he did back then.
Except now, Charlotte will be caught in the middle, and I refuse to let her heart be broken too.
With that thought, my heart nearly crashes through my chest.
I need to get the hell out of here.
“We’ve been courting Juliette for a little over six months. We’re hoping she officially agrees to join our pack soon,” I hear Alex saying, though there’s this tinny quality to it that tells me I’m on the verge of a panic attack.
“Is that what she wants?” Beck finally says, his voice as smooth as the whiskey he licked from my sopping pussy.
Is… Is that my… perfume ? Oh good god. I’m in trouble. Breathe, Juliette. Breathe for fuck’s sake.
“Of course. Our courtship was approved by her father and?—”
Static. It’s the only thing I can hear at this point, and I know if I don’t leave right now, I’ll embarrass myself more than I already have. Rushing over to Kash, I reach for Charlotte.
“No, Mama. I want to stay with Mr. Kash, Mr. Wyatt, and Mr. Beck.”
“Sorry, sweet pea,” I rasp, struggling to take full breaths as the Alpha pheromone fog around me gets increasingly thick. I pry my daughter from the man whose scent has gone bitter as the tension around us rises. “We need to go find Gran. She needs us for something important.”
With a big sigh and even bigger pout, Charlotte slips into my arms. I ignore the slight spark I get when Kash’s hand brushes mine, and without saying another word, I make a beeline away from the two groups of men that have just thrown my entire world into upheaval.
My only thought is to escape. Breathe. Think.
Figure out what the fuck I’m going to do. Fucking breathe.
My ex-best-friend. The Beta from town. The Alpha who is my daughter’s father .
It’s a lot to unpack on a good day, and those have been rare in the last four years…or honestly, even the last decade. Charlotte is staring over my shoulder, but I refuse to look back.
One foot in front of the other, Juliette. That’s it. Just a little further. You’ve got this.
I’m almost to the clearing on the other side of the square, almost to freedom, when a large hand clamps around my bicep, drawing me to an abrupt halt.
My heart races in my chest, and I suddenly forget how breathing works altogether as his sharp whiskeyed blueberry scent, with a little vanilla to sweeten it, rushes over me.
“Where do you think you’re going? We need to talk.”
The sound of his voice and the warmth of his hand seeping into my skin do little to help me when the entire world starts to spin.
I have just enough time to shove Charlotte into his surprised arms and say, “Take her for a second. I think I might pass ou…”