41. Wren
Wren
As I slip into my outfit for dinner, I can’t help but admire the way it makes my ass look. Last night we did some more online shopping from Nesting Co., because in Teddy’s exact words, “Eat shit, Nest Luxe.”
The clothes I ordered are both appropriate for a dinner in a restaurant and are also comfortable as hell. The dress hugs my newfound curves, the fabric stretchy but sturdy. The inside is this soft, silky material, and the outside has the appearance of a more formal dress.
Turns out, I could have dressed the way my parents wanted me to all along and been happy about it if they had taken a split second to consider how textures affect an omega’s nervous system.
Between my outfit, and the makeup I followed a tutorial on for the perfect “smoky eye”, I look ready to do business.
“Temperature check,” Brennan announces as he enters the nest, waving a thermometer around. I can’t even appreciate how good he looks in his button-up shirt and tie since I’m so annoyed he’s checking my temperature again.
I huff. “I was at one-oh-two at lunch time, there’s no way I’ve gone up more than—” My mouth snaps shut as he scans my forehead anyway.
It beeps, and he frowns. “One-oh-three.”
Shit.
“I’ll be fine,” I say quickly. “That’s still three degrees to go. I only went up two between my meeting with Maggie and lunch today, so that means I’m up two degrees every twenty-four hours.”
“I know,” he sighs, looking up from the screen, “it’s just—” his eyes catch on my body, and he freezes. I guess he had been so intent on checking my temperature before, that he didn’t really see me. “Holy shit.”
His voice is a reverent whisper as his eyes run up and down my body, the intensity of his gaze burning through me like a brand.
“Yeah?” I can’t help my grin as I do a quick little twirl. “You like it?”
“You look…” he huffs a breath, shaking his head, “I can’t even put it into words.”
“I look like I’m going to finally confront my parents and force them to release their hold on me once and for all?” I hedge, loving the way he can’t seem to pull his eyes from my cleavage.
He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Yes. You do.”
I grin up at my alpha. “Then let’s go.”
He lets me lead him down the hall and to the stairs, where the guys are waiting in the living room. I clear my throat to get their attention when we reach the entryway, but when all their eyes fall on me, my mouth goes dry.
Teddy, his hair gelled back, wearing a black button-down with the top three buttons undone, fully exposing the way his tattoos expand from his neck to his chest.
Ethan, in an olive green dress shirt that makes his eyes pop.
And Maverick, wearing a button-down that stretches across his broad chest, and a gray suit jacket.
Brennan joins them, and then I have the complete picture.
My pack is dangerously hot.
I feel like I recover fairly quickly from ogling them, at least, quicker than they do.
“Holy shit, Dove.” Teddy shakes his head first, jogging up to me. “I knew you were a fuckin’ smoke show, but you look damn incredible.” He takes my hand, twirling me in a circle as I giggle. “Let’s see the back then.”
Maverick, Ethan, and Teddy all groan in appreciation at the sight of my ass.
“Her ass has always been fantastic,” Ethan comments as I complete the circle and face them again, “but has it gotten…more?”
“More fantastic?” Maverick grunts, eyebrows raised. “I would have said it’s impossible, but I definitely think our omega has gotten her natural curves back.”
My cheeks flush at his praise. Not too long ago the doctor was saying I was malnourished, and now I have natural curves. “You guys like it? It’s so comfortable.”
“You make it look good, Baby Girl, not the other way around,” Maverick says, walking over. “I hate that you were ever forced into clothes that were so horrible for you.”
“Never again,” Ethan swears, joining us. “And I’ve already put your painting in the car.”
Ah yes, my parting gift for my parents.
“One thing though,” Brennan speaks up, and based on his tone I immediately know what he’s about to say. My death glare fails to silence him. “Her temperature was one-oh-three.”
“Fuck,” Maverick mutters, his hands reaching up to run through his hair. “That’s…uncomfortably close.”
“As I already told Brennan,” I put my hand on my hips. “I may have gone up a degree, but between lunch yesterday and lunch today, it’s gone up two degrees. So one more degree by dinner time is on track—I should still have a day or two until my heat actually hits.”
“The thing is, Wren…” Ethan sighs, “this is the first time for all of us. We’re going purely based on Maggie’s theory, which isn’t fact. You could jump up those last three degrees by the time we make it to the restaurant. And…one-oh-six isn’t an exact threshold, just an estimate.”
I huff, crossing my arms. “Okay, then why did we even agree to dinner in the first place? Because back when we did this, my heat could still have hit at any moment. The only difference is now we have a reference point.”
Teddy looks between us. “She ‘as a point. If we cancel now, it’ll look like we was bluffin’. We can’t just outright say she’s gon’ into ‘eat either. They’ll try to get us while she’s vulnerable.”
Maverick purses his lips. “Fine. We’ll still go as planned but…Brennan, bring the thermometer. We’ll do discreet checks, and if it gets to be too high, we toss the flash drive with the copied evidence at them, tell them to fuck off, and leave.”
It’s better than nothing. “Alright. Are you guys ready to go?”
Toscano’s is fairly busy, as usual, but when Maverick tells the host who we’re meeting, he quickly takes us to a private room.
I can tell the guys are a little on edge being in a place like this, and I can’t really blame them.
Maybe if I hadn’t shared that it’s the restaurant where my family has routinely met with rival families to broker deals, they’d be less nervous.
I couldn’t let them come into the wolves’ den blind though.
We pass through the main dining room, and it’s hard not to notice the way other women’s eyes catch on my men. One in particular has her eyes glued to Teddy, eye-fucking him with abandon. My instinct is to rip her eyeballs out of their sockets, but luckily, I’m able to tone it down.
A low growl emanates from my throat as I grab Teddy’s hand in a death grip. The woman startles, giving me a dirty look before turning back to her table.
Three more hands make contact with my body in some way as we trail close behind the host. Maverick’s on the back of my neck, Ethan’s on my lower back, and Brennan taking my other hand.
My omega settles slightly, despite the eyes still following us.
All too soon though, we reach the private room, and the host nods his head briefly before opening the door and allowing us to step inside.
“You’re late, Wren.” Father’s disapproving voice rings out in the room, and just like that, despite the fact I totally stood my ground on the phone yesterday, I’m sinking in on myself.
He sits at the head of the table, as usual, his heavy presence near suffocating.
The three bodyguards behind him are almost unnecessary, with how intimidating he is. There’s a wiry man on a computer in the corner, looking around nervously. I vaguely recognize him as Lester, our family’s accountant. Or is he the IT guy?
“Oi, fuck off, we are not,” Teddy snaps, his hand tightening in mine. “It’s six o’clock on the dot, you bloody wanker.”
My eyes go wide. He just…talked to my father like that as if it were nothing.
Years of conditioning have me braced for Father’s response. But…he just grits his teeth. “If you’re on time, you’re late. Any civilized person knows that.”
Mother sneers from her spot next to Father as her eyes run over me. “Two weeks away and you gain back all that weight we spent so long keeping off.”
My alphas growl behind me at the words, but they don’t say anything, which I’m grateful for. This final confrontation is one I have to handle myself.
The way my parents look at me…the same disdain is there as before, but now there’s an undercurrent of…fear? They realize I hold the fate of their livelihood in my dumb little omega hands, and it terrifies them.
That fear…it gives me the strength I need to speak.
“Father,” I say finally, finding my voice. Hands tighten their grip on me, filling me with confidence. I look to Mother next to him. “Mother. I’d say it’s nice to see you both again, but, given the circumstances…”
Her eyes travel across the faces of my mates, nothing but disdain in her features. “I shouldn’t be surprised these are the men you’ve chosen to whore yourself out to. I suppose they don’t mind the chubbiness.”
My jaw drops. How dare she? How dare she sell me off to a piece of shit pack like Pack Caruso and then criticize the pack that loves and cares for me?
If there had been any feelings of trepidation left at facing my parents again—it’s burned away by the rage I feel at the fact she would dare insult my pack.
“Actually, we were just saying how amazing her ass looks in this dress,” Maverick says coolly, and I almost want to outright laugh at the expression that takes over my parents’ faces.
Maverick’s comment helps me calm down a little, and I’m able to keep my composure as I speak. “I’m not sure why you would be surprised, Mother,” my voice is nothing but polite as I approach the large table, “after all, I do believe this pack suits me quite well.”
“How would you know?” Father huffs, “You haven’t even been with them for two weeks.”
A saccharine smile fills my face. “I believe I know them better than I know you, at this point, seeing as I never would have thought you’d sell me.”
Mother’s face pales for a moment before she shakes her head. “Let’s get on with this, you—”
There’s a knock on the door, and then a waiter is poking his head in. “Excuse me, are you ready to order?”
Father starts to speak, “No—”
“Yes please!” I say brightly. “I’m absolutely famished.”
My father sends me an angry look but sighs. “Yes, we’re ready.”
The waiter starts with Father, of course, and Mother orders a salad.
“Can I please have the chicken parmesan?” I ask sweetly. And the waiter nods, writing it down.
“No!” Mother snaps, rather loudly. “We will not be paying for—”
“We’ll split the check,” Brennan snaps back at Mother before looking at the waiter with an apologetic grin. “Please.”
The waiter nods, eyes wide, before taking the rest of the orders and scurrying out of the room.
Father jumps to fill the silence before we can. “Let’s move on. About this evidence you claim to have—”
“Claim?” Ethan arches a brow, pulling a flash drive out of his pocket and putting it on the table. “It’s all right here. See it for yourself. I have copies on two different drives back home.”
“You will stop interrupting me,” Father seethes at my men, looking around the table furiously.
“Then the two of you will treat our omega with respect,” Maverick states calmly, folding his hands in front of him.
Father pauses, sending a look to Mother. He doesn’t decline, but he doesn’t agree either. “Lester. Take the flash drive and check the contents.”
Lester scurries out of his corner, grabbing the flash drive and plugging it into the laptop.
Ethan drums his fingers on the table. “By the way…Lester was it? Any attempt to look further into the files to see the IP address they originated from will trigger a command in the documents. All the files I have will be immediately sent to the DEA’s office.
Can’t have you trying to track us after this. ”
Lester pales before nodding. “It might take a second to verify, sir.”
Father grits his teeth. “Fine. Now, while Lester verifies the validity of the evidence, let’s negotiate.”
“There’s nothing to negotiate,” I say simply, shaking my head. “You tell the world I’m safe and sound, and we don’t send out the files. That’s it.”
Father scowls at me. “I want the files deleted. And I want you back on the Nest Luxe promo.”
“No.”
Mother’s jaw drops. “No? Did you just say ‘no’ to us? You have no idea how much money you’ve already lost us by disappearing how you did.”
“Are you referring to how I was rescued from the pack that you sold me to?”
Father bristles. “Come now, we had no choice. You were being difficult—”
“So difficult that you had to sell me?” For the first time tonight, I feel tears sting my eyes.
“My entire life, I have been invisible. I have made myself smaller to not attract your wrath. Your attention. No birthday celebrations, nothing. But the moment I presented as an omega, I became valuable to you. Suddenly, I’m thrust into the limelight, after an entire life of being hidden in the shadows.
Did you even think about how difficult that would be for me? ”
Maverick’s hand finds my knee under the table.
“You don’t think about the family,” Father snaps. “You presenting as an omega was the only reason we were able to convince the owners of Nest Luxe to sell to us.”
Ah, so that explains it. They probably thought their brand would be in good hands if the new owners had an omega daughter. Too bad they didn’t really know my parents.
I shake my head. “So you used me to buy your company. Got it. That doesn’t explain why you were so intent to sell me off—”
“You’re being dramatic,” Mother sneers. “We gave you to a reputable pack—”
“Did you know they drugged me?” Silence.
“They said they got the drug from you.” More silence.
“They were mad that I was a virgin. Planned on…how did he say it?” I let out a bitter laugh.
“‘A virgin bootcamp. An accelerated course to get me used to taking their dicks however and wherever they want.’”
I can feel my guys stiffen next to me. I don’t think I ever told them word for word what they said. Even Father has the barest glint of guilt flicker across his expression.
“What else did you expect us to do, Wren?” Mother snaps. “You couldn’t keep a pack interested, and how would it look if the face of Nest Luxe wasn’t desirable enough for a pack to want?”
It all makes sense now. They needed to have me packed up because it would look better for their brand.
“You were supposed to not be shitty parents.” My voice is hard as I look at them. “You were supposed to love me. Not ignore me until you could use me, and then sell me off like cattle.”
Something about the words leaving my mouth and entering my parents ears…it’s liberating. Seeing the barest flicker of human emotion at my words makes me feel like maybe I can make them see how much hurt they’ve caused me.
“Sir?” Lester approaches Father, laptop in hands. Any trace of regret is wiped from his face as he snatches the computer. “It’s all here…and more. There’s a video testimony from Freida as well…”
Based on the way Father’s face screws up in rage, I think we’re about to make a deal.