Chapter 28 Dixon #2
Amhurst... Shit, was that where our future was always headed?
The California Preserve for Feral Alphas and Omegas was considered a world class resort in the ferality rehabilitation world, but that wasn’t saying much.
Free range, walled forests. Padded rooms. Brutal experimental treatments.
If you walked into Amhurst—or were, more than likely, forcibly dragged inside—you didn’t come out again.
Apparently, they had a unit for the terminally sick which was separated from those lost to terminal feralness.
Maybe, if I didn’t go fully out of my goddamn mind immediately, I could just check myself in there and wait it out. Terminally fucking heartsick.
Catalina silently pointed towards the kitchen, passing by us. We filed back inside. Our tirelessly working Beta saw the broken cabinet immediately, its door clinging for dear life by one mangled hinge. “Honestly, Dixon. The repair bill is so out of hand.”
Ryder cleared his throat. “Yeah, not Dixon this time.”
She looked at him, quirking an eyebrow. “Ah,” was all she said.
I didn’t care about a busted cabinet. “What’s the problem and how do we solve it?” I asked bluntly.
We waited. I wanted to shake Cat into responding. I didn’t. Goddamn if it didn’t feel good to have the ability to tolerate her slow response and not hit something. Ryder was the one who looked like he was going to explode.
“Look,” she finally began, momentarily staring up at the ceiling, sighing, and then looking back at us, “The Omega has a sort of request. At first, I refused. I mean, the contract is specifically written to make sure you guys get the right fit. Her request sort of… well, it might make things uncomfortable.”
“So, you refused the request and…” I trailed off, waiting for her to explain.
“Well, then I talked to a higher-level manager. He explained that the Omega’s request isn’t something she’s willing to compromise about. Apparently, the company anticipated this because of her behavior during initial testing.”
I spoke slowly; my Alpha instincts were trying to break my control. “They knew something might happen when she was first tested? Why the fuck did they—” I stopped speaking, realizing my voice was getting angrier and louder. I shook it off and apologized. “Sorry. Keep going, Cat.”
“Well, that’s the thing,” Catalina gave a half-amused, nose scrunching smile. It was her ‘I’m proud of you’ look. Or it could be that her next statement was too ridiculous to not smile over. “The Omega has a cat.”
“A cat?” Ryder and I said it together, both of us lilting up to form a question.
“Yes. A cat that she’s unwilling to lose. She even threatened to prostitute herself in order to pay the contract break fee.” Catalina put her hands on her hips. “So, you see the problem. We are at an impasse.”
“Wake up Mac,” I instructed, knowing he was the linchpin. “But if his ass doesn’t say yes, he’s out of the pack.”
"Jesus," Ryder muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Of all the damn things. Giving us a fucking heart attack over a pet."
Catalina nodded, her expression a mix of exasperation and amusement. "The contract explicitly prohibits pets without prior approval. I told them no initially because, well, Mac's allergies."
"Mac will deal," I said firmly. "We're not losing our match over a damn cat.
" Before I finished talking, I was striding out of the room, purpose in every step. I suspected Ryder and Cat were following, but that wasn’t my focus.
The minute I as close enough, I shoved Mac with one socked foot. And not gently.
“Wake up, allergies.” I kicked the sofa cushion a second time, bouncing Mac's head. “We need your sneezy ass blessing.”
Mac's eyes fluttered open, instantly alert despite the hour. He had that ability—to go from dead asleep to fully functional in seconds.
“What's happening?” His voice was rough with sleep, but his eyes were sharp as they darted between us.
“Our Omega has a cat,” I said, cutting to the chase. “Non-negotiable package deal.”
Mac sat up slowly, running a hand through his disheveled hair.
“A cat.” It wasn't a question. He blinked once, twice, then his eyes widened as what we’d said hit him. “Aww, man,” he groaned, “why did it have to be a cat?”
“Better than snakes, Indiana,” I dropped next to Mac, slinging my tattooed arm around Mac’s shoulders. “Say yes.”
We all knew my words weren’t a request. We also all knew that Mac really didn’t have a choice.
Our scent match was one in a million. She was, most likely, the only chance our pack had at finding that one Omega to create the family we all wanted.
Without her, we’d have to truly consider alternatives that would weaken our bond.
I mean, before smelling Tessa, I’d have been on board with that as a Hail Mary.
After smelling Tessa? I didn’t want anyone else in our pack, in our house, or in our bed.
“One of you assholes better buy bulk antihistamine.” Mac slumped back against the sofa, and I clapped his shoulder in approval. Ryder punched the air in triumph.
We woke Tray up after the contract addendum came through an hour later.
He was half-asleep and signed with one eye open.
We didn’t even tell him what it was for until Catalina had emailed it back and everything was on track again.
To our amusement, he’d drum soloed on the coffee table with plastic forks and excitedly announced he was heading to the pet store as soon as it opened.
Tray had always wanted a pet, but his surgeon father and grandfather had been strictly against animals, citing how they made a home environment unsanitary.