Chapter 41 #2
“I just… I don’t want people thinking I can’t do this on my own,” she whispers.
“Enough,” Kaiden says, low. “Everyone just… stop.”
“I’m sorry if what I said upset—”
“Stop, Revea.” Kaiden’s voice rumbles the car, slicing through her words.
I wince at the edge in it, but I don’t look back. I just keep staring out the window.
Then it’s silent.
***
It’s the longest car journey of my life. We don’t even talk over the bond.
The second we’re inside, Revea disappears into the spare room she’s been using for her things. She hasn’t slept there once, but I have a feeling that’ll change tonight.
I head straight for the back office, uncapping a bottle of beer from the mini fridge before anyone’s even shut the front door.
“We didn’t think this through,” I mutter into my drink when the others enter. “How did we think this was going to end?”
“We didn’t know it would be like this.” Val leans against the pool table.
“This is my fault.” Kaiden sinks into the leather armchair behind the desk. “I offered us for her heat. I brought her into our home.”
“But we made that choice together,” Sylvan says, frowning as he looks between us. “Why are you all behaving as if we’ve lost her? She’s still here. She came back with us—”
“You think she’s not up there packing her stuff?” I scoff. “Come on, Syl. She doesn’t want a pack. She doesn’t want us—”
“That’s not true.” Sylvan scowls. “She cares about us. We’re compatible.”
“Jesús…” I swig my drink. “Compatibility doesn’t change the fact that she doesn’t want a pack.”
“She told us that from the start,” Val murmurs. “She made it clear what her focus was. Her business. But still we…” He doesn’t finish. He doesn’t need to.
We naively thought she’d change her mind for us.
I stare at my drink. “Every time she said it… I acted like we could convince her otherwise.”
Kaiden finishes his drink. “We all did.”
I exhale sharply, dragging a hand down my face. “I pushed her,” I mutter. “I just really thought…” My gaze drops to the floor.
I think about the car journey. How we spoke to her, her face, then the silence.
“And what exactly did we expect her to say to that reporter?” I say, suddenly angry. “If we told her about the headlines, she could have prepared a statement or something.”
“But we didn’t, because we were afraid of what she’d say,” Sylvan confirms. “We were afraid she’d do what you think she’s doing now.”
“Leave,” Val ends.
My stomach twists sharply.
“She agreed to her heat. She stayed when we asked her to. But she never said she wanted more.” Kaiden rubs a hand over his mouth, then exhales slowly. “And then we punished her for not saying something she’s never promised us.”
“We’re assholes,” Val says, finishing his glass.
More than assholes. We’re just like any other alpha who won’t accept no for an answer.
Revea is everything we’ve ever wanted in an omega. Independent, fierce, passionate about her work… and we still heard what we wanted instead of what she actually said.
We’re about to lose the best thing that’s ever happened to us.
“Fuck!” I slam my empty bottle down, already heading for the door.
“Where are you going?” Val calls.
“To do what I always do,” I say. “Damage control.”
I just hope it’s not too late.
I take the stairs two at a time. When I reach the door of the spare room, her scent slips out from beneath it. Sweet dark cherry and smooth vanilla, but with a bitter edge.
Not like when she was sick. And it’s not anger either.
My stomach curdles as I softly rap on the door. “Ve,” I murmur, resting my forehead against it. “Can I come in?”
My hand lands on the handle—
“No!”
I still at her sharp tone, but then it softens.
“I’m... I’m doing something.”
Fuck. She’s probably packing all her shit and doesn’t want me to see. Knows it’ll be awkward.
I take a deep breath, forcing myself to think. “Could I... Can I talk to you like this?”
There’s a brief pause, a slight shuffle, then a quiet. “Yeah, that’s okay.”
I close my eyes, taking one more breath in and out, anything to try and calm the frantic beating in my chest.
“This is all my fault,” I say. I don’t wait for a response.
“When we first met, you made it clear you didn’t want a pack.
But I introduced you to Val anyway, because part of me hoped he wouldn’t be interested, but how could he not?
” A rough breath leaves my chest. “I mean, after one day, I was done. Then you had Val purring, Sylvan changing his eight-year routine—then buying you a fucking eye scanner.”
Her soft laughter sounds behind the door, and it gives me the courage to keep going.
“And then Kaiden, our pack alpha, offers us for your heat on the same day you meet. When we’ve never shared an omega before.” I shake my head. “Everything just seemed to fit.”
My jaw tightens when I consider what I have to say next. “If you want to leave, Revea, I understand. The way we reacted in the car… You told us you weren’t looking for a pack. We had no right to think otherwise.”
I press my chest to the door, anything to ease the ache. “I’m so sorry, Revea… Lo siento tanto.”
I slide down to my knees, sitting in the silence of heartache.
“No creo que alguna vez ame a nadie como te amo a ti…” The confession leaves me in a whisper, half-formed, full-hearted.
There’s no sound besides my racing heart. I don’t even know if she’s still there. If she’s even listening.
I close my eyes, inhaling her scent a final time—
The handle turns. I lift my head, watching it slowly open, until Revea is right there.
Her breath catches at the sight of me on my knees, but then my hands reach for her, dragging her to me. Forehead against her sternum, my heart pounds as I breathe her in.
“Please don’t go, baby,” I whisper, holding her tighter. “If this is all we’ll ever be, whatever this is right now, I’ll take it. We don’t need to be a pack. I don’t care. Just stay with us. No one needs to know.”
When her fingers slip into my hair, tugging slightly, I look up with my chin against her stomach.
“Have you been drinking, Luciano?” she asks, but there’s a soft slant to her beautiful lips.
I pinch my thumb and finger until they’re almost touching. “Un poco.”
She laughs, and the heavenly sound vibrates through my skin.
“But I mean it, Ve. I mean everything I said.” With her eyes on mine, I say, “I love you.” Her lips part. “And I know that isn’t fair to say right now. But if this ends tonight, I needed you to know.”
For a moment, she just stares at me, her gaze searching mine.
I brace for the worst. Still holding her, but prepared for her to pull away.
To leave.
“Luciano,” she whispers, and I swear it sounds just like those songs we heard in church with our abuela. “It doesn’t end tonight.”
“Joder, gracias a Dios.” The words are muffled as I press my mouth against her stomach.
A quiet laugh slips from her, her fingers combing through my hair.
So fucking glad I grew it out.
Her hand slips down to my cheek, and I lean into her touch like a starved dog.
“But I do need to speak to you all.” She brushes my mouth with her thumb. “Can you take me to them?”
I nod. But I can’t quite believe what’s happening. That she isn’t leaving. That she hasn’t got her suitcase packed.
“Did I tell you how sorry I was?”
Both her hands are on my face, and her lips are on mine. She kisses me slowly, carefully, her fingertips grazing my cheek.
“It’s okay,” she murmurs. “I’m sorry too.”
I frown, ready to rebut, but her lips are back on mine.
I decide it isn’t worth the argument.
When she slowly steps out of my hold, she offers me her hand. Without hesitation, I take it and rise from my knees, leading her to my pack. And the ache in my chest finally eases.
***
The moment Revea steps into the bar room, our pack bond spikes, and when I follow in behind, their eyes landing on our entwined hands, it rockets.
Kaiden stands. “Revea—”
“I have something for you all,” she says with a soft smile that makes Kaiden immediately quiet.
Her hand slips from mine as she pulls what looks like black, tangled string from her skirt pocket.
She gives one to Val, then to Syl, to me, and finally to Kaiden.
I stare down at the small, braided thing. It feels kinda familiar. Looks a little like a bracelet.
“What’s this?” Kaiden asks first.
“A gift,” she replies, her smile fuller.
“Why?” Sylvan toys with it between his fingers.
Revea looks between us, gaze flitting, not able to maintain eye contact.
Then she clears her throat and squares her shoulders like all those times I’ve seen her do before.
“Pack Vale, I’d like to court you. Please.” She smiles. Fully.
And I am dumbstruck.
Her lips waver, gaze swinging to each of us.
“I know it’s not the best courting gift, but I can’t exactly nip out to the shops without an entourage.
So I cut up some bands and braided them.
They’re all a little different. And I know they look small, but they’ll stretch, and they’re really durable, and I. ..”
Kaiden rises from his chair, cutting her words short. “Is this because of the headlines?”
“No.” She shakes her head, voice softening. “No. I started making these a couple of days ago.” Although Revea stands steady with Kaiden towering over her, her eyes drop down to the bracelet in his hand. “But the headlines did make me realise I haven’t been very fair...”
“We haven’t been fair, Revea.” Kaiden waits for her gaze to be back on him before he continues. “You told us, each of us, that you weren’t looking for a pack, and we pursued you anyway. And tonight, we reacted poorly to what you said. That’s on us. Just, please don’t feel like you need to do this—”
“Pack alpha,” she cuts in, expression stern, brow arched, the tone doing things to my cock that shouldn’t be possible. “I’ve asked to court your pack, and you haven’t given me an answer.”
“Aren’t alphas supposed to ask?” Syl murmurs to me.
Revea groans, holding her hand out to Sylvan. “Give me the bracelet back.”
“What? No, it’s mine.” He slips it on. She reaches for it, but he lifts his hand up above his head. “You gave it to me. You can’t take it back.”
“Yes, I can! It’s my courting gift, and we’re not courting—”
“Yes, we are,” Kaiden rumbles from behind, causing her to turn back. “We accept, Revea.”
He kisses her, picking her up by the waist and perching her onto the pool table, where he deepens it.
“What the fuck did you do, Luc?” Val murmurs over the bond.
“Told her I love her.”
All my packmates’ eyes snap to me, even Kaiden’s, while he’s still kissing Revea.
I shrug. “I do. But that’s not why she did this.” I glance down at my bracelet, running my thumb over it. “Don’t lessen the choice she’s made.”
“You know the humming air is a real giveaway.” Revea smirks.
“Thank you for the gift,” Sylvan says, leaning down to kiss her cheek. “You need to eat. You didn’t have lunch.” Then he sweeps her off the pool table without pause or consideration for anyone else, carrying her out of the room over his shoulder.
“How long before he’s searching up courting instructions?” I murmur.
Kaiden laughs, shaking his head before facing me. “Good job,” he says. “And not just for tonight. For every decision you’ve made that brought us to her.”
Ah shit. I don’t know how to respond to that. I just did what I felt was right in the moment. Luckily, he just claps my shoulder once, then heads for the door.
I clear my throat and turn back to Val. “Did you hear that, hermano...”
But he isn’t looking at me. Still leaning against the wall, he stares down at the bracelet in his hand.
I let out a long breath. “Is this when you call me an idiota for falling in love—”
“I’m in love with her too,” Val suddenly declares, then drags a hand over his face, finishing his drink in one large gulp before he looks at me. “I love her, Luciano. And the thought of her leaving…”
I study him. Really study him. Because I know my brother better than I know myself, and right now, he looks… afraid.
“Hey,” I say, “it’s a good thing, Val.”
“Not if she goes.”
“Este idiota,” I groan, exasperated. “She’s literally just asked to court us.”
“I don’t mean like that…” He stares at the floor. “You know what I mean. There are other ways people go.”
I scoff, leaning against the pool table across from him. “You really gonna make me say it?” His wary eyes meet mine. “La vida sin amor no es vida, mis amores.”
He shakes his head and laughs despite his mood. “Wow. Like our abuela’s in the room with us.”
“Yeah, adding too much salt to the paella while saying it.” I chuckle back. “Even when she hated the girls we brought home, she’d still say it.” I fiddle with the bracelet, slipping it on. “Even after Ma passed, she’d say it to us every night. Just like she did.”
We both go quiet with that memory, remembering the two women we loved and lost.
“They’d have loved her,” Val says, then nods to himself as he stares down at his wrist.
“Yeah.” My thumb rubs over the braided band. “They would have.”