Chapter 28
Madi
Frozen with fear, I can’t catch my breath. I collapse onto the concrete beneath me as I forage through my bag to find my cell phone. If Zachary hadn’t fixed it, I’d have no way to call for help. Alric’s name is first and I slam on the call button. He answers immediately.
“Madeline, I’m so sorry, I—”
“I need you— please, I— help.” It’s a jumble of weeping words.
“Of course, of course, honey, we’re on our way. What’s wrong? Where are you?”
“He’s outside,” I whisper.
“Who? Madeline, who’s outside? We need your address.”
“Jensen, an old donor, he wanted to be a client but I rejected him for being a jerk. He saw me at a stoplight coming home from the airport. He tried to take me.”
A growl rips through the phone. “We’re getting in the car right now. Tell us where to go, honey.”
I can barely get out the cross streets and the building number. Hunter and Zachary are frantic in the background.
Zachary’s voice fills my ear. “We’re on our way, sweetheart. Alric’s breaking every speed limit in the city, we’re only a few blocks away.”
I dissolve into guttural sobs, but he keeps speaking in soothing tones. It’s hard to hold my phone with the way my hands are shaking. “The code for my unit is 255344. It’ll call to my phone and I can let you in. I’m in the eighth floor stairwell. Take the elevator, it’ll be faster.”
Not even a minute later, the call comes through and I hit approve, then Hunter is bellowing my name from below, his flying footsteps echoing up the stairwell.
I want to get up and run to him, but my body feels like it’s made of lead.
I can only lie in my fear on the floor, clinging to my purse, desperate for him to find me.
When Hunter finally sees me, his whole face relaxes with relief, taking the last steps four at a time. He scoops me up like I weigh nothing and I bury my face in his neck. The second his scent hits me, I’m able to breathe again.
“Everything is going to be alright,” he promises, kissing my head over and over again and somehow, I believe him.
He holds me like he would never let go, rocking us back and forth. I cling to him, taking deep inhales of his scent, desperate for more as my heart rate returns to normal.
A minute later, I hear a soft pinging from the hallway and my name being screamed and Hunter sets me down. The stairwell door slams open, and even though I know it’s Zachary and Alric, I jump.
Alric reaches me first. His murderous expression has me scrambling back against Hunter’s chest and Alric freezes, face shifting to devastation at my reaction. “I’m sorry. It’s okay, it’s okay.”
I nod and open my arms to them. Zachary and Hunter surround us, their bodies pressed to mine, soft kisses landing wherever they can reach.
“Where’s your apartment, sweetheart?” Zachary asks.
“Level five,” I reply in a small voice, nuzzling my cheek against his shoulder, needing his scent. When I look up at him, he cups my face and uses his thumb to brush away my tears.
What if they hadn’t come? What if Jensen had followed me? What if I hadn’t been able to get the door shut? I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment, trying to stop my racing thoughts.
“Let’s get you home.” Hunter picks me up, my legs going around his waist. We all leave the stairwell and head towards the elevator.
Zachary walks ahead of Hunter and me, Alric close behind us.
With them here, my breathing evens out. They came when I needed them.
Their presence soothes me and keeps me grounded.
When we get to my place, Zachary pries open my clenched fist to remove my keys. He takes my palm into his hand and kisses it, rubbing away the angry red imprints from the metal marking my skin. Once he opens the door, we all walk in and someone turns the dead bolt.
Tonight could have ended so differently. I’ve never been more grateful for anyone than I am for them right now. I’m safe here with my alphas.
Hunter carries me over to my small, worn couch and sits down, pulling me even tighter against him. I gulp down his donut and creamy coffee essence, never wanting to let him go. Zachary and Alric sit on either side of us, cocooning me in their arms.
“Thank you for coming,” I whisper because I can’t handle the silence.
“Babycakes,” Hunter says softly, “what happened? Who is this guy?”
I can’t keep this from them now.
“Marc Jensen. I met him on the same dating app we all use, Knotty. He wanted to be a client. We went out on a couple of dates to see if we would be a good match. We weren’t.
He sent money and gifts like all alphas do when they’re trying to have access to me.
I told him it wasn’t going to work, and then didn’t think anything of it.
When I opened Knotty to find new clients, I found out that he had been leaving me messages for months.
I’ve also been getting texts from an unknown number, I think it might have been him. ”
Zachary hesitantly asks, “What kind of messages?”
“At first, it was just cocky and flirty. Then it progressively got ruder and meaner. He found my number. I’m not sure how, probably another alpha who had it. It’s not my real phone number, but the calls and texts go to this phone.”
I hold it up, waving it a little.
“Madeline, what happened outside?” Alric asks carefully.
I tell them everything. “I kicked my suitcase at him and ran into the building. Did you see it outside?”
“No, sweetheart, we didn’t see anything outside. No lingering cars, no alphas.”
Tears stream down my face. I had everything important in my carry-on bag that Zachary set on the table, but still, my favorite bathing suits were in that suitcase. Clothing. My toiletries. Expensive fucking perfume.
Bastard. I don’t want to think about what he’s doing with those bathing suits.
Zach gets up and brings me over a bottle of water from the fridge. I greedily drink it down, realizing how dry my throat is. It’s such a comfort having them here.
Alric curses under his breath. “We need to report him. He can’t terrorize an omega like this or ever find you again.”
I pull open my phone and open the Knotty app. I scroll through all my messages now that I’m back on it. There’s quite a few new ones, but he’s gone. Alric’s shoulders tighten. I know he can see my screen and all the alphas trying to chat with me there.
I’m about to tell him that I’m not going to message anyone ever again, but Hunter interrupts my thoughts. “Where’s your nest?”
They glance around the tiny rundown apartment and a new fear trickles in, one that has nothing to do with tonight’s terrors.
They all speak at the same time.
“Babycakes, why are all your clothes in the living room?”
“How many bedrooms is this?”
“How old is this building?” Alric slowly gets up, walking around the place. Hunter reluctantly releases me after I scramble to stand up.
Rule number seven. Alpha-free home.
I know they’re all judging it. This is exactly why I only ever allowed Harper over.
I can see the apartment through their eyes.
Everything is dated. The only thing about the place that has been updated in the past ten years is the fridge and oven, which I replaced when the landlord wouldn’t, but it sticks out in the vintage kitchen.
Alric marches to my bedroom, flipping the light switch on. I follow him, my humiliation grows with each step. “Hey, you’re not allowed in there.”
He does stop, but it’s too late—he stares at my overflowing storage shelves, tiny bed, and the open door to my pathetic closet nest with old blankets in piles inside.
Alric slowly turns, fist clenched at his side.
“I’ve sent you thousands and thousands of dollars a month for a year, assuming I was paying for some fancy, luxury omega apartment where you were actually safe.
It was a privilege to fund that. What are you thinking living here with no security, no doorman, and in a terrible part of town?
” He looks at both of his friends. “I’m assuming you both paid a similar amount. ”
They don’t say anything, but it’s clear on their faces that they sent the same. Their judgment is starting to burn within me, rage waiting to burst forward.
I angrily flick off the light and slam my bedroom door shut. “How I spent my money is none of your business. Since you’re no longer my client, you never have to pay me again.”
Alric appears stunned by my response, but recovers quickly. “You think this is about the money?”
“Sure fucking sounds like it.”
“This is about your safety, Madeline. There’s no reason you should be living here. It’s not safe for an omega to live in the same place as alphas without any measure of security.”
The angry truth spills out of me, just to make the shame go away.
“There are no alphas here. It’s a beta building.
” I start crying all over again and fuck, I hate it.
I’m exhausted, and this judgment is sending me over the edge.
“This is what I could afford at the time and it’s the only place that’s ever felt like mine.
I was a teenager without anywhere to go, nowhere to live, and the only person on this whole fucking planet who ever cared about me was dead.
My dads offered no support after she died.
My neighbors are nice and this is my home, so don’t you dare judge me! ”
Alric throws his hands in the air and turns, walking away from me. “This isn’t about judgment.”
He strides towards the kitchen but stops in his tracks when he sees my sugar baby rules, nearly all of them broken with him, and my Alpha-Free Life money tracker. The three million stands out with its big bold letters. Below, it shows exactly how much money I need.
“Is this where all of our money has gone? To a savings fund?” Hunter asks, crestfallen. “Why didn’t you tell us? We would’ve helped.”
“Hunt, the goal was to never have to depend on another alpha again. I wasn’t about to ask for some sort of handout. I provided a service, you received what you paid for. End of story.”
“I guess I didn’t understand how badly your desire to never be around us was,” Zachary whispers.
Fuck. None of them are looking at me now. I open my mouth to argue, but I can’t. Up until this past weekend, that was all I wanted. It wasn’t personal. They have twisted up everything inside of me, and I barely recognize myself after compromising who I am this week.
Shit, I want to leave. No, I want them to go.
I walk to the front door, unlocking it. “I think it’s best if you all leave.”
Zachary sighs, finally looking at me. “None of us are gonna feel okay with leaving you here by yourself.”
“I’m not going to. I’m packing my stuff and my friend will let me stay with her. You’ll be thrilled to know she lives in a fancy guarded omega building and I’ll be fine.”
“Absolutely not, you’re coming home with us,” Alric demands.
I see red. “For the last fucking time, asshole. You do not get to tell me what to do!”
Hunter and Zachary are quick to step in, Hunter speaking first. “We refuse to leave you here alone. I’m sorry if that feels like control to you, but we’re alphas and our scent match not being safe is literally torture for us.
We just got to know the real you, we can’t lose you now. Please don’t hate us.”
A stabbing sensation hits behind my right eye. I press my palm into it to stop the pulsating pain. Tonight has been too much. I need to lie down and sleep for the next three days.
I turn and head into my room. I only have one suitcase and that’s gone now, but I have enough gym duffel bags to throw in all the clothes and necessities I’ll need to stay at Harper’s for a long time.
Anything I might need for my heat gets shoved into a different bag, including my favorite blanket.
I call Harper while I pack to make sure she’ll actually be awake for my arrival.
She picks up after three rings with a sleepy, “Hey, are you okay?”
“Not really, but if you’re cool with it, I’ll be in your lobby with my pink purse in ten minutes.”
“Shit. Yeah, of course, get over here.”
“Thanks, Harper.”
“See you soon.” The line goes dead and I finish packing.
I walk past my rules and savings chart as we leave, the papers mocking me. A part of myself is being abandoned in this apartment, the omega who naively thought a life free of alphas was ever even possible.
Alric’s knuckles are white on the steering wheel as they all drive me to Harper’s apartment. Everything in my life keeps crashing down around me, and I’m crushed under the rubble of doubt.
I don’t know what I want anymore, or who I’m going to be when this is all over.