Chapter 24 Ash
Ash
I kick the door open, finding my Omega in the arms of Silverpine High’s former homecoming queen.
She’s unconscious.
“Ash!” Natalie cries.
I rush to her side, lifting my Omega in my arms. My Omega... That’s the second time I have referred to Daisy as my Omega, but it’s true.
The way my Alpha reacts to her. He wants her, and there’s no doubt about it anymore.
Daisy is mine.
“What happened?” Briar asks the Beta female as he places a hand on Daisy’s forehead. “She’s burning up.”
Natalie shakes her head. “I don’t know. One moment, we were talking, and the next, she was passing out.”
Briar and I regard her strangely. My Alpha inhales, trying to scent a lie, but he doesn’t. Natalie speaks the truth.
“What were you even talking about?” Briar shakes his head. “No, it doesn’t matter now. We have to get her back to the cabin.”
Natalie jumps to her feet. “Let me get Noelle. There has to be a back door you can go through. No one will see her like this.”
The Beta runs out of the bathroom. Daisy groans, and I shush her. “It’s okay. We’ve got you.”
Briar stares after the former cheerleader. “What do you suppose that was about?”
I purr, letting the Omega know that she is safe and that we have her.
We will always have her now…
“I don’t know,” I reply. “But it seems the two have made amends. Not that Daisy had any amending to do…”
Briar glares after the door. “Should we trust her?”
My heart pounds, and then I growl. I swear, if that woman pulls another cruel trick, I will go on a rampage. I can’t exactly hit her since she’s a woman, but I can hit her husband at least.
Fucking Kyle Barlow…what a tool.
He hasn’t changed a bit.
Natalie, on the other hand… I guess we have yet to see. A part of me worries she will return with the rest of our former classmates with their phones, filming poor Daisy’s shame before they upload it onto the internet.
That was just the kind of person she was then. She pulled stunts like that all the time.
Let’s hope time and motherhood truly have humbled her.
“Ash…” Daisy groans, and I meet her soft green eyes. Her face shines with sweat, but despite that, she’s still radiant.
Her May-blossom is strong, laced with pain, and I just want to get her home so I can make her feel better.
“Yes, Bumblebee?”
She smiles. “Natalie Fox gave me her crown. She said it was my time to shine… The Natalie Fox…or do I mean Natalie Barlow now?”
I stare down at her, confused. She’s talking nonsense, but at least she is conscious enough to speak. Now she reaches up, placing a finger on the dimple on my right cheek. “Fuck, it hurts...”
I press her face closer, and she inhales at my neck. “Does that feel better?”
She sighs, and her hot breath makes me shudder. “Yes.”
Damn, my Alpha is about to burst. Where is help when you need it?
Briar undoes his hair tie, wrapping Daisy’s long blonde hair into a ponytail. “Better?”
“Yes,” she replies.
Now we both purr for her, trying to calm her Omega as she writhes and trembles in my arms.
Noelle stumbles into the bathroom next, and thank God. “Shit! Daisy…” Her sad gaze finds me.
We need to get her out of here discreetly. Hopefully, Natalie won’t tell another soul about what occurred here.
Daisy will not become a source of gossip.
Frost pokes his head into the bathroom, covering his eyes out of respect for Daisy. “Robin is calling an emergency evacuation.”
My eyes widen. He would do that just for Daisy? I’m not so sure how to feel. Grateful, relieved…
Noelle must see the expression in my eyes. She smiles. “Hey, we’re family, Ash. Don’t you forget that. And we know exactly how you feel. I’ve lived this, too. And it was in front of a crowded Christmas market.”
She points at Daisy. Daisy opens her eyes long enough to laugh. “That sounds nightmarish. Ooh, you should totally write a scene like that in a book!”
Noelle grimaces at the memory. “I don’t think so, but… thank you, anyway...”
Briar and I turn green. “Yeah… we really don’t need to read about your heat, cuz,” Briar remarks. “No offense.”
I agree. I’m finding it hard to place the seven-year-old girl who bullied me into tea parties at age five in such a similar predicament.
I guess I don’t really think of Noelle as an Omega. I’m even blind to her scent. When I smell it, I just think of family.
“Yes. Too much information,” I reply, laughing it off.
Frost still covers his eyes as he snickers. “Oh, you’ve no freaking idea, Pack Thorn.”
Noelle slaps Frost’s arm, and he soon stops chuckling. Soon, Robin arrives at the door, shielding his eyes just like Frost. “The venue is empty. Hurry.”
We nod, and now Noelle leads us on our way as we rush out of the front doors. We’re just running down the lit-up pathway to the venue when Rowan appears.
His face is torn as he looks down at Daisy in my arms.
Briar growls, wasting no time. “Look, Rowan…we haven’t got time. But are you in or not? We need to get her back.”
The Alpha’s frozen eyes waver before the soft fairy lights on the trees. He turns to the doors of the venue. The other guests have all gone to the assembly point at the back of the building, so we’re alone out here.
His gaze finds Noelle at the doors. Her Alphas have gone, most likely to see to our former classmates. It looks like they will just tell them all that it was a fire drill.
Just like back in school, I guess.
Noelle smiles at Rowan encouragingly. In the end, our brother sighs, joining our side.
Briar and I grin at him.
We knew he would make the right call.
It’s quite the walk to her cabin, but Noelle gives us the keys to a golf cart. It’s one she uses to get around the lodge. It’s even got her name on a gold plaque. Very fancy. “This should get you there quicker.”
“Thank you,” I say.
Our cousin grins, looking at all three of us now. Before she leaves, she reaches forward, brushing aside Daisy’s hair. Then she pecks her forehead. “You take care of her now.”
We nod our affirmation, and then we get inside the cart. Rowan drives as Briar and I lay her across our laps.
And then, we’re off.
Well, here it goes.
It’s time to uphold our duty as Alphas.