Chapter 8
Jax
Someone was calling the house phone. We’d set it up to always be transferred to our cells, but since I was home I checked the caller ID and saw that it was the local hospital. The very same place that Tony said they’d taken Safira. The three of us realized it at the same time, and I grabbed the phone, quickly lifting it to my ear as my heart started racing.
“This is Jax.” I said, waiting to hear why the hospital had called.
“Jax?” A soft voice said my name, and I felt a shiver run through my body and a longing that filled every part of me. It was her.
“Safira?” I could barely breathe. “How did you get this number?” I asked, my mind already racing with plans on how we could meet with her.
“I remembered it.” Was all she said. I was never more grateful that we’d kept this number all these years.
“I can’t believe it.” I whispered. “I’m so glad you called. Tony said he saw you earlier. Are you ok?” I asked, my words coming out fast.
“I’m fine, I don’t think they want me to make calls though, so I’ll have to be quick. They are taking me to a place called the Omega House tomorrow. I want to see you; all of you. I can’t believe you’re real.” Her voice cracked at the end. She’d remembered our number. Maybe she’d been looking for us just as much as we’d been looking for her.
“We’ll find you, Safira. I promise. What happened?” I had so much to ask her. But right now, all I could think about was how sweet her voice was. I wanted to find her, scoop her up, and bring her back here to spoil her and keep her with me and my pack, forever.
“Okay, I know this sounds crazy, but I’m from a town called Weatherby. Apparently, I’m from a different world, and stumbled into it the first time I met you. But I’m back now. I know it sounds unbelievable. But I think we can figure it out together.” Together . I wanted that more than anything. “Jax, they are coming to check on me. I have to hang up. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?” Her voice was so hopeful and vulnerable.
“We’re here for you, Safira. I’ll see you soon.” I said, before I heard voices in her room as the phone call ended. Kaden and Tony were watching me, waiting in anticipation. “She’s at the hospital, but they’re taking her to the Omega House.” I said with a frown. That was a place where they sent omegas without means. It was basically a state-run boarding house. We wouldn’t be able to see her there. Alphas were banned from the premises unless they were officially courting an omega, and we were not registered. I frowned. She deserved to be somewhere nicer than a state-run holding center.
“She’s real! I told you!” Tony said, pumping his fist in the air. Not that any of us doubted it after smelling her perfume on him. My body ached to smell her up close. I was already craving her in a way I’d never craved anyone or anything before.
“So, not to rain on our parade, but we have to tell the fathers about this.” Kaden said as he crossed his arms.
The fathers were what we called the collective men who formed each of the packs of our families. Kaden had three, Tony had two, and I had four. They had all come together when they were younger, each of them owning a small company. After they’d merged their businesses, growing in size, Tony, Kaden and I ended up hanging out all the time by default. When it was clear that the three of us would form a pack, the fathers grew even closer, knowing we’d be a large extended family someday. It posed a problem. They were almost all alphas, and very used to getting their way. So they tended to be very authoritative and hard on us, to ‘make us strong’, in their words. Arranging for us to get an omega and grow the business was an easy decision for them to make.
But I already knew once we saw Safira, we’d have to change our plans. Illiana wasn’t our match, but she was now expecting a pack. She was also changing her whole life for us. It wasn’t going to be fair to her if we went through with a bonding bite knowing we were so affected by a different omega.
“Don’t worry. We can make things right. First, we need to find out what happened to Safira all these years. She said she comes from a different world.” I said as I scratched my chin. It sounded bizarre. “She might be suffering some sort of delusion. We need to find out if she’s all right.” I pondered as I paced. We’d get her all the help she needed if that was the case.
“Hey, didn’t Pack Archer meet a girl who supposedly appeared out of thin air? It was a big deal at the time. Maybe something similar happened with Safira.” Tony chimed in.
“Yeah, I heard about that. I didn’t believe it at the time, but maybe there’s more to it than we know. Either way, we’ll have to-” My words were cut short as the door swung open. Speak of the devil. Three of our fathers strode in, dressed in their business suits as always, and commanding all the attention as their alpha presence filled up the room and competed with ours.
“Hi boys, glad you’re all here.” Mark, one of Kaden’s fathers, said as he came to a halt in front of us. “We were in the neighborhood and thought we’d stop by and check in on the new room.” He walked around, assessing our space. The fathers were highly critical of us, always wanting us to follow their advice and do things their way. It often became a point of contention when we disagreed. There was nothing quite as tense as a room full of alphas and their competing egos. He smiled, seemingly satisfied with how our house looked. “We need to make sure everything goes smoothly for the next few months. Omegas are very particular about cleanliness. How’s the room coming along?” He strode toward the stairs, not waiting for an answer. The others followed as my mind raced.
“Mark, can we speak about this? As a pack, we believe this deal is being rushed. Especially since we’ve barely spoken to Illiana.” I started saying, but the three of them stopped on the stairs and faced us.
“Rushed? We’ve been working with Horizon Industries for over two years trying to find ways to benefit one another!” Edson, one of Tony’s fathers, said. “You know the girl well enough. She’s a good omega, and you’ll learn to get along. Trust us. When I met Tony’s mother, we bonded with her after only a few months.” He said before they growled in agreement and headed toward the room. I grit my teeth and followed them, while Kaden and Tony exchanged looks with me. The fathers were bullheaded. It made any disagreement with them a constant struggle.
They walked into the room that was supposed to be for Illiana when she moved in. “This is nice. She’ll like the privacy and the large bathroom. Ask her if she has any preferences for design style and get it sorted soon.” Mark said as they assessed the room.
“Father, listen. We don’t know if the bond is necessarily the best way to go about this. Illiana is a virtual stranger to us.” Kaden started to say, but the three of them bristled and Edson’s eyes narrowed as he turned to us.
“She’s agreed to this deal, just as you have! Now stop this nonsense. You just have cold feet. Once she’s here you’ll make it work. An omega will help the three of you remain clear headed, and soon enough you’ll have a family to motivate you.” I felt myself start to growl in opposition to his orders, but stopped myself. It was not the time to start an argument. “Now, get the room finished. We have a lot to do before then. And stop acting like betas!” Edson barked as they strode back downstairs, leaving as quickly as they arrived.
I turned to my pack and sighed. Having so many alphas in your family was a mixed bag. It meant you had strong, motivated, high achieving people around, but also temperamental, possessive, and stubborn family members. As alphas ourselves, it was always a challenge when we grew up. It felt like we were always yielding to their demands. But we needed to resolve this. After all, a bonding bite was a lifetime commitment that we couldn't turn back on. Our lives just had a wrench thrown in, and everything was going to change.