Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Audrey
Awhistle blew, ceasing all the chatter in the dining hall. It was always more lively during meal times, and this morning was no different. It took a few moments before they fully had the crowd’s attention.
Cross, the Chief, and Ares stood at the front, facing the crowd.
The chief spoke first, his voice loud to be heard through the room. “We want to thank everyone for being patient with us through this transition. The new counselors have been raving about how amazing most of you have been doing, and I want you to keep up that good work.”
Cross stepped forward. “I know that ARC was a different place for many years, but our goal is truly to transition you out of here once you’re back to yourselves. To give you the coping skills and knowledge so that you can rejoin society. That is still our top priority.”
Ares was up next, clearing his throat before speaking.
“Due to the rising conflict between the Omega Network and us, the Alliance, the judge has ordered that everyone be evaluated by a panel consisting of government officials, Omega Network representatives, and a few chosen members of the Alliance. This hearing begins next week.”
“What happens then?” a girl called out from the other side of the room. “Are they going to finally let us fucking leave?”
“If you’re found to be capable,” the Chief said as gently as possible.
“Then we’ll work on exit strategies. Some of you may require check-ins that you must commit to in order to gain that privilege.
Others may go to transitionary housing. And some may be found well enough to leave, no strings attached.
The Alliance and the Omega Network are both here to do everything possible to ensure there’s a proper transition regardless of what your results show.
We are not going to just throw you to the wolves,” he promised.
I glanced around at my pack, unsure how to process the news. I knew it was coming, but now it was a reality. One we couldn’t stick our heads in the sand and ignore. “Do you really think we’ll be able to get out of here?”
“It sounds like it’s a possibility,” Caspian said carefully. “That means one week, and then we might be able to start our lives.”
“I’m afraid to get my hopes up,” I admitted as I chewed on my lip. A nervous habit I really needed to shake. “It seems too good to be true. Too quick.”
“Not right now,” Rydell argued. “I’ve been here for fucking ever.”
“No shit,” Ledger agreed. “Most of it was bullshit. We’ve served our time. It’s time to go.”
Everyone went back to their normal conversations and food, but I could barely eat now. This was huge. It was the beginning of the end for us.
“Why do you have the notebook?” Kane asked curiously. He tapped the notebook sitting in front of Ansel, who let out a defeated sigh.
“Alice thinks that I need to work on talking to people. She pointed out that once I leave here, I won’t be able to only rely on you guys all the time. That I should be able to go into a store and have casual, everyday small talk.”
“Wait, what does that have to do with a notebook?” Ledger asked. My omega had everyone’s attention now.
“She thinks I could use my art as a means to practice. I’m supposed to find someone willing to let me draw them, and then have small talk as I do it. She’s hoping it keeps me from freaking out and avoiding the general public.”
He looked like he’d rather eat a slug than do this project, but honestly, it was kind of a genius plan. A way to integrate a safety net into something so new for him.
“I’d suggest you start with one of us,” Caspian said, “but I’m afraid that would defeat the purpose.”
Ansel huffed. “Alice specifically said I’m forbidden from doing any of my pack or our guards. She covered all the bases.”
“That woman does not play,” Kane said, shaking his head. “When we talked about meeting my ex-pack again for closure, I tried to say I forgave them, and she called me on my bullshit.”
“Fuck forgiveness. I wish the worst on them,” Ledger said firmly. “Honestly, I hope the alphas’ nuts just shrivel up and fall off.”
We burst into laughter at that, but I couldn’t disagree. It would be a becoming fate for those assholes.
Ansel looked around nervously before flipping his sketchbook to a new page. His pencil was sharpened. He was ready, he just didn’t have anyone to draw.
Leave it to Ledger to be the one to handle that part for him. She never said he couldn’t enlist help.
My alpha stood on his chair and let out a sharp whistle, silencing the room again. Poor Ansel looked ready to crawl into a hole, and I felt about the same with all eyes on us.
“I need a beta who is willing to come let my omega draw them for his therapy homework. It’ll be quick.”
Silence reigned for a few moments before someone finally stood, dumping their tray and making their way toward us.
He was older than us, likely in his early forties. He had a dusting of freckles and curly, red hair. His glasses were round and a smile was on his face making him seem unassuming. Good, he’d be perfect. Plus, he seemed almost as uneasy as Ansel.
“Alice put you up to this, didn’t she?” he asked as he sat across from Ansel.
“She did,” Ansel confirmed, his voice shaking slightly. “I’m supposed to start talking to people. It’s not a strong suit for me.”
“Me, either,” the man said. “I’m supposed to do things that make me uncomfortable, so here I am. We can be awkward as fuck together, how about that?”
Ansel nodded and forced a smile, studying the man’s face for a moment before glancing down at his sketchbook to start.
“So, what’s your name?” he finally managed to get out.
“Charles. And I feel like the next standard question is, ‘why are you here?’” he mimicked with a dry chuckle.
“The answer is, you should listen to your gut. My mother loved to set me up on dates. I’m not really cut out for a pack, so I thought I’d try dating another beta.
Well, the one time I get paired with an omega in hiding, we hit it off.
A one night stand gone wrong turned into heat. She bit me.”
“Things didn’t work out the next day?” Ledger asked, joining in.
He snorted. “No. Apparently, she came from a wealthy family and couldn’t possibly bond with someone like me.”
“Did she force you to break the bond?” I asked, horrified on his behalf.
Charles let out a sigh. “Her family paid me off. I was a struggling musician. I thought I could use the money. I wasn’t attached to this girl, so what was the big deal?
The moment that bond broke, so did my mind.
I didn’t recover. They said I was in a coma for the first week, and after that, I just wasn’t myself.
It took seven years to find myself again. ”
“That’s brutal,” Ansel said softly. “My scent apparently drove alphas to the edge of madness. Made them want to fight. So, I got taken into an alpha fighting ring, injected with heats nearly every weekend, and forced to writhe in pain on the floor while my scent filled the room, driving the alphas mad while they fought to the death. Most of the time, they kept us in separate cages in between the crowd and the arena, but… well. Clearly, it didn’t end well. ”
“Fucking alphas,” Charles muttered, then shot an apologetic smile my alpha’s way. “No offense. It’s just that so many high-and-mighty alphas feel like they have to fight and show off like fucking cavemen. It’s always to the detriment of everyone else, isn’t it?”
“They always blame it on instinct,” Kane agreed. He’d met his fair share of shitty alphas.
Ansel’s portrait took shape slowly over the course of breakfast. The conversation turned lighter, Charles telling us about his time here and his plans for after. He wanted to travel the world, see things he’d never had a chance to.
Ansel relaxed quickly. By the end, he had finished his portrait. He scrawled Charles’s name across the top and tried to slide it over, but Charles tapped the bottom corner.
“Absolutely not. You have to sign your work, first,” he said with a toothy grin.
Ansel’s cheeks warmed, but he did as he was asked, signing his name at the bottom before Charles said a quick goodbye.
I half-expected Ansel to slump down in his seat, but he simply grabbed his breakfast tray and finished the last few bites he had left.
“That was some damn good progress,” Rydell told him. My quiet alpha nodded his head with respect, and Ansel even managed to smile back.
“Does it count against me that you guys were all here?”
“No,” I said quickly. “You didn’t even reach for me this time. Look at what you managed and you even talked back and forth.”
His eyes widened in surprise. He looked down at his hands, one still held the pencil, the other resting at the edge of the sketchpad.
“Good job, baby,” I said, leaning over and kissing him, hoping to chase away any lingering nerves.
“Thanks,” Ansel said, his fingers ghosting over his lips where I’d just kissed him. I’d stunned him again but he looked so adorably pleased.
Ares approached our table. Instead of looking at me, his eyes were on Kane.
“You have a visitor,” Ares said. “Do you want anyone to go with you?”
“Who is it?” Kane asked quickly, looking startled. His hands gripped the edge of the table, bracing for the answer. I reached over to offer comfort but Ares’s answer chased away the worry.
“Paul,” Ares said, giving him a soft smile. “He insisted he come see you in person, not just call.”
“Typical Paul,” Kane said, a smile forming on his face. “Would you guys mind coming with me? I think I’d like my pack with me for this.”
“Of course,” I promised, standing up and grabbing mine and Ansel’s trays, tossing them while the others did the same.
We followed Ares to the front conference room. There was a single man sitting at the table, fidgeting with something in his hands.
He stood up suddenly as we walked in, a sheen of sweat on his forehead like his nerves were getting the best of him.
Then his eyes landed on Kane and they both froze, soaking each other in for a moment before they moved at the same time. I swear you could hear the impact as they collided, arms wrapping around each other in a hug tight enough that someone groaned.
There were more than a few sniffles, but we pretended not to notice.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Paul said. His voice was deeper than I expected.
He wore black bracelets on his wrists and torn jeans, with a band tee and loose-fitting hoodie. His hair was dark, and as they stepped apart, he shifted his black-framed glasses away to dry his eyes before adjusting them back in place.
“It’s been wild,” Kane admitted as everyone took a seat.
“After they broke the bond, my mind snapped. Some sort of fucked-up self-preservation kicked in and blocked out all of my memories. I couldn’t remember my pack, barely myself.
I couldn’t remember you. Hell, the only thing I held onto was making tea. ”
Paul shook his head. “You always did love a good tea. I actually saved your favorite kettle if you want it back when you’re out of here.”
“Maybe I will,” Kane mused, giving him a fond smile. The camaraderie between them was obvious, almost like brothers.
“What brought you back?” Paul asked curiously.
“She did,” Kane admitted, reaching out and giving my hand a squeeze. “Honestly, they all did.This is my pack.”
He introduced each of us by name before giving Paul the rundown of how we met and everything that happened here.
Paul sat back, stunned, taking his glasses off and rubbing a hand over his face once again. It seemed to be his nervous tick.
“So, the rumors about this place were true?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered for Kane. “Malik was keeping everybody medicated to the point of being zombies. The therapy was nonexistent. Everyone was just left to exist in their misery.”
“That’s fucking bullshit,” Paul burst out.
“It is,” Kane agreed. “But it’s in the past. Things are changing, and we should be getting out soon. I want to know what’s going on with you. Has anything happened since we last spoke?”
Paul put his glasses back on and focused on Kane.
“I wanted to stay close, just in case there was anything I could do. Every time I tried, they kept shutting me down. After a while, it was too painful, so I thought about moving, but I could just never go through with it. It felt wrong to leave you behind.”
“You don’t have a pack hiding somewhere?” Kane asked in shock.
“No,” Paul said, a bit sheepish now. “I sort of buried myself in my work.”
That seemed to spark something in Kane’s memory, and he sat up a bit straighter. “Wait…did you ever figure out your app?”
Paul grinned and nodded. “Yeah. It took off like wildfire. I’m talking life-changing.”
Kane looked at the rest of us, ready to explain. “He was developing an app that would help people find friendships. Kind of like a dating app, but multifaceted. A way for designations to find each other. Even for packs to find other packs so they can build friendship and community.”
Paul’s cheeks reddened a bit at the pride in Kane’s voice.
“There are far too many times in this world that people are stuck being alone. They may not be looking for something romantic, just friendship. It helps connect people by all sorts of things, hobbies, jobs, anything that might bring people together. Making friends once you’re an adult is next to impossible.
Maybe this was my way of honoring our friendship and how impactful it was for me. Either way, it’s going well.”
“I know for a fact you’re underplaying this,” Kane said. “I’m so fucking excited for you. You deserved this, you worked hard for it.”
“What happens when you get out?” Paul asked. That was the million-dollar question.
“We’ve been talking about moving away,” Kane admitted, almost reluctant now. I couldn't blame him. “There are too many memories here, and we all want a fresh start, somewhere the rumors about this place aren’t going to haunt us.”
Paul looked like someone had just canceled Christmas forever.
“You should come,” I said quickly, hoping to find the only solution that would work for my poor beta.
Everybody turned to me like I’d lost my mind.
“You’re his family, and we want family to be there with us. If you don’t have ties keeping you here, and you can work from anywhere, then join us. Caspian’s sister is going to be joining us, too. We’ll find a small town to settle into and build a life. Find the peace we all deserve.”
Paul smiled slowly. “You know what? That sounds perfect.”