Chapter Twenty-Three
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
MY FIRST TOUR as a band manager has come to an end! It feels incredible to see the smiles on Orbital Somatic’s faces and know I helped make the past several months a success for them.
We’re celebrating our last show in Los Angeles, another festival which we will be staying to explore tomorrow. Coming to LA is a dream come true, and crosses off one of the many metal and rock music festivals on my bucket list!
The label rented the rooftop restaurant of our hotel for an after party, exclusive to just bands, the crew, and local label higher ups. I have a smile plastered on my face, trying to enjoy the food and festivities. Ridley stands at my side, his hand hidden behind my back where his fingers knead along my spine.
It’s been two weeks since Omen and Lex went into hiding. Two miserable weeks of pretending like I’m not one mishap away from an omega meltdown. Not knowing if the man I don’t want to admit I am falling in love with is safe amplifies my distress. Compounding that with the fact my best friend is also in the same danger, and I’m a giant ball worry. Which isn’t something my designation handles well.
“We can leave whenever you’re ready,” Ridley whispers, reminding me for the fourth time since we arrived a half hour ago that I am not technically required to be here.
“I know,” I mutter.
Caleb makes his way toward us. His shoulder length curls are pulled into a tight, messy knot at the top of his head, highlighting his steely blue eyes and boyish smile. “Hey, Bea,” he says as he stops next to me.
“Caleb.”
“I wanted to thank you. The past two months have been nerve-wracking for my band as they got used to being assigned to a major music label. You supported us and made the entire process a thousand times easier. I hope the execs see your value the way we do, and keep you as our manager from now on.”
My cheeks heat and I can’t help but smile back at him. Hearing they also thought I did a great job in my role makes all the hiccups along the way worth it. “Don’t worry, Michaels, I’m not going anywhere. You have to earn a headlining tour, remember?”
He laughs, wandering away when one of his bandmates calls him over.
“I knew you were made for this from the very first show,” Ridley says, stepping closer now that everyone has moved toward the bar in the corner. “My bossy little omega.”
A shiver runs down my spine at the pride and heat in his voice. Maybe it is time to head to our hotel room for the night…
My phone rings, bringing my horny thoughts to a halt. I step outside to answer when I see Mom’s name on the screen It’s almost three in the morning back on the East Coast. Why is she awake?
Hot air presses around me once I’m out of the building’s air conditioning. It’s nice for a minute, but I make a note to not stay out for long. I don’t want to be drenched in sweat when we go back inside.
“Hey Mom—“
My words cut off as pain rips through my temple, stealing my breath. I can’t focus on anything but the lingering sensation and the snippets of Mom’s hurried words.
“Safe house… compromised… no contact…”
A scream tears from my throat as searing pain tears through my upper arm. “What?” I choke out the word, but my phone clatters to the floor.
Lex. It has to be him. Ridley was right. Our connection, the shared pain, he’s hurt. My mate is hurt!
I push to my feet, rushing back into the restaurant and bee lining for the elevators. We need to leave. To go back to Starburgh. I need to be there, I need—
“Sunshine, I need you to breathe for me.” Ridley takes my hand and presses it against his chest as the elevator doors slide closed. Tears cover my eyes as I look up at him. I can feel them streaming down my face, but it’s distant. All I can focus on is the urgent need to get to my mate.
“Bea!” He barks my name, but it doesn’t cut through the fog. He can’t feel it, the pain. My alpha needs me, he—
Ridley’s lips slam to mine, his body caging me against the wall until he’s plastered to my front. My brain shuts off, all my thoughts evaporating.
“There she is,” he whispers between kisses. “I’m sorry for being so rough. I needed you to stop thinking for a minute.”
Clarity filters in as he presses his forehead to mine. “I—“
“I know, baby. We’ll grab Hendrix and start the journey back to New York tonight. You’ll need to call Brady and email Shiloh to let them know you’re leaving early. We’ll get home and go from there. If the safe house is compromised, Lex will take Omen and run. They’ll go even deeper into cover.” His fingers grip my chin, holding me still as he stares into my eyes. “We can’t assume the worst.”
“He’s hurt, ” I whine. “He needs us!”
Ridley sighs, letting his lips fall to my forehead. “How hurt? Tell me about the pain?”
The elevator dings, and he drags me beneath his arm before he steers us out into the hallway.
“It started in my head, my temple. Then there was a burning pain on my upper arm.”
He nods as he opens the door to our room with his keycard. Hendrix is watching a movie inside, an empty pizza box on the nightstand beside him. He sits up when we walk in, his eyes tracking the wet streaks on my cheeks from my tears.
“The pain here”—Ridley presses a finger to my temple—was likely him getting punched. You wouldn’t have felt the other pain if he were unconscious.” I nod, biting my lip to hold back a fresh wave of tears. He points to my arm next. “This? If it was burning pain in only one spot, he might have gotten shot.”
A whine rattles from my chest, loud and unsettling.
“Shhh, I didn’t mean to upset you. Lex knows how to deal with bullet wounds. He was in the military, remember?”
“What happened?” Hendrix cuts in, already cleaning up his mess and throwing his stuff into a bag.
“Omen Powell’s safe house was compromised.”
“Shit. She want to head back? Being in her nest will help.”
I’m frozen as they move around me, packing and making calls. Brady knocks on the door and Ridley explains everything to him, but I can’t say a word. Can’t even acknowledge he’s here. Everything hurts. My arm, my head, my fucking heart.
If this is what having a shared pain Fated connection feels like, I don’t think I want it. Knowing my Fate matched mate is hurt and three thousand miles away is the most heart-breaking thing I’ve ever experienced.
I’m a wreck. We’ve been back at my apartment in Starburgh for two days and we still haven’t heard from Lex or Omen. Every time one of our phones rings, or a text comes through, I jump to see who it is. Begging for any news about my mate and best friend.
“You should be getting ready for work,” Ridley comments from the kitchen.
I snuggle deeper into the mountain of blankets piled around me, pretending I can’t hear him. How can I go into the office and act like I am okay when it feels like my entire world is falling apart?
“Come on, sunshine,” he says again as he reaches in and grabs me from my pile, tossing me over his shoulder. “Get dressed, do your hair and makeup, and I promise I will call Donovan and demand an update while you are in your meetings today.”
He starts the shower before he slides me down his front, steadying me with a hand on my waist. Soft lips press to my forehead, then he spins me around. I yelp, jumping away when his palm cracks against my ass. “Get moving, Omega!”
I scowl at his retreating form, briefly contemplating going to hide in my nest instead. He’s right, though. I know Lex is okay because the remnants of his pain faded quickly. He may be injured, but it isn’t bad enough to warrant me disrupting my life and throwing my dreams to the side. I have to trust him to care of himself and Omen.
After a shower, a fully styled face, and a sleek half braid, I feel more like myself. The pop of sunset colors on my pencil skirt and matching sweater helps brighten the darkness clinging to my mind.
I can do this. Go to work and kick ass. Then I can come home and collapse back into a puddle of omega disaster.
At Soulbound, Ridley has to stop at the security desk and get a badge to accompany me upstairs. He won’t sit in on my meetings, but he will be on the same floor I am throughout the day. Lingering in case the threat the Montgomery family poses becomes active.
Part of me feels awful knowing he has to sit and do nothing while I’m working. This is his job, though, both as my bodyguard and as my alpha. He also assures me he has ways to entertain himself, which helps.
“Good morning, Bea! It’s wonderful to see you again!” Jane greets as I pass by her desk. She’s a delightful older woman. Strong too, since she puts up with Shiloh’s attitude every day.
Speak of the alpha and he shall appear. His office door opens, and he steps out, wearing a cream suit jacket and matching pants. The gunmetal blue dress shirt beneath adds a pop of color, and the entire outfit sets off the silver streaks in his dark hair. Why must this man look like the world’s most decadent dessert every time I see him?!
“Miss Powell,” he comments gruffly as he stalks toward me. My heart races at his approach, its wild beat filling my ears and limiting my focus to the older man. He glances over my shoulder, jaw tightening when he sees Ridley still standing at the desk and charming Jane.
When his rich brown eyes finally snap back to me, my body heats beneath his perusal. The corner of his lip dips down into some semblance of a frown. My heart stutters at the sight.
Does he find me lacking? Is that why he’s always cold toward me?
“Are you well?”
My head tilts to the side slightly, confused by his question. “I’m fine?”
One thick salt and pepper brow raises at my response. “You left the tour stop in Los Angeles early, after what has been described as some form of emotional meltdown regarding a phone call you received. You’re clearly exhausted and trying to cover it. Would you like to try answering my question again? Perhaps with a bit more honesty this time?”
My shoulders sink, the breath whooshing from my lungs. I thought I’d done a decent job of masking how tired I am. A spark of irritation flutters through me, but I squash the feeling down. The pull between us would never allow me to be unfazed after hearing he was upset.
Meeting his eyes again, I’m drawn into his orbit in the hopes our souls will find their home together. His relaxed posture puts me at ease, and the heady weight of his full attention eases the combative attitude I usually have when we interact. The truth is spilling from my lips before I can second guess sharing them.
“At the after party in LA, we learned Omen’s safe house was compromised. During the attack, Lex—her bodyguard and one of my Fate Matched mates—was injured. I could feel what he was experiencing, because we have a shared pain connection.”
Shiloh’s jaw locks as I explain, his body growing more rigid by the second. My instincts urge me to apologize, to make right whatever I’ve said to wrong him, which only adds to my confusion. Why is he this upset?
“I have been struggling to cope with the loss of contact after.”
“I see,” he grits out. “I expect you to set aside your personal issues and perform as usual at work, Sabine.”
Outrage slices through me. This asshole! For a second, I thought he was asking because he genuinely cared about me. Now, he’s right back to being his usual cold-hearted, distant self. Calling me fucking Sabine and acting as if I’m trying to use my distress as an excuse to slack off.
“My work will not be affected by my personal life, Mr. Acherley. If you’ll excuse me, I need to check in with Brady before beginning my tasks for the day.”
I don’t wait for a response, stepping forward and forcing him to move aside. What the fuck is his problem? Jumping from concern to blame in a matter of seconds. He’s giving me emotional whiplash with this hot-and-cold shit!
Pausing outside of the manager’s shared office, I take a deep breath and blow it out through my nose. I’m calmer when I step inside.
Only to stumble over nothing when I see Orion sprawled in a chair across from Brady’s desk. I’m going to need to keep spare panties in my desk if I am surrounded by these delicious alphas every day!
“Hey kid,” Brady grunts, looking up from his desk.
I sputter a response, my face feeling flushed and my eyes glued to the tattooed hottie sitting in between me and my desk.
“This is Orion Walker. Former lead singer of Shattered Horizons, current marketing manager.”
My jaw drops, mind racing. The pack who make up Shattered Horizons are bonded to Skye Pierce, once of my favorite indie singers! Orion isn’t part of her pack, which makes sense if he isn’t currently singing with the band.
Part of me wonders why he left, why he stopped singing and took a role in marketing, but watching him awkwardly rub the back of his neck and stare down at this lap, I decide my questions can wait.
“That’s awesome! Are you helping with Primordial Covenant’s album release this fall?”
Orion visibly relaxes, bringing a small smile to my lips. The urge to crawl into his lap and lick those gorgeous neck tattoos is entirely too strong when we’re in such a small space. I carefully skirt around the table in the middle of the room and head to my desk. My brows furrow when I notice my favorite oversized pink cardigan isn’t hanging off the back of my chair. Did I take it home last time I stopped by the office? I’ll have to check.
“I am. We’re putting the final pieces into place since they’re close to their marketing window. ”
Fates I forgot how deep this man’s voice is. The sound of him speaking is like a vibrator pressed directly against my aching clit. If he sang too? I’d probably dissolve into a little river of omega slick.
“I haven’t seen you around the office before now,” I comment offhandedly, digging into my purse where it sits at my feet. He doesn’t respond, so I peer up at him from beneath my lashes. Molten heat fills his golden amber eyes as he stares at me. It’s then I realize this position gives him a peek at my white lace bra where my blouse has slipped from leaning down.
“I, uh, only recently transferred to the East Coast office,” he manages to reply, coughing to clear the rugged notes from his already deep voice.
“Oh, that makes sense then. And I guess I have been away with the tour, so it’s not like we had many opportunities to bump into each other.” I might be rambling a bit now. Orion overwhelms me in the best ways. If he is going to be around more often, I should tell Ridley about him.
His phone chimes with a message and he quickly says his farewells, stopping in the doorway and glancing back at me. I can’t take my eyes off of him, noticing the way his mouth opens like he’s going to say something, but he just shakes his head and leaves.
Something is holding him back, but I won’t push. When he’s ready, I will be here to discuss the pull between us.
Ridley’s head pops through the open door a few minutes after Brady leaves for a meeting. Did he sense I was thinking about him and sneak back here to see me?
“Jane gave me permission,” he admits as he crosses the room to lean against my desk. “Donovan called. They’re safe.”
I collapse in my chair, relieving the stress from my body in one crushing wave. Tears brim in my eyes and I quickly brush them away. My mate is safe, and Omen wasn’t captured by her birth family. It feels like I can breathe for the first time in days.
“They are still in hiding, but they’re okay.” Ridley whispers soothingly, rubbing his palms over my shoulder and up my neck.
“Thank you, Alpha,” I reply softly, sitting up straighter.
“I’ll let you get back to work. I’m going to call Pack Graves and let them know-“
“No.” His eyes widen at the vehemence in my voice. “They made their choice when they rejected Omen. They don’t deserve the relief of knowing she survived.”
Ridley studies me for a minute, not agreeing with my rigid stance on keeping them away from Omen, but he eventually relents. I promised the men of Primordial Covenant I would make sure they never get another chance with her, and I meant it. They dug their grave, now they can die in it.