Chapter 2
I think I might kill them.
Zayden said that every time before every show, but this time he felt sure he was going to go through with it.
The four of them— him, Felix, Kai, and Jude— were all crammed into a box office room with their instruments, outfits, and stage management.
Everyone was running around acting like they had never done this before.
Even Maddox, their manager since they debuted, had a crease on his face and a sour sneer.
He had been making that expression for the past few months, always expecting the worst from their band, and Zayden couldn’t blame him.
Their boy band and pack were falling apart, and it was all Zayden’s fault.
“Dammit!” Zayden flinched as Kai threw a fit, snarling at one of Maddox’s assistants. “This should have been done days ago. Why is it always my shit that gets left until the last minute? Now I’ve got an airhead trying to sew my pants and stabbing me with the needle.”
And so, it has truly begun.
Zayden flexed his tattooed hands and waited until Kai did something stupid enough that would force him to intervene.
Lately, Kai has been the king of making bad decisions.
He used to be the most ambitious out of them all and was so confident that if he said he’d own the sun and moon, he would.
Now, the only thing Kai commanded was his own damnation.
Felix looked at Zayden, rolling his turquoise blue eyes, and returned to tuning his guitar. It was Jude who took the lead, always ready to catch bullets. As the tallest one in the band, it made sense, but his personality was completely opposite from his size and strength.
“I’m kind of digging the hole in the pants, actually. It’s a vibe.”
Kai growled, unamused.
When was the last time Kai had a good laugh, or even smiled?
A year ago, Zayden’s alpha growled. Before we fucked everything up.
Ah, right.
Zayden squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Memories from a year ago flashed through his mind.
The omega he brought home, the chaos it caused, the manipulation he fell for, and the scandal that ruined everything.
It was his job as the head of the pack and lead alpha to give them an omega to bind them together.
Instead, he set off a bomb and hurt the very men he cared about. Men he was about to lose.
You can fix this.
How?
His alpha hummed softly but didn’t answer. The bastard never answered.
“Can I fix your hair, Zayden?”
He looked up at one of the stylists and nodded. The female beta hid behind him from the drama Kai was creating and fixed his long, black hair into a messy bun with two small braids.
Felix used to always get on to Zayden about cutting his hair. Now, everyone was in desperate need of a haircut. His might have been the longest, but Felix and Kai weren’t far behind.
Maddox looked him up and down. “Recent trends show long hair is out of date. The fans might rev up more attention with a new style.”
“Ha!” Kai sneered. “This old man will never change.”
“Since when is twenty-seven old?” Jude mumbled to Felix.
“Not sure. But if I’m twenty-six, I’m not liking my odds.”
All eyes were on Zayden, waiting for him to react, to put Kai in his place like a lead alpha should, but his bark was fried and had been since the night everything came to a head. That night he made Kai cry.
Zayden thanked the stylist and stood up, towering over Kai by three inches, but they were enough to intimidate him without the use of his bark. His scent burned in the air, and he noticed how Kai’s dark eyes twitched, and he struggled to maintain eye contact.
“We’re on in ten minutes,” Zayden growled. “I expect you to get your shit together so we can perform. Those people out there deserve a good performance.”
“What do you care about what people deserve?” He snapped back.
Jude approached, resting a hand on Kai’s forearm. “Don’t be like that,” he pleaded. “Come on. We only have a few more performances before—”
The room fell silent.
Everyone knew what Jude didn’t finish saying. Their band had two months left before they were breaking up. Not just the band. Their pack, too.
Jude convinced them to make this deal almost a year ago, when everything fell apart, and they were about to split up right then and there.
But he convinced them to try for one year.
If they couldn’t fix their relationships with each other, they’d all agree to formally cut the bond, and that formality was getting closer.
They had two months left, and Zayden’s hope to rebuild what he broke was almost gone.
Kai ripped his hand from Jude’s grip and pushed him away. He made a point to shove his shoulder into Zayden’s as he walked towards the exit. “Our last performance together can’t come quick enough,” he shot before slamming the door.
“I’ll get him.”
“Jude,” Zayden growled, but it was too late.
There it was, that feeling again that made him feel as if he was about to kill someone.
He needs to be put in his place.
Oh, shut up.
Zayden flopped down into a chair as the world continued to spin. Maddox was barking, his assistants coming and going, and Felix finally strummed his guitar into a perfect tune before handing Zayden a drink.
Felix was all finished up and ready to go; his dirty blond hair swept into a perfect style, silver earrings encompassing both ears, and his model-perfect grin.
Felix gripped Zayden’s shoulder and squeezed. “To one hell of a performance,” he cheered, raising his glass. He chugged it before he, like everyone else, trickled out of the room, leaving Zayden alone, but not for long.
Maddox strutted in, his perfectly ironed suit looking like an odd comparison to Zayden’s leather pants, a shredded black tank, and studded jewelry.
His face was set like stone, but Zayden recognized that glint.
Sadness, frustration, and exhaustion. Maddox said nothing.
He handed Zayden his work iPad, and Zayden’s night went from bad to worse.
“They’re still writing about this shit?”, he asked, scrolling through the article. “This was all supposed to end months ago.”
You can’t expect a woman scorned to let shit go.
Maddox sighed. “Apparently, Juliana has more to say to whatever tabloid cares to listen to her. This time, she’s creating a narrative that she found your band life to be filled with drugs, alcohol, parties, and behavior that is borderline criminal.
That she fled for her life and purity. And to add—”
“I can read what she has to say for myself,” Zayden snapped, but he didn’t.
He shoved the iPad back into Maddox’s hands and paced the room.
“What does this mean for us? For my boys? Kai wants to continue pursuing music after we split, and Felix has his modeling career. These rumors can’t ruin that for them.
And Jude,” he pinched the bridge of his nose again. “Jude can’t read this.”
“He won’t. I already sent a cease and desist to the company that produced the article in an attempt to halt the rumors.
I also had my assistants push out an article of our own about the nonprofits your band funds, and I’ve scheduled a reporter to come to your home for an interview.
They’ll take pictures, and it’ll help prove your home is clean.
We’ll have to do something about Kai’s attitude before then,” he mumbled before taking a few heavy steps closer to Zayden.
His voice was low, concerning. “He’s hurting. He needs help.”
“I don’t know how to help him!” He shouted, slamming his glass onto the floor. “I don’t know how to help any of them, how to lead. How do you do it?” He asked, desperate. “How do you lead your pack of alphas?”
Maddox formed his pack five years ago, and Zayden never saw him come to work overwhelmed or broken-hearted. Zayden had been in his pack for three years and failed them in every way possible.
Maddox didn’t say anything for a while. That was his power. Silence.
From outside, the crowd cheered louder as the opening act was getting closer to finishing their set. It was their turn to go on, and for once, Zayden didn’t want to sing.
“Take this.”
He looked down at the little card Maddox gave him and raised an eyebrow. “A therapist?”
“She’s good. She specializes in strengthening pack bonds without the omega.
I forced the twins to go, figured we should get our shit together before finding our mate.
” Zayden didn’t take the card, but Maddox made a point to tuck it in his clothes.
“You have two months left, Zayden. The four of you still have time to get your shit together. Even Kai.”
“He hasn’t forgiven me in ten months. What could change in two?”
Maddox shrugged his shoulders and put his headset in place. “Go see Dr. Burdough and find out.”
Maybe talking to someone you’ll actually listen to will fix things, his alpha huffed.
Zayden rolled his eyes. The last time I listened to you, we brought Juliana home. Look at how that turned out.
She didn’t smell bad! he growled.
She didn’t smell good, either.
There was a crowd full of omegas who probably smelled decent, but decent wasn’t good enough to be a reason forcing a bond.
Zayden and his alpha knew Juliana wasn’t a 100% match or even close.
Still, they were desperate to give their pack an official bond and purpose.
Zayden wanted to do right by his men, and instead, he did right by no one.
Zayden grabbed his headset and stomped out of the prep room and towards the stage. “Let’s rock this shit up.”
Felix grinned. “Whatever you want, old man.”