55. Harmony
Harmony
The first thing I do when I park up on the grid is jump straight out of the car and look for my mate. I don’t care about my perfume or the scent of my slick or the looks.
Even if he hates crowds, I’m sure he’ll come for me. I need him to, because I want to show off that I have three bites and they're the most precious things in the world to me.
I’ve already alluded to what I plan to do, and Jaxx and Maddock and I sort of outed ourselves at the final Grand Prix. But I want Everest here for the official announcement.
In the end, it's up to him if he wants to put himself out there and be in the spotlight with the three of us. But I still cry out in happiness as he stands there on our side of the barrier with a shy smile.
I run towards him, throwing my arms around him, and he bends down so he can hug me back. He stiffens as he scents my thick perfume, a slight moan falling from him that makes me want to kiss him right here in front of the crowd.
“That was amazing. You took it far too seriously,” he murmurs in my ear. He's shaking so hard, but I don’t draw attention to it.
“Thank you so much for coming out here. You know what I plan to do?” I ask.
I feel him nod against me. “It’s okay. I can handle it. Just as long as you and Jaxx are there.”
“And Maddock?”
“Well… Yes, and Maddock, too.”
I laugh as he pulls back, looking down at me with another one of his small smiles.
“You don’t have to stay, though. But I still want to announce it.”
“I want to be here for you, for our whole pack,” he says as he reaches down, looping his hand through mine.
I sigh happily, spinning as engines rumble behind us, lining up on the grid. Two of the actors spun out pretty early on in the race. And, from their expressions, they're happy about it.
But Nat managed to make it through, as well as the actor playing the male lead, and all of the professional drivers as well.
The Cuba Libre is glaring at me from beside his car as he pulls his helmet off. He looks like he considers coming for me. Until Maddock and Jaxx breeze straight past him, throwing him deadly looks.
Runa and Aster come ahead of them, and they're busy cheering with each other and running over to the actors to celebrate.
But Maddock and Jaxx only have eyes for me. The second they reach me, they both scoop me up into a hug and I sigh into them.
“Look at you go,” Jaxx purrs, stroking along my back to feed his arm around my waist. “All my lessons must have paid off.”
I sigh happily as he presses his lips against my cheek, only for Maddock to nudge him away.
“You looked so hot racing out there,” Maddock growls as he nips at my neck.
“You were so far behind me you couldn’t even see me,” I tease.
It’s such a relief to hear him laugh, and the three of them surround me. Just like they had at the hospital. Except this time it's full of love and gentleness, and we’re already opening up to this bond of ours.
“Harmony Grace!” I freeze as the familiar tone chimes through our perfect moment. It’s the same tone any reporter uses. Half excited, half plotting, hoping they're going to get something out of me.
Usually the reporters at races are all sports commentators, but the Director had brought in one of the bigger entertainment channels, so they're looking for gossip. Which is exactly what I hoped for.
I bite my lip as I urge Jaxx to step aside. A beautifully made up presenter walks towards us with her cameraman behind her. Her eyes gleam as she holds her microphone to her lips.
“Harmony, congratulations on winning the race! It’s such a huge achievement! Do you have any words for the fans out there?”
I put on my practiced smile as I look straight into the camera, making sure I stay holding Everest’s hand as he hovers behind me. I hope I can hide him from the camera, even though he's a foot taller than me.
“I just want to say thank you so much for this opportunity! It’s been amazing to be able to practice in a real life F1 car, and I’m sure all my co-stars feel the same!”
She might act like she's listening to me, but her gaze is hopping over my alphas. And there’s no way she can’t smell my perfume.
“And can you say anything about your new love life? We all thought we saw something when Jaxx Sands won the Grand Prix, but this looks like you’ve even formed a pack!”
My smile turns genuine as I look up at the three of them, standing with me just how we’re always going to be together.
“Well, you could say something like that,” I say, using my free hand to pull the Velcro from my neck to zip it down. “I want to use this moment to announce that we’ve officially bonded. I thought the end of the race would be a great time to do it.”
Jaxx instantly sees what I’m trying to do, and flings his arms around me, hugging me from behind, and pulling my body warmer over my shoulders to expose my neck, and the three fresh bites that sit there.
The reporter gasps, so does the cameraman, and anyone else around us who is looking. I blush deeply as Everest squeezes my hand, and Maddock feeds his arm around my lower back with a possessive grunt.
“We still haven’t decided on a pack name, but it’s definitely not going to be Sands,” he growls at Jaxx, who just laughs straight back at him.
“Let’s see about that, why don’t we?” Jaxx grins.
“Are you two really going to start arguing now?” I ask, and they both answer by swooping down to kiss my cheeks, right here on the camera.
“And what about the Ross McLean incident?” she asks. “Are there any hard feelings there?”
I try to stop my face from falling, and my alpha’s stiffen.
It’s okay, I'd expected it, and I have my answer prepared.
“I already told my side many times. It’s up to you who you want to believe. But I have my pack now, and I’m happier than I’ve ever been, and I hope Ross is satisfied with himself after everything we’ve been through thanks to this story .”
I don’t want to press it any further, and I’m so glad that all three of them are here so I don’t get too wrapped up in the anger and frustration of still being called a stalker.
“And what do you think about this race overall? Does it make you want to get back into professional racing?”
I laugh as I think about my brother’s reaction to the question. He would have handled it a lot better than me, so I just give them a sly smile.
“We’ll see. All of the film crew are going to be so focused on the movie for the next year that I can’t really think of anything else apart from making a good movie. I want all of you to be able to see racing in the best light, so maybe we should go and you can wait for those trailers!”
I give her a look, and she gets the hint straight away, waving at her cameraman, and leaving us all on the grid to thank the crowd who cheered us on.
Even with the different positions our racers came in, we’ve already raised so much money for charity that it's all worth it. And I proved how I feel to all three of them. Beyond our bites and our bond.
“Did I mention that I love you?” Jaxx purrs in my ear. “Because I don’t think I’ve ever been this swept off my feet by a big romantic gesture.”
“I love you as well,” Everest says hurriedly, like he’ll miss his chance if he doesn’t get in there fast.
“And you already know how I feel,” Maddock says.
“But I want to hear it again.” I blink prettily up at him and he softens.
He pulls me away from Jaxx and Everest and into a kiss, and I instantly relax.
I don’t ever want to be apart from him after everything we’d been through together, and I press my chest against his, wrapping my arms around him to mark him with all my perfume.
He bends me backwards, being the full romantic, kissing me deeply before pulling me up, and spinning me around.
I’m sure if I let him, he would have kept kissing me until the sun set, but there are even more interviews to do, and my family to deal with now that we have announced our relationship.
“Not fair,” Jaxx pouts. “I wanted to do all the cute romantic stuff.”
“I would like a chance as well.” Everest nods, his earnestness shining through. “Though it may take me some practice.”
I can’t stop smiling as they stay close to me, keeping hold of me, and making sure I know I’m loved.