30. Tanner
Once everyone had showered and put on clean clothes, we all voted to head back to our home for the night. Right now, we needed a large amount of food and a clean bed to pass out in. Since none of us had the energy to strip the bed and put on clean sheets, the next best thing was to change location. It also helped that our kitchen was fully stocked to deal with feeding four or more people, but I’d already ordered from our favorite Indian restaurant.
Pascal helped Lyra pack a bag for at least a week so she didn’t feel the need to rush back. Tomorrow we’d figure out the best plan for Lyra and Eli to move in. Our bedraggled pack headed down to the lobby where the car Eli ordered would be waiting. However, when we stepped out of the elevator, we were greeted by a man named Lewis.
“Afternoon, Miss Clark, Mr. Thatcher, gentleman,” Lewis said with a rather concerned look. “Your car is here, but I’ve had them go around back where the loading dock is to offer you all some privacy. I’m not sure what’s happened, but reporters have started to circle like vultures over the past two days. We’ve done everything possible to keep them off the property, but I would feel better having you go out the back.”
Lyra’s brows knitted together as she looked to Eli for answers as Fawn reached out and took Lyra’s hand, reassuring her. The Alpha’s expression was what I would expect from a man who was fiercely protective of the people he loved. I had to agree with Lewis. It would be better for everyone involved to go out the back. Otherwise, I’d be worried Eli might end up in jail and a reporter being rushed to the hospital.
“Thank you, Lewis,” I spoke up before Eli could do something he might regret. “I appreciate how you’ve gone the extra mile for us. I’d be grateful if you could show us where to exit out the back.”
“Of course, right this way,” Lewis obliged, leading the way.
“Tell me, Lewis, we’re planning on moving Lyra out in the next few days. Would we be able to use this same entrance?” I questioned, feeling it was best to know all the options.
Lewis nodded and pushed open a set of dual swinging doors. “Absolutely, it’s the main reason we have the loading dock area along with a freight elevator.”
“Excellent, you’re a good man, Lewis,” I said, slapping the man on the back as I passed.
“Feel free to call the cops if they give you any excuse,” Eli added. “I don’t want them under the illusion we won’t take action.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Thatcher, this isn’t my first time facing down those damn shutterbugs,” Lewis assured Eli, then turned his attention to Lyra. “I’ll be sad to see you go, Miss Clark. You’ve been a bright spot in this building, but I wish you all the best.”
Lyra smiled and waved. “Same to you, Lewis. Take care.”
We all bundled into the waiting SUV then sped past the group of ten or fifteen reporters with cameras and handheld recording devices.
“What the hell did we miss?” I muttered and pulled out my phone.
First, I searched Eli’s name and lawsuit to see if that had anything to do with what was going on. I found a report announcing that Mira Chambers had been served with a rather unflattering picture of her trying to attack the man who’d given her the papers. There was no new information or signs of retaliation on that front, but then I scrolled a little further down. Someone had dug up a picture of Fawn from when he’d been working at the strip club.
Pack forces Omega to sell himself! Do they deserve to have two Omegas?
My jaw dropped at the absolute lies being splashed across the page. The more I read, the hotter my temper burned. How dare these bastards dig into our lives and use something from Fawn’s past to sell their paper.
“Tee, what’s wrong?” Fawn asked, climbing over the seat to land on my lap and wrap his arms around my neck. “I haven’t felt you this angry in a long time.”
Locking my phone so Fawn couldn’t see the screen, I returned his hug. I buried my face in his neck and breathed in until all I could think about was perfectly ripe, juicy strawberries. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for either of my Omegas, but my heart ached, wishing I could prevent Fawn from finding out his past was being thrown in his face. Oh God, what if they find his account on the Rut Room website? Reporters were ruthless, and if they smelled even a drop of blood in the water, they wouldn’t stop until they found the source.
Fawn sat up and cupped my face. “Please, Tee, tell me what’s going on in your head? Do we need to be worried? I can look up a meeting right now if you need to go.”
How the hell did I get lucky enough to deserve this man’s unconditional love?
“I’m okay, Fawnie,” I assured him, then softly kissed his lips. “I love you, you know that, right? No matter what, nothing will change how I feel about you.”
Fawn relaxed a little in my arms and smiled. “I do know that and feel the same way about you, Tee. I love you to the moon and back.”
Kissing Fawn again, I tried to pour every ounce of my love through our bond. My cheerful Omega had come so far from the man we’d first met, and I didn’t want anything to ruin his hard work. Tucking him close, we snuggled the rest of the drive back home, and it eased some of my panic. Zachary was the only person who’d known me during my first few months after rehab. It was a battle every day not to give in and take the easy way out. I’d felt like such a failure when the only dream I’d had for myself was ripped away in a matter of seconds.
One thing I needed to remind myself was Fawn wasn’t going to face this on his own. He had five other people who cared about him as much as I did. I could also hear Zachary’s voice telling me not to impose my trauma on others. Just because my biggest fear was relapsing and one small mistake could fuck up years of work didn’t mean everyone’s struggles were the same. Fawn wasn’t an addict. He was a survivor who’d gotten himself out of that dangerous situation, and just because a reporter was exposing the past didn’t mean Fawn would go back to that world.
“Hey, Tee, we’re home,” Zachary whispered then kissed my temple. My eyes opened, and I met his gaze that swirled with concern, but he trusted me to talk to him if I needed to. “We made it just… Joe’s here with our dinner.”
I grinned. “You always deny it, Zac, but I have magical powers when it comes to ordering takeout.”
Zachary rolled his eyes and grunted, then kissed me. “Whatever you say, oh great wizard. Now get your ass out of the damn car so we can eat.”
Fawn detached himself from me and yawned loudly until I playfully poked just above the belly button. “Hey,” Fawn grumbled, swatting my hand away.
“Fawnie, I can’t get up until you do,” I reminded. “Some days you’re like a sloth moving in slow motion.”
“Oh, I see. We’re just going to pretend you didn’t have an existential crisis on the drive back.” Fawn huffed, clambering out of the car. “It’s fine, I’ll poke you about it later. Maybe food will help coax it out of you.”
Now it was my turn to roll my eyes, but I knew full well Fawn wouldn’t let this matter drop. Logically, I knew he had the right to know, but damn if I didn’t selfishly want to protect him from ever having to deal with this.
“Hey, can you grab another handful of drinks,” Pascal asked with his hands full of cans and bottles. “Our Omegas voted for using the upstairs living room.”
“Yeah, no problem,” I agreed, grabbing what was left on the counter.
We stood waiting for the elevator in silence for a moment before Pascal spoke. “Look, I know I’m not the person you normally turn to when you’re having a rough time, which is fair. I don’t really have great advice to give, but people tell me I’m a good listener.”
I was a little startled at the offer since it was vastly out of character for the man. Pascal loved us in his own way, and I respected him as a man of actions rather than words. Part of the problem Pascal had was noticing subtle mood signs since his attention was on whatever problem he was solving in his head.
“Thanks, man. I really appreciate it,” I said, genuinely grateful for the man stepping out on a limb to offer. “I was trying to figure out why the reporters were so interested in camping out the building, so I did an internet search.”
“I’m assuming you found something,” Pascal deduced.
“The bastards found out about Fawn working at Tempting Tassels and got their hands on a photo,” I admitted through clenched teeth.
“What?” Pascal snapped, nearly dropping the drinks he’d been holding. “Why the hell would they do that?”
I let out a bitter laugh. “I don’t have a fucking clue, but I’m going to find out.”
“Not before I do,” Eli stated, causing us to turn, not realizing he’d walked up behind us. “Did you see anything else?”
“No, Fawn knew I was upset, so he crawled onto my lap. I didn’t want him to know until we were home, and he could process that bomb however he wanted to,” I answered.
Eli simply nodded as he raised his phone to his ear. “Jonathan, I need you to find whoever published that story about my Omega, Fawn’s past. I want whatever pictures he has destroyed and the article wiped from existence. Do you really need me to answer that question?” Eli asked, pausing for a moment to hear the answer. “Correct, and I want a list of names. I’ll make sure they never work in this city again.”
“There’s more than one?” I asked once he’d hung up.
“It appears so, but Jonathan will see it handled. He also promised to find out who supplied the photos if he could, but most reporters will go to their grave over information like that,” Eli shared as he scrolled through his phone and made another call. “Jessup, it’s Eli. I’m sending you two addresses. The first is an apartment building, where I need a two or four-man team to ensure no reporters sneak in. I’d also like the apartment monitored until we can move all my Omega’s things out of there. The second address is my pack’s home. Right now, I think we’ll be fine with an around-the-clock presence on the property to make the press behave. If that changes, then I’ll want bodyguard suggestions for our Omegas. Thank you, Jessup. I’ll be over in the morning to sign the contracts.”
I simply stared at Eli as Pascal let out a low whistle, both impressed at the speed he’d just been able to destroy multiple reporters’ careers and, in the next breath, hire private security. “Holy shit, Eli.”
The man shrugged. “I told you no one fucks with my family. I hope they’ll see we’re not afraid to retaliate and soon move their attention onto something else.”
When the elevator doors opened with a soft chime, he gestured for us to go ahead. Still a little flustered, I entered but realized our hands were full. Eli reached in, hit the button for the top floor, and pointed to the left. “I’ll take the stairs. It’s probably best if I work off some of this rage.”
“Yeah, probably a good call,” I commented as the doors closed. I slowly turned my head to look at Pascal. “I can’t tell if I’m terrified of that man or really fucking turned on. That was nuts, right?”
“It’s not nuts if you’re a Thatcher,” Pascal reasoned. “Why do you think the Scent Matchers wanted it to be crystal clear he was going after a single person and not the organization? If Eli decided to take out the organization as a whole for what happened to his sister, they’d be in the fight for their life.”
“All I have to say is thank God he’s on our side,” I muttered, stepping out of the elevator and joining the others.
The rest of the day was spent eating, watching random shows on the television, and just spending time together as a pack. Eli had texted Pascal and me, asking that we hold off on saying anything until the morning so his people could get him more information. I didn’t see the harm in holding off a little longer since the article went up two days ago as it was.
When it was finally late enough for us to turn in for the night, we headed for the nest on the fourth floor. Right now, it was the only room with a space big enough for all of us to sleep together. We hadn’t officially set it up other than having the bed put together when we moved in. With only three of us involved in Fawn’s heats, we typically ended up using his room so we didn’t make Pascal uncomfortable or feel left out. Plus, Fawn’s filming studio was next door to his bedroom so I could easily grab all the toys I wanted to play with.
I was grinning from ear to ear as I managed to slip in behind Lyra and curl myself around her. “You fit so perfectly in my arms, starlight,” I whispered, kissing along her jaw until I reached her lips. “Tomorrow, we’ll take you room shopping, and then we can get started turning it into a space that makes you happy.”
Fawn draped himself over my body to kiss Lyra, then kissed me. “Goodnight, you two. I plan to pass out for the next month or so. Don’t have too much sex without me.”
Without waiting for a response, Fawn rolled off me and used Zachary stretched out behind me as a body pillow. Eli guarded Fawn’s back, hand possessively sliding under Fawn’s shirt to rest over the Omega’s heart. Pascal was a little more hesitant to join us, but the draw to be near Lyra won out. I didn’t judge the man for being uncomfortable with us all sleeping together when he wasn’t used to it. The past few days, Pascal had been flying high on the scent of our Omega’s heat and his rut. Pascal now had a clear mind and had to decide what he was comfortable with.
Grabbing a pillow, he stretched out on his stomach with a solid foot of space between us. Then he took Lyra’s hand and kissed the back of it before lacing their fingers together and tucking them against his chest. I hid my smile in Lyra’s hair, not wanting Pascal to think I was laughing at him. I’d never seen something more adorable or wholesome than that man treating Lyra’s hand like a cherished teddy bear. It didn’t take long before the room was filled with soft, even breathing as everyone drifted off to sleep.
I nuzzled my cheek against Lyra’s shoulder and kissed a spot just on the edge that would be exposed if she wore a tank top. “Soon enough, starlight, I’ll place my mark right here so you know I’ll always have your back. No matter your fears or anxieties, all you need to do is look over your shoulder, and you’ll find me there.”