Chapter 49
Chapter
Forty-Nine
SIMONA
H endrix drops all pretences of being anything but a very strong Alpha. His presence is as large, and impossible to ignore, as our arrival. He leads me out of the elevator with a steady hand and a blistering confidence that nips over my skin.
Dominic follows close behind also falling into his cut-throat, take no prisoner persona. His scent spreads out in warning, confirming his easiness to dominate. With a gentle touch on my back, he moves to my other side, and Ryder stands at my back.
I feel protected, and safe. Equally importantly I feel the centre of their universe as we come face to face with Wren and the Alphas of the founding families.
Once upon a time simply being in the same room as the founding family would have sent me to my knees with my metaphorical tail between my legs for fear alone. Now, I know what the power of a real Alpha feels like. Dominance and power are not a measure of strength, it’s based on how you wield it .
“Simona is here to see Lawson.” Dominic takes a step forward, driving the interaction with intention. The deep timbre of his voice is dosed by the power and impatience of his Alpha.
“How dare you, Simona.” Wren’s hands wring, and her scent is as tart as the way she looks at me. “Lawson is barely alive and you…” Her arms wave out in frustration.
Holding her stare is easy. “Brought my pack with me. For support, and protection. Is that an issue?”
“Of course it is an issue. How did you think I would react when I have to witness your infidelity firsthand? Walking around here , acting like the whore you are. I can’t even,” she shrieks, losing a grip of her emotions.
She squeezes her hands into fists, locking her gaze at something on the floor while she takes a few breaths. It takes only a few seconds until she’s managed to tuck away her emotions, back behind her listless mask. Her eyes move nervously towards the Alphas standing beside her, seeking their support before she looks at me. She’s back to being compliant Wren, the puppet.
I hold my chin up high, drilling my entire focus on her, talking loud enough so everyone can hear. “Wren, you along with the others are fully aware I recently packed, so my bonded Alphas being with me shouldn’t be an issue. Or haven’t you had a chance yet to read the court’s judgement on my emancipation application?” I don’t wait for a response from her, or anyone else in the room. “I’d like to see Lawson now, please.”
“You have an Alpha, Simona. All this gallivanting around with other Alphas is disrespectful to the union you and Brody share. You are causing your parents a lot of unnecessary stress. Your poor mother should be focusing on Lawson, and she’s out here having to see this. It’s a disgrace. Shameful,” Brody’s mother, Fiona, adds. Her small, barbed speech is overly scripted, but she pulls it off like the well-versed actress she is.
“I completely agree with you, Fiona, it is disgraceful I’m being blocked from seeing Lawson. With regard to the undue stress, I’ll have to pull you up there because I have no issue with my pack being with me. You had the chance to tell me how you felt at the recent hearing. Don’t whine after the fact, that’s behaviour not fitting for a woman of your standing. I’d like to see Lawson now, please.”
Brody's mother fumes silently, until the look on her face transforms into a triumphant, bitchy smirk. She tips her head to the side as she gloats. “We’ve already lodged an appeal.”
“I’m glad you understand the way our judicial system works because you’re well within your rights, Fiona. But, like you yourself said, I don’t think now is the time. Particularly when Lawson is in High Dependency.”
“Stop!” Brody’s father barks, using the force of his designation. And his obtuse display of force nearly sent Fiona and Wren to their knees.
Hendrix stares at the current head of the family before swinging his beautiful attention at me. His eyes are full of dangerous longing. Using barely any volume, and just a drop of his influence, he barks, “Mine.”
His bark slams into me, hard like a sledgehammer, reverberating its way to the furthest, deepest parts of my soul. Then it echoes through back the way it came, emphasising Hendrix’s place as my Alpha, reminding me of his complete adoration but also making sure I remember these people have no hold over me anymore. Once he sees I’m not at all affected or worried by Brody’s father’s posturing, he returns his focus to them.
Hendrix’s behaviour is predatory to say the least. He is doing everything in his power to fulfill my wishes and keep this from turning into a bloodbath, even though I can see every muscle in his being aching for it.
His voice is sharp, cutting ribbons through the tension. “Watch yourself, Alpha. I don’t take kindly to my Omega being spoken to like that. We’re only here so Simona can see her father. If all you’re going to do is throw obstacle after obstacle in front of her, while attempting to regain coercive control, then we’re gone.”
The Alphas of the family respond as one, being entirely dismissive of Hendrix. Brody’s father retains his role as their leader, holding charge. “That is enough, Simona. Your father is dying and you’re being obtuse to the gravity of the situation. Even daring to walk in here with them,” he uses his hand instead of his words to indicate he means my pack, “is abhorrent behaviour after all we have done for you. That is how you repay us? If Lawson could see you now, he would be beside himself, trying to understand how his daughter could be so vindictive and malicious.”
“I told him once, you know,” I say, focusing on the ground as opposed to having to witness the vile evil staring back at me for a second longer. “Perhaps Lawson will take those secrets with him to the grave.”
“My son is sick because of you!”
“And my father suffered a heart-attack straight after I told him about Brody, and how abusive he was,” I counter, somehow keeping my voice and tone soft despite the rage igniting.
He laughs maliciously, as if proving a point. One I don’t get. One I don’t need to. I’m done trying to figure out the reason why they do anything.
Ryder presses a small kiss to the side of my head, saving me from having to say another word. He keeps his focus on me, his honey-golden eyes warm until he turns to them, and then they harden like shards of cold toffee. “Simona is aware Brody is unwell with Alpha Deteriorating Virus. We literally ran into him at St Gabriel’s. Early intervention for ADV has proven the most beneficial. What doesn’t make sense is this is the first time you are mentioning to Simona that Brody is infected. Were you seriously considering using her to fix your son? Your son who by all accounts is an absolute prick. Talk about bringing shame to a family’s name.” Ryder’s tone isn’t full of its usual vibrancy. If anything, it’s laced with the same malevolence and cruelty as theirs. I hate hearing him speak that way, but I hate being here too. He clears his throat, his voice returning back to the Ryder I know. “Simona would like to see Lawson.”
“Simona, you are free to see your father. He’s in the first room.” Wren continues pretending there’s not a protective wall of packed Alphas beside me. She completely ignores the direction of the discussions that have occurred in the last few minutes.
I go to take a step in that direction.
“But you go in alone.”
Then it is my turn to hold my hands up. Not in surrender. Pure frustration pools in my stomach. I’d like to shriek and scream. Instead of walking off to see Lawson, I take an obvious step back between the haven my Alphas provide.
“We’re done here,” I say, turning to look at my pack before refocusing on Wren. “I’m not going to lay blame, Wren, but you will need to accept responsibility for not letting a dying man’s last request come to fruition. He asked to see his daughter, so I came to see him. Don’t contact me. For anything.”
I take a slow, steady inhale before turning to look at Brody’s parents. “Your son needs help. The first place you should start is finding his scent matched Omega, because if he has Alpha Deteriorating Virus, he has met his scent match, and they’ve rejected him. That’s basic biology. That Omega is not me. It never has been me. He hates me, and my scent, with passion. ADV is not Brody’s only issue. He is a violent abuser. One day that is going to get him killed. Here under your influence, you can spend the rest of your life brushing what he does under the carpet. But he’s not here all the time.” I focus on that part because clearly, he’s not here, or he’d be standing right next to them being his god-awful self. “In the real world, where the founding families do not have as much influence as you like to believe, real Alphas will not put up with his actions.”
“Are you threatening my son?” Fiona gasps, her mouth falling open.
Dominic presses his hand on my lower back, reminding me my pack is still with me. “Our sweet Omega is not threatening your son. However, you come for her and we will do whatever necessary to protect Simona’s freedom. If you’d like to call that a threat, by all means, you do that.”
Brody’s father barks a laugh. “You? Your own father disowned you because you’re a homosexual.”
Dominic hums in agreement, but it’s Hen who answers, taking a step forward with his hand outstretched, not stopping until he’s close to Brody’s father. “If we’re doing introductions, I’m Hendrix Torres. Alpha of Pack Torres and one of Simona’s Alphas. I’m a successful and wealthy businessman, making my fortune by being the owner of Porte Noire, arguably the best sex club in the country. The first time I met your son was when I kicked his ass to the curb after he forcibly tried to bite the throat of one of my workers. Clearly, because I’m physically and emotionally involved with two men myself, I’m not about to pass judgement on your son’s sexuality, but I do have issues with violence. Along with being a loud and proud advocate for consent. I have video documentation of Brody in a few compromising situations, which are neither here nor there. But him trying to force a claiming bite on the throat of one of the highest paid male sex workers in the industry is where I draw the line.”
“So you’re blackmailing me?” Brody’s father blazes.
Hendrix looks over his shoulder to Dominic. “Did I blackmail him, babe?”
His casual stance, his casual question, even the way he speaks adds to the simmering tension, but it was intentional. Done to goad them into reacting or listening.
Dominic looks off like he’s deep in thought before answering Hendrix. “Perhaps alluded to. I don’t have an issue with your wording, Innamorato, but even if we were to blackmail them I’d rather be on the streets with nothing than touch even a single dime of theirs. Besides, we all know sometimes it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Dominic swings and pins Brody’s father with his sneer, all but confirming we know they paid the judge off, but also, we did the same, and won. “I will do anything to protect my pack. You understand that, don’t you? If you want the world to learn who Brody Henderson really is, all you need to do is come for my pack.”
“Now that was a threat.” Hendrix throws up a frustrated hand, turning around to look at Dominic.
Dominic shakes his head, a small smirk on his face for Hendrix, before turning to face the others with the full force of his commanding presence. He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a thick envelope for Wren and one for Brody’s father. “Inside, you will find an emergency protective order, a temporary restraining order, as well as a copy of our request for a permanent restraining order. Your lawyer has the individual copies for each person who we included, and to whom the orders pertain. In a nutshell, we have included each member of the founding family and their direct family unit. And obviously Brody Henderson. Your sick son.”
Wren takes a visible step back when Dominic goes to hand it to her. He shrugs before dropping it at her feet. She doesn’t need to accept it for it to be enforced.
“Under The Violence Against Women Act, and Penal Code Section 13700, Brody Henderson is now registered as a repeat offender.” Dominic moves to stand in front of Brody’s father, directing all his anger and energy on him. “And, last but not least, I’ve included the subpoena to St. Gabriel’s Hospital. Their confirmation that Brody is suffering from ADV enabled us to inform the government, because it seems you overlooked the requirement of registering any Alpha sick with the disease.”
I feel infinitely better when he returns back to me, and as soon as he’s close enough, I grab his hand, needing his soothing touch.
Dominic stands next to me and waits for our pack to do similar. “Simona is no longer a Vanderling, she is Torres .” Dominic has to wait while I swim through his bark. He watches me carefully, light dancing in his eyes as I find my way back from his control and influence. “Her emancipation is an obvious message that she does not want anything to do with you. Graciously, she is giving you an out.”
The Alphas scoff, talking under their breath, and we wait for them to finish before Hendrix starts speaking again. “Benjamin.” He turns to Ryder, and Ryder passes over his phone. He fiddles his phone, the silence while we wait interrupted by an alert on Wren’s phone confirming what he was doing. Hendrix points to the cameras in the room. “Wren has a video transcript of our conversation.”
“Nothing happened,” Benjamin Benton insists. Finally doing something besides standing there looking like a statue.
“No, it did. You just got notified of how far we have gone to protect our Omega. Hopefully you are now on the way to understanding Simona is not a part of this fucked up Family anymore. We are hoping for a peaceful resolution. ”
Another, louder show of derision. They’re throwbacks full of malice and contempt. It echoes through the small space we’re in but like them, it’s nothing compared to the way my Alphas hold the stage and speak.
Ryder takes over, his words slow and deliberate while he stares each one of them down. “Simona’s wishes are what drives our pack. Everything we have done has been at her request. And where possible that will continue.”
“And that means?” Wren asks, suddenly finding her voice. Although Brody’s father silences her with a sharp look, putting her back in her place.
Hendrix ignores what’s going on between them and intentionally answers both of them. “Let her go. Move on. Don’t come for her. But sadly, because no doubt you’re going to get hung up on the fact someone actually said no to you, we are fully prepared for your retaliation. And this is important, so listen up.” Hendrix clicks his fingers impatiently. “The court documentation, and the avenues we have taken provide Simona the protection she needs in the eyes of the law . I don’t think it’s a stretch of the imagination to offer that the founding families believe they are above the eyes of the law, so I want to also let you know that I don’t trust you to simply let her walk away. You should, but you’re an obnoxious fuck surrounded by other, equally obnoxious fucks.”
Hendrix pauses to see if they’re going to argue the fact and when they don’t, he laughs, shaking his head before his mood snaps and he only focuses on the Alphas in the room. “Keep up with me here, because while Dominic has nailed your balls to the wall legally, I’m about to talk Alpha to Alpha. Simona has a highly trained security team with her at all times, and we have provided them with a kill order. Any person named in any document you now have in your hands is included in our instruction. I don’t care what the circumstance is, you come anywhere near my Omega, I, or someone else I pay, will blow your fucking brains out. You might want to sit down with your stupid cunt of a son and walk him through that, word for word. If he had listened to Simona when she said no, and if you had moved on from your archaic mindset of bullshit forced packing, you would not be in the situation we are in.”
With that, he turns back to us, and we go to walk towards the lift. But it dings and opens before we can even push the button.
“Ah, look at that. Faster than what I thought,” Hendrix muses, making way for the courier to walk out past us and straight to the families.
The man acting as a courier hand delivers an oversized bunch of fiery red Delonix Regia—or Phoenix Flowers—first to Wren, then to Brody’s father, and finally to the other two Alphas in the room. Before leaving, he makes a slow turn in front of everyone, the Fallen MC logo emblazoned across the back of his leather jacket, a bold statement for the world to see.
Hendrix waves Dominic to position himself inside the elevator, standing to block the doors from closing before he passes me to Ryder so he can return back to the pale-faced recipients of the flowers. “Please tell me you understand the meaning of both these things. God, that would be embarrassing if you don’t.”
He doesn’t wait for them to confirm or deny they do, before he says what he was always going to say. “Phoenix Flowers delivered by the Fallen MC on behalf of the Phoenix Group, a dangerous message. Simona is theirs to protect. Her protection is an ongoing arrangement we have with both The Fallen and the Phoenix Group. Paid in full already. And money aside, fuck me, haven’t the outlaw MC groups recently spread everywhere throughout the country. I mean, they make me nervous because they are literally everywhere, but the Phoenix Group are sneaky fuckers. No one knows who they are or where they are.” He makes a clicking noise and winks for added effect. But I suspect he’s also holding a dramatic pause, not only so the Alphas and Wren understand the reach our pack has, but also that we have the means to pay up front. “Let’s cut to the fucking chase. Dominic, Benjamin and I will protect her with our dying breath. You push us, and we will burn your world to the ground.”
As we’re about to leave, Dominic clears his throat. Intentionally.
Hendrix throws his hands up. “Okay, okay. It’s all about the delivery, but in this instance, I can’t take all the credit for the dramatics. The flowers were always coming. It’s pure coincidence that they arrived when we did. The flowers were to be delivered as confirmation of a service fulfilled.” He fiddles with his phone this time. Only one phone pings, and it’s not Wren’s. It’s Brody’s father’s. “I got your mutt tagged. He’s now sporting a state-of-the-art microchip in the back of his neck. If you try to dig it out, it’s set to booby-trap, releasing a fast-acting lethal dose of poison. Keep your son on a tight fucking leash because I can track his movements. One step too close to her and it might resolve all our issues.”