Pack Kismet
Jensen
She doesn’t recognize me. How the hell doesn’t she recognize me? It’s only been a couple of years, and I don’t think I have changed that much. Calista obviously has. And damn. It makes all of this even harder. How the hell am I supposed to break the news to her? I can’t even process it myself.
“Calista.” My voice cracks saying her name, watching the confusion and fear mar her beautiful features.
Her dark hair hangs in loose curls, longer than before, and her cheekbones blush, more prominent with her slimmer jawline.
Her eyes shine the same radiant blue color.
I could never forget them. “You don’t have to be afraid. I’m Jensen.”
Calista doesn’t respond, her cerulean eyes remaining wide. It makes me question whether I said the words out loud.
“Jensen Kismet,” I huff, waiting for the spark of realization to hit her expression.
It shouldn’t bother me that she doesn’t recognize me.
We never spent much time together, because my father kept us apart.
She might not know, but we were a scent match.
Me and my two brothers. But packs aren’t allowed to have two omegas, and it would have been unfathomable, considering her mom was married to my dad.
God. Thinking about them stirs an ache in my heart.
I can’t believe I have to be the one to tell her that they’re gone.
It’s so surreal. I just talked to Dad yesterday.
He wanted me to research other Omega Resorts.
He didn’t say why, but he wanted Calista out of this one.
After seeing her with that alpha, I think I know why.
This sanctuary was using her. There’s no way Calista would have ever willingly been with that man.
He was old enough to be her father, and not to mention she looked so uncomfortable. Plus, I saw him hand her money.
“Do you remember me?” I ask, stepping closer. I glance behind her, making sure the alpha fucker is long gone. I don’t trust him not to come back, so I need Calista to come with me. I don’t want to tell her the bad news here on this sidewalk.
Actually, I don’t want to tell her at all.
“Where’s my mom? Did she send you for me? Ivy said she would host them for dinner.” Calista wrings her hands together.
I remain expressionless, keeping my gaze shifted away from hers. I worry she’ll see it in my eyes if she has a chance to capture my stare. I haven’t even had a chance to process anything. It’s my job as an heir to get our pack through this devastation, and Calista is still part of Pack Kismet.
“Calista… I need you to come with me.” I extend my hand to her, hoping she doesn’t argue. “It’s important.”
She stares at my proffered hand without taking it.
Her shimmery bottom lip trembles. The avoidance of answering her question triggers her anxiety.
I can smell it morphing her subtle scent, one she obviously blocks with a blocker lotion.
It brings me back to the first day we met.
She had a lot of anxiety when she came to Pack Kismet.
Not that I can blame her. Her birth pack was atrocious.
They allowed their leader to commit monstrous acts against her mother, Jess.
She still had fading bruises when Dad brought them home.
Calista seemed so small hiding behind her mom, despite her only being a few years younger than me.
I can see it vividly in my mind. She was shaking so badly that she clung to the fabric of her colorful tulle dress.
The bow on the back looked like fluttering wings when she ran to hide in a coat closet when Dad tried to introduce me and my two brothers to her for the first time.
I want to hug her now just like I wanted to hug her then, but I can’t. I’ll scare her. She’ll turn into the butterfly she reminded me of all those years ago and fly away.
“Something happened, didn’t it?” Calista asks, her voice turning to a whisper.
I swallow, my throat dry. “Yes. But let’s go back to the Omega Resort. Our pack is there waiting.”
Calista blinks rapidly, her startling blue eyes watering, but she doesn’t shed any tears. Instead, she steps closer and encircles her hand around my arm.
This really fucking sucks. This shouldn’t be happening.
But it is.
We’re going to ruin Calista’s life.
I stop Calista short upon hearing the yelling match happening in apartment number 241.
I haven’t been here yet, but I can smell Calista’s fragrance in the hallway even though she’s standing next to me.
It’s probably permanent from the years of coming in and out of this place and being the only omega at the end of this hall.
“Misters Kismet, you can’t just withdraw her. Her sponsorship has been paid for until the end of the year.” A woman’s sharp voice cuts through the flimsy door. I thought a place like this would have better security, but I guess the guard in the lobby has been deemed good enough.
“I don’t have a choice. You know as well as I do that the law states that no omega can be sponsored for the Omega Independence Program if they are the only one in the pack.
We have to take her home.” Nolan responds with the same amount of venom as the female alpha.
She’s the one that probably forced Calista into this arrangement.
Calista covers her mouth with her hand, stifling an uncontrollable sob. “The only omega? What? No.”
Shit.
Calista rushes toward her apartment door and flings it open, the thing probably never locked.
I clasp my fingers on the back of my head.
My brothers and I talked about this. We had a plan in place on how to tell Calista.
It didn’t involve including the CEO of this Omega Resort.
She had already pissed us off enough by not letting us talk to Calista over the phone to let her know we were on our way.
Things could have been easier, but this woman has obviously been using Calista to make more profit.
Pack Daines is known to be greedy, considering it costs half a million a year to send an omega here.
Many don’t stay past a year, because they end up falling in love or their packs decide it’s not worth it and take things into their own hands to marry their additional omegas off.
But Jess was adamant about what Pack Kismet would do for Calista. They sent her here to learn how to be independent from a pack, and not in the way most packs consider their omegas independent.
Unfortunately, Pack Kismet can no longer keep their promise to her.
“Henry? Henry, what happened to my mom?” Calista asks, her voice shaking.
My heart slides into my stomach. My dad’s not here. If he were, we wouldn’t be in this position.
Calista freezes and glances around the apartment, her eyes settling on both of my brothers, who stand together, facing Ivy Daines. She twists and looks at me, her mouth agape before closing the space to Ivy.
“What’s going on, Ivy? Who are they? Where are my mom and Henry? They should have been here by now.” Calista purses her lips, shifting on her feet. She already knows the answer by the frown crossing everyone’s faces. She just needs confirmation.
Nolan steps closer to Calista, holding his hands out to her. “We are here to explain everything, Calista. We tried to call you earlier, but Ms. Daines interfered. We are Henry’s sons. Do you not remember us? I know it’s been a while since we’ve seen you.”
“I don’t care who the fuck you are. What happened?” Calista holds her hand up, stopping Nolan in his tracks. “Tell me now.”
Nolan glances at me, and I shake my head, this whole situation weighing heavily on us.
“I’m sorry, Cali. Your parents were in a car wreck. They didn’t survive,” Ivy says, speaking up for us. The alpha pulls Calista to her, engulfing her in her arms. “I’m so sorry.”
Calista’s arms remain at her sides as Ivy’s words sink in. I don’t know what to do or say, and I look to Nolan for what to do. He’s just as lost as I am. So is Lucas. He hasn’t even said a word yet. I’m surprised he hasn’t left already. He was dragged here from his home across the country.
“We didn’t intend for you to find out this way, Calista.
We tried to call earlier, but Ms. Daines claimed you were busy.
We came as soon as we could. We wanted to tell you in person before you saw it on the news.
Our pack lost its heart. You need to come home with us.
” Nolan closes more space, trying to entice Calista to turn to him instead of hiding her face against Ivy.
“You don’t have to go with them, Cali,” Ivy says, glowering at Nolan.
“She needs to be with her pack while we grieve.” Nolan tightens his jaw. I remain frozen in place, glancing between him and my other brother. As the oldest, Nolan is in charge. I’m not supposed to act unless he requests it, which I hate. I want to speak up instead of being silent.
“He’s only saying that, Calista. He knows if he takes you, it’ll be nearly impossible for you to come back here.
He wants a refund. This is all about money.
You know your mom wouldn’t want this for you.
He can’t make you go. I won’t allow it.” Ivy’s words lace with a hot threat that makes me nervous.
She’s lying through her teeth and she knows it.
A sponsorship is nonrefundable. This isn’t about that.
From catching Calista with an alpha tonight, I can see that Ivy doesn’t want to lose her as a source of income.
“Calista, don’t believe her. She’s lying,” I say, breaking Nolan’s silent command to let him handle things. “She’s using you. She doesn’t lose the sponsorship money. She uses the capability of using you for more profit.”
“I would never!” Ivy yells, her voice whipping through the air.
Calista steps away from her and spins toward me.
I expect her to come back to my side. To believe me.
Neither of those things happen.
She yanks a coat from the hook by the door and rushes out. She flees.