Chapter Seventeen
Vanessa
"Nessie, what's wrong?"
Of course, even over the phone, my mom could tell something was bothering me. "I went into heat, Mom."
"Oh, baby! Did those boys help you through it? Was it good? Did they bite you? If they hurt you, I'll send your fathers after them."
I couldn't help giggling. I loved my dads, but the image of them coming after Mason, Silas and Zayne was almost comedic.
"No need to send the cavalry yet, Mom. I'm just so confused.
" I sit down in my little writing nook, staring out the window.
"They helped me through it, and I can't remember much, but what I do remember is amazing.
They didn't bite me yet. I guess they wanted to wait to get my permission or something.
" I don't tell her how disappointed I was when I woke up without claiming marks.
"There is plenty of time for that, Nessie. Are you on birth control? Please tell me you're not."
"Mom…"
"I need grandbabies, Vanessa! I'm not getting any younger."
"Mom! They weren't here when I woke up," I whisper, fighting back tears.
Mom stays quiet for too long. Just as I'm about to say something, she says, "What is that supposed to mean?"
Fuck holding back tears. "I woke up alone a couple of hours ago in my room. I thought they might be downstairs, but the house is empty. They even took apart the little nest I built in the lounge. I found some of the things in the trash outside. No note. Nothing. They're just… gone."
"They left you alone right after your heat? Destroyed your nest? I'm going to kill them for being so dumb." Mom was fuming, her anger on my behalf making me feel better. A little bit, at least. "Have you tried calling them?"
"No," I admit, fidgeting with my shirt. Mason's shirt. His smoky campfire scent clings to it. "I'm too scared to call, Mom. They could have called me. Or left a message! But there's nothing from them. What if I call and they ignore me? Or worse… they tell me they want nothing to do with me."
"Call them, Nessie. Your brain is coming up with the worst possible scenarios right now. Call them and call me back after."
She hangs up before I can say anything else. Sighing, I dial Zayne's number, and it goes straight to voicemail. I never got around to asking Mason and Silas for their numbers, so I was shit out of luck.
Maybe they preferred me not having it.
Just as I'm about to call Mom back, I hear a car coming up the driveway.
Relief washes over me, and I rush down the stairs.
Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, I hold my breath and wait as someone unlocks the front door.
But it's not one of my guys who comes through it.
Two little boys hurry inside, rushing for the living room.
They're fighting over who gets to control the remote.
It would be cute if I weren't having a mini panic attack.
Samantha Frost walks in after them, followed by Kyle. I vaguely remember him from when I was a kid, and he was dating Samantha. Samantha was ten years older than her brother. "What are you still doing here, Vanessa?"
Kyle waves at me awkwardly before following his kids into the lounge. I barely remember him, but I really wish he would stay. Being alone with Zayne's sister was terrifying.
"Hi, Sammy." I swallow down my nerves. "I thought you guys were only arriving tomorrow afternoon." That had been the plan, after all. Zayne's sister would arrive on Christmas Eve along with my parents. "The guys invited me to stay for Christmas, and I accepted. They're out at the moment."
She rolls her eyes. "I know they're not here, Vanessa. They asked me to come over and get rid of you. I just assumed you would have gotten the message when you woke up alone and left. Kyle will drive you to the bus station."
"Get rid of me? They wouldn't do that."
She tries to give me a sympathetic look. "Of course they would. They only invited you to be polite. I was there when you called and said you would be joining. They were bitching about it all night."
I was still sore and emotional from my heat. Tears started rolling down my cheeks, and I angrily swiped at them. I hated crying. But crying in front of Samantha felt like losing. "You're lying. They just helped me through my heat. They wouldn't have done that if-"
"You are so dumb." She laughs, shaking her head. "They're men, Vanessa. Alphas. Of course, they're going to stick their knots in you if given the chance. It doesn't mean they want or love you."
"Please stop," I beg her, backing away. I just needed to get to my room and hide there until the guys came home. They would tell me she's lying and make everything better.
She grabs my forearm before I can make it up the stairs.
"Where do you think they are right now, Vanessa?
They're in town picking up their actual omega.
She's the one who's joining for Christmas, not you.
You need to get out of here before they get back with her.
" She pulls out her phone and holds it out for me to see the picture of my three alphas with a tiny omega in the middle of them.
Not my alphas.
They look so happy in the photo. The omega is gorgeous, and I couldn't even blame them for choosing her. She's perfect. Everything I wasn't.
I could feel my whole world falling apart. All I wanted to do was crawl into my nest and hide. Allow their scents to take away my pain.
But I couldn't.
They took away my nest.
Destroyed it.
Destroyed us.
Samantha sighs, like she's done with this. "Go pack your shit, Vanessa. I need to get your stench out of the house. If you're ready to leave in ten minutes, Kyle can drive you to the bus station. If not, you can walk."
She retreats to the kitchen, and I waste no time rushing upstairs and grabbing my laptop.
After stuffing it into my backpack along with a couple of other things, I change into something warmer and walk back down the stairs.
There was no way I was letting Kyle drive me anywhere.
He was married to Satan. I walked to the end of the driveway, ignoring the multiple missed calls from my mom and ordered an omega-friendly car service.
It said they would be here in fifteen minutes, so I stood out in the cold and waited.
I tried to ignore the lack of missed calls and messages from the guys, but it was breaking my heart.
When a friendly beta lady pulled up, she took one look at me and handed over tissues and a box of chocolates. Why she has a box of chocolates ready, I would never know, but I took them gratefully.
She left me alone, and I sat in the back of her cab for two hours, crying, stuffing my face with chocolate and swearing off men forever.
By the time she pulled up outside my parents' house, I was numb.
She gave me her card and made me promise to call her directly if I needed anything.
Told me she knew a guy who would take care of my problems, no questions asked.
I started to laugh, but it came out broken.
It even hurt a bit. Laughing when your heart is breaking hurts.
The cab door opened, and Daddy George was there, looking down at me with concern.
I shake my head, not wanting to get into it, and he wastes no time scooping me up into his arms and carrying me inside.
He used to carry me around all the time when I was a kid, and the familiarity of it brought new tears to my eyes.
I cling to him, sobbing into his shoulder as he carries me past my other parents and sits with me on the couch.
Mom doesn't say anything when she joins us. I lie with my head on her lap, and she gently strokes my hair, lulling me to sleep.