Chapter 31 Stefan
Chapter thirty-one
Stefan
The morning light streaming through the kitchen window feels too bright for the situation I've found myself in. I'm sitting at the kitchen table, my injured leg propped up on another chair and my sprained wrist wrapped in bandages. Everything hurts, a constant reminder of last night's chaos.
Ashton is still asleep in the guest room, exhausted from the pain and terror.
The doctor Kade called came and went in the middle of the night, patching up my leg wound and confirming that nothing vital was hit.
Lucky, he said. A few inches over and I would have bled out before making it to Dustin's ranch.
The part that gets me is how strangely domestic everything is. Coming here just a few days ago, it would have been Kade at the table and Dustin pouring us coffee. Now, it’s Solana, their gorgeous Omega who smells like a whole damn field of flowers.
She moves around the kitchen, her movements slightly uncoordinated as she tries to make breakfast. She's wearing one of Dustin's flannel shirts over a soft dress, the combination oddly endearing.
There's a flush to her cheeks and a brightness to her eyes that speaks to her impending heat.
I can smell it on her, that sweetness intensifying with each passing hour.
Dustin is practically glued to her side, his hands hovering near her waist like he can't decide if he should help or let her figure it out on her own. He looks better than he did last night, the panic and grief replaced by exhausted relief.
"You don't have to do this," Dustin tells Solana for what has to be the third time in as many minutes. "You should be resting."
Solana shoots him a look that's surprisingly stern for someone so new to this household. "I'm making breakfast. It's not exactly strenuous labor."
She cracks an egg into the pan with more force than necessary, the yolk breaking into the white. She frowns at it, clearly frustrated but she keeps going, determined to do this despite her obvious inexperience.
I feel like an intruder watching this domestic scene.
Dustin and his Omega, building a life together in this house.
I shouldn't be here disrupting their carefully constructed peace, especially not with Solana so close to her heat. But I had nowhere else to go. I’ll just keep telling myself that until I believe it.
"We need to talk about logistics," I say, breaking the comfortable silence between them. "About how long Ashton and I can stay before we become a problem."
Dustin opens his mouth to respond, but Kade walks in before he can.
The Alpha is fresh from a shower, his skin still damp, and a towel draped around his neck.
He looks at me with that assessing gaze, the one that misses nothing.
"You’re not going anywhere," Kade says, his voice carrying the kind of authority that doesn't invite argument.
"And neither is Ashton. Not until there's a plan. "
I shift uncomfortably in my chair, my leg protesting the movement. "But Solana is..."
"I'm right here," Solana interrupts, turning from the stove to face us. There's steel in her voice despite the flush on her cheeks. "And I told them they're not allowed to throw you out. You're hurt. Your Omega is hurt. Where exactly are you supposed to go?"
The firmness in her tone surprises me. This is an Omega barely out of Harmony House, still learning how to exist in the world, and she's standing up to two Alphas on behalf of people she just met. Either she's incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Maybe both.
Dustin manages a smile, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. "Yes, it's weird. Don't mention it."
Kade jerks his head toward the hallway. "Let's go talk."
I push myself up from the chair, gritting my teeth against the pain in my leg.
The doctor said to stay off it as much as possible for the next few days, but apparently that's not an option.
I follow Kade down the hall to his office, my limp pronounced enough that I have to grip the wall for support partway there.
The office is exactly what I'd expect from Kade. Neat, organized, and everything in its place. A large desk dominates the center of the room, covered in paperwork and a laptop. Security camera feeds play on one of the monitors, showing different angles of the property.
Kade closes the door behind us and gestures for me to sit. I lower myself into one of the chairs across from his desk, grateful to be off my leg again.
"Tell me everything," Kade says, settling into his own chair. "From the beginning."
I take a breath and walk him through last night. The meeting with Viktor Volkov, the revelation about Ashton holding all of Charles' assets, and the execution of the Volkov sons. Someone shooting me, probably Viktor, as I fled with Ashton, and then the desperate ride through the woods to get here.
Kade listens without interrupting, his expression growing darker with each detail. When I finish, he leans back in his own chair, quiet for a long moment.
"I called on the house phone to check in.
Charles is alive but out of commission," I say, filling the silence.
"I don't know what happened to Viktor or if Viktor survived at all.
But since the only people who knew about them trying to mate Ashton to one of the Volkov sons are dead, Ashton is safe for now. "
"For now," Kade repeats, his tone making it clear he doesn't find that particularly reassuring.
"I know it's not ideal," I admit. "But it's the best I could do under the circumstances."
Kade studies me for another long moment, his dark eyes assessing my fucked up state. "I think Solana will kill us if we push you out, so when you have a plan, let us know."
The casual statement catches me off guard.
"You're serious? You're willing to let us stay?
With Solana going into heat? An Omega doesn't want anyone but her Alphas near during a heat," I continue, voicing the concern that's been eating at me since I woke up this morning.
"How the fuck is this supposed to work?"
Kade's expression shifts into something I can't quite read. There's a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth, like he knows something I don't. "You know, when Dustin became my mate, I always thought I was supposed to be attracted to you."
"What the fuck?" Shock coats my words, confusion washing over me.
Kade leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.
"Dustin had these ideas of grandeur that you and him would be in the same pack.
He talked about it sometimes in the early days, how perfect it would be to have his stepbrother as part of our family.
" He pauses, his smirk widening slightly.
"But we're both a little too Alpha to be each other's. You and me, I mean."
"Agreed," I say immediately, because that much is obvious. Kade and I would clash constantly if forced into that kind of dynamic. We're too similar in all the wrong ways, both of us used to being in control, both of us too dominant to submit to another Alpha.
"But that instinct never left me," Kade continues, his tone shifting to something more serious. "Because Dustin doesn't just say things. When he wants something, really wants it, there's usually a reason even if he can't articulate it properly."
I have no idea where this conversation is going, but the intensity in Kade's gaze makes my stomach twist with unease.
"And then you came into my house last night," Kade states, the Alpha dragging his tongue along his upper teeth. "With your Omega bleeding and terrified. And Solana just kept asking if you were alright. Not just once, but multiple times. She went so far as to make you and Ashton breakfast during her preheat. It’s the first time she’s done it. "
I shrug, trying to downplay it. "She's just trying to be nice."
Kade laughs, the sound full of amusement. "I swear both you and Dustin are equally stupid when it comes to Omegas, just in different ways."
The insult stings, but I don't respond, waiting for him to get to his point.
"Stefan," Kade says, leaning forward even more.
His voice drops, taking on an edge that makes every hair on my body stand up.
"Dustin would have never fucking asked, or even let you through that threshold with Solana in preheat.
I don't care if you're family or not. Hell, I would have ripped your fucking head off for being anywhere near her.
But I didn't," Kade continues. "And Dustin didn't. And Solana is in the kitchen making breakfast for you and Ashton like it's the most natural thing in the world. "
Confusion swirls through me, mixing with a growing sense of something I can't quite name. "I don't understand what you're saying."
Kade sits back, his expression becoming unreadable again. "I think we'll have a lot to fucking talk about in the upcoming weeks because our biology seems to be building things for us."
The statement hangs in the air between us. I open my mouth, then close it, then open it again. "I don't... that's not..."
I can't even finish the sentence because I don't know what I'm trying to say. The idea forming in my head is impossible, ridiculous, even. Kade and Dustin have their Omega. I have Ashton, even if he's not officially mine. There's no room for whatever Kade is implying.
"I'm not saying it is," Kade muses. "I'm also not saying it isn't. I don't fucking like it, to be completely honest. But Solana's choice comes before everything else. Always."
The emphasis on that last word makes it clear this isn't negotiable. Whatever Kade thinks might be happening, he's willing to go along with it if that's what Solana wants.
"Did you speak to Solana about this?" I ask, grasping for some kind of solid ground in this conversation that's spiraling beyond my comprehension.
"No," Kade admits. "Because I don't even think she realizes what's happening. She's too new to all of this, too focused on learning how to exist outside Harmony House. The instincts are there, but she doesn't understand them yet."
He stands, moving around to lean back against his desk. From this angle, he's looking down at me, the position deliberately dominant. "All I know is that I've extended a place in my house and in my pack to you. Don't fuck it up."
I swallow nervously and nod, not trusting my voice to stay steady.
Kade's expression shifts, the intensity fading into something more businesslike.
"Now, that you're in here, however, let's talk business.
We've got a few fucking horses to move, and I need it done before Solana completely goes into heat.
However, I think we might be doing this during her heat and I really need to make sure all our ducks are in a row. "
The sudden change in topic gives me whiplash. We just went from discussing pack dynamics and possible bonds to horse smuggling in the span of a breath.
"Morrison's shipment," I say, grateful for the familiar territory. "Five horses instead of three. You mentioned it when you called last week."
"Exactly," Kade confirms. "They're arriving in the next 48 hours, though the exact time will be sent via text. Transport needs to be coordinated, paperwork needs to be in order, and everything needs to happen fast and clean."
I sit forward, wincing as my injured leg protests the movement. "What do you need from me?"
"The documentation you were handling," Kade says. "Forged registration papers, health certificates, transfer documents. Can you access those from here?"
I hold out my hand, wiggling my fingers at the Alpha.
“I dropped my phone on the way over here so unless you have–” My words cut off as Kade grabs a tablet from the desk and hands it to me.
It’s already unlocked, Kade’s lack of security on some of his items a little concerning, something I’ll rectify later.
A few taps and passwords later bring up the secure server where I keep all the forged documents.
"I still have access. Charles never knew about this particular server.
It's completely separate from his systems but I’ll need to get it moved. "
"Good," Kade says. "I need everything ready by tomorrow morning. Five complete packets, all the documentation Morrison needs to claim legal ownership once the horses are ready to be picked up from here."
I nod, already mentally going through the work required. It's a lot to do in less than twenty-four hours, especially with my injuries. But it's doable. "I'll need a laptop and a printer. My setup at Charles' house is obviously not accessible anymore."
"Use mine," Kade offers, gesturing to the laptop on his desk. "Password is on a sticky note in the top drawer. Everything you need should be there."
The casual trust implicit in that offer surprises me. Kade is giving me access to his personal computer, to whatever files and information he has stored there. Either he trusts me more than I thought, or he's confident enough in his security that he doesn't consider it a risk.
"What about the actual transfer?" I ask. "Morrison's people coming here to pick them up?"
"They'll arrive after sending a text," Kade says. "Hopefully, before the sun is fully up. They’ll unload the horses and then we wait for Morrison’s guys. Load the horses, hand over the documentation, collect payment, and they're gone within thirty minutes. Quick and clean."
"And Solana?"
"I'll handle Solana," Kade says firmly. "Your job is to get the paperwork done and make sure everything is in order. Can you do that?"
I nod. "Yeah, I can do that."
"Good," Kade says. "We don't have much time and I need this done right. Morrison is paying a fortune for these horses and if anything goes wrong, we're all fucked."