Chapter 45
Chapter forty-five
Kade
Solana is sprawled on the couch with her head resting on Ashton's thigh, her hand absently stroking Moo-Shu's fuzzy head where the cow has settled on the floor beside them.
The scene is so domestic, so peaceful, that it's hard to believe we're in the middle of a crisis that could tear everything apart.
Getting Solana to eat breakfast was a battle I barely won.
She wanted to skip food entirely and go straight to cuddling with her cow, completely ignoring the fact that she's barely eaten anything substantial in days.
I had to physically block her path to the living room, holding a plate of pancakes between us like a shield while she glared at me with those beautiful dark eyes.
Eventually, I gave in to a compromise. She could pet Moo-Shu while eating, but she had to finish the entire plate.
She agreed reluctantly, settling on the floor beside the cow and mechanically working through the pancakes while running her free hand through Moo-Shu's coat.
The others found it hilarious, Dustin laughing so hard he nearly spilled his coffee while Stefan just shook his head in amused disbelief.
But something shifted after Solana's shower this morning.
The magnet between her and Ashton that was already present has grown stronger, more obvious.
They gravitate toward each other without seeming to realize it, Ashton unconsciously leaning closer whenever Solana speaks and Solana seeking out Ashton's presence like she needs it to breathe.
Now we're all sitting around the living room. It should feel comfortable and relaxed, but there’s an underlying tension humming beneath the surface.
We need to discuss what comes next and make plans that will ultimately affect all of us.
But I keep putting it off, reluctant to shatter this moment of peace.
One thing is certain though. We can't stay here anymore.
This ranch has been our home for years, the place where Dustin and I built our life together.
But it's been compromised too many times in too short a period.
Harmony House knows where we are. The Driscoll family knows where we are.
Anyone with the right connections could find us here, and I won't risk Solana or Ashton's safety for sentimentality.
I let out a heavy sigh before turning my attention to our Omegas.
Ashton has a sketchpad balanced on his knee, his pencil moving across the page with an expertise that seems practiced, as if art comes to him naturally.
I can't see what he's drawing from my position in the armchair, but Solana is watching with obvious fascination.
Her eyes track every movement of his hand, her expression soft with wonder.
"That's beautiful," Solana says quietly, her voice carrying across the room.
Ashton flushes slightly, ducking his head like he's embarrassed by the praise. "It's nothing, just a doodle."
Stefan snorts from his position on the other couch, his injured leg propped up on the coffee table. "He's being modest. Ashton's incredibly talented." There's pride in his voice. "I've kept all his doodles over the years. Have them in a book back at... well, back at the house."
The mention of Charles Driscoll's estate makes everyone tense slightly. Stefan's face hardens, his jaw clenching with whatever memories are surfacing. Ashton's pencil stills on the page, his shoulders drawing up defensively.
I need to redirect this conversation before the mood completely sours. "What kind of things do you draw?" I ask Ashton, keeping my tone casual and interested.
Ashton looks up at me, surprise flickering across his face like he didn't expect me to engage. "Mostly landscapes and animals," he says after a moment. "Sometimes people, but I'm not as good with portraits."
"He's lying," Stefan interjects. "He did a portrait of one of the ranch hands that was so accurate it was almost creepy. The guy took it home and framed it."
Ashton rolls his eyes but there's a small smile playing at his lips.
The affection between him and Stefan is obvious, comfortable in ways that speak to years of companionship.
It makes me wonder about the exact nature of their relationship, about whether Stefan realizes how much his feelings show on his face when he looks at Ashton.
Solana clears her throat suddenly, drawing everyone's attention.
She sits up from her position on Ashton's thigh, carefully extracting herself before moving across the room to settle in Dustin's lap.
My Alpha immediately adjusts to accommodate her, his arms wrapping around her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder.
Ashton's expression shifts immediately. The soft contentment that was there moments ago vanishes, replaced by something that looks distinctly like irritation.
His eyes narrow slightly as he watches Solana curl into Dustin's embrace, his hand clenching around his pencil hard enough that I worry he might snap it.
Stefan reaches over and squeezes Ashton's knee, the gesture clearly meant to be soothing. But Ashton doesn't relax. If anything, he tenses further, his whole body going rigid with an emotion he's trying to suppress.
I frown, studying the dynamic playing out in front of me. Ashton seems territorial over Solana, bothered by her seeking comfort from Dustin. But Stefan doesn't appear bothered at all by Solana's easy affection with us. That's interesting. Very interesting, actually.
Most Alphas would be possessive of their Omega, especially one they're clearly protective of like Stefan is with Ashton.
But Stefan shows no signs of jealousy or possessiveness when it comes to how Ashton and Solana interact.
He seems more concerned with Ashton's emotional state than with claiming any kind of ownership.
The pieces are starting to come together in my mind, forming a picture I wasn't expecting but makes perfect sense.
Stefan doesn't see Ashton as his Omega because he knows Ashton isn't meant to be only his.
And Ashton is territorial over Solana because his instincts recognize her as part of his pack, someone he needs to be close to.
Dustin catches my eye across the room, his expression telling me he's noticed the same thing I have. We're going to need to have a very long conversation about what's happening here, about the pack bonds forming whether we're ready for them or not.
But first, we need to handle the immediate problems threatening everyone's safety.
"We need to talk about logistics," I say, my voice cutting through the comfortable silence that's fallen over the room.
Everyone's attention shifts to me immediately. Solana tenses slightly in Dustin's lap, her fingers curling into his shirt. Ashton sets his sketchpad aside, his full focus on me now. Stefan straightens up despite the obvious pain it causes his injured leg.
"I have a lake house," I continue, keeping my tone as calm as I can. "About three hours north of here. We've kept it over the years as a backup location, somewhere secure if we ever needed to disappear for a while. The security there is tighter than here, more remote, harder for anyone to find."
Dustin nods, understanding immediately where I'm going with this. "You think we should move there."
"I think we need to move there," I correct. "After this last part of the job with Morrison, after we handle the final shipment, we pack up and relocate. Everyone. All of us."
Stefan leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "How remote are we talking?"
"Middle of nowhere," I say honestly. "Nearest town is forty-five minutes away.
The property sits on twenty acres, most of it wooded.
There's only one road in and out, which makes it easier to monitor who's coming and going.
The house itself has a full security system, cameras covering every approach. "
"Sounds isolated," Ashton says quietly, something I can't quite identify flickering across his face.
"It is," I agree. "But that isolation works in our favor.
No neighbors to ask questions. No one stumbling onto the property by accident.
And most importantly, no paper trail leading anyone from here to there.
The property is held under a shell company that would take serious digging to trace back to us. "
Solana has been quiet throughout this exchange, her face pressed against Dustin's shoulder.
But I can see her processing everything, her mind working through the implications.
She's smarter than Harmony House ever gave her credit for, more capable of understanding complex situations than they wanted to acknowledge.
"When would we leave?" Dustin asks, his hand rubbing soothing circles on Solana's back.
"Three days," I say. "Morrison's final shipment arrives tomorrow night. We handle the transfer, collect payment, and then we're done with that particular business for the foreseeable future. That gives us two days to pack what we need and prepare the lake house."
"And Alpha Graves?" Stefan asks. "She's expecting to find Solana here in two weeks."
I smile, though there's no humor in it. "She can expect whatever she wants. By the time she shows up here, we'll be long gone. And good luck to her trying to find us at the lake house."
Solana finally speaks, her voice muffled against Dustin's shirt. "Won't that make things worse? If she can't find me, won't Harmony House escalate?"
"Possibly," I admit, because lying to her would be pointless. "But by then, we'll have had time to build a stronger legal case for keeping you. Time to gather evidence of the abuse at Harmony House, document your improvement here, maybe even find a lawyer willing to fight them in court."
"Fighting Harmony House in court sounds expensive," Ashton observes, his artist's hands fidgeting with his pencil.
"It will be," I agree. "But we have the resources. And more importantly, we have the motivation. I'm not letting them take Solana back, and I'm not letting anyone hurt you either, Ashton."
The statement seems to surprise him. His eyes widen slightly, his mouth opening and closing like he wants to say something but doesn't know what. Stefan's hand is still resting on his knee, the touch reassuring.
"The lake house is big enough for all of us?" Dustin asks, already thinking practically about the logistics.
"Six bedrooms, four bathrooms, large common areas," I list off. "Plenty of space for everyone to have their own areas when needed. There's also a barn on the property, smaller than what we have here but adequate for the horses we'll bring. And enough land for Moo-Shu to roam."
Solana perks up at the mention of her cow. "Moo-Shu can come?"
"Of course," I say, fighting back a smile. "Though we'll need to figure out how to transport a growing highland cow three hours north without drawing too much attention."
Stefan snorts. "That should be interesting."
We fall into discussing the practical details of the move. What to pack, what to leave behind, how to transport the horses and other animals. Solana listens intently to everything, her expression shifting between concern and curiosity as we talk about security protocols and communication plans.
I watch her face carefully, trying to gauge her reactions to everything being discussed.
Her brow furrows when we mention weapons and defensive positions.
Her lips press into a thin line when Stefan describes the potential threats we might face.
But underneath all of that, I don't see fear or regret.
I don't see her wishing she was anywhere else.
She doesn't like the content of these conversations, doesn't enjoy hearing about the dangerous world we operate in.
But she's not trying to run from it either.
She's not asking to go back to Harmony House or begging us to take her somewhere safer.
She's staying, accepting all of this as part of being with us.
That realization makes my chest ache with something I can't quite name.
Solana has every reason to be terrified right now.
She's surrounded by Alphas involved in illegal activities, caught between organizations that want to control her, and facing an uncertain future.
But she's choosing to stay. Choosing us over safety, over simplicity, over the known quantity of Harmony House's control.
I can't wait until we're at the lake house and all of this is behind us. Until it's just us navigating this new dynamic without the constant threat of violence hanging over our heads. Until we can focus on building something real together instead of just surviving.
Dustin must sense where my thoughts have gone because he catches my eye across the room and smiles. It's his genuine smile, the one that shows his dimples and lights up his whole face. The one that reminds me why I fell in love with him in the first place.
Stefan and Ashton are talking quietly now, Stefan's hand still on Ashton's knee and Ashton leaning slightly into the touch. The territorial edge from earlier has faded, replaced by something softer. Solana watches them from Dustin's lap, her expression contemplative.
"We're going to make this work," I say, drawing everyone's attention back to me. "All of us together at the lake house. It won't be easy, and there will definitely be growing pains as we figure out how this pack is supposed to function. But we'll make it work."
"Together," Dustin adds, his arms tightening around Solana.
"Together," Stefan echoes, squeezing Ashton's knee.
Solana nods, her hand reaching out toward Ashton like she needs the physical connection. Ashton takes it immediately, their fingers intertwining with practiced ease. "Together," she whispers.
And I know, watching all of them in this moment, that we're going to be okay. We'll get to the lake house, away from Harmony House and the Driscoll family and anyone else who wants to hurt what's ours. We'll have time to breathe, to heal, to figure out how to navigate this new dynamic.
We just have to survive the next three days first.