Chapter 8
Chapter
Eight
Conrad
“Meet me back at the arena. Now.” That was all August said when I answered the phone before he hung up again.
I blinked over at Lachlan in shock.
Something had almost strangled August’s voice, and I wondered what happened on the ride over to Dhara’s. It had been five damn minutes.
“Good thing we stuck around,” Lachlan said as he watched the road for any sign of the delta.
My alpha was practically bristling at taking orders from anyone, but I was trying not to react. If he was what she needed then I’d never stand in the way.
It was less than five minutes before August’s truck came tearing around the corner.
Whatever had happened was big.
His face was murderous when he rushed into the parking spot and slammed open the door.
“What happened?” I demanded, taking in his expression. It was hard yet frantic. That didn’t bode well.
“Did you know that her mom fucking hits her?”
Lachlan and I both froze. The words were so strange that I could barely process them.
“What?” was all I managed. My voice sounded strangely calm, yet icy. My alpha was already roaring in my head, ready to get justice for our mate. Even if it was against her omega mother.
“No. There’s no way,” Lachlan denied, shaking his head and taking a physical step back as if that could fix this situation.
It sounded ridiculous. Dhara wasn't exactly a child.
She was a grown woman.
“Gavin just told me. If that wasn’t a fucking cry for help, I don’t know what is. Then I had to fucking leave her there with that monster.”
“She never would’ve left with you,” Lachlan said, looking just as startled as I was.
“She isn’t going to let us help. What the fuck can we even do?” I burst out.
“Well, we better figure out a fucking game plan. It’s not like she doesn’t want you guys.
She fucking thinks she doesn’t deserve you, that she’s too much of a problem because of Gavin and...
” he cut himself off and gestured helplessly.
“And this with her mom. I should’ve never left.
I should’ve fought harder to get back here. ”
He was pacing now, practically ripping the hair from his scalp.
“I just keep thinking she’s probably there, beating the shit out of her right now.”
“Why hasn’t she turned it over to social services?” I asked, though I didn’t expect them to have a real answer. “She’s old enough. She could take custody?”
“No, because social services in this county are fucking bullshit. Do you know how many times they went to her house growing up? She doesn’t trust them, and I can’t fucking blame her.”
My stomach reacted violently to the mental image of my omega being helplessly beaten to keep her brother safe. I turned, barely managing to stumble a few parking spots over before heaving. My dinner painted the pavement, the visceral reaction rocking through me impossible to ignore.
How many years had she suffered alone to protect the brother who was now practically begging us to step in?
“What do we do?” Lachlan asked August.
“I have no fucking clue, but we have to do something,” he said.
“He’s too young for emancipation,” I said as I finally got my composure.
“Surely, she can appeal this to a judge, not just a caseworker, right? Anyone can sue for custody, and she’s family.
Isn’t there even more room to do it?” Lachlan pointed out.
“I mean, grandparents can sue for rights and there’s all kinds of laws pertaining to custody because of how complicated packs can get. ”
“She’s not pack, though,” August said. “She’s his sister.”
He pulled out his phone and started tapping away, likely messaging Dhara, desperate as we were to know if she was safe.
My phone pinged, and I pulled it out, realizing August had sent the message in a group chat.
August
Firecracker, tell us you’re okay.
Lachlan
We’re here for you. Whatever you need, let us help.
Conrad
Say the word, and we’ll come get you both.
Dhara
I’m fine. I promise.
“Why does that feel like a lie?” Lachlan whispered desperately. We were falling apart at the seams, unable to do anything. If we took Gavin away, the mom would turn her focus. He wasn’t bait to be used for evidence.
We’d also be charged with kidnapping.
The same authorities that let it happen would turn against us.
“She isn’t going to let us help easily,” August started. “We are going to have to be the ones to handle this. We have to find a solution that will actually work.”
He looked between both of us. The weight of that stare said everything he couldn’t put into words. We were the only thing standing behind her and the ones who could end this cycle of abuse.
“First things first, I need to know you’re both in this. Because if you’re not, walk the fuck away now,” August said, eyeing us both.
“We are not walking away,” Lachlan spit out, offended he’d even question our loyalty.
“She’s my omega. I would never walk away from her.” It was the truth.
“Good,” August said, his delta calming slightly. “Good. That means we start by finding a pack house somewhere big enough for Gavin, and somewhere she can start establishing residency. If we try to take that bitch to court, we need to make sure that she looks as stable as possible.”
“That’s a great start,” Lachlan said. I was just relieved we had a jumping-off point. It was a hard pill to swallow that this delta was a better leader than I was, but when it came to her, he was familiar territory. It made sense.
“Okay, so let’s think of what she needs to prove. Reputable pack. A house. Stable work. She’s got two jobs. If they try to say something about getting him to and from school, we’re covered because we’re around and he takes a bus.”
“She doesn’t have a car,” Lachlan pointed out. “They walked home last time. I kept my distance, but made sure they got there safe.”
“I’ve got an extra SUV. I’ll put her name on the title tomorrow,” I said without hesitating. Hell, if she’d let me I’d hand her the keys, too.
“Not to sound like a dick, but we’ve got money,” August said. “We can get the resources like an amazing lawyer to fight for us. Between now and then, we just have to prove to her that we’ll catch her if she falls.”
“So… this is probably not exactly on the up and up,” Lachlan started, looking around nervously.
He had our full attention now.
“Out with it, Evans. We’re desperate here,” August said.
“I’ve got a brother who’s pretty damn good with tech. I could have him look into her.”
“Blackmail?” August said, not bothering to beat around the bush. “Hell, yeah. Get him on it. We’re going to need every angle of defense we can.”
“I’m on it,” Lachlan said as he texted someone on his phone. He saw us watching and reassured us quickly. “Don’t worry, just setting up a call. We don’t do things like this where there’s a paper trail.”
“In the meantime, you two are going to have to go slow with her. Give her a chance to realize that she doesn’t have to be on her own anymore.”
“Wait,” I said. “Why did we meet here instead of just going home?”
August snorted. “I don’t know. I wasn’t exactly in my right headspace. This felt like neutral ground. I guess we could go home now.”
“Tomorrow, we contact a real estate agent and swing by the bank,” I supplied. “I need to add her to my accounts. Maybe open up a pack one we all have access to.”
“You know we don’t have to bond to make this pack official,” Lachlan said. “We can put ourselves down as a pack on paperwork. It would be legally binding. It’s not like we can’t dissolve it if something happens. That paper would add another layer of protection.”
“Good thinking,” August agreed. “We can head home tonight and start preparing. The house was supposed to be temporary anyway, right?”
“It feels wrong picking out a house without our omega,” I admitted. “We’re taking away her choice and preferences.”
“We’re picking one out with her in mind,” August countered. “For now, that’s going to have to be enough. It’s not like we can’t get a different house in the future sometime.”
He had me there.
“Come on,” Lachlan said, climbing out of the truck. We were at the third location in South Lake, but the first two had been a bust. Too small or didn’t feel right.
We all followed him out. Our real estate agent, Tiffany, was waiting by the sidewalk already.
“I have a really good feeling about this one,” she reassured us. “I’m usually pretty good at reading people. Now that we’ve seen a few, I’ve pivoted a bit.”
“What are we looking at here?” August asked as we looked up at the house. The lake backdrop behind it was gorgeous. The house itself was an old farmhouse style with a wraparound, white painted porch, white siding, and light wood shutters and accents.
The flowerbeds out front were well kept and the lawn cut with precision. Whoever had it before kept it in pristine condition.
“I know you guys said money wasn’t an object, and I’ve tried to show you a few different places that could honestly go either way, but this one is honestly a steal.
It has more bedrooms than it looks like, plus, it’s on the lake.
You should see the outdoor entertaining area around back.
It’s what dreams are made of, especially for a young pack like yourselves. ”
“Thank you, Tiffany,” I said easily, giving her a charming smile. “Would you mind if we went ahead and took a peek around ourselves first? Then you could show us all the finer details afterward.”
“Oh,” she said, taken aback. “Sure. Yeah, that’s fine.”
“Thank you so much,” I said emphatically, leading the others inside.
Neither of them protested being away from Tiffany’s optimism. She was honestly an incredible real estate agent, and she listened, but she’d followed us closely in the other houses and we couldn’t talk freely.
We pushed through the front door and looked around. The place opened up into a wide living room. It was an open concept with the kitchen on one side. The windows behind the counter overlooked the lake.
The kitchen space was huge, with more pantry space than we could use as a pack, a double refrigerator, and gleaming countertops made of white marble. This place was built for a crowd.
“Damn, we’d be able to host an army here,” Lachlan said as he glanced around.
The living room had giant windows on both walls, and I could see outdoor seating and a nice detached garage.
We’d be paying an arm and a leg for lakefront property, but there was no doubt this place was gorgeous. Every aspect we’d seen so far screamed pack.
The dock at the edge of the property was empty. I could picture getting a boat to take out on the lake on summer days.
My alpha was almost content as we took in each new room.
Bedrooms, multiple bathrooms, spaces for offices and omega nests and dens. We had everything here we could need, including whatever Gavin would need to grow.
“This room would be perfect for Gavin,” Lachlan said as he pushed open the second door to reveal another room. “What kid wouldn’t kill for his own living room.”
He could have a large living room area, there was another den as well.
Give us a few days and a solid shopping trip and he’d have the room of his dreams. That kid could use some good in his life.
There was a fully furnished basement that would make an amazing workout area for the off-season, and laundry facilities to handle our gear and normal clothes.
When I stepped on the back deck, I knew this was exactly the place we needed. There was a sprawling yard that led down to the lake itself.
If we ever decided to have littles running around, at least it wasn’t right up against the lake. I’d have a fencing company come out and secure the property when that time came.
“God, I can almost picture some cozy campfires with our sexy omega by our side,” Lachlan said. This house had perked all three of us up.
August had been fairly quiet up to this point, but something shifted on his face as he stared out at the lake.
“This is it.”
It was a definitive statement. One that we’d already silently given our agreement to.
It might take a few weeks before it was officially in our name, but whatever counteroffers people tried to put up, we’d match.
There was no way someone was stealing this out from under us. This was our pack house. And step one in making sure our omega was safe.