27. Daniel #2
A bitter taste fills my mouth. Oh, for fuck's sake.
A classic, if tired, excuse. I've heard it a thousand times in a thousand different depositions.
It's the Alpha's go-to move when he wants to have his cake and eat it too, especially when the cake is a brilliant, beautiful Omega half his age.
"And you believe him?" The question is blunt, but I'm past the point of subtlety.
"I do," she says, and the simple, unwavering faith in her voice is the most terrifying part of this whole mess.
"Daniel, I see it in his eyes when he looks at me.
The way he… he's different with me. He's not the hard-ass professor everyone is scared of.
He's gentle. He listens to me." She trails off, her gaze dropping to the crinkled juice box in her lap.
"But… I also know that nothing is more important to Alden than his career.
Nothing. The Academy is his whole life. And if this got out, if it became a scandal…
he'd choose the Academy. He'd have to. And I'm so scared. "
I reach out and take her hand, her small, cold fingers clutching mine like a lifeline.
I have never seen her like this. Tess. The girl who once talked a biker twice her size into giving her his helmet at a concert just because she liked the design.
The one who could debate me into a corner over the most obscure constitutional law until I was forced to concede defeat just to shut her up.
My strong, independent, brilliant sister, cowering over a man.
A man who holds her future in his hands, who can make or break her career.
Is this what Mara went through? Is this the kind of suffocating, soul-crushing control an Alpha can wield?
I know the statistics. I've read the case files.
I've represented Omegas in court. But I've never, not once, looked at my own sister and seen her as an Omega in this context.
She was just Tess. My little sister. The realization is a punch to the gut, a profound and sickening failure on my part.
"What can I do?" I ask, my voice thick. "Tell me what to do, Tess."
"You can't do anything," she says, her grip tightening.
"You just have to promise me, Daniel. You have to swear on your life that you will not drag the Academy into this.
Leave them out of it. Jonathan's pack… that's separate.
If you try to connect them without any real proof of what he did to her…
they'll destroy you. They'll ruin you before you even get a foot in a courtroom. And they'll take me down with them."
"Hey," I say, shifting closer, using my other hand to gently wipe a tear from her cheek.
"Don't cry. Look at me." I wait until her watery eyes meet mine.
"I promise. Okay? I won't drag the Academy into it.
I'll find a different way. We'll figure this out, all of it, without putting you in the crossfire. "
She lets out a shuddering breath, a small, broken sound of relief. Just then, the door to the room opens, and our parents walk in, a gust of cold air following them. My mom stops short, her eyes immediately zeroing in on Tess's tear-streaked face.
"Tessie? What is it? What's wrong?" she asks, rushing to the bed.
Tess straightens up, a masterful performance of composure. She sniffles once and offers a wobbly smile. "Nothing. I'm just being silly. I miss home. I miss my own bed." It's a plausible lie, one that tugs directly at a mother's heartstrings.
My mom's expression softens, and she sits on the edge of the bed, smoothing Tess's hair back from her forehead. "Oh, sweetie. We know. But you have to stay a few more days, just to be safe. The doctor wants to monitor you. But we'll be right here by your side. We won't leave you again, I promise."
Tess nods, leaning into our mother's touch. "Okay."
I stand up, giving them space. I dig my keys out of my pocket and press them into my father's hand. "Here. Take my truck. It has better grip on the ice than the sedan."
My dad looks at the keys, then back at me, his brow furrowed. "Are you sure, son?"
"I'm sure. I'll find a way back." I walk over to the bed and give Tess's hand another squeeze. "I'll be back tomorrow. Call me if you need anything. Anything at all. You're going to be fine."
She nods, her eyes already looking heavy with exhaustion. My father follows me out into the hallway, his hands shoved into his pockets. "How's the café? The lodge?" he asks.
"Leo and Mrs. Lacey are handling everything," I tell him. "They've got it covered. Don't worry about it."
He nods, relief in his eyes. "Good. We're grateful you're home, Daniel. With all this… it's good to have you here."
My throat tightens. "It's good to be home, Dad."
I watch him walk back toward Tess's room before turning and heading down the corridor.
The hospital feels like a maze, but I know the way back to the main lobby.
As I round the corner, I see them sitting on a hard plastic bench against the wall, a small, huddled island of concern in the middle of the sterile hallway.
Mara and Gray.
She's tugging nervously at the sleeves of her oversized sweater, a restless, anxious motion, but she has Gray's coat draped over her shoulders like a blanket. The sight of it, of him taking care of her, sends a strange, complicated jolt through me.
It's not jealousy. Okay, it's a little jealousy. But it's also… relief. And that's the part that screws with my head the most.
The moment they spot me, they both stand, their bodies tense with anticipation.
I stop in front of them, shoving my own hands into my pockets. "They're keeping her longer than they said. A few more days, so the doctor can monitor her. Mom and Dad are staying at a motel down the road so they can be here with her."
Mara lets out a slow breath. "A few more days."
"Yeah," I say, my gaze shifting between the two of them. "So… if you guys are okay with it, I need a ride from you." I look from Gray to Mara. "I gave them my truck."
"That's okay with me," Gray says.
All Mara does is nod.