Chapter 47
47
Hazel
Walking back into my house felt strange after the week of chaos we’d had. After Jude and I got back to the others, we met up with an emergency SUV with paramedics that Thane had sent. The guys all waved off medical help—despite me urging them to take it.
We left one medic on the side of the road while the rest of us loaded inside like a freaking clown car to finish the last two miles to the airstrip. We boarded our flight home in a rush, and it wasn’t until we took off that we took a collective breath.
I’d argued for going to a hospital, but both packs had been emphatically against any plan that sent us right back into the heart of D.C.
In truth, we’d all expected Infinity Solutions or the President’s pack to be the one that ran us off the road. We’d all but forgotten about Martin.
The same couldn’t be said for Martin’s vendetta against us.
Against me .
He could’ve killed my pack and Pack Stone. Instead we’d limped away with a few concussions, a dislocated shoulder, a few cracked ribs, and more cuts and bruises than we could count.
All the guys said they’d rather fly back to California and get medical treatment there instead of taking the chance at a local hospital.
Honestly? I couldn’t even say no. My nerves were raw and exposed, and I deeply needed the sanctuary of my nest. The only thing that kept me together was focusing on helping the guys stay comfortable on the plane and remembering I was on my way home.
“Is it just me, or does it feel like a fucking lifetime since we were last here?” Kellan said around a yawn. He stretched his arms up over his head, revealing a sliver of taut, muscled skin between the hem of his flannel and low slung jeans.
Crew dropped my suitcase by the front door, looking exhausted. “Want me to take that upstairs for you, little one?”
“No,” I said. “I want all of you to rest. I still think you should’ve gone to the hospital.”
Kellan scoffed. “Sugar, we’re alphas. The manliest of manly men. We don’t do hospitals.”
I lifted my brows. “I’ll be sure to tell Silas you feel that way.”
Silas had dislocated his shoulder in the accident and gotten a nasty concussion. His pack had taken him straight from the tarmac to the hospital.
Rhett sighed. “None of us are seriously injured beyond anything we’ve endured before, my love.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” I asked incredulously. Thinking about them being hurt the same—or worse—than they were now, even in the past, made me nauseous.
Jude pulled me in for a hug, rubbing my back. “Trust us to know that all we need is our omega and sleep.”
“Puppy pile in the nest?” Kellan suggested, bending to undo his boots. He lost his balance and fell against the wall.
“Kell,” I started, moving to help him right himself.
All my guys looked like they were ready to drop.
Crew held up a hand. “Oak texted. Said to turn on the news.”
I frowned. “Can’t it wait? I’m sure it’ll still be news tomorrow after you guys have slept.”
Crew’s expression was grim. “It can’t.” He led the way into the family room and grabbed the remote to turn on the TV.
A national news announcer was speaking, but it was the highlighted red banner at the bottom with white text that made me gasp.
OMEGA CRISIS AVERTED. INFINITY SOLUTIONS ALREADY ACCEPTING APPLICANTS FOR OMEGA PACK PLACEMENTS.
“Last night’s startling announcement at the fifty-second annual Omega Debutante Gala left attendees, and the world, stunned to learn there may be hope on our horizons,” the announcer crowed, standing in front of the Infinity Solutions lab sign where a crowd of hundreds—no, thousands —had gathered.
“Packs from all over the region have come to Infinity Solutions to be placed on a waiting list for an omega. New potential beta candidates are being identified, and Infinity Solutions’ director, Julian Anders, has announced there will be significant monetary compensation for families whose children meet the criteria to be considered for the program.
The correspondent paused to give the camera a toothy smile. “Finally, there may be an end to the world’s omega shortage. I’m Dennis Wheller for National News Daily. Back to our local correspondents.”
My legs felt rubbery as I all but fell onto the couch.
Crew and Rhett each grabbed one of my shoulders, steadying me as the next correspondent came on, this one from a local channel. I recognized Arielle Banks from years at the station.
But instead of looking elated, she looked grim.
“While much of the nation is rejoicing in the news that there may be more omegas available for packs, President Anders also quietly ushered in several new omega guidance laws that are expected to be signed into legislation later today,” she stated. Her lips pressed into a thin line.
“Some of the laws will be a federally regulated curfew for all omegas. Packs with omegas caught outside curfew times will be subjected to fines. Non-packed omegas will be remanded to a secure facility. Newly designated omegas will also need to visit a government facility for a full physical exam as soon as they are registered. Packs will have the option to have omegas outfitted with a minimally invasive tracker to ensure their omega’s safety.”
I choked on air. Was this for real?
Arielle changed camera angles, looking directly into the lens. “Governor Novak and a select few other Governors have already publicly denounced these new laws and have vowed not to uphold them on a state level. In other news?—”
Crew turned off the TV.
I was numb as I stared at the black screen.
Jude crouched low in front of me. “Hazel, look at me.”
My gaze drifted to meet his.
“This isn’t over, okay?” Jude took my hands in his.
“Isn’t it? They won.” My shoulders slumped in defeat.
Crew sat beside me. “There’s still several states that are fighting this, including the one we live in.”
“But they said it’s a federal law?—”
Rhett shook his head. “The federal government doesn’t have the authority to compel individual states. While most will likely adopt these policies as law, not all will.”
I gave him a helpless look. “Okay, and what about the others? What about Logan? Or Ophelia? Or all these new omegas they’ll create? Where does that leave them?”
No one had an answer for that.
I swallowed a sob. “Exactly.”
“We’ll fight it,” Kellan assured me, looking determined as he leaned against a wall with his arms folded over his chest. “We won’t stop fighting for omega rights, sugar.”
I rubbed my temples. “I get that, and I love you guys for being so willing to put it all on the line for omegas. I just… I think I need to lay down for a while.”
“Of course,” Crew said softly, nodding at me. “Take all the time you need. We’ll be here whenever you’re ready.”
I stilled. “You’re not coming upstairs with me?”
The four of them exchanged confused looks, but it was Jude who finally spoke. “Do you want us to come with you?”
“You said you wanted to be alone,” Kellan added.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes a little. “I said I wanted to lay down, and I’d really like to do that with my pack. Unless you guys don’t wan?—”
Crew had me in his arms before I could finish, carrying me out of the room with the others following hot on his heels.
“We will never not want to, little omega,” Crew growled, kissing the underside of my jaw as we piled into the nest.
Darkness had fallen by the time I woke up, and half of my pack was missing from the nest. Jude and Kellan were still asleep, but that was normal. Those two could sleep through a marching band walking through the nest.
I crawled out from a burrow of blankets and my favorite pillows. Yawning, I did a slow stretch before getting up and silently padding out of the room. I changed quickly into a pair of joggers and a simple purple tee before snagging a new hoodie from the pile I’d pilfered from the pack.
One deep inhale and I knew this one was Kellan’s, his peppermint and lemon scent calming and invigorating at the same time.
After tugging on a pair of fleece-lined socks that Rhett had insisted on buying me, I went in search of my missing alphas.
I found them downstairs in Crew’s office, Crew behind the walnut desk and Rhett on the leather couch across from the wall of bookshelves, talking on the phone.
“Hey,” Crew greeted softly, his gaze lifting from the computer screen he’d been staring at and warming when he saw me. He pushed back from the desk, and I needed no further prompting to walk over. He pulled me onto his lap, cuddling me against his chest.
“Who’s Rhett talking to?” I asked, keeping my voice quiet.
Rhett flashed me a smile but didn’t end the conversation.
“Thane,” Crew replied. “Kyland learned more about the Infinity Solutions program, and they are getting us caught up.”
“Bad news?” I held my breath.
Crew’s lips flattened and he tucked an unruly lock of red hair behind my ear. “It’s not great news.”
Sighing, I pressed my forehead to his. “What now?”
“Some of the beta born omegas are making formal statements about how beneficial the program has been for them,” he admitted. “How wonderful pack life is.”
“Dammit,” I breathed.
He hesitated for a beat. “Ophelia was one of them.”
I pulled back. “No.”
He nodded with a grimace. “Yeah. Her alphas were up there with her, showing off that she was pregnant. She wasn’t the only pregnant one.”
“Aren't there laws to protect them? Because none of this was consensual,” I argued.
“Infinity claims they had consent and supervision by an independent oversight board,” he answered.
“That’s bullshit,” I seethed. “I’m living proof that they didn’t.”
His hands framed my face. “Which is exactly why we got you away from there.”
“What if I go public? I mean, your dad owns the biggest media corporation in the world. I could make a statement,” I suggested.
Crew actually paled. “Baby, no. Please, do not do that.”
“Why?” I pressed.
“Because it would put an even bigger target on your back. Because we want to keep you out of the spotlight as much as possible.” Crew’s expression bordered on desperate. “Hazel, just because we’re in California, it doesn’t mean that they can’t come after you if you make waves.”
I winced. “So you want me to just, what? Hide and be quiet?”
“No, I want you to live a happy, full life with your pack,” he corrected, then gave me a crooked grin that had been turning me into mush since I was ten. “And I think you should come help out at the omega sanctuary my mom is setting up like you proposed.”
I took a deep breath, already nodding. “I want to, even though I don’t have any training or skills that would really help. Hell, I didn’t even graduate high school, Crew.”
“Are you kidding me?” He turned me on his lap so I was straddling him, my legs tucked up between his thighs and the arms of the chair. “We’re going to have a bunch of scared omegas at the sanctuary. They’re probably going to be terrified of men, especially alphas. They’re going to need people like you to help them feel comfortable.”
I bit my lower lip, considering his words. “I could do that.”
“If you want to go to school, we’ll make it happen. One of my dads had to sponsor Calla, but any of us would happily do that for you,” he pointed out.
I frowned. “Why did the governor adopt some of the laws but not others?”
He sighed. “Because some of them aren’t the worst idea.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off by placing a finger over my lips.
“Before the college sponsorship law, omegas attended colleges just like betas and alphas. The problem was, most omegas have their first heat cycle when they’re seventeen or eighteen, and there aren't always warnings. Omegas would go to campus for their first class, be in heat by their second, and find themselves being chased by alphas before noon.”
My mouth dropped open.
“Several omegas were hurt, even raped. Some force-bonded by overzealous, impulsive alphas,” he added with regret. “The campus sponsorship is a way to protect omegas. The alphas who sponsor them are people who want the omega in their life to be happy and safe. The responsibility for their well being is on the alpha , and most alphas only want to protect omegas.”
“Tell that to the rest of the world,” I muttered.
He shook his head, the lights catching on the golden strands of his hair. “I have to believe that we aren’t completely lost as a society, Hazel. I know things are bad now, but we have to keep trying to fix it.”
I brushed my fingers over the cut above his eyebrow. “I love your optimism, Crew Dutton, and I want that world, too.”
“We all do.” Rhett’s velvety voice came from behind me, and I arched my head back to smile at him.
Crew took the time to lower his lips to my neck, sucking on the mark he’d left.
A shiver rippled through me as I let out a soft whine.
“Shhh,” Rhett murmured, stroking my cheek and bending to kiss me.
The angle was different, his chin bumping my nose, but then he slanted his lips over mine and I melted. He licked into my mouth as Crew continued his assault on my throat.
I wriggled on Crew’s lap, feeling the hard bulge of his cock through his pants.
Crew’s hand slid under my hoodie and up my ribs before squeezing my breast and tugging at my nipple.
I cried out into Rhett’s mouth, and that only seemed to spur both of them on until I was a whimpering, writhing mess desperate to come.
“Please,” I begged against Rhett’s lips as Crew teased my nipples with both hands.
“Please what ?” Crew demanded, pinching one tip between his nails.
I gasped, arching my back. “I want to come.”
“Greedy omega,” Rhett said with a chuckle.
Crew leaned back, his fingers stilling. “Maybe we should wake the others first.”
Rhett hummed in agreement. “I’m sure Hazel wouldn’t mind waiting.”
My whine was pure desperate omega. Slick pooled in my panties, already starting to soak into the cotton of my joggers.
“Or,” Crew countered with a feral grin that made my insides tremble, “we make her scream loud enough to wake them up.”
“I think I like that idea,” Rhett agreed, winding my hair around his fist. He tugged my head back. “What do you think, love?”
“Yes, please,” I answered.
Rhett grinned, his silvery eyes alight as his scent thickened. “Then strip and present for your alphas.”