Chapter 38
CHAPTER 38
KAYLA
A s the private jet soars through the clouds, I gaze at the image on my new cellphone of the certification as Omega to Dane, Liam, and Ryker complete with Martha’s signature at the bottom and Nexus’ official seal. I still can’t believe it and a thrill goes through me every time I look at it.
Liam’s to my right, tossing marshmallows into the air and easily catching them with his mouth. While I’m on pins and needles, waiting to see my mom.
“Nice catch,” I say.
“Want one?” He grins, offering the bag, but the sweetness on his breath isn’t what I’m craving. I shake my head, trying to refocus.
“You sure you wanna wait for the trip back to join the mile-high club?” Liam gives me a look from my head to my shoes and back to my eyes.
I laugh softly. “Yes. I don’t wanna see my mom after all this and smelling like sex.” I grab a marshmallow and toss it at Ryker who’s snoozing with a blue baseball cap over his face. “Next time you buy a jet, get one with a shower.”
Ryker takes off the hat to grab the marshmallow and pops it into his mouth. “Next time I’ll have a whole pool in her too if you want.”
I blush and Ryker replaces his cap over his face, leaning back against the seat.
Up front, Dane is flying the plane. His dad flew small planes all the time and was in the Air Force is what he told me on the way over here.
“Almost there, Kayla,” he calls back without turning, his voice a rumbled promise that does funny things to my insides.
“Can’t wait,” I reply, squeezing my phone like it’s a lifeline.
Finally, we touch down. And as soon as we climb into the limo Ryker had waiting for it, it’s like an invisible clock started ticking in my head.
I need to see Mom, need to know she’s okay. My thumbs twitch with the urge to tap out a message, to give her a heads-up that I’m coming. But no—this needs to be a surprise. A good one, for once. After all the nightmares life’s thrown at us, she deserves something better.
“Damn, Kayla, you’re shaking.” Liam’s hand is suddenly on mine, warm and a little sticky from the marshmallows.
“Sorry, just...” They know the story about my mom and stepdad. Still, I’m nervous about what she’ll think of them. I mean, I’m sure she’s going to love them as much as I do.
Dane is stretched out in the back of the limo, his arm draped around my shoulders. Ryker is on my other side with Liam across from me.
“What about sex in a limo?” Liam teases.
“After.” I giggle, the thought of being with my Alphas super tempting. But I’m dying to see my mom first.
“Any word from your mom?” Ryker asks, placing his hand on my thigh and goosebumps ripple up my leg.
“Um…uh, yeah. She was in the hospital. Broke her arm. But she’s back home now.”
“Fuck, Kayla, I’m sorry,” Liam curses softly, and I nod, trying to swallow past the tangled lump of emotions in my throat.
The limo pulls up to the curb outside my old house, and my heart is beating so fast. The sight of the peeling paint and the sagging porch feels both foreign and painfully familiar.
“Ready?” Dane’s voice is low, steady, grounding me. His hand grips mine, solid and reassuring.
“Let’s do this,” I murmur, squeezing back.
We step out, a united front, and I lead the way up the path. The gravel crunches under our feet.
I knock on the door and after a few moments, it swings open, and there she is—Mom. Her eyes widen, darting from me to the three towering Alphas behind me.
“Kayla?” Her voice cracks.
“Hi, Mom.” My voice trembles as I rush into her arms. She’s warm and smells like lavender soap and mint.
“God, baby, you’re back.” She sobs into my hair, and I feel her pain echo in my bones.
After a long hug, she pulls back and we go inside.
We settle onto the rickety couch, the one that squeaks if you breathe too hard. Liam sits on the coffee table, Ryker leans against the wall, and Dane stays close, his thigh pressing against mine.
“Mom, these are... uh, they’re important to me. Dane, Ryker, and Liam.”
“Hello, ma’am,” Dane says, his voice gentle.
“Nice to meet you,” Ryker adds, with a nod, tipping the edge of his baseball hat.
“Hey,” Liam greets with a lopsided smile. “I can see where Kayla got her good looks and her strength.”
Mom blushes but nods.
We catch up, but it’s like trying to swim through molasses. I’m acutely aware of the bruises on her neck, and the way she flinches at sudden movements. My stomach churns with anger and helplessness.
How I wish I could’ve been here. Could’ve stopped this, but I’m here now. And I have backup. Plus I’ve already cleared this offer I’m giving her with them on the way here.
“Mom, I have an idea.” My words come out rushed, desperate. “You could stay at the cabin where?—”
“Where what, darling?” She looks puzzled, hopeful.
“Where I’ve stayed. With them.” I gesture at my Alphas. “Ryker needs someone to look after the place. Rent-free, and a salary.”
Her eyes flicker with something like hope, but it’s quickly doused. “I can’t just leave, Kayla. Gary, he?—”
“Don’t worry about him,” I cut in, sharply.
“Sweetheart, it’s not that simple.”
“Mom, please.” My voice breaks. “Just think about it.”
She nods, her eyes wet. “I’ll think about it,” she whispers, glancing at the closed door like it’s a gate to a cage she can’t escape.
“Good.” I force a smile, feeling the weight of my Alphas’ gazes, heavy with silent promises of protection. “That’s all I ask.”
“Would you all like some tea?” She starts to get up, but Dane stands first.
“I’ll make us some.” He heads to the kitchen after mom nods.
While Dane’s making us some tea, I study my mom’s cast, the way she cradles it close to her chest like a shield. The elephant in the room is screaming for attention, and I can’t ignore it any longer.
“Did he do this to you?” My voice is a blade, sharp and direct. “Did Gary break your arm?”
Her eyes shift away, find a spot on the floor to study as if it holds all the answers. “It was my fault,” she murmurs, a rehearsed lie that makes me sick to my stomach. “I walked in on him...with an Omega. You know how Alphas can be and I’m just a Beta.”
“Like hell,” Ryker interjects, his voice low and steady, a counterpoint to the fear curdling in my gut. “Not all Alphas are like that. A man—Alpha or Beta—has no right to hit a woman. Ever.”
Tears spill over onto my mom’s cheeks, carving wet trails down her face. “I don’t know what to do, Kayla. I want to leave, but Gary...he won’t just let me go. And I’m afraid.”
Ryker steps forward, then squats in front of her. “He won’t come after you. We’ll make sure of it.”
Mom’s eyes widen. “You’re not going to kill him, are you?”
Liam chuckles, a sound that’s more dangerous than comforting. “Nah, we’ll just make him wish we did.”
“Trust us,” I say, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “We’re not going to let you suffer anymore. I promise.”
The door bangs open and Gary stumbles inside. He stops cold when he sees Ryker’s bulk rise from the couch. Then he looks at Dane emerging from the kitchen, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits, and back to us as Liam’s lean form unfolds from his relaxed slouch. Their movements are silent warnings—predators awakened.
“What the hell you’ve done now, Carol,” he spits out at my mom, blaming her. “Always causing me trouble.”
I’m on my feet before I can think, my fury a live wire snapping through the air. There’s a flash, a sickening glimmer of lust that passes over Gary’s features as his gaze latches onto me. It’s there and gone, replaced by a twisted attempt at paternal concern that makes my skin crawl.
“Lay a finger on my mother again, and I swear to God, I’ll cut off your cock and shove it down your throat,” I snarl.
Gary’s face turns an ugly shade of purple, hands balling into fists as if he’d like nothing more than to strike something, someone. But Dane’s hand is quick and sure, landing on the back of Gary’s neck with an unspoken threat.
“How about the four of us have a nice, long chat,” Dane says, his grip undoubtedly iron beneath his calm exterior.
“Who the fuck are you?” Gary blusters.
“Rude of us not to introduce ourselves,” Liam chimes in, standing up and stretching nonchalantly, the sound of his neck cracking a punctuation mark. “I’m Liam, Kayla’s Alpha.”
“Ryker.” His shoulders rolled back like he’s fought a million times. “Also Kayla’s Alpha.”
“Kayla has two Alphas?” Gary sputters, disbelief and panic mingling in his bloodshot eyes.
Dane’s chuckle is low and dark. “Nope,” he corrects, and I see Gary’s body jerk slightly, a sign of Dane’s unyielding grip tightening. “I’m her third Alpha, Dane. Let’s all go get to know each other. Outside.”
In that moment, the power balance shifts. The men who encircle me aren’t just protectors; they’re avengers, and Gary is nothing but a cornered rat.
My mom’s lips part like she’s going to protest. I touch her shoulder gently.
“He hurt you, Mom. He’s not a good man. I’m sorry, but he’s not.”
She inhales sharply, her body shuddering as tears spill down her cheeks and she scrubs them away with her hand. “I-I know. But I had nowhere else to go.”
“You do now.” Carefully, I wrap my arm around her, mindful of the cast encasing her broken arm. I pull her in for a hug, feeling her tremble against me and it makes me wish I was outside beating the shit out of my stepdad along with my Alphas. “You don’t have to worry about Gary ever again, Mom. I promise.”
She clings to me, and in that moment, something inside me shifts. The past, a gnarled tangle of fear and resentment, starts to unravel. There’s no place here for the helplessness that once consumed me.
With the strength of my Alphas behind me, and the resolve hardening inside me, I feel a surge of power I never knew I had.
I’ve survived. No, more than that—I’ve thrived. And now, I’ll make damn sure my mom will too.
I let go of the past, its weight falling from my shoulders like chains breaking free. I am Kayla, an Omega no longer defined by weakness or fear. I am surrounded by Alphas who empower me, protect me, love me. But most importantly, I am my own strength, my own salvation.
Healing for both of us can finally start, and I know we’ll do it together.
I’ve lived under shadows long enough, let doubt and dread dictate my steps. But standing here, in this rundown house that reeks of past pains, I know I’m done with looking back.
“Mom, you’re coming with us. We have a place for you—a cabin where you’ll be safe. You’ll never have to look over your shoulder again.” The words pour out of me. “It’s beautiful there. And I can come and visit you. There’s enough room that you can set up a painting studio like you always wanted.”
My gaze drifts down to her broken arm and fury burns through me again. It’s good that my Alphas are teaching Gary a lesson cause I don’t think I could stop punching him.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a burden.”
“Ryker, Dane, Liam, and I—we’re your family now. And we take care of our own. You’ve taken care of me, now let me do the same for you.”
“A-And you have three Alphas?”
My blush spreads across my face, but I nod. “Yeah.”
“They’re very handsome. And I can tell they love you.”
“Wha—”
“Each of them looks at you the way your father used to look at me.” She hiccups a sob. “God, Kayla, I miss him so much.”
“I miss him too.” For a while, we just hug each other. Then I pull back, looking into her blue eyes. “Let’s go home, Mom. Our real home.”
“Yes. I-I can’t stay here any longer.”
“Let me help you pack.” There was nothing here I wanted except the mementos of my dad I had stashed away in my room. After I help Mom load up a suitcase, I take a small one and gather my things. Jewelry from Mom and Dad, a few of my favorite clothes, my pink lipstick, and my first small tool set my dad got me with I was six. Tears burn my eyes, but I brush them away. I know my dad would be proud of me and he’d love Dane, Liam, and Ryker.
“Miss you, Daddy,” my voice is hoarse, throat tightening.
I check on Mom who is brushing out her hair and I help her since she can’t use her dominant arm because of the past. Gary’s cologne clogs my throat and I choke back a gag.
“Kayla, are you all right?” Mom asks, her blue eyes widening.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” I straighten my shoulders. Gary can’t touch me ever again. “Have everything you need?”
She nods.
“Kayla?” Ryker calls out from the front of the house.
“In here,” I call out.
“We’re ready whenever you two are. No rush. We’ll be in the car.”
The sound of water running in the kitchen echoes and I know it’s Dane, Liam, and Ryker probably washing off the evidence of them beating Gary up so it doesn’t freak my mom out. So I stall, double-checking that she got Dad and her wedding pictures and then asking to see them.
When the water shuts off and the front door closes, I wait until she gets to the last picture before we add it to her suitcase.
“Everything will be better now, Mom. I promise.”
She pats my arm with her good hand and kisses my cheek. “With you back in my life, I know it will.”
As we walk out, I don’t look back. The past is done, and I’m not afraid of demons anymore.