Chapter 3
Chapter
Three
OLIVIA
I lose the battle with my tears by the time I pull into the driveway of the property I share with my daughter and her pack.
“Get it together,” I whisper, glancing at my tear ravaged face.
My life has never been easy, I don’t know why I thought that would change. My scent matches all rejected me. I don’t even know why, but I suppose sometimes bad things simply happen, and we never get to know why.
What I do need to do is get out of the car and call a meeting with one of the most powerful men in the city. Cian should scare me, but he doesn’t. I’ve lived through too much to be afraid of him.
There’s also the added benefit that I live in the protective bubble my daughter and her pack have created for me. Forcing myself out of the car, I shut the door and follow the path to the back of the house. I want to avoid my daughter if possible.
I don’t want to upset her, nor do I want her to see me right now. I’m a fucking mess.
“What happened?”
My gaze flies up to meet Jasper’s icy blue eyes.
“A lot,” I reply, my voice cracking. “I need a few things.”
“Mama Quinn,” he growls under his breath. “Why are you crying?”
“Have you ever felt like the butt of a really bad joke?” I ask, hysteria threatening to bubble up inside of me. “I feel like that’s what just happened to me. I need to talk to Cian Sullivan. Behan Communications aren’t who they say they are.”
“Did they threaten you?” he asks, straightening to his full height.
He has a pair of cutting shears in his hand, and I can see that he has been cutting Cerenity flowers.
They have winter blue flowers all over the backyard because of her vibrant blue hair.
In the spring, they make sure there are bluebells as far as the eye can see.
They’re good alphas, even though they had a rough start with my daughter.
“In a way,” I shrug, feeling exhaustion pulling at me.
I want to sleep for a week after dealing with the Behan brothers.
I also haven’t come to terms yet with the pain I’m feeling with the rejection.
“Will you grab a bottle of tequila from the main house too, please? I need a little liquid courage for this conversation.”
Pushing my way past him, I hear him curse under his breath before he gets his butt in gear.
I know he has questions, but I only want to tell this story once.
I don’t even know very much to be honest, however, it’s clear to me that Maddox and his brothers are desperate to keep their existence in Minneapolis a secret.
Pulling out the keys to my little cottage, I let myself in and quickly walk into my bedroom to change.
Undressing, I pull on a thick pair of brown sweatpants, a cream tank top with a shelf bra, and a zip up hoodie.
Everything I wore earlier today, including the panties, are thrown into the hamper to be dealt with later.
I don’t want to deal with anything tight right now.
Next, I pull out the pins in my hair to allow it to fall down my back, breathing a sigh of relief as I finally feel more comfortable.
Stepping into my bathroom, I wash my face with cleanser, knowing that my perfectly applied mascara isn’t holding up.
“Hello?” Tommy asks, knocking on the front door. I left it unlocked, knowing that Jasper would be coming back.
I should have known that he’d bring company. Blowing out a breath, I dry the dripping water droplets from my skin before hurrying back out to the living room.
“Hey,” I mutter, stealing the bottle and a shot glass from him as Jasper follows Tommy inside.
“I’ve never been inside here,” Jasper says softly, as if I’m going to kick him out. Rolling my eyes, I sit down on the ground since I don’t have much seating in here.
Jasper isn’t wrong though. Cerenity is the only one who comes to the cottage. I think her pack wants to afford me as much privacy as possible, which I appreciate. There’s never been a reason to invite them into my space over the past three years, though I walk over to their house often.
Unscrewing the top of the bottle, I get comfortable on the ground as I take a deep sip of tequila without pouring it into a glass.
“Fuck,” Tommy mutters, coming to sit beside me. “That bad?”
“Yep,” I say around the burn as I swallow. “Let’s get this over with, please. Go ahead and call Cian.”
Jasper pulls a blanket from the couch and drapes it over my shoulders, making me swallow back a sob.
“Don’t be nice to me right now,” I whisper.
“That’s not possible,” he shrugs, making Tommy and I scoot over so that they’re on either side of me. “Anyone who could think about being mean to you is an asshole.”
“Unfortunately, I seem to run into a lot of assholes. Someone call Cian before I get too trashed.”
It takes another swig of the tequila bottle before Tommy pulls down a bunch of pillows to prop up his phone to video call Cian.
“It’s bad form to allow a lady to drink alone,” he mutters, stealing the bottle before pouring the alcohol into three shot glasses. My lips twitch in derision as he places the bottle out of my reach.
“Hello?” Cian answers, watching as Tommy, Jasper, and I take a shot together. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink before, Olivia.”
“Trust me, there’s a good reason for it,” I say. My skin is a little blotchy and my nose is a little plugged up, another sign that I’m not at my best today. “Here’s the backstory for this call. I got a job at Behan Communications and today was my first day.”
“What did they do?” Cian growls, and I simply sigh. So many protective alphas…
Instead of feeling cared for, it makes me feel worse.
“Other than rejecting me as their scent matches before I even realized that was what we were?” I ask and snort.
Tommy and Jasper look at me aghast, and Cian is already getting out of his seat.
“Sit down, Cian,” I say, waving my hand in the air and putting out my cup for a refill. The alcohol is slowly warming up my insides, and soon I’ll start to drift. I need to finish this before that happens. “There isn’t enough room in my cottage for all of this alpha energy. Stay wherever you are.”
“Rejection?” Tommy rasps, pouring the tequila liberally into the three shot glasses.
“I don’t want you to tell Cerenity yet,” I say. “I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it. Besides, I’m not calling Cian over my stupid, nonexistent love life.”
“It’s not stupid,” Cian says immediately, sitting down as I insisted. I know he’s working on instincts. Omegas have more power than they think, especially when it comes to alphas who respect them.
“It doesn’t matter for now,” I insist, the lies tasting like ash on my tongue.
“Maddox, Cai, and Aled Behan tried to force me to continue to work for them in the same breath as they rejected me. They pulled up all of my chart information from Weeping Willow Institute, and said they’d ensure that I would never work anywhere else. ”
“Fuckers,” Tommy grunts.
“My medical files aren’t common knowledge,” I remind him. “One of them would have had to hack into the system to find those out. Now, we all know that I don’t necessarily have to work.”
“Nope,” Jasper says. “Money isn’t an issue for you. Even if you want to move away, which none of us want, we will always make sure you have what you need.”
“Exactly,” I say, nodding. “They tried to blackmail me to stay at the company as Aled’s personal assistant. They didn’t care about how awkward that might be for me.”
“Or painful,” Cian rasps.
“Correct,” I agree, refusing to allow my voice to wobble. “I asked them if they had looked any deeper into my past because they attempted to make threats against Cerenity since she’s pregnant.”
“They didn’t,” Tommy says, his face flushing with anger. His blonde hair in its man bun sticks out starkly against his skin, and I know he’s going to need to work that off on someone soon.
It’s just how alphas who are used to having control are.
“Down boy,” I say, taking my shot as I pat his arm. “We all know that’s not happening. I told them they didn’t want to mess with her pack, nor the senior families of Minneapolis. Cian, I may have thrown your name around a little bit during the conversation, which is why I needed to speak to you.”
“If it keeps you safe, always throw my name around,” Cian says, pulling out a bottle of scotch along with a crystal glass. These Irish men really have a problem with not allowing a woman to drink alone. “What happened next?”
“They didn’t want to allow me to pass until I mentioned that I would be discussing the Behan family presence in Minneapolis with you,” I explain.
“Maddox even attempted to use his alpha bark on me, but I was able to fight it off. I don’t know who they are, but they really don’t want you to know that they’re here. ”
“There is a Welsh crime family out of California who I ignore because they aren’t typically a problem.
However, if these are Dylan’s sons and they didn’t announce their presence before moving into the city, then that’s a problem,” Cian says, sipping his scotch.
“They are also on my shit list because they hurt you. I’m going to go make sure they have a really bad day, Olivia. ”
“Thank you,” I say softly. “I don’t know what their deal is, but I don’t fit into their agenda.”
“They’re fucking idiots,” Jasper says, propping his arm on his raised knee. His tattoos stand out brightly, and his lips are twisted cruelly in disgust. “You’re not a weak person. If they looked at your work outfit without taking into consideration who you are, then that’s a ‘them’ problem.”
“The innocence they might have seen is only surface level,” Cian grunts.
“Are you saying I’m not innocent?” I laugh. The sound is sharp and again a little unhinged, but Cian only sips his drink without mentioning it.
“I’m saying that you’ve lived through too many fucked up things to believe that you’re completely innocent,” he says. “Do you want me to bring Hayes with me to fuck them up?”
“Only if it’s to back you up. There’s a darkness in their eyes that doesn’t add up with the corporate image,” I say. “If I hadn’t shown that I had ties to important people, I don’t know if I’d have made it home tonight.”
“Can I come with you, Cian?” Tommy asks. “I need to make it very clear that Mama O. isn’t to be touched. I don’t want anyone thinking they can snatch her from the street.”
A shudder racks through my body and I lunge forward to take back the bottle of tequila.
“I didn’t need that image in my head, Tommy,” I mutter. “At least they can’t force a bond now that I’m rejected. Silver linings and shit.”
Tommy, Cian, and Jasper gaze at me in horror, and I blow out a breath.
“That’s what happened with my previous pack,” I shrug. “I don’t need history to repeat itself. Out you go, boys.”
“You’re the only one that can boss me around outside of Cerenity,” Jasper complains, standing.
“Maybe I should take the tequila bottle?” Tommy suggests, holding out his hand.
“Or not,” I say, shoving it between my thighs. He makes a face, and I immediately know that I’ve won.
“Fucking hell,” he says, standing.
“Do you want me to call you later to tell you how it goes?” Cian asks worriedly.
“You know I live in their backyard,” I laugh. “You don’t have to call me.”
“Well I am,” he says. “Make sure you pick up.”
Cian hangs up the phone as Tommy picks it up, and I drop my head back against the wall. I’m beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol. I feel floaty and a bit dizzy, but it’s not a bad thing.
“Bossy alphas,” I grumble.
“You’re not going to pick up his call, huh?” Jasper asks.
“Nope,” I say. “I don’t plan to get up for a while.”
“I don’t like this,” Tommy says. “You’ve already had more than enough alcohol.”
“Hmm. It’s a good thing I’m a grown adult and can decide that for myself, huh?” I ask. “Out you go now.”
I feel like a broken record, and that’s as much because words are getting harder to string together, and my insistence that they need to go.
“You have a very distinct Irish accent when you drink, Olivia,” he adds.
“My mother was Irish. It only comes out when I drink,” I say. “Now, go defend my honor or some shite.”
“Fuck my life,” Jasper says, trudging out of the cottage as Tommy follows. I force myself to stand, my steps a little wobbly as I lock up behind him.
Today was supposed to be a step toward independence, and instead it’s more like a slap in the face. My existence is less than nothing. I’m right back to wishing for things I can’t have.
Stumbling to my room, I drag blankets into a small crawl space in my closet and lock myself inside of it with the bottle of tequila. I purposefully forget my phone in my purse, turn out the lights in my nook, and drink until I pass out.
My hope is that the dreams won’t follow me in this state of drunkenness, but like all the rest of my hopes and dreams, that dies an ugly death when I see Mallan in my dreams.