You are Live #2
There were so many things that could have gone wrong, especially because it was all happening live. Actually, the likelihood of it going well was slimmer than everything going wrong, but after being open with the omegas today, we just had to take the risk.
We could not disappoint them.
If it had gone wrong, Forest and I would have needed to deal with it somehow.
But with every word Lissa and Ben exchange, it becomes clearer. The live set-up was perfect. It’s raw and real, and no one can accuse us, or anyone else, of tampering with the source material.
Lissa’s voice echoes through the whole dining room; with each word she speaks, the pack members grow more and more silent, first listening in confusion, then in surprise, then in horror.
There is no way she is ever going to redeem herself from this.
When Ben tells her she is live, the connection gets cut, and I hope Lissa didn’t do anything rash. Griffin is there, too, so I am sure he has it covered. I have to be sure and trust in his abilities and his quick thinking.
There is some crackling to be heard and a bit of speaker feedback, then the speakers are turned off.
Forest doesn’t wait any longer and gets to his feet.
The way he stands there in front of everyone, with all their eyes on him, he looks so much like an alpha, it takes my breath away.
Strong, unwavering, confident, but at the same time, I can see his kindness shine through his eyes.
“Just like me, you must all be confused,” he says, taking charge immediately. I spot the omegas and the whole staff also pooling into the dining hall, with Nina giving Forest a subtle sign. “I don’t know who it was who recorded this,“ he says in a loud voice.
“It was me,” Nina says promptly, stepping forward immediately and lowering her head.
This is her moment, her very own moment to show the pack how brave she is.
“I don’t want it to fall to anyone else, Alpha.
It was me. I take full responsibility. Lissa has been harassing us for so long… I just couldn’t watch on.”
“You did nothing wrong,” Forest assures her.
“In fact, I am glad you showed us all what you’ve suffered under.
A person targeting and assaulting fated mates, and using their position to threaten them, is unbelievable.
And I won’t accept it. The alpha family does not stand for that.
” He turns to his father, clearly improvising now.
I love how much more confident he is and how he is ready to stand up for others and get his point across.
Harry, meanwhile, looks completely spellbound. “Am I right?”
The seconds drip by without Harry saying anything. It’s hilarious how he makes himself look bad, without any of us doing anything.
I am pretty sure, though, that a man like him has some skeletons in his cupboard. Something feels seriously off about this man. Lissa is obviously unhinged, while Forest’s mom uses pack money for… something I don’t know of yet. But the dad… he definitely is up to something.
“Right,” Harry finally mutters.
Forest frowns. “That didn’t come out too convincingly,” he says bluntly. I can’t believe that he calls him out like this! Fucking amazing! “The bond between mates is sacred, and I won’t stand by and have someone willingly tamper with it.”
I can’t help but stand up, too, stepping to Forest and taking his hand. As if on autopilot, I lean my head against his shoulder, not even questioning anymore what I am doing here. “You did something good.” I look at Nina, smiling at her. “Nina, was it? Am I right?”
Nina looks up at me, easily playing along now. She nods. “Yes, Luna.”
“You and the young man out there saved more people than you probably know,” I say.
“She doesn’t even stop at omegas,” Nina says sadly. “She approached my mate, too. Fortunately, he found a way to dodge her.”
A few of the warriors look shocked at first, then angry. “She tried to mess with Nathan?” one of them snarls.
“No way,” another exclaims. “He is my friend. No one’s going to fuck with him and his mate!”
“Is it true?” Forest asks. “She is also messing with my warriors?” he demands to know, furrowing his brows when she nods.
He looks furious now, probably also because he just heard firsthand what Lissa said.
It’s always different when we become a direct witness to something as opposed to only hearing it from others.
“It’s unacceptable. This will stop now,” he says. He turns to Martin. “Martin, let’s go.”
Martin nods, immediately by Forest’s side. Forest turns to me before he leaves, his eyes softening. “Are you alright on your own?”
His words would be funny if it weren’t for his gentle gaze. “I am fine,” I assure him. “I will make sure to tend to Nina and the others. I am sure they have quite a few stories to tell.”
When Forest leaves, all hell breaks loose, as was expected.
Pack members start to chat and gossip; the anger is greater than I expected.
You don’t play with fated mates in our world.
It’s why it was so outrageous that the elders from my own pack allowed Jordan to break the bond to me.
It’s why Jordan lies through his teeth by telling everyone I wasn’t his fated mate to begin with.
Not even his alpha friends would have his back if they knew that he’d broken the fated bond. At least, not all of them.
From the corner of my eye, I spot Dr. Francis—the man I met when I went to the infirmary, the pack elder.
He has a smirk curling his lips when he notices my look and then shows me a thumbs-up.
I know he has his own suspicions about me and my situation, but he has kept quiet.
After my last rundown with a bunch of elders, his support means a lot to me.
Next to him, there is another older woman, who watches equally as intrigued.
She stares at me briefly and then smiles.
I am not sure yet if I can fully trust them, but maybe one day it will be necessary to have their approval. It’s good that they seem to be supportive of Forest’s and my work.
While I still juggle my thoughts, Elli pushes through. She basically rushes towards me, and I make sure to hug her, stroking her hair. “He is safe, isn’t he?” I ask her because only she can tell me for sure.
She nods.
“It’s over,” I say gently. “Your mate was very brave.”