Happiness is Earned (Second Chances Book 3), page 71
“Not really,” Syron says, shaking his head. “We’re a lot more powerful, and have different tails. We’re also a bit bigger. Foxes are usually cunning and wily, whereas we’re also very… tricky.”
“Basically they’re the same,” Reuben says. His voice is dry, as if he’s not used to speaking much.
“One of my mates is a fox.”
“You’re very chatty,” Orson says, grinning at me. “But if you’re doing the interrogating, little cub, you get information about them, not offer it about yourself.”
“I’m not interrogating.” I cross my arms, looking out the window, ignoring the amusement I can smell. “I was just getting to know them. I’m curious.”
“About what?” Beckett asks. I ask why he’s so eager to chat, and he doesn’t hold back in response. “This is probably the only light-hearted part of the trip we’re going to have. But also, this is a very good pride, and if we ever wanted to leave the Tribunal, it’s nice to make allies.”
“Very smart,” I say, nodding. “What made you join the elite team thing?”
“We’re not just an elite team—we’re the Phoenix Guard. We were trained and formed deliberately to find her.” Reuben’s voice is dry, which is a big contrast to what sounds like a smug cockiness over his job.
“How has that been going for you?”
Orson turns right and Legal Pride comes into view, and I’m kind of sad this talk is coming to an end.
“If people stopped calling in false tips that we needed to investigate we’d be further along.”
“See, I felt that pointed statement and I warn you to not direct that towards my mate,” Orson says, his tone pleasant with an undercurrent of warning.
“Plus, we’re pretty confident that this will be the right call.”
“I know you are, Mrs Phoenix,” Syron says, rubbing Reuben’s thigh. “Cerberus here is just an asshole.”
“Um, Atty and I aren’t married yet.” And I’m not even sure if I’d take his surname, even if it is Cevon’s too. What about the others? I doubt Malachi would want me to use his, which rules out Micah too, but Devoss might want me to take his and honour his parents. I’d never use Fin’s, just from all the different scripts Dr Abbott has signed for me.
It feels weird.
I don’t think Orson has a special attachment to his surname either.
And the only good thing about mine is David. I have no bother about losing mine.
“Calm,” Orson soothes, appearing at my car door. I blink in surprise, not having realised he had parked and everyone had got out. “That’s a discussion for another time.”
“Sure,” I murmur, and he drops a kiss to my lips before helping me out.
“Do you know what you’re having yet?” Syron asks as he falls into step with me. I shake my head.
“No, we’re only about six weeks along.”
“Oh!” He sounds surprised. “You’re having twins though, right?” I nod. “I thought so. I can hear the heartbeat, but it seems to…”
“Echo?” I ask, and he nods. We head into the building, and immediately the scent of cinnamon overtakes my nose, and I see bright blue eyes lock into mine. He charges over to my side, and lifts me into a hug.
“Hey baby girl,” Fin murmurs, kissing my cheek as he lowers me to the ground. He looks to the man next to me, and shakes his head as his eyebrows raise. “Shit, Syron. You’re on the Phoenix Guard?”
Syron nods, giving him a hug. “It’s good to see you, cousin.”
“Cousin?” I ask.
“It’s more in the metaphorical sense,” Fin says, taking my hand. He beckons the terrifying man he was with over, and Orson comes closer with Beckett and Reuben. “This is Maun. He’s going to be giving us a hand today.”
“Perfect,” Beckett says, offering him a hand. “Nice to meet you.”
The wolf just looks at the hand, before turning away.
“Um, okay,” Syron says, rolling his eyes.
“Let’s head upstairs,” Orson says. “Everyone should be ready for us.”
“Should I stay here?” I ask, clutching Orson’s hand as he leads us over to the lifts. He looks down at me with a raised eyebrow.
“Of course you should, little cub. Micah’s in Atticus’s office so if you want a break or need a nap, you can go through there. But you’re more than welcome, okay?”
I nod, not sure why I doubted it.
“I owe you an apology,” Sebastian says and my eyes widen as he stands in front of me. I have a small flashback to the day I first met him, when he let himself into my office, full of swagger and arrogance.
It’s a complete contrast to how he’s behaving right now. He’s wearing a similar outfit, a navy suit with pinstripes, but his entire demeanour is different. Even the feeling of uncomfortableness has gone. He used to feel slimy, as if there was something wrong with him, with his entire aura.
Now, he’s just a sad man, who seems determined to do the right thing.
“Sit with me,” I murmur, and he slides into the chair next to me. “I’m sorry you’ve had such a rough life.”
“You don’t owe me any apologies, Nora.”
I laugh, a quiet melancholy sound. “Maybe not. But they used me as another tool to control you, and for that I am sorry. You never should’ve lived a life this way.”
“I was a coward.” I don’t react to his words, sitting still, looking in front of us at the table as Maun, the angry and silent werewolf, has a stare down with Conrad, the serious and wise sphinx shifter.
“I put myself first, only caring about what I needed.”
“But it sounds like that’s exactly how you managed to remain sane,” I say, turning towards him now. “You weren’t doing it for you, Seb. You were protecting Esme, your sister.”
“I told the hunters where you lived that night.”
“Well, that was a little rude of you. I mean, Malachi could’ve ruined his suit.”
Seb’s eyes widen, as he faces me properly. “You’re not mad at me?”
“I’ve met a lot of cowards, but I don’t see one sitting in front of me. I know you sent the letters, I know you’ve probably done a lot over your life that you regret and you’re ashamed of. But you did them to save your sister from a terrible fate, in a life that neither of you chose. Forgive yourself, because you did what you could for her.”
“Fuck, Nora,” he mutters, shaking his head.
“What do you think of Maun’s plan?” I ask, changing the topic.
“I think it might work,” he says, before shrugging. “Am I a bad person that I don’t care if the people I knew and grew up with are going to be murdered?”
“They’re not murdering them,” I say, with a frown. “They’re taking them and like jailing the bad people, and rehabilitating the good people, right?”
He tilts his head, before slowly shaking his head. “No, Nora. The plan is to wipe the entire village out.”
“But there’s kids there.”
“It’s different to normal kids, Nora. They’re taught from a very young age to hate people, to hate shifters.”
“What’s wrong, little queen?” Atticus asks.
“You’re killing everyone in the village?”
He frowns, giving Seb a dirty look, before turning back to me. “It’s a casualty of the war they started.”
“There are children there,” I snarl, jumping to my feet. “You’re all okay with wiping out children?”
“We need to keep Princess Orbiana safe,” Reuben says, with a shrug.
“You didn’t even believe it was her five fucking minutes ago,” I snarl, shaking my head in disgust. “Killing children, and innocent people is wrong. I can’t…”
I turn and leave the room, tears filling my eyes as I rub my stomach.
I understand their point.
But there’s options that don’t include mass genocide.
61
NORA
I burst into Atticus’s office, the door slamming against the wall, as I look at my mate from across the room. I can’t really see him through my tears, but at my dramatic entrance he looks up, and the shock is apparent.
He pushes his laptop to the side, letting the few papers that were there drop to the floor, as he immediately rises to his feet. I take the cue and rush forward, colliding into him.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Micah gasps, enveloping me in his arms, providing a safe harbour. My body is trembling with sobs and when my knees collapse, he lifts me off the ground, cradling me to his chest.
My tears soak into his shirt, my hands gripping him tight as if he’s going to put me down. He doesn’t, instead he just holds me through the breakdown I’m having.
“Nora, wait—” Orson’s voice attempts to intervene.
“Out,” Micah snarls, his voice deeper than usual. He’s in protective mode, and it’s one I’ve not heard from him very often. Orson must not argue because the door closes and his scent is gone.
“Talk to me, pretty girl. Why are you sad?” Micah’s words are a tender plea, a soothing and calm edge to them that he only ever uses with me.
I’m too hysterical to answer immediately though, and he sits down on the sofa whilst keeping a tight hold of me. He rubs my back, letting me cry until I can’t anymore. I sit up properly and wipe my eyes a little, but I’m still struggling.
He repeats his plea for me to share the burden, and I do.
“They’re killing them,” I choke out in between hiccups and gasps. Micah’s brows knit together in a mixture of confusion and concern.
“Who is killing who?”
“The plan is for them to wipe out Seb’s entire town when they go and rescue Esme.” I whimper, and he immediately begins to purr. I sniffle, my fingers desperately swiping at my tear stained cheeks. Micah sits up and yanks his t-shirt over his head, wiping my face for me, and gently kisses my nose as he does.
But the moment with my mate only soothed the upset away, and now there’s a lot of room for the simmering anger to take over. The fury surges through my veins almost as fast as the upset came over.
“They’re going to fucking kill everyone there to keep Esme’s secret.”
“Okay, pretty girl, let’s calm down a little.” He’s trying to be sweet, I know that, but this is not the time for that. Anger is the only response to murdering children. I glare at him, and he holds his hands up in submission, shaking his head. “Or not.”
“There are kids there Micah. I can’t just sit here as they plan to wipe out a village of children.”
Micah’s face tightens, his eyes reflecting the gravity of the situation. He understands my despair, but he’s loyal to his Alpha, to the team that are planning this rescue mission.
It pisses me off.
“I’m not sure what else can be done,” he admits, his words laden with a yearning for a solution.
But I don’t want just any solution.
I want one that guarantees her safety and means a bunch of children aren’t killed for the sins of their parents.
I rub my stomach, and convey this with Micah.
He nods. “Okay. Then tell that to Atticus. He’ll move heaven and earth to give you what you want, pretty girl.”
“He should want to do this for him fucking self,” I seethe and Micah nods. He’s a very good partner to rage at, and as I start to get teary again, he rubs my back. I yank on my bond with my Alpha, not wanting to go back in that room with the others.
I’m too emotional. Sure, I’m likely feeling this deeply because of the pregnancy, but I’m genuinely upset about this situation.
The door opens and Atticus comes in. I can see his hesitance as he approaches, and he kneels down beside me, and rubs my back. “I’m sorry.”
“I know.” I bite my lip, tears filling my eyes, and he shakes his head, dropping down to his ass. Without a word Micah deposits me into my Alpha’s lap, and I snuggle in close. We take a few moments together, each of us absorbed in the feel of the other, soothing the uncertainty across our bonds.
Once I’ve stopped crying, I lean in and kiss his neck, before biting down gently. It’s a claiming mark, drawing blood, just to soothe the wolf within. Atticus’s chest rumbles, a delicious deep sound that sends tingles down my spine.
I take a deep breath, inhaling a gulp of his scent, but the moment his cedar smell tickles my nostrils, I gag. I don’t know why I’m having such an adverse reaction, since my wolf and I usually love the outdoors, but combined with his sweat and strong emotional turmoil, it’s all wrong.
“Whoa,” Atty murmurs, yanking me back. I can see the panic stricken across his face, but I shake my head, waving him off. It’s not a big deal. “What’s wrong?”
“You just smell disgusting,” I mutter, through the burn of my throat and sting of my eyes. “You need to shower.”
“I—right.” My wolf nods in approval, liking the instant response. “Now, tell me what you need with this mission.”
“They can’t kill kids, Atty.” Distress fills me once more, the pressure in my chest hard to ignore, but Atticus’s gentle touch and the soothing sounds from his lion help keep me grounded. “Can’t you do what you did with the pack? Take the entire thing over?”
He frowns, tilting his head. “Let me explain this to you in a way you can understand.”
“That’s very condescending.”
“How so?”
I narrow my eyes, not sure if he’s taking the piss or not. It doesn’t seem like he is. “Pretend I’m you,” I say, and he nods slowly. “Me, big man. You, little girl. I use little girl words to make your small brain understand.”
He gasps, as Micah fucking loses it. My tiger mate ducks his head into the pillow, trying to let the cushion absorb the weight of his laughter, but it doesn’t.
“I did not mean to act that way.” Atticus shakes his head, and I can feel the potency of his shock through the mate bond. I just nod, a smile tilting my lips up. “I’m sorry. Some packs, like Kennedy’s, had a bad Alpha and a few rotten eggs, but were overall good.”
“Okay.”
“Some packs have a bad Alpha, and a bad pack. Where there’s more than one person that needs culling.”
“I get that.”
“In that instance we go in and remove all the threats, before sending the innocent people to a new pride, or pack, or whatever.” I nod once more, not getting his point. “It’s going to be very hard to distinguish who is good and who is bad.”
“But that’s not our job,” I remind him. “Our job is to assist the Phoenix Guard and give them what information we have. Tarun,” I emphasise the fucker’s name, spitting it out in my anger. “Is here as the official liaison from the Tribunal, right? That’s his job to figure out.”
Atticus’s eyes light up. “I know that, but I’m glad you do too.”
“We’ve got humans in this pride.”
“We do,” Atty says, nodding. “And I wouldn’t be opposed to letting the innocents join our pride… but we’re sort of hoping that Esme and Sebastian will remain here once she’s been saved. Even just for a little while.”
“And even with how big the pride is, it wouldn’t be fair for her to continue looking over her shoulder.”
“Exactly.” I nod, yawning and Atty smiles. “Take a nap, and I’ll handle it, okay?”
“Were you… were you really going to let them kill children?”
“The plan wasn’t just to bomb the town, little queen,” he murmurs, leaning in to kiss my forehead. “They’d go in, remove the phoenix, and then assess from there. The amount of women and kids who are usually trapped in this situation is quite high, and we’d never let innocents be harmed.”
I nod, feeling a little silly for my overreaction. Atticus stands and places me on the same sofa Micah’s sitting on, and places a pillow under my head.
“Nap. I’ve got this.” He kisses my lips ever so softly, and smiles. “Your lips are so soft.”
I don’t think he was meant to share that as he turns and leaves the room, but I’m very relieved.
“Told you so,” Micah teases. “He’s too obsessed with you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I mutter, rolling my eyes. “Do you mind if I shift?”
“Absolutely not.” He sounds so surprised I’d ask, but I just shrug and shift into my wolf on the sofa. She moves around to get comfortable and ends up burying her head very close to Micah’s ass.
Well, the lavender scent he carries isn’t great, but the pizza sauce that’s on his pants is so it works.
“All sorted,” Atticus reassures me, as Orson adds cheese to my pasta for me. I raise an eyebrow, and he nods. “There’s going to be a second team who takes over control there, and whilst I can’t promise no innocents will be harmed, that is the plan.”
“Why can’t you save them all?” Micah asks. His tone is knowing, so it’s obvious that he’s asking this question for my benefit.
“Because if they act out whilst they’re trying to maintain control, it might be a lose your life kind of warning,” Atty says, quietly. He’s tense, as if waiting for me to break down again, but I shrug.
“We can’t save fools.”
“Fuck it. We’ll go see them,” Malachi says, causing everyone to stop speaking. We’re currently having dinner, and after the long day we’ve had, it’s been a pretty quiet affair other than them reassuring me that things are handled just now.
My broody tiger has been stewing all day, throwing himself into the work with the Tribunal. Whenever I’ve interacted with him, he’s tried to fake being okay. I wish he knew I didn’t expect that from him.
As usual he’s sitting opposite Atticus, but he’s not touched his food which isn’t like him. Especially when it’s pasta.
“We’ll go see who?” Micah asks, eyeing his brother up and down with a wary look on his face. I’m just as tense, wondering if this is what I think it’s going to be.
“Your parents.”
Micah’s eyes widen. “What caused you to change your mind?”
“Don’t fucking tempt him to change it back,” Voss teases. My curly redhead has been out with Cevon for most of the morning, but apparently spent the afternoon catching up with sleep. He’s planning on heading out tonight to check in on things down at the bar that he frequents because there’s something happening within the pride.
