Pack of Lies, page 44
“Fuck off,” I said with a good-natured grin.
“Well, isn’t it wonderful to see you too. Hear you fell to the ground floor back at the warehouse, are you good?”
“Denzel took the impact for me.”
“I’m assuming he’s another member of your pack who isn’t here?” he asked.
I nodded and introduced him to the rest of them. Most everyone was in the living room, with some of the Centre omegas hiding out in the bedrooms.
Jessica and Twelve — well, Belinda — smiled at me. They were sitting with their knees pressed together on the couch, the two girls clearly having bonded through the trauma of the experience.
A few female GPRE agents hung out along the edges of the room, wearing plain clothes, but most of the GPRE presence was outside. They understood these omegas had been through trauma and it related to authority.
Marlowe was making the rounds checking in with everyone from the second we entered the house, Quentin trailing behind him to help. Reese stayed by my side, a hand resting on the small of my back.
And Jubilee...
The poor man was riddled with guilt.
“I created the formula,” he blurted out the moment I was done explaining to Three who everyone was.
Three raised an eyebrow, scanning my mate from top to bottom. “You’re too young.”
“No, I’m not. I made it when I was nineteen and sold it to the Centre.”
“That was stupid of you.”
Jubilee’s panic was fading to confusion, not sure how to respond to Three. Half the time, I didn’t either. We may not have been friends if not for the necessity of it all. He was a little odd.
“You’re not... furious?” Jubilee asked.
“Nah, I just think you’re dumb. They are pretty believable, though. Dr. Hellwood, I mean. You look naive enough to fall for that shit.”
A couple of the other omegas were giving Jubilee nervous looks, but Three didn’t give a fuck about the revelation. Jubilee dumbly nodded. “Oh. OK?”
“Don’t do it again.”
“Of course, never.”
Three looked at me with a slight roll of his eyes. “Any idea what they’re doing with us? They said some doctor is on her way over. She’s going to give injections to the ones like Twelve who are young enough to get them.” He paused, sighed, and corrected himself. “Belinda. Guess she doesn’t need to be called Twelve anymore.”
“Anything you want me to call you?” I asked.
He snorted. “Three. I’m Three.”
“You could choose a new name. I didn’t want to go back to my birth name either.”
There was a flash of something across his face, and he shook his head. “Nah. Just Three, for me. I’ve been Three so long I don’t know if I’d respond to anything else.”
That was a lame excuse, but I wouldn’t push him. We weren’t that close. I doubled back to his question. “They didn’t tell us anything about the procedure here, but I bet the doctor is going to. I’m staying until she gets here.”
I wanted to make sure Belinda got her injection. If something stopped her from getting it, she would be gold pack before long. There wasn’t that much time left before she reached a year after perfuming.
Marlowe had finished his rounds, coming back around to me with a cute smile to plant a kiss on my cheek. He beamed at Three. “I didn’t get a chance to say it before but thank you for helping me with my anxiety attack at the warehouse!”
Three helping Marlowe breathe through panic was a vision I couldn’t quite believe was true. Frowning, Three shrugged. “Not sure what I did.”
“When you touched my back, it surprised me enough I was able to breathe again.”
Ah, that made more sense. I wound my arms possessively around Marlowe, tugging him to my side to another eye roll from Three. The instincts were irresistible, OK? It was impossible to deny the urge to claim him when someone else had touched him.
“Glad it worked for ya,” Three said dryly.
A quiet knock at the front door drew all attention, followed by it swinging open. Dr. Rover stepped through, another woman on her tail. Both were carrying briefcases, but neither wore professional medical attire.
It was for the best.
Put a doctor coat on her, and no one would have let her touch them. It was hard enough for me to let her, and I had the support of my mates and far less trauma than some of the omegas here.
“Hello everyone,” she said. “I’m Dr. Rover. I’ve been told we need to do a couple of injections?”
She was drenched in dampeners the same as she’d been last time, her scent indecipherable. There was a polite smile on her face, but she didn’t look particularly happy or anything else.
All the omegas who’d been given the Centre’s injection shuffled back, but Belinda popped to her feet. “Me! That’s me.”
Another girl hesitantly stepped forward, her eyes a pale blue. She’d been brought in at the same time as Belinda. The Centre had been waiting for her eyes to go gold too, and it was a blessing to know they never would.
Dr. Rover got set up in the corner of the room, where anyone who didn’t want to see her could give her a wide berth. She gave my group a nod and a smile but focused on what she’d come to do.
It took a bit to set up the medical station, Belinda shifting from foot to foot nervously. Jessica was beside her, holding her hand. I gestured for Reese to stay where he was and went over to the girls.
“Are you nervous?” I asked.
“Of course not,” Belinda answered too quickly.
“It’s OK to be nervous.”
“I want the injection.”
Tentatively, I put my hand on her shoulder. She looked down at it in surprise. To be fair, I was different from the woman she’d had leading her through the cafeteria. Back then I’d been snappy and cynical. With a pack behind me, it was hard not to be optimistic.
“Dr. Rover isn’t like the doctors at the Centre,” I said softly. “She’s helping me with my side effects.”
“Is that true?” Jessica was the one to ask the doctor.
Dr. Rover nodded. “I do have some updates for you, Thorn, when I’m done with these. It might have to change now that you’re bonded, but I have some ideas for a treatment plan.”
I blinked. “Was it my aura causing my migraines, then?”
“It’s hard to explain the science. I can tell Dr. Balch and I’m sure he can dumb it down for you. In your case, I believe it was a combination of an unstable aura and some easier to diagnose medical issues. Being bonded might help to stabilize you. Some seers and scientists claim even meeting your scent match mate is enough to stabilize an aura, but there is absolutely no hard science behind that.”
She picked up a syringe, peering in at the liquid inside.
What she said matched with how I’d been feeling. At first my side effects had been worse after leaving the Centre, but it was probably stress. I was used to quiet environments and regimented activity. The shift probably caused some of the bad episodes I’d had at the beginning of my time with my mates.
But now? Recently?
Despite having a flash bang thrown into the room and then falling from great height, I was feeling moderately fine. My brain didn’t feel like it was going to spill out of my ears, which is what I would have expected. Even the constant low-grade headache I lived with had been easier to handle than it used to be since entering the pack house.
“Does that mean she’s going to be able to help the others?” Belinda asked, looking over her shoulder.
Eight suffered the worst but was sitting in the living room pretending she was perfectly fine. Seven had locked herself in one of the bedrooms, but I bet that had more to do with her antisocial tendencies than her side effects. None of us really knew what she suffered from.
“I hope so,” I murmured.
“They may not show as much improvement as Thorn,” Dr. Rover warned. “I’ve been told the formula used in the experiments got worse, not better. Plus, finding a scent match mate is no guarantee, yet it’s responsible for Thorn’s progress. I’ll do what I can, however.”
She gestured for Belinda to sit down, and the girl took a deep breath. Jessica squeezed her hand and offered her a small, wistful smile. I stood beside Jessica and wound our fingers together while we waited and watched.
“Thank you,” Jessica said quietly. “It’s because of you that I’m not… somewhere else.”
She trailed off with a full-body shudder.
I didn’t want to think about what would have happened to her if she’d been put somewhere else by those traffickers.
“It was only luck,” I replied, “but I’m glad I was lucky. Are you going back to your parents?”
She nodded. “We talked on the phone, and the GPRE says they should be here soon. They haven’t told us what’s happening to the people who don’t have parents.”
“I’m sure they have a plan in place.”
Belinda’s injection was done, easy as that. The process was quick and would protect an omega for the rest of their life. Part of me regretted not begging the bus driver to let me ride for free to the next city over, so I didn’t have to wait for my mom to drive me. That was all in the past, though.
I ignored the sheen or tears in the younger girl’s eyes as she hugged first me, then Jessica. “That’s it. It’s… done.”
And she was safe in a way I had never been. My mates had been the one to start this process, and I would never be able to tell them just how grateful I was. It felt like I was repaying Ice for everything he’d done for me, at long last.
I cleared my throat to stop myself from crying, offering them a smile and wandering back over to Reese.
The front door opened again, this time without a knock. Alpha aura settled down around us, and a woman who looked like a female Marlowe stepped through. My omega mate nearly barrelled her over with his hug and would have if she hadn’t had such a solid stance.
She patted him awkwardly on the back before extricating herself and facing the room.
“Hello everyone, I’m Leighton Winston.”
Her tone was surprisingly formal. Then again, she was a corporate fixer. The woman needed to know how to speak to a crowd.
“Some of you guys have parents, and if you do — congratulations, they’re all here and ready to see you. If you don’t, you’re also in luck. The Winston family has created a trust for you, in honour of their son who was kidnapped by the Centre for Omega Enhancement. Several other high-profile organizations and families have contributed to this trust, giving it quite the hefty balance. It will be split between all the victims when you’re deemed ready to re-enter society.”
Three was glaring at her with his arms crossed. His scent was heavy enough I caught it, almost seeming to challenge Leighton.
“And how are we re-entering society, then?” he asked.
She scanned him before answering the question. “We’re giving you temporary homes while you’re assessed medically. There is nothing the GPRE and Winston family want more than you, back at full health as soon as possible.”
“Temporary homes?” Three didn’t seem fond of the idea.
“Estates, actually. Some are in a coastal town an hour away, while others are up in Citrine Hills. We have more offers of assistance than we have people with nowhere to go, so you’re welcome to meet your gracious hosts before choosing who you’ll be with. The security on these properties will protect you from outside threats, and your hosts will provide you with everything you need. The GPRE only asks that you cooperate with their doctors. Dr. Rover is among a few others who will be handling your case.”
There was only silence in response to her statement, most omegas still looking hesitant. She didn’t give them much of a chance to be, though, because she let in the families without holding space for any further questions.
Joyful noises broke through as Belinda threw herself into her mother’s arms.
Leighton came over to us, her work done.
She stuck out a hand to me, and I stared at it dumbly before shaking. “You’re Thorn,” she stated.
“Um, yes.”
The woman was intimidating. I was a little tongue-tied.
“Please tell me you didn’t let Denzel bond you.”
I barked a laugh, surprised by the somewhat intrusive statement. “No. Reese did. He’s pack lead now.”
She scanned Reese. “He doesn’t look like he just had a fight to the death.”
Pack lead changing hands did usually involve a fight — though not often to the death. It was obvious she knew Denzel though, because you’d think he would have been fighting dirty if it meant he got to keep lead.
“He gave it to me,” Reese grunted. “Thanks for setting everything up for these omegas.”
It was an overt attempt to change the topic. Leighton’s eyes narrowed, but she accepted it. “Barely any of this was me. Mother of course had to jump on this bandwagon for her public image, and then people started piling on. I just organized it to be actual help instead of useless platitudes. The GPRE is giving me pushback on my plan for the test subjects, but they can go eat shit.”
“Do you not work with the GPRE?” I asked.
I was trying to puzzle out how she had so much power here if she didn’t.
“Surface level, yes. Realistically, they hate me, and I hate them. We have a symbiotic relationship for the time being.”
“But the other omegas are going to be safe, right?”
Leighton nodded her confirmation, and that was good enough for me. Marlowe trusted his sister implicitly, and I trusted him. “These estates they’re going to are entirely self-contained with maximum security. Rich people like not getting robbed blind. Reese can tell you.”
Didn’t Reese grow up middle class? I looked to him and saw him rubbing his temples, giving me a tight smile. “Long story, precious. Did my father offer to take in one of these omegas?”
“Would Soren pass up an opportunity like this?” Leighton asked with a snort. “I told him to get fucked. Don’t worry.”
Ah. The birth father. He hadn’t told me anything, but there hadn’t been much time. I imagined he would get into it eventually. Same as I’d tell him about my family, or how little of a real family it had been.
Reese grunted his agreement to Leighton’s comment, pressing close to me.
“I’ll see you at my next cafe meetup with Marlowe,” Leighton said, nodding to me. “Or sooner, because of this chaos. In any case, I’m excited to get to know you better.”
She didn’t say it was nice to meet me, nor did she bother with any more platitudes. The woman strode away with purpose to the far side of the room, where the omegas without family members present were making themselves scarce.
“Thorn, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about—”
I cut Reese off with a laugh. “You’ll tell me about him when you’re comfortable. I don’t mind. You love me, so you’ll tell me. There have been so many secrets, I’m getting really good at knowing when one is kept on purpose and when it’s not.”
He kissed the side of my head and the rest of the pack came back over. Quentin was holding Jubilee and Marlowe, their affection for each other apparent. I was eager to get back to the house to check on Denzel, but I was equally eager to stay here and make sure everyone had a chance at a life as good as mine.
Because this was my happily ever after, and while it might not be conventional it was more than I’d ever been able to dream of.
EPILOGUE
DENZEL
Two weeks later
My grip on the passenger side door was white-knuckled, my gaze laser focused on the road in front of us. There were so many fucking cars. Traffic. We were just behind the morning rush of people heading to work.
Do not open your goddamn mouth, you idiot.
I grit my teeth, sparing a glance for Marlowe in the driver’s seat. He was grinning, aware of exactly how distressed I was. When my omega was in the car, I always drove. Always.
Not anymore.
Thorn and Quentin sat side-by-side in the back seat. My brother was covering his snickers, while Thorn was filling the car with the soothing version of her aura. It was keeping me grounded.
“The three of us are going to Nesting Needs to get some things for the bedrooms,” Marlowe said casually.
The instinct was there to bark at him to pay attention to the road. I didn’t, because he was. His eyes were ahead, aside from the occasional glance in my direction. I do that. I glance while driving. When he did it, panic rose in my chest like we were about to crash into the delivery truck pulling out onto the street in front of us.
“Have fun,” I said.
My tone was tight and controlled.
Don’t bark at him. This is a you problem.
“We might be late picking you up from your appointment,” he said.
“That’s fine.”
It irritated me, honestly, being driven around like my omega was my damn chauffeur, but I’d earned this. My driving privileges were revoked unless I was going somewhere by myself. It was part of my penance.
Hopefully this therapist would be able to dispel this lingering desperate need to be in charge of everything.
Yeah, I knew it didn’t fucking work like that, but one could hope. He pulled into the parking garage of the professional building and parked in a 15-minute stall, leaning across the centre console with a small smile quirking his lips.
I didn’t move, hesitant to give any kind of affection. I was leaving that to them. Whenever I got a kiss or a touch my heart jumped in my chest, and it heightened my desperate need to fix what I’d broken.
Marlowe’s lips touched mine and his hand stroked down my cheek. He was gone just as quickly. “It’s going to go great, snookums,” he murmured.
The words were followed by a little crinkle of his nose and a shake of his head.
“Nope, it’s not snookums either,” he said.
I would agree it didn’t sound right, but I would take anything from him at this point. It had always bothered me, how Marlowe had pet names for the others but not for me. My stewing jealousy had gotten worse when Reese had immediately gotten a pet name — pudding, so sickeningly sweet — and I’d gotten up the nerve to ask why.
