"What else?" I ask, because I can tell there's more Stefan isn't saying.
Stefan's expression darkens further. "The problem is that he works for Harmony House."
The words hit me like a physical blow. Harmony House. The place we took Solana from, the organization that has a legal right to check on her progress and potentially take her back. The timing of this man showing up during her heat is suspicious as hell.
"He mentioned a few things after I threatened him," Stefan continues. "It seems he was here to check up on Solana's progress. But the fact that he knows about Ashton, that he came inside without permission—"
I squeeze Stefan's shoulder, acknowledging the work he's done to protect us. "You did good."
Stefan nods once, accepting the praise. "I've been monitoring the perimeter ever since. Nothing else is off and I've only kept the staff I recognize, sent everyone else home for the day. Didn't want to risk more unknown variables."
"And Charles?" I ask, knowing that Stefan's former employer is another potential threat.
"He's laying low and while the guy works for Charles…," Stefan assures me. "This has Harmony House written all over it."
I drag a hand down my face, exhaustion and frustration mixing together. Then I turn to the guy tied to the chair, taking in his pathetic state with cold assessment.
"What could Harmony House possibly want with Solana?" I ask him directly. "They said the check-in was in a month. Not a few days, not a week, or any other combination. You really don't let your Omegas go, do you?"
The guy says nothing, just stares at me with his one good eye. I put my foot to his crotch and press down, not hard enough to cause permanent damage but enough to make my point clear.
He squeals, the sound high and panicked. "I'm just one of the recruiters, okay? Contracts are signed and I follow through. I bring back any information I can and then my job is done. That's it!"
I laugh, the sound carrying no humor. "That's why Solana thought she wasn't staying. Because they never do, do they? People like you probably come through, notice everything wrong, and then report back, giving Harmony House a reason to take them back."
The realization makes perfect sense now. Solana's constant surprise that we want her here, her assumption that this arrangement is temporary. She's seen this before, watched other Omegas get placed with Alphas only to be retrieved days or weeks later because the placement "wasn't working out."
"What's with Ashton though?" I continue, applying more pressure to his crotch. "He's not your client. So why do you know his name?"
The man stays silent and I press harder, making him whimper. "I have an Omega to get back to, and both of us could use the time to hurt something. So it's your choice. Talk now or we take turns seeing how many bones we can break before you pass out."
"The moment I go back, they'll know this ranch isn't what she needs!" the man blurts out, fear making the words tumble over each other.
I press harder on his cock, then lean forward to squeeze his chin roughly, forcing him to look at me. "Who said anything about going back? Tell me how you know about Ashton."
The man swallows hard, Adam's apple bobbing. "We were sent to collect him. He wasn't at his address and I wasn't expecting to see him here but he's property of Harmony House and he needs to be returned."
Stefan's fist connects with the man's face before I can process the full implications of that statement. The punch is brutal, delivered with all of Stefan's considerable strength and rage. The man's head snaps back, the chair tipping and crashing to the floor. He goes unconscious immediately, blood pooling beneath his head.
"Never," Stefan growls, standing over the fallen man. "I'm never letting that happen."
I grab Stefan roughly by the neck, spinning him around and growling into his face. The dominant display is necessary, reasserting my position as Alpha before Stefan's rage leads him to do something we'll all regret. Like killing the only source of information we have about Harmony House's plans.
Stefan immediately stands down, his body going still under my hand. It's a different kind of submission than Dustin gives me. Stefan will never fully submit, will never be my little Alpha the way Dustin is. But it's enough to show that he's giving way to the fact that I'm Alpha in this house, that my authority supersedes his protective instincts.
"Before you fucking kill the only lead we have," I say, keeping my voice low and dangerous, "go fuck your Omega. Or hold him. I don't fucking care. Because I can smell him and it's messing with my head. You need to do something about Ashton's pre-heat before it drives us all crazy."
Stefan's jaw clenches but he doesn't argue. I release his neck and step back, giving him space.
"I'm going to make us all some food," I continue, "and then we're going to hope and pray that there aren't any other fucking disruptions before Solana comes out of her heat. And then we're going to fucking talk. Really talk. About what this pack is becoming, about Ashton and his connection to Harmony House, about all of it."
Stefan opens his mouth like he's going to argue but I cut him off.
"Solana made sure to ask more than once that you and Ashton are taken care of," I tell him. "I would have done it without her asking, but since she is, take it as you disrespecting her if you don't."
That gets through to him in a way logic couldn't. The idea of disrespecting Solana, of ignoring her explicit wishes, makes something in Stefan's expression shift. He steps back, running a hand over his face.
"Yeah, okay. I got it."
