The door slams open hard enough to rattle the frame.
Ben stands in the doorway, his face red and twisted with anger. His scent hits me first, sour and aggressive, making my stomach turn. He's breathing hard, like he ran all the way here, and his hands are clenched into fists at his sides.
"We need to talk. Right now."
He's looking directly at me like Savannah isn't even in the room.
"No. We really don't."
I stand up from my desk. My heart is pounding, but I keep my voice steady.
"You think you can just ruin my wedding? Ruin my reputation?" His voice is getting louder with each word. "You think you can just walk away from me and start working with some celebrity and everything's going to be fine? You owe me, Sharon. After everything I did for you, after all the time I invested in you, you owe me."
Savannah sits up straighter on the couch, her hand protective over her belly. Jessica moves closer to me, positioning herself between Ben and where I'm standing.
"I don't owe you anything. You treated me like I was disposable. Like I was practice for something better. I don't owe you a single thing."
Ben takes a step forward. "You're making a mistake. A really big mistake. You think these small-town people are going to protect you? You think working with some washed-up pop star is going to save your career? You're nothing without me."
The door opens again before I can respond.
Cassian walks in and his gray eyes zero in on Ben immediately, and something in his expression shifts into something cold and dangerous. Behind him comes Jett, looking like he just rolled out of bed but with enough intensity to make up for the casual appearance. His brown eyes are dark and focused, entirely on the threat in the room. And then there's Pine, already pulling off his leather jacket like he's preparing for a physical confrontation that might need to happen.
Cassian's voice is so calm it's almost threatening. The kind of calm that comes from someone who knows they're in control of the situation and doesn't need to prove it by raising their voice. "I think you should leave."
"This doesn't concern you," Ben snaps, but there's something in his voice that suggests he suddenly realizes he might have made a tactical error coming to this office. Something in his voice that suggests he's just realized he's standing in a room with three very large, very protective alphas who are definitely not going to let him threaten their omega without consequences.
Pine moves to stand slightly in front of me. His body is positioned in a way that says "she's under our protection now" without needing to say a single word. "Actually, it concerns us very much. Sharon is part of our pack now. Which means anyone who comes at her comes at us. And I would strongly suggest you reconsider your life choices before you come at us."
Ben looks between the three brothers, his face going from red to pale in seconds. He opens his mouth like he's going to say something, then thinks better of it. Without another word, he turns and walks out of the office, slamming the door behind him.
The silence that follows is deafening.
I realize I'm shaking. Not from fear, exactly, but from adrenaline. From the sudden rush of having stood up to Ben and having three alphas appear like guardian angels to back me up.From the reality that I just told my ex exactly what I thought of him and didn't apologize for existing.
Savannah clears her throat, reminding us that she's still here and very much watching this moment of alpha solidarity and omega comfort unfold in her office. "Well, I think this calls for a celebration. Who wants champagne? I have excellent taste in celebratory beverages and I seem to remember keeping some very good bottles hidden in this office for emergencies."
"I do. This is definitely an emergency situation that requires excellent champagne."
Jett settles into a chair like nothing unusual just happened.
"Cassian?" Pine asks, his eyes still on me.
"Absolutely. We're celebrating tonight. We're celebrating the fact that Ben's gone. And we're celebrating Sharon for being brave enough to stand up to him."
Cassian is already pulling out his phone to order something to go with the champagne.
Pine walks over to me and takes my hand. "You did good today. You stood up for yourself. You didn't back down. You didn't apologize for existing. That took real courage."
"Or stupidity. I insulted my ex in front of his fiancee and three very large alphas. That's not exactly professional."
"No, but it was honest. And sometimes being honest is more important than being professional. Sometimes being true to yourself is worth more than any job could ever be. And I'm proud of you."
He pulls me close, and I let myself lean into him completely. His scent wraps around me like a protective blanket, sandalwood and metal and ink and something warm underneath that's just him. It makes everything feel safer somehow. Like no matter what happens next, the three of them are going to make sure it's okay.
"What happens now?" I ask softly, my face pressed against his chest.
Cassian returns with champagne glasses that Savannah apparently keeps hidden somewhere in this office. "Now, we celebrate the fact that your ex is going to be very, very busy dealing with the consequences of his own choices. We celebrate the fact that Tangle Peak's wedding is going to be absolutely legendary. And we celebrate the fact that you're part of our pack now."
