She turns to look at me. Hazel eyes searching my face.
“Like what?”
"This." I gesture at the room. At my brothers surrounding her. "Us. Pack. Whatever comes next."
A tear slides down her cheek. She wipes it away quickly, almost angrily.
"I thought I was done crying."
"Crying is allowed." Carlos reaches up and takes her other hand. "Happy tears only, remember?”
She laughs. Watery. Broken. But real.
"I love you." Her gaze moves from Sergio to Pedro to Carlos to me. "All of you. I know I keep saying it. I just need you to know."
"We know." Sergio presses a kiss to her temple. "We love you too."
The fire crackles. The wind whistles around the corners of the old house. Outside, the night stretches on, dark and cold and full of stars.
Inside, we hold our omega.
Our pack.
Our future.
38
JESSICA
The letter arrives on a Tuesday in late November, delivered by certified mail. Heavy cream stationery embossed with "WHITMORE FAMILY ATTORNEYS."
I stare at it across the kitchen table while Nacho reads over my shoulder and Carlos makes pancakes that smell like they're two minutes away from being charcoal.
"You want me to open it?" Nacho offers.
"No. I need to." I slide my finger under the seal and pull out the single page. "Oh."
“Good or bad?" Carlos flips a pancake. Catches it. Grins at his own success.
I scan the letter. "It's a settlement offer. They're offering money to sign an NDA. A lot of money."
"How much?" Pedro appears in the doorway, already dressed for his shift at the clinic, coffee in one hand and his car keys in the other.
"Enough to start three businesses." I keep reading. "In exchange, I agree not to speak publicly about Callum, not to cooperate with any media regarding the Morrison family, and to cease all contact permanently."
"That's blackmail." Sergio's voice comes from behind Pedro. He's in his coaching jacket, fresh from morning practice, hair still damp from the shower.
"That's desperation. Can I?" I hand Nacho the letter. He scans it quickly. "Morrison's law firm is bleeding clients after Rosa's article. Three other women came forward. Their reputation's in free fall. This is damage control."
Carlos abandons his pancakes and leans against the counter. "What do you want to do?"
The money could buy a fresh start. I'd never see Callum or his family again.
But what about the other women? The ones who come after me? My silence would cost them everything.
"No." I take the letter back from Nacho, stand up, and walk to the counter where the paper shredder sits next to the toaster. I feed the settlement offer into it. Watch it transform into confetti. "I'm not signing anything. I'm not staying quiet. If the Morrisons want to make this go away, they should start by taking actual responsibility instead of throwing money at the problem."
"You're sure?" Pedro sets his coffee down. "That money could change your life."
