I swing around to face him. “It’s not my story to tell, Koz. But obviously I’ll share with you what I can but tone down your temper tantrum, handsome. You have every other one of my truths and you know it.” His jaw grits in frustration at me being put in the position where we have secrets because we made a pact we’d never have any between us.
The lift arrives, and I wait as Koz steps in first to double check it’s safe. King follows but no one else does. And once the doors close, Koz hits the stop button, only just beating King to the same.
“Spill,” King says, crossing his arms over his chest.
Rubbing my hand down my face, I quickly realise how shit I am at keeping secrets but that’s because Koz and I literally have none. I’m going to owe Hayes a thousand apologies, although we also need this resolved.
“Hayes is in trouble,” I say, mimicking both their positions on the opposite wall to them. “Sharlene fucked him over.”
“Goddamn it, Raney, no more! She and fucking Andrea are dust,” Koz spits, his eyes narrowing like poisonous darts.
“Agreed.” I talk over the top of him. “I was reluctant to do much before but that was to do with the guys! I didn’t know if they were still under her influence. Clearly Puck hasn’t spoken with her for years.”
“Correct. I’ve had to stop him going to off her on more than a few occasions. But he wasn’t ready. I’m not sure he is still,” King adds diplomatically. Making me turn to check on him. He stares at me, expecting more information.
A check on Koz and he’s got the same impatient look on his face.
“Talon’s got stuff hanging over his head because of them too. But Hayes, what she did to him means I want her to suffer. I don’t want her getting off without being so fucking terrified she pisses herself.”
Koz opens his arms, and I snuggle into him straight away as I keep updating. “What she did is absolutely disgusting. He believes he’s completely responsible for it, but I know him and he would never, never do what he thinks he did to another person. There’s a lot of his story he needs to tell, but the thing you do need to know, he’s apparently a father.”
And this is in part where my reluctance comes from. While they do need to know, I hate telling King.
Dad drops his head. And I get it, as much as it upsets him, it hurts me too. He’s been pretty close to being in a similar position to Hayes, without the accusation of rape. But the consequences were the same. The emotional fallout was pretty rough on him and me because of what happened but also because it was straight after Jenn died. The difference is that King had the backing of a whole club behind him, whereas Hayes only had Talon.
“I don’t get their dogged determination. It makes me sick how we’ve all been screwed over by that family, but it doesn’t make sense. And her latest stunt of having Puck fucking beaten in front of me…” I swing a look at Koz first, and I let him see the bloodthirst in my eyes before I also lay down the law. “But they’ve clearly got an agenda, and until we figure it out, what it is, I know we need to be extra cautious. The flip side is I need you with me, Koz. I do not need you deciding to go after them and being deported or getting grey hair in some jail cell where we get conjugal visits. Same with you, Dad, not the visit part though.”
He tips his head, telling me to go on, reminding me we’re past the joking around stage. “I know I’m the reason that you never went after Sharlene because you were playing a long game. Her home detention sentence would have made it hard for you to reach her but not impossible. I get you couldn’t risk her finding out, but thanks to Andrea she knows I’m an omega now.”
The small confines of the lift get full of the sounds of angry alphas for some reason. It shouldn’t because we’re all more than aware of the truths I spoke. I wait until they both settle down. “Ineedto be packed with Koz and Puck. I need to figure out Hayes and Tal before either of you even think about revenge or retribution. And before we get out of this lift, you both need to promise you heard me. We have enough men and women to form an impenetrable wall so I can attend the gala and take my pack properly. I want one night.”
And I do. An important part of being an omega is being in a pack.
There were countless days where I swore I never would hope for a pack again, but it was all a lie. I knew it, so did my dad, so did my Scorned Girls, and Koz understood too. It’s not just me being here triggering this desire to pack, it really is the reason why I was coming here. Since arriving, my need has changed and evolved but that’s okay.
“And it absolutely fucking guts me to say this, but I don’t want Reid immediately following the same path as how we handle Sharlene.”
Dad barks, “No!” Sounding very much like a dog.
But I hold his challenging stare with my own. “At this stage he is an ‘undetermined’ risk.” And I use my fingers for extra emphasis.
“Why?” Koz questions me, his eyes searching mine.
“Everyone keeps saying he had a personality flip. Complete 360. Reid was a force to be reckoned with when we were younger.”
“You always saw him with stars in your eyes, Raney. He was a prick. He was a prick before you got attacked, he was a prick showing up in your hospital room after he’d been with some other woman, while you were in a goddamn coma, thank you very much! He’s been a cunt ever since, and he needs to be punished.”
“I get it. But it’s not just our decision on that one. Sharlene’s a given. She’s come at me time and time again, but Reid was so different when I saw him. So different. Anyway, Puck needs to be in on any decision regarding his brother.”
“He’ll put a knife straight in him,” Dad replies immediately.
“Maybe,” I answer, my eyes locked on the floor, not these two demanding alphas.
“Why this hesitation, Raney?” King insists. A quick glance at Koz and I see him waiting too.
“What they did to Hayes… what if they did it to Reid too? What if Reid needs help?”
Koz shakes his head, disagreeing. “He could have got out of there, micina, if he wanted. You only need to look at Puck. Who was seventeen fucking years old at the time. But then too, Hayes and Talon, who both apparently had stuff going on, but they too managed to escape. I’m sorry, I’m with King on Reid being a cunt, but I’m fine with waiting until Puck’s told of the situation. But from that point we move quickly.”
