I rattle off my codes, and she texts them to Kozertine Siderno, international weapons supplier and her fated Alpha. It’s lucky he’s smitten with my bestie, or I’d have paid to have him taken out by some mercenary by now.
Trust between Raney, Sim, Tris, and me is not something I have ever had to worry about. Naturally it extends to Koz, Raney’s Alpha. I lead the way back inside, half listening to Koz’s voice as he demands Raney get her ass locked away in our apartment. His low growls echo down the empty hallway of Unity as much as my heels do, confirming once again how empty the place is.
The lights are on in our apartment and Raney left the door unlocked, not that any of us would ever admit that to anyone. Can you imagine the uproar from our bodyguards?
Leaving Raney to finish talking with Koz while she starts to pour our drinks, I keep the lights off in my suite as I get changed out of my corporate gear and into my favourite chill out clothes. Even before I’ve made my way into my closet, I know anything baggy will have me feeling more depressed than I already do.
I nab a hair-tie and bundle my hair into a low ponytail before I wash off my makeup. I feel like a million dollars as I pull on my long matching grey fluffy socks and slide my feet into my fuzzy slippers as I shoot off the customary check in text to my security team, letting them know I’m locked up safe for the night.
Bradley’s response is back lightning fast, and a wave of relief comes knowing he’s none the wiser about what happened at the office.
Another text hits my phone just as Raney is passing my wine.
I read it ten times over before I top my wine glass up to full and sling the whole thing back. Swallowing it in one gulp.
“What the actual fuck, you alca-moholic?” Raney slaps my hand away from my mouth.
I throw my phone at her; her eyes bug out, and she passes the bottle over while she re-reads the text. And without turning around, I hear her swallow her wine before she finds her voice.
“Ayden’s back?”
I know she’s looking at me, searching for an answer, but I don’t have one. Without speaking, we carry the food from the kitchen to our lounge area where we split up. Raney lights the candles, and I open the sliding doors to our huge balcony and turn our armchairs so we can watch the stars while we talk. But before we do that, we both dump armfuls of pillows and blankets on our chairs.
“Heidi, look at me,” Raney demands, although it’s soft and full of compassion and not an Alpha bark. Either way, it has the same effect, and it drags my eyes off the stars in the distance to her face. “We fucking got this. Now, eat your noodles and drink your wine. Sim and Tris are going to call in about twenty. No crap, Ho, when you messaged to say you were having a bad day, I kinda thought you were being a touch dramatic.”
“You owe me an apology,” I smart back, opening the lid off my family size box of noodles while staring at her expectantly.
“Seems like I do, but you know I’ll leave you waiting on that.” She winks at me before returning her attention to the food.
I hop up quickly and down an orange spritzer in one gulp. The bubbles bring tears to my eyes, while the flavour gives me a little shot of comfort.
We don’t talk. We eat and occasionally stare at each other. I finish another glass of wine before devouring the entire takeout container of noodles, and without asking, I find another bottle and open it, topping her glass up and mine. Collecting our takeout containers, I trash it all before scooping my phone off the floor and kicking our chairs over so I’m nearly on her lap. I need to be in her presence.
Pressing the group chat call button, the girls pickup in an instant.
“He’s back?” Tris shrieks. “Who let that asshole out of prison?”
“Ho, are you okay?” Sim asks, her gentle tentative nature reaching through the phone.
Tris is overly loud, but her love is as potent as her voice.
Locking away the tears, I walk them through being set up by the board before my father dropped a ticking time bomb on my head. I go into a lengthy explanation on how I felt with my assailant, before we end up on the discussion of Ayden and his release.
I’m so freaking over this day and my life. I really think I’m emotionally burned out because I don’t currently feel anything. I know I should feel something, but I honestly don’t know what to feel about any of it.
And I really don’t know how I feel about Ayden no longer being the only thing to consume my thoughts. It was always him but that makes sense considering he was my first love and the guy I lost my virginity to.
Without doubt, I’m very bitter about his betrayal because I honestly thought my Alpha would be my biggest supporter, my protector, but all he did was shatter me into pieces. Which only confirms he wasn’t really mine. My older brain knows that my inner child is still butt hurt, and always will be.
Since I moved to Unity, I have been on more dates than any other Omega here. I’ve done heats at the local Heat Centre. Of course, no one at Verdune is aware and the only reason is because of the insane watertight NDA Douglas made the Centre use with any Alpha who shows an interest. Doing a heat with a group of Alphas is a process and not an experience.
Raney summed it up beautifully one blitzed out Sunday afternoon when the girls and I were high as kites: knots don’t mean forever. You choose who you let into your pussy and your heart.
Finding a pack is going to be a business transaction and nothing more.
ChapterTen
HEIDI
