I don’t reply to him via the new group chat he’s set up until we’re taxiing down the runway. And when I do, it’s pretty clear what I think of his suggestion.
Instead of bitching and drinking, Tristan tucks me under blankets that smell mildly of Raney’s Alpha before she settles down at the other end of the private jet, ignoring me and pretending she’s got work to do. I feel like a complete failure when I have to bite my palm to stop making a noise when a surge of sadness sends me spiralling into another sob session.
I get woken up by Tristan’s overly zealous threat at the air hostess whose hand is hovering mid-air, ready to rouse me by the looks of it.
“Back up slowly and use the intercom like you’re meant to do,” Tristan growls before she struts down the aisle, obstructing the air hostess from even being able to look at me.
The woman drops her eyes and scurries away.
“Jesus, Tris, you’re being extra saucy, aren’t you?” I sit up, rubbing my temples and looking out to see where we are. The tell-tale sign of wide streets and palms lets me know we’re back in Raney’s hometown.
“I told her before that I’d wake you up, Ho.” She plonks her bony ass opposite me, doesn’t mention me crying, or anything to do with Kai. Instead, she comes at me with facial sprays and pretty scented creams, bringing me back to life as opposed to looking like a dying raccoon.
Taking the brush she’s offering; I detangle the knots myself; everyone knows not to touch my hair. Swapping brushes for smoothing serum, we take turns using the back bedroom to change into pretty party clothes, and when the door opens and we climb into the gaudy limo, coming face to face with Simona. After a hurried hello, and a couple of cuddles, we start planning how to get time with Raney without Alpha bodyguards. Unsurprisingly, Koz Siderno, is a sappy romantic at heart and the itinerary he has printed out for us is going to have us all being overly teary; it’s adoringly beautiful what he’s planned out.
Although, first things first, we have to meet the infamous hockey playing young gun who broke Raney’s heart years ago, and now is apparently healing it with every loved-up word he speaks.
“She’s going to hate being surprised,” Simona says as the limo dips down a carpark ramp, taking us under the main hospital.
“She’ll get over it,” Tristan says as we climb out once the car’s parked.
“Hundred bucks she’s crying or bitching before we get her in the car,” I offer, holding my hand out ready for a deal.
Instead, Tristan just slips me a folded hundred-dollar bill, already conceding.
And it’s exactly how it happens, well nearly. Except first we get to watch Raney transition from part of our Omega girl gang, to the first of us to be completely owned by her Alphas. It’s overly romantic and beautiful the way she melts into both Koz and Puck’s grand gestures, but at the same time it’s so heart-breaking because the Scorned Girls are never going to be the same again.
After successfully manoeuvring the most offensive bestie snatch and grab you could imagine, we barely have the champagne raining before I’m once again reminded of being a Verdune.
My phone rings, and I ignore all the unread texts to pick up Ayden’s call. He starts his rant before I get a word out. The girls stare at me open mouthed as he goes on and on. Raney grabs my phone and she all but whispers at him, but Raney being softly spoken is absolutely terrifying.
“Ayden, tap out right now.” Her eyes are like slits as she scours outside for a hint of where he’s hiding. “Take yourself out of Heidi’s security detail or I will do it for you. Honestly, how fucking disrespectful are you being today of all days? You know she’s with us, and we will not put up with your bullshit today.”
She hangs up on him and starts speaking with Koz almost immediately. And I should feel relieved, but all I feel is shattered that I’m back to dealing with that after seeing a much different outcome on my horizon with Pack Alastor. I swallow a huge ball of regret before switching off my memories and focusing on how life will be from here on out, me being the best friend I can be.
We drink champagne and reminisce. Raney fills us in on everything that has happened, and it’s been a lot.
I get pulled out of celebrations by another text from Ayden which precedes a phone call. Twisting away from the Scorned Girls, I pick up because his text alluded to him being half apologetic and needing to speak with me.
“I’m sorry,” he starts, and my eyebrows fly up. “Your team refused to call you and I found it… frustrating.”
“They know only to call when we’re facing a real threat, Ayden,” I explain slowly, and strangely, he doesn’t bite, but he still wants answers.
“How do they know what’s a threat or not?”
“I guess they have different motivations than you do,” I reply, doing an incredible job of keeping my volume and snark down.
“Something feels off, Heidi,” he says. “I need you to be hyper vigilant.”
“I always am.”
“Except when you’re off gallivanting away with a pack of Alphas you know nothing about.”
“I’ll listen to your concerns about my safety, but you don’t get the privilege of letting me know your personal opinions on things that don’t involve you at all.”
He scoffs, and I thought we were doing so well. “You’ve hired a bunch of criminals as your security detail.”
I keep as much scorn out of my voice as possible when I answer. “And yet you too have a record and served jail time yourself, which makes your statement absurd. What do I need to be aware of?”
