Bianca groaned. It was just like Serenity fucking Rhodes to worry about her well-being. “Your selfless altruism is your most obnoxious quality. You make it so difficult to justifiably dislike you.”
Serenity smirked. “You don’t dislike me; you dislike what I represent. Remy’s dad used to be the same way. Hell, Katrina still hasn’t gotten over it. But now that we’ve competed for the same men, co-founded a charity, and survived the skin trade, I think you’ve got to admit that you and I have a few things in common. So, why don’t we start fresh?”
Bianca pursed her lips, annoyed and surprised by the accurate analysis and reasonable offer. “Fine. But I’m not going to bare my soul to you or any such nonsense.”
“Fine,” Serenity agreed. “But you should bare it to someone. Don’t hold it inside. And don’t let it turn inward. I can recommend a good therapist if you need one.”
Bianca balked at the idea of sharing a therapist with Serenity Rhodes. “It seems silly that I even need therapy for something that onlyalmosthappened.”
“It’s not silly,” Serenity insisted. “You were attacked. It was terrifying. You get to feel feelings about it.”
“But–,” Bianca began.
“No buts,” Serenity interrupted. “Imagine if this had happened to someone else you care about. Would you tell them it was no big deal?”
Bianca couldn’t argue with that logic, not when it still filled her with rage knowing Callum had been in danger. She remembered how Dawn had gushed about the cute IT guy at the fitness studio. If Robert hadn’t been so single-minded in his revenge against the Bonnycastles, he could’ve easily gotten his hands on someone like Dawn. The idea made Bianca physically ill.
“It’s not silly, you’re not overreacting, and it’s a big fucking deal,” Serenity repeated firmly. “It’s fucked up and not your fault and I’m so sorry it happened to you.”
Bianca blinked against a sudden stinging behind her eyes. “It’s ridiculous that you’re comforting me after what you’ve been through. You were actually taken, held captive by degenerates. I was accosted by a couple of disgruntled frat boys that I used to date, and they didn’t even manage to get me off the hotel grounds. It’s barely trauma. It’s trauma light.”
“Don’t do that. Trauma is trauma.” Serenity gave her a stern look, then laughed at Bianca’s skeptical expression. “Okay, fine. My situation was worse, but this isn’t a competition. They made you feel unsafe. People who you trusted tried to profit off of your designation, bartered away your body and your freedom as if they didn’t belong to you. I know how awful that feels. Talking to someone will help. Trust me.”
Bianca exhaled heavily, letting her shoulders drop. “My assistant made appointments for me and Callum to see therapists, but I made mine cry during our first session, so we’re searching for a better fit.”
Bianca internally rolled her eyes at the memory. If he didn’t want to be told what a moron he was, he shouldn’t have said so many moronic things. Men could be so damn fragile.
“Okay, maybe I don’t have a good recommendation for you.” Serenity grimaced apologetically. “Mine has cried in solidarity a few times, which would probably irk you.”
Bianca almost smiled. “Definitely. I really should try again, though. I didn’t think I needed to see anyone about it, but I guess I was wrong. I mean, I still can’t enter a bloody parking garage, even in a car surrounded by my mates, without completely tensing up. It’s infuriating.”
“It’s natural,” Serenity corrected. “Chloë said you were kicking ass before they got the drop on Callum. Seems I’m not the only omega badass in town.”
Bianca shook her head. “I don’t feel like a badass. I feel angry at forces way bigger than me. I despise things beyond my control. How do you keep up the sweet little survivor act without losing your shit?”
“It hasn’t been easy,” Serenity admitted with another shrug. “My therapist and mates have been a huge help, but I still have good days and bad days. Last week, I was playing hide-and-seek with Tane’s niblings and somehow got stuck in a closet. By the time Tane and Malcolm got me out, I was in the middle of a full-fledged panic attack. It was so embarrassing to fall apart with the kids around, but everything turned out okay. And it does get easier. I used to have nightmares and insomnia unless I worked myself to the point of exhaustion before trying to sleep. Now my bad nights are few and far between.”
“I’m so angry,” Bianca admitted, reluctantly encouraged by Serenity’s honesty. “I’m trying to channel it productively, but I still feel agitated.”
Serenity nodded. “That’s the right approach. You just need to find your version of fighting back against those big, uncontrollable forces. The Second Stitch Project has been that for me. Your receptionist said you’re going to be co-teaching an omega safety class with Dan the Van. I bet the women at the center would love it if you came and taught a class sometime, with or without your teaching partner. And it might help you too.”
Bianca considered the idea and found she didn’t hate it. “I’ll check my schedule.”
“Good,” Serenity replied, flashing her dimples. “Now, tell me about these mates you accidentally mentioned a minute ago. I already had my suspicions, so don’t try to backpedal now. Spill the tea.”
Bianca snorted a laugh. Well, damn. She replayed their conversation in her mind, pinpointing her blunder. “My mates” had just rolled off her tongue so naturally. She liked the sound of it.
And because she wanted to talk about them, and she had a maybe-almost-friend who wanted to listen, Bianca told Serenity all about her mates.
Chapter twenty-five
Quentin
Quentin loved it when a plan came together.
Granted their plans hadn’t gone perfectly, but it’d worked out for the best in the end. He’d promised his therapist and his mates that he wasn’t going to dwell on what happened with Ferris and Hill, even if it had made him feel like a colossal fucking failure at first. It had been impossible not to think back to the women and girls his platoon had found in that Belarusian arms dealer’s basement. If things had gone differently, his omegas could’ve ended up in a similar hell.
But that didn’t happen, and he would never let it, so there was no need to wallow in that darkness. Pack King always had contingencies for their contingencies. The facial recognition software on the hotel cameras had been delayed in alerting his fail safes, thanks to the tech skills of those fucking douchebags, but they hadn’t outsmarted him completely.
