“I think we all need to tone it down a notch,” he said, shooting a pointed look at Theo and Cam. “I want to hear about the class, precious.” He spun my chair so I was facing him and kissed me on the nose. “And then we need to eat pancakes.”
A smile tugged at my lips. Ben knew exactly what was needed to diffuse the tension.
“We never got a chance to ask you about your apartment,” Theo said, playing with a strand of my hair. “How were you able to live alone?”
I took a deep breath. “After I was…releasedfrom the DA, my parents brought me back home. It was a really bad situation.” I paused, trying to stop the memories of those weeks from invading my mind.
“I’m guessing that’s an understatement,” Ben said gently, grasping my fisted hands in his warm ones.
I shrugged, not wanting to go into detail. “Growing up, I had a best friend named Sam. He revealed as an alpha the same time I did as an omega. Our parents tried to keep us apart, but we snuck out of our homes to see each other. I hadn’t been able to speak to him the entire time I was at the DA. Once I was back at my parents’, he came to tell me he’d been offered a job in Sol. When he saw the state I was in, he insisted on staying with me, worried about leaving me alone. We knew there was no way I could get a visa to leave the province, but he had to move so he could be with…” I stopped myself from saying more. I didn’t think my alphas would do anything to put Sam in danger if they found out he was gay, but I couldn’t risk it.
“Well, it doesn’t matter,” I continued. “Leaving was going to be the best thing for him. But he kept his apartment so I could escape my family. His new job paid well, so he could pay double rent, or at least that’s what he told me. I still needed money so I could buy food and stuff. One of the omegas I met at the DA, Poppy, mentioned that her alphas went to this gym and that I might be able to get a cleaning job because the owner was sympathetic to omegas. That’s how I met Luc. He gave me a job and paid me under the table. I’ve been working there four nights a week for the past year. It’s walking distance from my apartment, and I just have to be careful that no one sees me.”
“You walked to the gym alone in the dark?” Ben burst out.
The three of us looked at him, slightly stunned. Ben was usually so easygoing. His cheeks turned pink at his outburst.
“Umm right, not important right now. I just don’t like it,” he muttered.
“You’re not working there anymore,” Cam said.
“I already let Luc know,” I said with as much patience as I could muster.
“So you worked there, and then one day this alpha just decided he wanted to lead a group for omegas out of the kindness of his heart?” Cam snorted.
“No,” I bit back. “I pestered him to start the class until he finally gave in. One night, he was at the gym late and I mentioned that I wished I knew how to defend myself. I convinced him to teach me a few things. After a month of begging, I finally got him to agree to do a secret class for omegas. Poppy joined and so did my friend Westin.”
“Is Luc’s omega part of the group, too?” Theo asked.
“No, I’ve never gotten to meet her. She has health issues that prevent her from leaving the house. I’m not sure what happened to her, but I think she might have been attacked or something. I think it’s part of why Luc cares about omegas being able to defend ourselves.”
Theo nodded thoughtfully. Ben asked, “What’s the class like?”
Hope bubbled in my chest. I needed to make a good case that the class was safe.
“We practice different self-defense moves, mostly with each other, but sometimes with Luc. We don’t meet on a set schedule and class is in the downstairs basement, accessed through the alleyway. We only invite people we know we can trust and keep things small.”
“Are you sure you’re feeling well enough?” Theo asked. “You’ve had a rough week.”
“I’m sure,” I said with a smile. “I’ll take it easy if I need to, promise.”
The guys exchanged a look. Cam still looked unhappy and wasn’t meeting my gaze, but he gave Theo a curt nod.
“Okay, angel, we’ll make sure you can get to class tonight and pick up Clementine,” Theo said, kissing me on the cheek.
“Can we go out to eat tomorrow instead?” I asked, looking at Ben. I didn’t want them to be upset with me for changing plans.
“Of course,” he said, kissing me on the nose. “Just gives me one more day to set up the perfect date. Now that we got that sorted, it’s time for pancakes.”
Cam removed his arm from around me and abruptly stood up. “I’ve got to get some work done,” he mumbled, heading towards his office.
I held back a whine, feeling sick as I watched him go. A mixture of frustration, guilt, and sadness warred within me. It was my fault that he was upset and I wanted to fix it, but part of me also knew I had the right to make decisions about my life. Jewel had been right—I couldn’t let my alphas dictate everything.
“Give him a little time to cool off, love,” Theo said, caressing my face. “Cam gets scared when the people he loves are in any sort of danger. It’s not that he doesn’t support you.”
I nodded woodenly and forced myself to eat the pancakes Ben proudly plated up for me.
* * *
