“No, I want to. It’s just… I thought they were dead, and now I still can’t get to them.” I cut myself off, my throat burning with the effort of keeping in my tears.
Lilah scooted closer to me and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. “God, I can’t imagine. I don’t know that I’d even be able to get out of bed if I were in your position. You’re so strong.”
I didn’t feel strong, but it was nice that she didn’t think I was completely pathetic.
“I was so angry at my parents for allowing Ben to be exiled,” she said, her arms still around me. “I could tell they didn’t want to—they never bought into the traditionalist designation shit as much as the other parents, but they were too weak to take a stand against the other families.” Her voice was bitter. “I met my pack shortly after he left, and we all decided to leave the province. I hated moving so far away from Ben, but I needed to escape the bad memories,” she said, her voice trailing off.
“How did you meet your pack?” I asked.
A mischievous smile crossed her face. “I may have hit a rebellious streak once Ben was exiled. I started sneaking out and going to clubs in the city. The Designation Government wasn’t in power yet, of course, and omegas were allowed inside clubs even though it might not have been the safest place.”
That was the understatement of the century. I couldn’t imagine going to a club filled with alphas.
“Grayson was a bouncer at one of the clubs and when he saw I was there alone, he pulled me to the side and lectured me about ‘common sense and safety.’” She pitched her voice low in a spot-on impersonation of her alpha. “I just stood there perfuming like crazy because he was sooo hot. Finally, he took a breath and totally lost his train of thought.”
“What happened?” I asked, fascinated by this window into what things had been like before the Designation Government.
“We fucked in the bathroom,” she said dreamily.
“That’s not exactly how it happened,” Grayson grumbled as he and Matteo entered the living room again. This time, they both kept their distance.
“Oh, you want me to give more details like how I lifted my skirt and you—”
“No, no,” Grayson said hurriedly, his cheeks growing pink. Lilah winked at me.
I giggled. “You would get along so well with my friend Poppy.” Although the two of them together might give their alphas heart attacks.
“The rest was history. He was already packmates with Matteo, Raph, and Orion. I found Noah shortly after and added him to the collection.”
“Noah’s a beta?” I asked, curious. Pack Turro was the only pack I’d ever met with a beta.
“Yes, Orion, too, thank god. Can you imagine five alphas? Those two help keep us all calm.”
I scrunched my nose, glancing over at the tense way Grayson and Matteo kept a close watch over their omega.
“Umm…” I said, not wanting to point out the obvious.
“Well, calm for alphas,” she said with a giggle, turning to look at Grayson. “Honey cakes, you’ve got to calm your tits,” she shouted across the room. Grayson’s scowl deepened, sending an anxious shiver up my spine. But Lilah just turned back to me with a smile.
“I’m sure you’re used to it with Cam and Theo as your alphas. Have they mellowed out at all?”
I snorted.
“Ha, thought so,” she said.
“The meeting is going to start soon, kitten,” Grayson said, walking over to us. When he got close, he crouched down so he wouldn’t loom over me.
“Do you need help getting to the library?” he asked softly.
“I think I can do it,” I said, not ready to have another alpha touch me.
“You can lean on me,” Lilah said easily, helping me to my feet.
ChapterForty
Josie
We filed into the hidden library Donovan had shown me at the cocktail party. Today, there was a massive wooden table in the middle with maps and documents scattered on it.
