Matteo’s damp hair fell into his face and Lilah reached up to brush it back as he kissed her on the cheek.
“Let’s see…” he said, thrumming his fingers on the back of the couch. “Free the Alliance?”
“Oh my god, brilliant,” Lilah said, beaming up at him. Matteo smiled, practically glowing from the praise. “Those of us in the know will know it stands for Fuck These Assholes…” Matteo choked, covering his mouth so he didn’t spit out the sip of coffee he’d just taken. “But everyone else will think it stands for Free the Alliance.”
I grinned. “You’re so much like Ben. We’ve talked about opening a bakery together, and he suggested we combine our initials and call it BJ.”
Lilah laughed, relaxing against Noah. “Classic,” she said. “But that’s amazing! Do you bake?”
“A bit, but not like Ben does. He thinks I could help with marketing and stuff,” I said, mumbling that last part and feeling more than a little inadequate.
“That’s incredible! You know, now that you mention it, I remember Ben being interested in baking and cooking growing up, but of course, our fathers would have thrown a fit if he had ever done something so domestic and demeaning.” Lilah rolled her eyes, but I caught the tense set of her shoulders as she talked about her upbringing. Matteo must have sensed it, too, because he leaned over the back of the couch to whisper something in her ear, causing her to relax and melt into him.
“Anyway, we’ll have to come back to visit when you open the bakery,” she said.
“If you need any help with marketing or a business plan, I’m sure Raph would be happy to help,” Noah said, leaning forward to meet my gaze.
I had half expected everyone to ridicule my idea and tell me I had no place helping open a business, but none of them seemed phased. A warmth settled in my chest. What if we could free the province and be like Sol? Would people eventually start believing omegas were capable?
“That’s a great idea. He owns like a dozen businesses,” Lilah said. Then she frowned as she looked around. “Where is Raph?”
“Meeting with Amirah,” Grayson said. “I just came out here for food, but I should get back to them. You going to be okay, kitten?” he asked, nodding at the TV. It was almost 9 o’clock and I felt myself shrinking into the couch.
“Only if you come give me a kiss,” she said.
Grayson obliged his omega’s request with a smile before leaving.
“Should I turn the sound on?” Gerald asked, picking up the remote. A reporter on the screen stood in front of the downtown courthouse.
I nodded and set the food on the table in front of me. My stomach was too twisted up to eat.
“Hundreds are packed outside the courthouse today for the much-anticipated trial of Pack Ashwood. Cameron, Theodore, and Benjamin Ashwood have been a pack for fifteen years. They are charged with three felony counts, including treason, conspiring against the government, and violating alpha standards set out by the Designation Laws. Their actions resulted in the removal of their omega, Josephine Porter, just last week. Ms. Porter is the daughter of Senate majority leader Jericho Porter and business owner Richard Porter.”
The camera panned over to show a group of protestors with signs that said “Free Pack Ashwood” and “Omega Rights Now.”
“As you can see,” the reporter continued, “Protestors have gathered outside the courthouse here. Governor Jacoby called in the national guard last night to maintain law and order. These radicals support Pack Ashwood and believe society would be better off without our natural designations. They want to dismantle our entire system and let chaos reign.”
“Good fucking grief,” Orion said with disgust, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees.
“Well, he’s not totally wrong,” Matteo muttered, squeezing Lilah’s shoulder from his spot behind the couch. “Wouldn’t mind some chaos reigning.”
The camera switched to a view inside the courtroom. Every seat was filled with spectators, and a crush of reporters lined the back. I felt a wave of nausea at the idea of these people viewing the court case as a source of entertainment.
The rest of the room details blurred in my vision as I repeatedly scanned the screen for any sign of Cam, Ben, and Theo.
The camera zoomed in on the side door. My breath stopped as it opened and my alphas entered the courtroom. I whined at the wall of guards surrounding them, blocking them from view. The guards led them to three separate tables towards the front of the courtroom, probably so they couldn’t talk to each other. My heart hurt at the thought of them being separated. This whole time I had imagined them imprisoned together, but of course, they kept them apart.
The guards finally stepped back, revealing my three alphas. I choked on a sob, pressing my lips together to stop any noise from coming out. Cam’s face was the worst—bruised and beaten. His wrists were wrapped in gauze under his handcuffs. Theo leaned awkwardly against his table, making me suspect they had injured his ribs. Ben seemed physically unharmed, but his expression scared the shit out of me—there was no lightness, no happiness there. Instead, he wore a flat, dead expression.
“No,” I whimpered. Lilah’s grip on my hand was so tight it hurt.
“It’s okay,” Gerald murmured, pressing my face to his shoulder. “They’re strong.”
But his words fell flat. There was a ringing in my ears and I couldn’t hear anything being said. The judge’s lips moved, but I only cared about my alphas. It was torture to see them like this, but I couldn’t,wouldn’t, look away. After days believing they were dead, any glimpse of them was worth whatever emotional agony it might cause me.
A thread of guilt wormed its way through me. I was here, safe and surrounded by friends while they were in prison because of me. Because of Glen’s obsession and my fathers’ need to control me.My fault. I would trade spots with them in an instant if I could. Even now, I could imagine their furious reactions to the idea.
Sam sat on the floor between Gerald’s legs, jolting me back to reality. He reached up to take my hand, the warmth of his touch grounding me.
