There were two alphas waiting for us. My heart rate picked up at their dark gray uniforms, similar to the ones worn by the Designation Government guards. They also had rifles strapped to their backs.
“Are you alright, sweetheart?” Liam asked, hugging me to his side.
“You guys won’t leave me, right?” I hated how small I sounded. My body was tense as I tried to shove my memories of the Designation Academy back in the small metal box in my mind. Now was not the time to fall apart. And even ifthese alphas looked similar, they weren’t part of the Designation Government.
“We’re not fucking leaving you,” Gray said, turning in his seat to face me. “We’ll handle this together and be on our way.”
The firmness in his tone settled me, and I nodded.
One of the alpha guards rapped on the window and I jumped, a whine slipping from my lips. “Exit the vehicle now.”
“Everything will be fine,” Henry said quickly, looking back at me from the front seat.
Bear helped me out of the car and all my guys gathered around me, blocking me from the guards.
“I’m Agent Clane and this is Agent Cannon,” one alpha said. “The omega needs to come with us.”
Ice ran through my veins. I glanced up at Liam, who wrapped a protective arm around me, a rumble going through his chest.
“This is our pack’s omega,” Henry said, stepping forward. “According to the new Omega Guidelines, particularly subsection 3.4, omegas are not to be separated from their packs.”
The two agents fixed their annoyed gazes on Henry. “What are you, a lawyer?” Agent Cannon asked.
“Yes.” Henry pulled something out of his wallet. “Here’s my law card.”
The alphas didn’t take the card, a deep scowl on his face. “Fine, follow us.”
Henry and Gray walked ahead of us until we were all in a small windowless room with a metal table. It felt like an interrogation room. I squeezed Liam and Bear’s hands hard. The space was saturated with the scents of the alpha agents—onion and bananas—and my omega hated it. I pressed my nose into Bear’s chest and took a deep breath, fighting the urge to whine.
“You’re okay, baby,” he murmured.
Agent Clane cleared his throat, making me jump. “According to our system, you’re not registered as a bonded pack.”
“We’re a new pack,” Henry said. “We haven’t bonded yet.”
“Not likeyou’llbe bonding her, beta,” Agent Cannon said with a nasty sneer.
Rage fluttered in my chest at the anti-beta sentiment. I opened my mouth to say something, but Liam squeezed my hand in warning.
“Why would an omega be leaving Luna?” Agent Clane asked. He addressed the question to Gray instead of me, and I gritted my teeth to keep from snapping at him.
“We are visiting Henry’s family,” Gray said smoothly. “All part of the courting process, you understand.”
Agent Cannon finally deigned to look at me, but I quickly wished he hadn’t. His gaze was heavy, and he licked his lips. “Your guardians are listed as Pack Matthews. Why aren’t they traveling with you?”
“I’m twenty-five years old and the law no longer requires me to have guardians,” I said, keeping my voice even. “I’m allowed to travel wherever I want to go.”
“That’s not quite true,” the agent responded, a slow smile spreading across his face. “If we believe an omega is being mistreated, we have every right to bar her exit from Luna.”
“But I’m not being mistreated,” I said, heat rising in my voice. Liam squeezed my hand again, but I didn’t want to stay quiet.
Henry cleared his throat. “I think you’ll find, pursuant to code 504.183, that only applies to credible claims of abuse made by the Omega Center, the authorities, or the omega herself. Furthermore, code 238.41 outlines the ramifications of barring an omega from engaging in free travel according to the Inter-Provincial Pact. I’m sure you don’t want to find yourselves caught up in a lengthy tribunal process.”
My lips parted as I took in Henry in all his lawyer glory. Who knew hearing him spout legal jargon would get me hot, but I found myself having to hold myself back from jumping in his arms and demanding he fuck me. His face was impassive, the only tell that he was feeling anything other than calm was the subtle clench in his jaw. He crossed his arms and stared down at the two guards, who looked decidedly nervous.
Agent Cannon cleared his throat and shuffled some papers on his desk. “Well, we just need to make sure everything’s above board.” His eyes raked over me again. I stepped forward, ignoring the way Gray and Liam tried to hold me back.
“Agent Cannon, right?” I asked, making my voice as sultry as possible. I wished I had worn something nicer than sweatpants today. “I’msograteful that two strong alphas like yourself are looking out for omegas like me. I don’t know anything about all these fancy laws. I just know that my pack promised me a vacation and…” I forced my bottom lip to tremble as I sniffed. “And I don’t want to be separated from them. I don’t know what I would do alone.” I blinked quickly, this time to force tears down my cheeks.
