I don’t know what I want anymore, or who I’m going to be when this is all over.
Chapter 29
Madi
All I fucking wanted was to come home and lie down alone in my nest for a little while. Now we’re fighting. I can understand they’re protective of me. It’s instinct, a biological drive they can’t control— but it’s too much right now.
Harper’s apartment is above her art gallery, on the second floor of a beautiful white building. Luxury shops line the bottom level, with a private entrance for residents. The inside has marble floors and fine art on the walls.
A beta security guard opens the front door for me, with two more in the lobby on each side of the overnight attendant watching us. It’s the exact place I know my alphas want me in. Top of the line security, constant supervision.
It’s probably where I should have been living since I presented, but there was never an issue like Jensen before. Now I have to move. Another thing to add to the list of upheavals in my current life.
My scent matches surround me. It’s both comforting and unnecessary.
Hunter's voice is gentle. “Please reach out if you needanything.”
I take a deep breath. “I’m sorry I called you guys. I didn’t mean to add all this chaos to your evening. I should have called the Omega Protection Services. I’ll do so in the morning to report him.”
“There’s a reason your first instinct was to call us, and you were right to follow that,” Hunter says in a devastated tone. “Fuck, Madi, all we want to do is protect you. You’re making that kinda hard right now.”
He takes a step closer to me, but I step back.
“Well, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all week, but you three areblindedby the fact that I smell good and we have fun fucking. I’m not going to be an easy omega. Ever. Which is why I wanted to be by myself. I can be as stubborn or selfish or stupid as I want to be when there’s no one to get hurt by it. Things willalwaysbe difficult when it comes to me.”
“But you’re worth the effort,” Zachary interjects. “We don’t need easy, we wantyou,in whatever way you will have us."
I want so badly to believe that.
The elevator door opens and a flustered Harper arrives in a fluffy yellow robe. Her red hair is in a loose braid, her sleep mask still on her head. The relief of seeing her is crushing and we collide in a hug in the middle of the lobby.
“What’s going on?” she demands, although I’m not sure if she wants answers from me or from them.
“She was attacked outside of her apartment by a former alpha,” Hunter answers for me. “Her place is no longer safe.”
Harper lets go of me and holds my face in her hands. “Are you okay?”
She has always hated my apartment, afraid of this exactsituation for me. She’s offered to pay for me to live here with her before, but I know she would never sayI told you so.
“Yeah.” Although my tear-streaked face is a more honest answer to that question.
“How long are you planning on staying here?” Alric asks.
Harper gives him a scrutinizing look. “As long as she needs it.”
He pulls his wallet from his pocket and hands me the black credit card I’d given back to him the night I’d walked out of the restaurant. “Madeline?—”
“You don’t need to give me that.”
He pleads with me. “You’ll need a long-term plan. Your stubbornness is as admirable as it is infuriating, but no matter what, you can’t return to staying at your old place. We’ve been paying your rent for the last year, and I’ll continue to do so until you are somewhere safe. Think about this when you’ve had time to rest and I know you’ll agree it’s the best option.”
I mumble out a thank you, taking it because I don’t want to stress them out more. Plus, my wallet is at the bottom of the Aegean Sea. “Now, I think it’s best if you all leave.”
The three of them take a step forward, all ready to argue, but think better of it. They seem so defeated, which is exactly how I feel, even if the feeling comes from different places.
I stare at my shoes. “Thank you for coming when I called. I appreciate it, even if I’m not very good at showing it right now. I’ll keep you updated on the situation.”
Harper takes one of my bags from me and wraps her other arm around my shoulders, leading me back to the elevators. When we finally get up to her place, I can hear Bellini’s little meows. As soon as I’m through the door, I collapse onto the floor, scooping up my baby and holding her to my chest. “Mama’s back, my sweet girl.”
