“We’ll start our own company,” Magnus grumbles.
“And wait for Hestia to finish her training with another team? Because we certainly can’t ask her to leave the Rescuers when she’s so close to getting certified,” Henri says.
“We’ll have her reassigned to another station in the Fossfells. I’m sure whichever team she gets will let us move nearby so we can stay with her. Everyone here knows us, they’ll see we didn’t take advantage of our position to be with her,” Charm says.
“You’re really ready to accept that we have to quit?” I ask.
“Of course. Unless you’ve thought of another way to openly be with our mate,” Henri says.
They stare at me as if it’s obvious what we have to do.
“No, I haven’t. I just needed to make sure you’re prepared for this. I don’t want to spend another day denying what she means to us,” I say.
Their agreement is a weight off my mind. We’d discussed what to do if our relationship was ever found out, but that was a backup plan.Choosingto reveal our relationship and asking my packmates to quit or be terminated is a bigger demand.
I want to protect them, but I don’t see any other way to do this. The five of us will take the consequences of breaking the rules. I’m happy to do so, I’d never want to get in the way of Hestia’s dreams. I only wish I could take on all of it rather than forcing my packmates to shoulder the fallout too.
“I checked and none of the other teams left for the holidays. They should be able to cover our area until HR assigns someone to our station. We’ll figure out our living situation once we see where they send Hestia. I don’t want to wait another day to do this, so I’m going to contact Alana tonight. I’ll take care of the call now that I know you all agree,” I say.
“You’re not doing this alone,” Magnus says.
“There’s no need for you to be there, I can explain everything,” I say.
“Don’t be stupid,” Cato growls, his alpha in his eyes.
“This is about our personal life, not the team. We’ll all be there,” Charm says.
“You’re not the only one who wants to protect Hestia,” Henri says.
Magnus cuts me off before I can argue again. “Are youupset that this will affect our careers? We’re adults, we can make our own decisions. It isn’t on you to save us.”
“Of course I’m not happy you’ll lose your jobs! And I can’t do anything about it,” I say.
That’s the crux of the issue. I’m failing everyone, hiding our omega when we should be proudly showing her off, breaking the rules and getting my packmates fired.
“It’s worth it to be with Hestia. We have plenty of money. We’ll be fine, Orion,” Charm says.
“I know. I just wish I could protect you too,” I say.
“Too bad. We’re a pack, we’re in this together,” he says.
I bark a laugh.
I suppose I should accept there are limits to what I can do. Besides, worrying won’t result in a different outcome.
“Speaking of which, Hestia should be here for this,” Henri says.
“She’s pack,” Cato says, nodding.
I sigh and say, “You’re right.”
I didn’t want Hestia to be upset that we’re quitting, but it’s not really protecting her if we’re making pack decisions without her.
“Except we’re not allowing her to quit,” Henri quickly adds.
“No, of course not. That’s different,” I say, and the others agree.
We’re not going to allow our omega to give up on her dreams.
