Page 21 of A Baby for the Beast (Beastverse #3)
"We don't need to fight anymore," I tell her, cupping her face between my hands. "It was the only thing that helped to keep Remus calm. He doesn't need it now."
"But he's really good at it and you both like it," Hayley says, her voice cracking as her tears fall down her cheeks. I brush them away with my thumbs, ignoring Remus's grumbling about how pretty she looks with them there.
"We were already looking at leaving," I tell her, hoping she doesn't give me too hard a time for keeping that from her.
"Not fighting all together. We're looking at offering training at the gym, and there's a kids' class that needs a teacher.
I've filled in before when their trainer was on vacation, but now it could be permanent. "
"But the title fight?" Hayley blubbers.
I feel bad for her because her emotions are all over the place, but she's so cute when she worries about me.
I tuck her back against my chest, purring and trying very hard to ignore the fact that our lawyer is listening to the horrible sound I'm producing.
Thankfully, she's pretending to flip some of her other papers, or maybe she really is doing work because she's scratching notes onto some of the pages.
Either way, she doesn't comment or react to my purr, which is good because I'm already self-conscious enough about it.
"I couldn't care less about the title fight," I tell her.
"I only agreed to it because he smelled like you when he challenged me.
I'd just beaten him while he smelled like my omega.
My omega who he left in the middle of her heat.
And he wasn't going back to help you, he didn't care, and it made me mad. So I agreed to fight him."
Hayley nuzzles closer to my chest. "You didn't even know me yet."
"Doesn't mean I didn't want to kick his ass for how he treated you," I say, holding the back of her neck, liking her nose pressed right up against my chest. I don't even care about the little pools of wetness she's leaving on my shirt.
It pisses me off that they're evidence that Kyle upset her, but it also shows who she goes to for comfort, who she feels safe enough to lose herself in.
"I'm sorry to have brought all of this on you," she says, sniffling one final time before pushing away and wiping her eyes.
I fish one of the tissues out of my pocket and hand it to her. Her cheeks pinken at my care, and I can't help but puff my chest at how good I am at reading my omega's needs.
"Okay, I'm going to get all of this drafted, and then we'll reconvene the meeting–" Our lawyer stops talking as she taps on something on her cell phone, her brows tugging together.
My phone buzzes in my pocket rapidly, three texts coming in all at once, and then a few more right after. Gloria looks at me, back at her phone, and then takes a deep breath.
"We need to reschedule this for another day."
"What's going on?" Hayley asks, leaning toward our lawyer, who presses her lips together before showing us her phone screen.
It's an article titled: 'Kyle Ward: bad partner or serial predator?
' The image below the title is a still from a video shot in the gym where I train, and in it, Hayley is red-faced and talking into her phone.
Hayley reads the article while I pull out my phone, unsurprised that I have a handful of messages from Jace and a couple from my brother. I click on Jace's, finding the video is sent in its entirety as the first message.
I press play, watching as Hayley gives whoever's on the other end of the line an earful about what he did to her and how she's willing to go scorched earth if he doesn't do what she says.
I only heard the last little bit of what Hayley was saying to Kyle that day before I spoke to him.
Listening to all of it now, my mate is strong, much stronger than anyone has given her credit for.
But she shouldn't have to be this strong.
Of course, the video continues as I come into frame wearing just a towel, which does nothing to hide my erection when I get close to my mate. I inwardly groan at that, but don't voice it because Hayley's the one being exposed in it more.
"Who took this?" Hayley asks me as the video loops back around.
I try to rack my brain for who was there that day, but all of the days at the gym are usually the same set of guys.
Any of them could've taken the video, but I don't know why any of them would post it.
Sure, it makes Kyle look like an even bigger ass, but it's also a violation of my omega.
She didn't agree to being filmed or to having it spread on the internet.
"I don't know, but I'll find out," I tell her. "I will find out."
"This might work out in our favor," Gloria says, but when I cut her a look that tells her we're not happy about this leak, she gives me a short nod and stops talking.
I don't care if it helps us out. It's putting my omega back in the spotlight, and she doesn't want to be there.
"We're going home," I say, gathering our things, not that we brought much.
Still, I want to get us out of here before this information spreads any further. I need Hayley back at home where I can keep her safe, where I can hold her and promise her that I'll handle everything.
"Send us over the documentation when you get it finished, and email me the next meeting."
"Will do," Gloria says, shuffling her papers into her briefcase. "I'll find Mr. Ward and his representative and let them know we'll need to reschedule."
I push out of the conference room door, wanting to get Hayley in the elevator before Kyle or his attorney finds out about the video and the article.
Of course, our luck isn't that good, and while we're waiting for it, Kyle comes fuming down the hall, face red, hair mussed from where it looks like he's been running his hands through it.
"You fucking bitch!" he screams when he sees us, and that's the absolute worst thing he can do right now.
Remus is out before I can remind him we're not murdering anyone today.
He pushes Hayley behind us, his body tense, ready for a fight.
Kyle isn't thinking straight, or he's too lost in his anger after seeing the video, seeing himself for what he is.
A predator that can't hide behind his online persona anymore.
His eyes flash gold, his beast taking hold of his body, and Remus's lips twitch at the promise of a fight.
If he hits me first, it's self-defense, right?
He doesn't get a chance to find out because security officers come out from who knows where.
Either our lawyer noticed and called them, or Kyle's lawyer did.
Either way, a half dozen alphas who all look like they'd much rather not be between strong beasts, force themselves between us.
Two of them are on me, holding me back even though Remus isn't struggling against them at all.
Kyle is a whole other story. He's fighting against them, gnashing teeth and loud growls as two of them hold him against the hall wall.
" I will fucking kill you, you stupid bitch! You're ruining my life! " Kyle screams as they haul him further down the hall.
Remus keeps a hand on Hayley, making sure she isn't trying to slip away from us, as he watches Kyle's figure disappearing down the hall, followed by the other four guards.
The two on Remus let him go when Kyle disappears.
They avert their eyes, tilting their heads, but Remus doesn't pay them any attention.
The elevator dings behind us, and he pushes Hayley into it, not looking away from the hall where Kyle was taken. He threatened our mate, threatened our family, and he's going to pay for it. I don't know how just yet, but he will.
The elevator closes, and once it starts moving down, Remus spins around to face Hayley.
She isn't crying, no, our sweet girl is pissed.
One hand holding her abdomen in a protective cradle, the other on us, like she feels the need to calm us with her touch.
Remus scans over her features, making sure she's okay, before he leans down and sniffs at her neck, right over his bite.
"Yours," Hayley says, strength in her voice that we hate that she has to have.
" Yours, " Remus repeats, his hand resting over hers on her abdomen. " Do you trust me? "
Hayley smiles, and even through all of this, through all she's been through today, she's still the bright thing in our life. "Always."
" Good omega, " Remus purrs.
Now we need to make sure that we're worthy of that trust.