Page 18 of Bliss & Her Idols (Pack Bonds Omegaverse #10)

CHAPTER EIGHT

Knight Amphitheater, Haven

M y heart is beating too fast. My breathing is ragged.

“Three,” Stapleton repeats with a warning snarl. Jin jumps. “You asked for this, Idol.”

I hold my breath.

Is Stapleton truly going to break down the door?

The closet suddenly feels oppressively small and dark.

“Jin,” I whisper, hoping that I can get the Beta to know that I’m supporting him.

I have no idea what will happen next.

I tap the wolf clip in my hair, shaking it. It’s the signal to make sure my brothers are ready, in case they need to work out an emergency extraction plan for Cricket and me.

Cricket grasps my hand at the same time that he rests his other hand on Jin’s shoulder like he can hold onto or protect him.

Jin shrugs him off, however, refusing to look around at either of us.

He’s become a frosty Ice Dragon again. He pulls the identity around himself like a shield.

Jin wrenches the chair away from underneath the doorknob.

Then he yanks open the door. “It’s a miracle. I fixed it.”

I blink, as light painfully floods into the closet.

Instantly, Stapleton reaches into the small space, grasping Jin by the forearm and hauling him outside, as if he’s a criminal and not a star. “You’ve just lost the last of my goodwill. I had to call Rory about this.”

Jin winces. “Is he…?”

“You’ll find out.” Stapleton grimly drags Jin away through the now empty meeting room.

Jin doesn’t resist, even when Stapleton knocks him into a rank of chairs.

Jin stumbles, catching his feet. I narrow my eyes at how hard Stapleton is holding onto him.

“You can talk about it with him yourself, before you go on stage.”

It’s impossible to miss Jin’s fear, no matter how hard he’s trying to hide it.

Cricket lets out a sob.

I understand Cricket’s despair at watching Jin manhandled like this. Seeing it in clips online and suspecting his mistreatment by staff is one thing, but witnessing it ourselves is a thousand times harder.

Yet I’m not Chase.

I can’t take on a trained bodyguard.

I’m already failing as a journalist because I should be dispassionate and objective. I shouldn’t have become personally involved in the way that I have.

Yet I’m falling for Jin. I can’t deal with this case as a normal story.

At the same time, I know that there’s a huge case here, which is bigger than Jin, Cricket, and me.

I can feel it in my gut.

I can’t act as impulsively as Jin has done right now, no matter how much it feels like my soul is bleeding.

Shaky, I move to step out of the closet with Cricket. “He wants us to go and enjoy the concert. Let’s listen to the music.”

Suddenly, my route is blocked by a female Beta, who is vibrating with fury.

Her mean mouth is twisted into what I think is meant to be a smile, but it’s so fake that it’s terrifying.

Zoe, Jin’s supervisor.

Immediately, Cricket stiffens his shoulders. He stands firmly in front of me. He’s trembling, however, like he fully expects to be beaten.

Except, I won’t be intimidated by a Beta, especially not one who I know has sucked the joy out of the man I’ve admired for years.

Zoe has dimmed Jin’s light.

She’s not fucking dimming mine.

“You really should sort out these doors.” I meet her gaze challengingly. “It’s a health and safety nightmare.”

Zoe’s lip curls back in contempt. “What’s wrong with him?”

She jabs her finger at Cricket.

“He’s recovering from a panic attack,” I reply.

Since Cricket’s cheeks are tear stained and his curls are damp and plastered to his neck, while he’s also recovering from tonguing me, he looks like it’s true.

Zoe puffs out a frustrated breath. “On behalf of the Idol pack, I apologize. Creative Betas like Ice Dragon, when they’re under pressure, can be prone to manic episodes, you understand? Would you like him to be punished?”

“No,” Cricket and I exclaim at the same time.

She quirks her brow. “That’s up for your Alpha to decide.”

I take the opportunity to slide out my phone. “Good idea.”

I switch it on. My heart speeds up, as I phone Chase.

“Okay, Little Wolf?” Chase asks.

To anyone else, he’d sound calm.

I know my brother, however, and he’s enraged.

It’s amazing to hear his voice. It settles me. I wish that I could smell his reassuring pheromones as well.

This is my first field mission. I hadn’t realized how stressful it would be, especially when things don’t go to plan.

I have serious respect for Chase now, especially as in his last mission, he was cut off from outside support in the illegal underground cage fighting world. He had to be undercover with nobody having his back.

I am so fucking lucky that my Wolf brothers are my ride and dies, along with Lionzio.

Zoe snatches the phone from me. “Who am I speaking to?”

“Who am I speaking to?” Chase’s voice takes on the uber dominant tone that has most Alphas whimpering.

Zoe pales.

“S-s-sorry,” she stammers. “This is Zoe, one of the staff Betas from the Idol pack. I am here with Bliss Wolf and—”

“Is she okay? Has she been hurt?”

“P-p-please don’t worry. Your Omega hasn’t been hurt—"

“I’m not worried,” Chase says, frostily. “I just need to know whose throat to tear out, if anything bad has happened to her. So, has it?”

Zoe swallows.

Cricket is watching, fascinated. Slowly, he starts to grin.

“No, no, no. She’s simply had a little adventure.

You see, she met Ice Dragon at the special VIP meet and greet and well…

” Zoe licks her dry lips, trying to work out how to spin it.

“Your male Omega had a small…truly small…panic attack. Ice Dragon decided to calm him down for fifteen minutes in a closet. I fully understand if you want the Beta punished. Would you like to choose the implement?”

She says that like choosing the implement is a special treat for Alphas.

She almost drops the phone, when Chase bursts out laughing.

“Punished?” Chase chuckles. “Bliss is a fan of your Ice Dragon. He probably gave her the best fifteen minutes of her life. Is there an option to reward him? Can I choose that?”

I chuckle.

Zoe’s expression sours. “Thank you for your input.”

She abruptly cuts off the call.

Chills run down my spine, when she doesn’t pass me back my phone but slips it into her back pocket instead.

“Hey, that’s mine,” I protest. “Give it back.”

“Not yet. You’ll need to sign an NDA about this incident. We can’t have anything published about this, you understand.”

I cross my arms. “Pass.”

Zoe’s expression darkens.

She pulls out her own phone and swipes it on, before giving me a nasty smile.

“Hello, Stapleton?” Zoe never looks away from me, as she talks into the phone. “Send two of your team to me ASAP. They won’t sign the NDA.”

Then she turns off her phone.

In the silence, I take a steadying breath.

That’s a definite threat.

The twinkling lights of the meeting room feel oppressively bright now.

Cricket is glancing between us, uncertain. “Is Jin in trouble?”

“That’s none of your business.” Zoe drops her fake smile. Her true character is showing through. “Worry about yourself.”

“Don’t fucking talk to him like that,” I growl.

Zoe stares at me in shock. “Your Alpha allows you to cuss…?”

I give a dangerous smile. “You have no idea what my Alpha allows me to do.”

Zoe takes a frightened step backwards.

She should be scared .

Chase wasn’t bluffing about what he’d do to someone who hurt me.

Unfortunately, the two security team stalk into the room. They’re both muscled and dressed in dark suits with guns holstered at their waists. They’re also twice the size of Cricket and me.

Zoe tilts up her chin and tries to act like a moment before, she hadn’t been retreating from an Omega.

“Defiant.” Zoe’s gaze settles on the Rej bracelet at my wrist. “I suppose that I was expecting too much from two Rejects.”

“Don’t fucking talk to her like that either.” Cricket’s voice is harder than I’ve heard him speak before.

His eyes are flashing with rage, and his hands are clasped at his side.

“Pretty but rebellious.” When Zoe reaches out to stroke a finger down Cricket’s cheek, I bat away her hand. “If my Omega acted like you, then he wouldn’t sit down for a week.”

“And if I was ever unlucky enough to be bonded to a Beta who treated me like that,” Cricket furiously wipes his cheeks free of tear tracks, “then I now know that they’d be an abusive piece of shit.”

My eyes widen.

Cricket is cussing now without encouragement.

He also called Zoe out.

Inside, I’m cheering.

Cricket lived with a pack who did treat him like that. They attempted to bond him with a pack who would have been just as bad.

I love that he’s beginning to understand that it doesn’t need to be that way.

“You little…” Zoe twists furiously to the men in suits. “Grab his arms.”

“Hey,” I protest, raising my fists to protect Cricket.

But Zoe blocks me.

“Sign the NDA. Then you can both go and enjoy this concert like nothing happened.” Zoe holds her phone up in front of me, scrolling through the options.

“Otherwise…” She gestures at the security team who are holding tightly onto Cricket.

“You heard how rebellious he was. You’re witnesses.

Have the Rej transferred to the Omega Institute for questioning. ”