Page 39 of Claiming the Pack's Omega

“Wait, ReyReyRazzle?” Theo says, a grin tugging at his lips.

“You be quiet, I’m still pissed at you,” Reyna says.

“Are you—are you mad at me?” Milo asks, shifting his laptop in his lap as he remains facing her.

“Honestly? I’m mad at everyone here. You guys spied on me, lied to me, and now you’re having me become a traitor to be a witness in your case.” She sighs as she stares up at the roof of the car. “But you specifically? No. I guess not. You didn’t lie to my face.”

Milo seems to perk up at her comment, finally relaxing back into his seat.

“HackHorizon makes sense as a nickname if you found out shit like my address,” she shrugs. “I guess helping me fix my wifi was a walk in the park for you if you can do that shit. What’s your actual name?”

“Oh, Milo,” he says.

“Cool, now I know all your names.” Her gaze cuts back to me. “I take it you’re in charge here?”

“I am the pack leader.”

She nods, pursing her lips. “Did Theo tell you what I’m demanding in exchange for my cooperation?”

I glance at Theo in the rearview mirror and he shrugs. I guess he didn’t think they were important enough to mention in the brief text messages he was sending to arrange for us to pick them up.

“No, he didn’t. But I’m sure it’ll be a non-issue.”

“I want a house bought in my parents’ name. Big enough for all my siblings to have their own room. And I want them to go to good Northside schools.” She raises her head defiantly as if she’s ready to fight to get her conditions met and she’s expecting me to argue with her.

“Done,” I nod. “It’ll take time to close on a property that works for your family, but we’ll have them set up in one of our rental properties for the time being. Was that it?”

She blinks, taking a deep breath and leaning back, her shoulders deflating.

“Other than keeping me and them safe? Yes, that was it.”

I can imagine how our offering to buy her family a house and get them out of the Southside seems like a lot, especially considering the information Milo included in his report about her and the way they were barely scraping by, even from the income she was bringing in working the job that she did.

“You and your family’s safety is one of our priorities,” I say, trying to offer her some semblance of reassurance.

I’m not sure if she’s very receptive to any words I have right now, though. It’s obvious she doesn’t trust me. It’s unclear how much that has to do from our pack deceiving her and how much that comes from her wariness around councilmen.

My hands clench on the steering wheel in front of me as I imagine what could’ve brought about that look of disgust and fear she wore so plainly on her face.

“We’re almost to your house,” I say. “Does your family know about this plan?”

She bites her thumb anxiously, her expression falling. “No. No, they don’t. I—I guess I’ll have to explain everything to them.”

I nod. “I don’t mean to rush you, but we’ll have to move quick. Pack whatever you can, but whatever you can’t will have to be left behind.”

She rests her elbows on her knees as she covers her face, letting her hair form a curtain around her.

CHAPTER 12

Reyna

What the fuck am I going to tell my family? How is a daughter supposed to tell her parents “hey, I’ve actually been working as a prostitute for the past six years and there’s some nasty shit going down at work, so I’ve decided to sell my soul to this Northside pack! It’s not all bad, though, ‘cause now you guys get a house!”

I think this may be an original experience.

Dread fills my belly as I see the living room light on. My mom must’ve just gotten back from work.

“We’re here,” Killian says.