Page 54 of Claiming the Pack’s Omega (Riverwell Omegaverse #2)

Reyna

M y phone rings and I lift my head from Stone's chest to see who's calling. Theo's name flashes across the screen.

I glance up at Stone, who just shrugs.

"I'm going to pick up, that okay?"

"Go for it, no need to ask me for permission, Wildflower."

I answer the call and put the phone to my ear.

"Hey, Spitfire, how're you doing?" Theo asks.

"I'm doing good, I'm just with Stone right now. What's going on?"

"I was wondering whether you were willing to come down to the office to start working on things for the case. I can swing back home and pick you up and we can grab the meds you need from the pharmacy on the way back."

"I mean, sure, I didn't have anything else planned for the day. What will working on the case look like?"

"I'm not the only one working on this case.

There's a whole team on it, but you'll only meet two others today, Selene and Andy.

We're just going to give you an overview of the case and go over what to expect when you testify.

It'll also be so we can get a better sense of what information you have and how your knowledge can help the case, does that make sense? "

A wave of nervousness hits me. It's a little unexpected. I've always known that my testimony in this case was the whole reason the Graylock Pack was interested in me in the first place, so I'm not quite sure why there's a part of me freaking out.

Is it the mention of other lawyers? I'm pretty sure I can handle preparing for my testimony with just Theo, but the thought of two other random Northside strangers there is putting me on edge.

Maybe it's also the fact that testifying in this court will actually make me the traitor that the Sorel Family has labeled me as. I'm not just using the Graylock Pack's generosity to get what I want anymore, I'm actively working against all the systems I've been a part of for years.

Stone must notice the slightly bitter change in my petrichor scent because his chest starts to vibrate with an almost inaudible purr. Even though I can barely hear it, it still soothes my frayed nerves.

"It does, should I get ready now?"

"That would be awesome, I'll be at the house in an hour."

"I'll be ready by then. See you soon, Theo."

"See you soon, Spitfire."

My head flops down onto Stone's chest again as I toss my phone away.

"Everything will be okay," Stone murmurs softly, his chest continuing to vibrate with his purr.

"Will it, though?"

"It will," he says. "Tell me, why're you nervous?"

"Wouldn't you be nervous as hell if you were the star witness to take down some of the most important Northside figures? I spent basically my entire life hating the Northside because of how fucked things are in the Southside, and now I'm helping you guys, you know?"

I can feel my pulse pounding through my entire body, from my cheeks to my fingertips, all the way down to my toes.

"And not all Northsiders are as nice as you and the rest of the pack." I can feel the burn of tears behind my eyes, but I do my best to blink them away. "I was a whore. An actual whore. I slept with alphas for money. You know as well as I do that I'm going to be torn apart on that fucking stand."

Stone purses his lips before he sighs and nods slowly.

"You will be. I'm not going to lie to you."

I collapse back down onto his chest, his words and confirmation of my worries knocking the wind out of me.

"You didn't let me finish," he murmurs, his hand coming up to massage the back of my neck gently.

"Well then, finish," I huff, burying my face in his chest and soaking myself in his comforting spicy pepper scent.

"You're right that they're going to try to tear you down, but they don't know you.

They don't know how strong you are. They don't know the fire people have tried to put out that still burns inside of you.

I could tell you were a fighter from the first conversation we had, Wildflower.

You've fought so fucking hard to take care of the people you care about.

And you've succeeded. Look at where your family is now, because of you. "

My throat grows tight and I shut my eyes. I'm losing the battle against my tears.

"But what if I don't want to be strong anymore," I say, my voice a barely audible, strained whisper. "I've fought for so fucking long, I'm tired, Stone. I'm sick and tired of fighting all the time."

"Fuck," Stone whispers. His next inhale is shaky, as if he's fighting to hold himself together, too.

"I'm so sorry, Wildflower. But you've gotta be strong for a little bit longer.

Then you never have to fight again. I promise you that.

You'll live a life of luxury where you never have to do anything you don't want to do. "

"Really?" I ask, my voice soft and almost childlike.

"Really," he says. "God, if I could wave my hand and get rid of all this bullshit so you didn't have to testify, I would. God, I would."

I swallow hard before I shake my head.

"But you can't. This—this is important."

I wipe away the few tears that have fallen as I lift my head from Stone's chest.

"I've always been a fighter," I say. "But there are plenty of other omegas who aren't. I'm not just fighting for myself with this case. I'm fighting for all the girls who can't."

"That's right," Stone says, reaching up and cupping my face with his large, calloused hand. "And you're not fighting alone anymore. We're going to be with you every step of the way.”

"Yeah," I say, nodding as I take a deep breath. "Even when I'm on the stand, Theo's going to be right there."

"We'll all be in the courtroom."

"Okay, I should get ready. You guys might not have any complaints about this outfit," I say, waving down to my pajamas, "But I want to be a bit more put together, if I'm going to be in front of other lawyers."

"You go get ready," Stone nods, leaning up and brushing his lips against mine.

"You get some more rest. You're tired, I can see it," I say. "It's okay for you to rest."

"Thank you, Wildflower."

I dig through my duffel bag of clothes and only find one outfit that's even remotely appropriate to wear to speak with lawyers.

Most of my clothes are leggings and thin T-shirts I've had for years.

Or they're my club clothes. I don't quite know why I brought those with me.

Maybe because I had the room in my duffel to fill. I don't have a lot of clothes.

I should ask the guys for some help getting new clothes. If Stone says they're willing to buy me a car when I'm not on the Sorel Family's shit list, then I'm sure they'd be willing to help me get some clothing.

I settle on a pair of jeans with a long sleeved sweater my mom got me for Christmas a few years ago. As I stand in front of my bathroom mirror, my makeup spread around the sink, I find myself putting on more than I have recently. Makeup has been my armor and I'm going to battle today.

"Honey, I'm home!" Theo says as he knocks on my bedroom door.

I roll my eyes, fighting back a bit of laughter.

"Come in!" I say, spraying my hair with a bit of hairspray to lock the loose barrel curls in place.

"You ready to go?" Theo asks, leaning against the bathroom doorframe.

Damn, does he fill out a suit well. It's kind of ridiculous how good he looks right now. If we didn't have something we had to go do, I'd consider jumping his bones.

"Yup," I say, unplugging my curling iron.

"You're beautiful," he murmurs as I pass him.

His smoked cardamom scent fills my nostrils and I let out a little hum as I look over my shoulder at him.

His eyes are wide. I don't miss the way they darken with desire.

"So... you and Stone, huh?"

"What, are you jealous?"

"Jealous? No. I love his scent all over you," he says, taking a step towards me and gripping my hip. He lowers his head down so I can feel his hot breath against my ear. "I just would've wanted to be there to watch."

A shiver runs down my spine.

"We—we didn't fuck," I breathe out.

"Knowing Stone, he probably just ate you out," Theo chuckles.

I jerk my head back to blink up at him.

"I'll take that look to mean that's exactly what you guys did." The knowing smirk that tugs at his lips makes me want to roll my eyes. Or kiss him. Or both.

"Actually, I sat on his face," I huff, crossing my arms over my chest. "So you're wrong, Mr. Lawyer. Aren't semantics your bread and butter?"

"Ah, you're right, I should've been more specific," Theo murmurs as he runs his nose up along the column of my neck.

His hand comes up and tangles in my hair along the base of my scalp, and he uses his hold on me to angle my head just the way he wants to. I feel the slight scrape of his five o'clock shadow along my neck as he scent marks me.

God, I may need to change my panties. What the hell, why is he so hot?

Scent marking is an intimate action, in and of itself, but the way Theo took charge took it to a whole other level.

"Let's get going, then," Theo says, a purr vibrating from his chest.

"Fuck you,"I breathe out. The words have no bite to them, but I have to say something considering I feel like I'm going to melt into a puddle and he seems like he's completely unaffected.

"All in good time," he winks.

I narrow my eyes at him. "Well, then I should've said fuck off!"

"But you didn't. So I think you like me."

He laces his hands with mine and nods.

"Do you need anything before we go?"

"No, I think I'm fine. Do I look okay?"

"Like I said, you're beautiful."

"Okay, but do I look beautiful. There's a difference."

"Spitfire, I said you are beautiful. That encompasses you looking beautiful, but I also think it speaks on something deeper than just looks.

But yes, if you need an answer, you look fantastic.

I love it when you do your hair like this," he says, his voice and expression going soft as he sees the tension lining my shoulders.

"Okay," I nod, taking a shaky breath. "Thank you, we can go now."