Page 36

Chapter 36

Ava

I offer to clean up breakfast while the men deal with their lawyer.

At first my Alphas protest, insisting that I’m still recovering from my heat, but I put my foot down. I want to feel helpful, and it’s not like there’s really anything I can do with the Marcus issue.

I clean up the kitchen, while the Alphas call their lawyers first and foremost.

They stay in the kitchen while they do it, which I appreciate. I’m pretty sure they do it specifically because they know it’ll help me to overhear the plans and know what next steps we can take.

“Unfortunately, boys, there’s nothing we can do without proof,” one of the lawyers explains.

It’s odd to hear someone call my Alphas ‘boys’ when I know they’re such men, but this lawyer is in his eighties if he’s a day, and so I suppose he has a right to call just about anyone he wants ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ or anything else if he feels like it.

“You need to get proof that he got this from your company before I can pursue legal action.”

“I think the fact that he has the exact schematics and designs that we have, down to a ‘t’, proves that,” Ethan points out.

“You’d think so. In a world of common sense, it does. But this isn’t about common sense. The law is about proving beyond a reasonable doubt. You have to convince a court with more hard facts than you’d use to convince your neighbor. I know it sucks when you’re on this end of things, but that’s how it has to be so everyone is treated fairly.”

I can think of quite a few things to say to that, but I keep my mouth shut. I probably shouldn’t even technically be in the room for this conversation.

“What do we do, then?” Caleb asks, while Garrett and Dante silently fume.

“You’ll have to do an internal investigation,” another layer pipes in. “But as subtly as possible. If your man figures out that something is happening, he’ll spook. And someone quitting on you or suddenly taking a vacation isn’t enough to nail him. He’ll take any proof with him and then we’ll be up a creek without a paddle.”

“Once we have proof that he did in fact steal from you,” the first lawyer says, “you can sue him and your employee.”

“All right, thank you,” Dante says, ending the call. “We’ll be in touch when we have something.”

The call ends and the men all look at each other, frustration clear on their faces.

“Now what do we do?” I ask, drying my hands off on a kitchen towel.

They frown at me. “We need to look into everything we can at the company to find evidence that data’s been sent out to Marcus or someone on his team,” Ethan says.

“Great. Where do you want me, coach?”

“Wait, you want to help?” Garrett sounds confused.

“It’s not your fault,” Caleb says quietly, accurately guessing the source of my discomfort.

“I know that. But I’m determined to do my part. Marcus might have already wanted to try out some corporate espionage but I think we all know that he really stepped up his game because of me. Because he wants to hurt me, and hurt you all for having me and keeping me from him.”

I fold my arms, determined. “You can’t leave me out of this. Put me in, coach.”

Dante chuckles. “All right. If you really insist. It’ll be helpful to have another pair of eyes on this thing.”

I grin in relief. “Then let’s get started.”

Over the next few days, I spend what feels like just about every waking moment poring over records, combing through files and every email sent from one of the company servers or accounts, and double-checking finances.

It’s mind-numbing at times, I admit. But I’m not going to lose focus. We need to find out who did this and who betrayed my Alphas.

Part of it is the lingering guilt and upset. Part of it is a matter of principle. But part of it, honestly, is also anger.

These are my Alphas. They’re good men, and they take good care of their company. They treat their employees with respect and consideration and give them everything a boss should: time off, vacations, sick days, health care, good wages, and end-of-year bonuses.

They’re good bosses who care about their employees and treat them like family, and one of those people went and fucking betrayed them. I can’t wrap my head around what kind of person would do something like that, but I almost don’t care. I just care about making sure this person is found and brought to justice.

My Alphas deserve better than what’s happened to them. And I know that it weighs on them.

They don’t neglect me. Far from it. I’m the one who has to be pulled away from the work and reminded to do things like sleep and eat. At least one of them is always happy to distract me with lips on my neck and a hand up my shirt.

And I’m definitely happy to be distracted.

If anything, it’s almost like a reverse of my heat. During those days, I needed a knot, and I needed my Alphas. Now, it’s like they need me to help them stay grounded, to work off the tension and energy that fills their bodies.

I worried a bit that our bond, just intensified through my heat, would now be neglected with this new issue that we have to devote ourselves to. Instead, it’s like the men have gotten into the habit of fucking me and now they can’t get enough.

I love it, honestly. I’m far from complaining. Well, not seriously. I do sometimes squeal when they drag me away from my work.

“You realize that you’re going to need glasses if you squint at all those lines too much,” Caleb points out, his hands landing on my shoulders.

He starts to massage, and I moan a little, letting my head fall back. “I know. But we have to find this person.”

“Marcus isn’t going to get you if we fail in this. Sure, it’ll be a disappointment, but we’re going to be okay. What’s most important is that you’re safe.”

“It’s not just that.” I look up at him while he keeps massaging my shoulders. “I know that it hurts you. Not Marcus. But that someone you employ… someone you trust… betrayed you like this.”

Caleb sighs and pulls away so that he can sit on the table and look at me. “Yeah. That’s the part that hurts us the most, I think. Garrett vets everyone thoroughly and I know Dante considers all of our employees his responsibility.”

I nod. That fits. “And you like to think the best of everyone.”

The corner of Caleb’s mouth curls up. “You could put it that way, yeah. I know some people might say I’m too optimistic, but I really do like to hope that people will rise up to their full potential.”

“You’ve told me that this company is like a family for you all. That it’s been the most important thing in your lives.”

“Until you,” Caleb adds.

“Until me,” I agree, smiling and blushing. Maybe someday that won’t make me flush, but today really isn’t that day.

“No, it’s true.” He shakes his head. “It’s not that we haven’t had crappy employees before or that we haven’t run into people who’ve tried to screw us over. But I thought that we had a really good team this time. Just goes to show, I guess.”

I look back down at all of the papers strewn around on the table in various piles. I’ve been combing through everything I can possibly find, trying desperately to find that single scrap of information that will lead us to the traitor.

And yet, I feel like I haven’t found anything useful.

It’s clear that finding the evidence we need is going to be a difficult task.

“Whoever this person is,” I say with a sigh, “he’s good at covering his tracks. I can’t find anything.”

“Further evidence that this was probably already something that was underway before you,” Caleb points out.

“Or Marcus ran into someone in a coffee shop and got them to print it all out and give him the information the old-fashioned way,” I mutter.

“Hey, don’t rule it out. That could be what happened.”

“Then we’re screwed.”

“No. We just have to keep being smart.” Caleb takes my hand. “I know you’re stressed. But we can’t give up.”

I take a few deep breaths, focusing on Caleb’s touch and his scent, and I nod.

“Oh, there you are.” Ethan pops in, grinning with something behind his back. “It’s here.”

Now Caleb is also grinning.

I look back and forth between the two men, my eyes narrowing into a suspicious squint. “What are you up to?”

“Nothing,” Ethan says with a completely false sense of innocence. “But I did pick something out for you, for tonight.”

“Tonight? What’s tonight?” I scour my mind but can’t quite remember anything on the schedule.

Then again, it’s possible that I was told about something and then completely forgot about it, focused on my research.

Ethan grins harder. “Oh, just a little something.”

“We thought it would be nice to take you out and give everyone a break,” Caleb explains. “You need to get out of the house and Dante thinks the rest of us should too.”

It does sound nice to go out. And with all four Alphas, I’d feel safe from Marcus if he somehow showed up wherever we go.

“This isn’t just about taking a break,” Dante says, startling me a little.

I stand up in surprise. He’s wearing a suit, this one a rich blue color. “Where are you off to?” I ask.

“I’m off to the opening of a new exhibit at an art gallery,” Dante replies. “And so are the others. And so are you.”

That’s when Ethan takes whatever is behind his back out and holds it up for me to see. I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth. It’s an absolutely stunning dress made of soft blue fabric, with black lace applique all over the bodice and skirts, and a layer of black silk as the very base layer for the skirts. It’s bold, daring, and elegant.

Garrett appears, fiddling with the cuffs of his suit. His suit is such a dark navy it’s almost black, the kind of blue you can only see when he stands in the light.

“Here.” I take his wrists into my hands and fix his cufflinks. “There you go.”

Garett kisses me in thanks, then sees the dress. He smirks. “I see Ethan picked out something showstopping for you.”

“Yes, but I’m not sure why, it’s just an art gallery opening.” Even as I speak, my heart races.

“It’s more than that,” Dante replies. “This is our first chance to take you out into society as our Omega.”

“We want to start introducing you to the world as ours,” Caleb says, his voice soft and aching.

My chest is aching too. “Really? That’s so sweet.”

“It’s no less than what you deserve,” Ethan says. “I’d shout it from every damn rooftop in the city if I could. I want everyone to know how I feel about you.”

It is a big step, in a way. I’ve already gone through my heat with them, and it was amazing. I’ve been living with them for several weeks now.

But once we go out into society together and make it known that I’m the Omega they’re courting, it’ll be really awkward and embarrassing if I change my mind and go back to the facility to try for another Alpha pack.

The men are taking a risk, bringing me out in public to a big social event like this. They’re trusting that I really am committed to this, and that I won’t back out and leave them feeling humiliated.

“Thank you,” I whisper. I know what this means to them.

Ethan holds out the dress. “Get dressed, gorgeous. We’re going to paint the town red.”

“Blue,” Garrett deadpans.

“The saying is red, Garrett.”

“And yet, here we are.”

“You think you’re funny.”

“He is funny.” I grin and take the dress from Ethan. “Thank you. This is beautiful.”

He really does seem to nail my fashion sense.

I take the dress and go get changed, admiring myself in the mirror for a moment. It’s similar in cut to the dress that I wore at the Omega presentation, but it’s a bit more slinky, and the skirts don’t have as many layers.

After all, I’m not showing myself off in a hotel ballroom. I’m going to an art gallery show, surrounded by the rich and powerful in our city.

When I come back downstairs, ready to go, I see that Caleb and Ethan have also changed. Ethan’s now in a bright blue suit, while Caleb’s in a baby blue colored suit.

I love how they coordinate. It’s just another way they show how they’re all on the same page, individuals but united as a pack.

Dante takes my hand and leads me out to the car. I’m already full of anticipation as we drive into the city. It really will be the first time since everything started that I’ll be out properly. I was hiding in the mansion, then at the facility, and then the only place I went out to was the shopping plaza with Dante before hiding again because of Marcus.

And, well, I sure wasn’t going anywhere during my heat.

But now I’m going to be out and about again and it honestly sounds really fun. Especially with my four Alphas around me keeping me safe. I never feel more loved and comforted than when I’m around them.

We get to the heart of the city and Caleb helps me out of the car. There are already other people walking up, mingling with one another as they head inside the gallery. I shrink back a little, instinctively unsure.

This is my first proper outing as an Omega, after all. Post-heat, and with all of my pack.

Dante puts a hand at the small of my back and Caleb gives me a reassuring smile. I take a deep breath and make myself relax.

This is going to be a fun evening. A break from all the work we’ve been doing.

We enter, and immediately people are catching sight of us and coming over. I’m introduced to so many people I can’t keep track, but they all smile when they hear who I am.

“You’re the Omega!” one older woman gushes. She’s the wife of someone my Alphas have worked with before. “Oh, we were hoping that they’d find someone soon. It’s delightful to meet you, darling.”

“You’re a beauty,” another man says. He was introduced to me as a member of a charity board that Ethan and Caleb are on, working to provide tech scholarships to underprivileged kids. “We all knew they were bound to wait until they could find someone really special.”

As I’m complimented, I realize that I expected people to be hostile toward me. I was waiting, somewhere in the back of my mind, for people to decide that I wasn’t good enough.

After all, these four men might not have entirely come from money but they’ve been rich for some time. They have every reason to fit in here, and their peers have every reason to look down on someone who doesn’t fit it.

I guess I thought they’d realize I don’t come from some family name. I’m not some person they know for being famous, or rich, or one of them… and they would judge me accordingly.

But in reality, everyone’s just so happy that I’m here and that this pack finally has an Omega. It’s… sweet. It’s really sweet.

There are delicious snacks being passed around, and I’m given a flute of champagne. At least one of my Alphas is always with me, and the art is beautiful, creative, thought-provoking.

I’m not an expert on art by any means, so I just kind of follow along with whatever catches my eye and makes something stir in my heart. Reading the plaques is interesting, and it’s nice that at a gallery presentation like this, the artists are here for us to speak to and we can learn more about their thought processes.

“This is our Omega,” Dante says, pulling me away from a painting and bringing me over to introduce me to another group of people. “Ava.”

Garrett is standing there too, and he puts his hand on the small of my back. I beam, hearing the pride in Dante’s voice and feeling the pleasure rolling off both him and Garrett like invisible waves.

As Dante mentions that I have an affinity for animals and have dedicated my life to helping them, I can practically feel my cheeks glowing.

I’ve never felt anything like this before. I’ve never had people be so proud of me. No, more than that. Proud to have me in their lives, proud to be associated with me.

“Oh, Ava!” One of the people, a woman about the same age as my Alphas and myself, smiles. “I was wondering who would eventually be the woman to snatch these men up… I have to admit, some of us were starting to worry. It’s lovely to meet you.”

“It’s lovely to meet you as well. I…”

My voice trails off as I notice Garrett go stiff next to me, his hand at my back shaking a little. I look over at him, frowning. Garrett might be gruff but he doesn’t get nervous. Even when he’s upset, he commands a room.

I follow his line of sight, and see an older couple walking over to us. Something about both of them is familiar, even though I know I’ve never seen either of them before. They’re not anyone famous, so I’m not sure why I feel like there’s something about them I recognize.

That is, until they reach us.

Garrett’s not the only one tense now. Dante’s tense too. Caleb and Ethan have appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and neither of them looks happy.

The other people we were speaking to look down at the ground, too awkward to keep talking, but not wanting to move away and catch attention either.

“Garrett,” the man says, and there’s a tone to his voice that I know well. Marcus would use it with me when he was letting me know that I had done something wrong, something he would punish me for later, but he was maintaining a veneer of politeness since we were in public.

I bristle, wondering who thinks they can talk to one of my men like that, when Garrett says, with even less faux politeness in his voice, “Dad. Mom.”

Oh my god.

These are his parents.