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CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

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“Breaking news. A photo has been leaked of Formula 1 racer Vanessa Lennon with Team Principal Grayson de Clare in what looks to be both a heated and intimate moment. Questions have immediately risen about whether her hiring had anything to do with their relationship. Lennon, De Clare, and the other three members of their pack held an immediate press conference to clear up the negative rumors. Whether their actions, and the story they claim is the truth, will change public perception, is something only time will tell.”

The room went silent when we walked in, but immediately burst into whispers when the press realized it was all five of us. The camera flashes were blinding. We’d agreed on the way down that Grayson would explain the story, and then we’d answer questions as they asked them.

I sat in the center of the table between River and Gray, Beck and Elias on the ends. Grayson pulled the mic on the table over to him and smiled that smile that could charm the dead. “Fancy seeing all of you here. Did something happen today?”

The tense atmosphere broke, everyone laughing. Even me. Beneath the table, Gray took my hand and held it against his thigh.

“We appreciate you coming so early. I’m sure you have a lot of questions, and we aim to answer them. First, I’ll tell you our side of the story, which is very different from how things would appear.

“It was my idea to have Vanessa’s signing announcement be a total surprise. From a marketing perspective, we wanted to make a splash, but also curtail many of the conversations that followed. I know I don’t have to specify which ones. But we didn’t want those irrelevant and foolish conversations to linger longer than necessary. So we made it a surprise.

“We went to great lengths to keep that secret, which included Vanessa and I never meeting in person until that day.”

I heard a gasp from someone in the crowd, and murmurs running through it. Someone putting together the dots on what actually happened.

“The result? Vanessa and I realizing on that stage, in front of all of you, that we are, in fact, a scent match.” The way he looked at me stole my breath and made my chest hitch. “And by extension, the rest of our pack. But make no mistake. Vanessa Lennon was hired entirely on merit alone. There was nothing more to our relationship until after her contract was signed. As many of you saw in the pictures, Vanessa was alone when she signed the contract. I wasn’t present.”

The reporters began to whisper, and we only had a few seconds before this burst into a firestorm of questions. They would only be patient for so long.

“The owners of both teams are aware of the situation, and Vanessa has signed the same NDAs as River regarding cross-team packs. As far as the headlines go, I strongly suggest any publication who’s put out an article questioning Vanessa’s integrity to rethink keeping that article published. I would also consider publishing a retraction immediately.”

It wasn’t an outright threat, but enough of one to let people know he wasn’t fucking around when it came to what was said about us.

“Try not to all ask your questions at once.”

That was exactly what they did. Every reporter stood as cameras flashed, all of them shouting questions in an attempt to be heard. Gray pointed at a man in the second row. “Vanessa, is this true? What’s your side of the story?”

Every eye was on me. Gray squeezed my hand, offering both comfort and strength. “It’s true. My side of the story is that I was so blindsided I don’t remember most of that day. Like I told James Robertson, I’m lucky I gave any coherent interviews.”

Everyone laughed.

I didn’t bother to keep track of who Gray was calling on. But the next reporter stood. “River, until today, no one even suspected anything about this. How has it been, racing someone now in your pack?”

River slung his arm across the back of my chair, his fingers brushing my shoulder. I couldn’t stop my smile. The little gesture was small, but I knew it was his way of claiming me. “If I haven’t given you any clues then I did better than I thought,” he said with a laugh. “Though I wish we’d been able to announce it the way we’d planned, I’m relieved to have it out in the open. The racing? Fantastic. We’re both the same racers we were yesterday, and we’ll do our best to beat each other. Pretending Vanessa wasn’t ours? That was the hard part.”

“So you don’t think you’ll get angry with each other over something that happens on the track?” A new voice.

I smirked. “Oh, I’m sure we will.”

“How we figure that out is our business,” River said.

My face flushed. I elbowed him in the ribs, but I was smiling too. It was strange being openly affectionate, but we needed to show them who we were.

“Vanessa.” I pointed to the reporter, and she stood from farther back. “There have been speculations about you and your ex, John Lockwood?”

“John and I are good friends,” I said. “And I owe him a lot, since it was driving in his place that helped get me this contract. But that’s all we are. Friends.”

Someone stood. “Beck, you’re Vanessa’s engineer now. Was that purely because you’re a scent match?”

“Only in part,” Beck admitted. “It was easier when the position became available. But it was always contingent on Vanessa’s agreement.”

“Why did it become available?”

Beck’s face grew thunderous, but Gray took the question easily. “There were a number of resignations after the announcement. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions as to why. And if that’s what made them leave? They’re free to go.”

An uncomfortable silence held for long breaths.

“When had you planned to announce your relationship?”

“Before the summer break,” Gray said.

“And you expect us to just believe this?” It was a voice who hadn’t spoken before. A sour faced man about halfway back. Disgust colored his expression. “And not think that this story is a carefully constructed facade to cover up gross unprofessionalism?”

All three of my Alphas snarled, forcing a ripple through the crowd. “Say that again.” River’s voice was cold as ice. “See what happens.”

“You don’t have to believe us,” I said, purposely leaning into River and allowing his arm to curve further around me. “No one can force you. It doesn’t change the fact that this is the truth.”

The reporters had calmed down enough that we didn’t need to call on them anymore. “Do you think your tyres had something to do with this?”

Elias leaned forward. “Nothing points to that. The only people who knew about the relationship were us, the owners, Vanessa’s grandfather, and her trainer.”

“Not your families?”

Elias smiled, but I saw the strain beneath it. “Well, they’ll know now.”

More laughter.

There were more questions about the details of how we met. Some we answered, like how they smuggled me out of Paragon headquarters. And some we didn’t, like how compatible we were. I glanced at my phone under the table. We’d been at this for almost an hour.

Grayson cleared his throat. “Last question.”

“For you,” someone called. “Given the race results this season, it seems clear that you’re able to separate your relationship enough to treat both your drivers fairly.”

“I appreciate that.”

“But,” the reporter said. “When the time comes for contract negotiations with Vanessa, surely that’s a conflict of interest?”

Oh shit. I hadn’t even thought about that.

Gray brushed it off with a laugh. “Let’s get through this season and next season before we worry about it.”

“But—”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” my Alpha said firmly. He lifted my hand where it still rested on his thigh and kissed the back of it, igniting a firestorm of clicks and flashes. “Thank you all for your time.”

We said nothing as we filed out of the room, all of us relaxing at once.

“Well…” Elias shrugged. “I think that went pretty well.”

My phone buzzed in my hand with a text from Annika.

Annika

LOOK!

She’d sent a link, and I clicked it, the webpage opening. It was an article from Holly Buchanan, the friendly reporter who seemed to always have my back.

The picture was from the conference. Me smiling and answering a question while River had his arm around me, and the way he looked at me was unmistakable, even in the photograph.

FORMULA LOVE?

The story that an hour ago looked set to be the biggest sports scandal of the year might have turned into the sweetest. There’s a new scent match in town, and the story is wild . Read on to hear how Vanessa Lennon is now part of one of the most coveted packs in Formula 1.

And as far as the story? I believe her.

HOLLY BUCHANAN, FORMULA 1 REPORTER

I couldn’t stop smiling.