Page 30

Chapter 30

Zane

Stone Enterprises occupies the top eight floors of downtown’s tallest building—glass and steel stretching toward the sky. The company logo is visible for blocks. I’ve been here countless times, but today feels different. I’m deciding if I’m ready to change my life.

It’s changed already with Freya and Stone coming into my life. I suppose this is nothing compared to that.

Miller drives us in his SUV, which he insisted was safer for Stone and Freya than my sports car. Hard to argue that point. Freya sits in the back with the baby, her eyes wide as we pull into the executive parking garage.

“This is... very fancy,” she comments as we exit the vehicle and she stares at the glass elevator ahead.

“Wait till you see Thorne’s office,” I reply, leading them toward the elevator. “Makes the rest of this place look modest.”

The security guard recognizes me immediately, nodding with respect as he buzzes us through without the usual visitor protocols. “Mr. Stone said to send you right up.”

The elevator ascends silently to the executive floor. Miller adjusts Stone’s tiny beanie, while Freya smooths her sundress, suddenly self-conscious.

“You look beautiful,” I tell her quietly. Her cheeks color slightly, but she stands straighter.

The doors open directly into the executive reception area. It’s all polished surfaces and tasteful artwork.

Denise, an older woman who used to be the company receptionist and who is now Thorne’s new executive assistant, looks up from her desk with a warm smile.

“Zane! And Dr. Miller. What a delightful surprise.” Her eyes land on Freya and Stone, and her smile widens. “And this must be Ms. Rose and your baby. Mr. Stone told me all about you.” Freya grins. “He will be thrilled to see you all.”

“Is he available?” I ask.

“He’s just wrapping up a call. Should be free in five minutes. Why don’t you all take a seat and I’ll get you a drink.”

“Can I see the office he has for me?”

“Of course. It’s just down the hall. I’ll take you.”

Freya and Miller follow. Denise stops at an office. A frosted glass window stops anyone from looking in. She opens the door and before we step inside, a door further down the hall opens. Maya steps out, tablet in hand.

She freezes when she sees us. Her expression shifts from shock to narrowed eye calculation, and finally, she gives us a plastic smile.

“Zane. Miller. What a surprise.” Her eyes flick to Freya. Her lips purse for a moment as she glances at Stone. “And the new...addition.”

“Maya,” I acknowledge coolly. “Yes, the new addition to our pack. He is a Stone, not an O’Hearn.”

She chuckles. “Whatever you say. Anyway, I have some reports to give to Thorne.” She holds up the paperwork to prove it.

“Mr. Stone,” Denise starts. “Is busy on a call. I can take them because Thorne is going to lunch with his pack immediately afterward.”

Maya’s smile tightens. “Of course. How lovely of you all to visit. Tour of daddy’s office for the baby?”

The condescension in her tone makes my jaw clench. Beside me, Freya withdraws slightly, her earlier confidence dimming.

“I’ll let Thorne know you’re here,” Maya continues, turning to head toward Thorne’s office.

“I’ve already done that,” Denise interjects firmly. It’s a lie, but I have a feeling Thorne has asked Denise to keep Maya out of his sight until he can get rid of her. “Mr. Stone was expecting them.”

Maya pauses, frustration flickering across her face before she masks it. “Fine. I’ll leave these reports with you then.” She slaps the paperwork into Denise’s hands with more force than necessary, then turns back to us.

Her gaze lands on Freya again, assessing her. “Quite the transformation, isn’t it? From stalker to pack omega. I suppose trapping an alpha with a baby is one way to climb the social ladder.”

The words land like slaps. Freya pales, but then her back straightens. “I know you, don’t I.”

Maya laughs. “I doubt we’d cross paths.”

“That’s enough,” Miller says sharply.

Maya ignores him, stepping closer to Freya. “You think you’ve won, don’t you? Playing house with the pack?”

“I do know you,” Freya says, assessing Maya carefully and not rising to her words.

I step forward, placing myself between Freya and Maya. My blood pressure is rising. My vision narrows until all I can see is Maya’s smug face. “You should leave,” I growl, my voice dropping to a dangerous low.

Miller’s hand lands on my shoulder. “Zane,” he warns quietly.

Freya moves beside me, her fingers brushing against mine. “No, it’s okay.” She studies Maya with new clarity in her eyes. “I definitely remember you. It’s all coming back to me.”

Maya rolls her eyes. “Please. We’ve never met before your little pack arrangement.”

“Club Midnight,” Freya says confidently. “The blonde hair, the white mask. It’s you. You’re the girl who used to follow me around and you stole my perfume. You said you liked it.”

Maya’s face flushes. “That’s ridiculous. Why would I want to steal your smell?”

“Because Thorne liked it,” Freya says simply. “He liked me once in the club. He kissed me and then afterward he stopped. And he started telling me I was stalking him. You stole my perfume because you wanted him to want you.”

“I don’t need your perfume,” Maya snaps, her composure cracking.

Freya laughs, her voice stronger. “I let you spray yourself because you said all the smells in the club were muting your scent. You wanted my perfume on you. I get it now. You wanted to smell like me for Thorne.”

Miller looks between them, realization dawning. “I believe you,” he tells Freya. “Thorne always said he smelled the scent of the girl he knew was ours in the club and the reason he kept going back.”

My hands ball into fists. “And you convinced Thorne that Freya wasn’t his, didn’t you?” I hiss at Maya.

“Oh my god, she has you all so wrapped around her finger,” Maya sneers. “She stole my scent, not the other way around.”

“But we don’t like your scent,” I counter.

“But Thorne does,” Maya hisses, eyes flashing with jealousy. “And you’re incorrect. Let me tell you something. Thorne was mine before you came along with your...” She gestures dismissively at Stone. “Convenient pregnancy.”

Something cold and dangerous unfurls in my chest. I step between them, my voice pitched low. “You’re fired, Maya.”

She blinks, momentarily thrown off balance, before laughing. “You can’t fire me. You don’t even work here. Even Thorne couldn’t sack me, and it’s his business.” Her lips quirk upward with a smirk. “Maybe he didn’t really want to.”

“But Thorne made it clear what would happen if you caused any more issues and the reason that he moved you out of his office,” I say, not rising to her, making assumptions that Thorne secretly wants her to stay.

“Issues?” she scoffs. “I’m the only reason this company runs smoothly. You think Mr. High-and-Mighty Alpha can function without me? Please.”

“What’s going on here?” Thorne’s voice cuts through the tension. He stands in the doorway of his office, expression darkening as he takes in the scene.

“Maya was just leaving,” I say, not breaking eye contact with her. “Permanently.”

“I was simply welcoming your...visitors,” Maya counters, switching tactics instantly. “There seems to be some confusion—”

“I heard what you said,” Thorne interrupts coldly. “Every word of yours and every word from Freya. And now it all makes sense.”

The color drains from Maya’s face. “Thorne, I—”

“Don’t.” He moves to Freya’s side, one hand settling protectively at the small of her back. “Freya, what do you think I should do with Maya?”

Freya looks up, surprise coating her face. For a moment, she seems bewildered by being asked her opinion. I think she also knows if Maya goes now, Maya will have a solid legal argument against Thorne.

She stands straighter. “I don’t care,” she says finally, her voice soft but steady.

Thorne’s eyebrow arches. “Well, I do. Nobody talks to my omega like that.” He turns to Maya. “Like Zane told you. You’re fired.”

“You can’t be serious,” Maya sputters. “Because of her? This nobody who somehow hooked you in. Please, Thorne. She probably doesn’t even know which fork to use at a business dinner. She reeks of cheap perfume. It’s not nice. That’s not an omega perfume.”

“We’re scent matched, Maya. Do you even know what that means?” Miller growls.

“Scent matching is pathetic, anyway. Who wants to wait for their scent match?”

“Me,” Thorne grunts. “I waited for ten years. And I messed up massively along the way. But I still waited.”

I grip Maya’s upper arm firmly. “That’s enough. Time to go.”

“Get your hands off me!” she hisses, trying to wrench away. “You can’t treat me like this! I’ve given my all to this company!”

“And tried to give my son to another pack,” Thorne says coldly. “Get her out of here, Zane. We’ll deal with the consequences afterward.”

“I’m going to sue you for every cent you have,” Maya yells.

I nod at Thorne, maintaining my grip as I guide her toward the elevator. “Security will escort you to clear your desk.”

“This isn’t over,” she spits, her composure finally cracking completely. “You’ll regret this. All of you!”

The elevator doors slide open, and I usher her inside, following to ensure she actually leaves. As the doors close, I catch a last glimpse of Thorne with his arm around Freya, Miller standing protectively at her other side, both purring against her head, soothing her. And Stone nestled safely between them all.

My pack.

My decision is now so obvious. Protecting what we’ve built is all that matters.

The job title, the department, the daily routine. It’s all secondary to the family waiting for me when this elevator rises again.

“You don’t know what you’ve lost,” Maya seethes as we descend. “Look at me.” She points her finger and circles her face and then scans it down her body.

I don’t think of Maya at this moment, though she wants me to. I think about lung capacity and burning buildings to desk jobs and where I need to be. Then I think of beach walks and pancake breakfasts and the people upstairs.

I think about her—my omega—my Freya.

“Actually,” I breathe, “I know exactly what I’ve found.”