Page 79 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus (The Exchange)

"I'm sorry," I say, shaking my head and looking at the ceiling.

"Me, too, princess," Vik agrees. "Me, too."

I rub my hand over the back of his neck as he holds me close to his chest. Eventually I get my shit together and take care of my alpha. He needs me right now.

I pour my appreciation for having him through the bond as I soap him up. The shower isn't sexual in the least, but it feels more intimate than all the rest. I love being able to give him some of the comfort that he always so freely gives me.

Vik chuckles. "You're sure taking good care of me, princess," he murmurs as I stretch an arm out to grab a towel. He grabs my wrist, pulling me into him.

I stare up into his eyes as he wraps the towel I grabbed around me.

"We take care of each other," I whisper, stretching on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

The next few weeks are extremely tough on all of us. Our pack comes together to support Vik. He's growly and grumbles a lot, but I know he appreciates the guys' support.

The police complete their investigation. It's several more rounds of questioning, but to be honest, they don't push too hard. The guys pay to have the Reynolds house cleaned.

There's a brief discussion about possibly buying it, but there aren't very good memories there. I mean there are… Bonding with my guys will always be a precious memory, but thinking about Soren and Keeley and even Dimitri's death, it just doesn't feel right.

Evie demands we be given time off to attend Soren's funeral. Her guys complain a bit since we've all been extremely unreliable as far as our jobs go, but Evie is quick to point out that life will go back to normal after we get back.

The thought of being back in New York is intimidating. I have to remind myself that all my monsters are dead and buried.

We spend a day with Vik's family. The entire situation is strange to me. None of them seem especially heartbroken over Soren's death, and it ends up feeling more like a family reunion than anything else.

The next day we head to the funeral. It's after the service and we're standing in a cluster much like many other groups. The room is filled with dangerous men. But I don't worry at all because I've got my guys at my side.

"Anastasia," Ivanov says, approaching with an entourage of muscle at his back. "It's been many years, but I would recognize you anywhere. You've always been the spitting image of your mother."

He's right. It has been years. I've blamed him for my mother's death for so long that it's difficult to separate the hate. I get that my father murdered her to hide his defection to Barrett, but I'm never going to be Ivanov's biggest fan.

He pulls me in for an awkward hug. Vik growls like a murdery lion.

Ivanov laughs it off. He looks at Vik. "Balls of steel, just like your blood." He wraps an arm around my shoulder and pulls us several feet away. "Speaking of Soren, have you seen the mercs? I know you had something to do with how they ended up all tangled up with my favorite enforcer."

Vik's jaw is tight as he eyes every place Ivanov touches me. I'm pretty sure he's planning to chop off every body part that has met my skin.

"Steele and Merrick are still recovering," Vik growls. "Come here, princess."

"It was nice to see you," I say, giving Ivanov a squeeze. I have no idea, but I think it's a bad plan to be rude to this guy. He makes my father seem like small potatoes.

I head to Vik as Wolfe and Rafe frame his sides.

"We've paid our respects," Vik growls, holding me close. "We'll be leaving now."

"So much anger," Ivanov says, waving off his guards who start to close in.

"You know it really is a blessing that he's dead.

" Ivanov chuckles. It sends a shiver down my spine.

It's a cold, dead sound. "No one seeks the dead.

They find a peace they might not otherwise have known in life.

" His hands steeple in front of him and he grins.

"I've always been a sucker for love. Perhaps that's why I tried to look after you all these years.

" He looks at me and I frown. I have no idea what the hell that's supposed to mean.

"You looked out for me?" I scoff.

"Your mother sadly didn't feel for me as I felt for her.

She didn't trust that I'd burn down the world to keep her, and yes, even you safe.

" He pauses dramatically. "Your father received my message loud and clear.

Do you truly believe that he never would have tried again?

I protected you more than you know." Ivanov directs it all to me.

To Vik he says, "Did you not question why such a betrayal was allowed to go unpunished? "

"Why didn't you kill him yourself?" Vik asks. "If you're insinuating you had some relationship with Anastasia's mother, then why didn't you kill Markov Androff when he killed his wife?"

My mind is still stuck on Ivanov's words. No one seeks the dead. They find a peace they might not otherwise have known in life… I barely hold back the gasp as my eyes widen.

"Much like I offered Keeley's mother, I also gave your mother the opportunity to trust that I would look after her.

Unfortunately, your mother didn't believe me.

There's more than you know at play, more pieces in constant motion that you could ever fathom," Ivanov says, shaking his head and clearing his throat.

"Keeley is your daughter?" I hiss. There's no holding back the words. They're out before I can stop them. God, the revelations just keep coming.

"Clever girl," Ivanov says, stepping forward and pinching my chin.

"You let your own flesh and blood be traded to Androff?" Vik growls.

"I owe you no answers." Ivanov releases me. He leans in close and whispers something to Vik that I don't catch.

Vik goes instantly rigid. "That's good to know," he says in a clipped tone. "We're done here."

"What the hell did he say to you?" Wolfe asks on our way to the car.

Vik shakes his head and doesn't say a word until we're all in the rental car.

"He said that when I see Soren I'm to tell him he's welcome. His life is Ivanov's gift and Soren's guarantee that he'll use it in protection of his daughter at all costs."

I figured that out when Ivanov was talking. But I still can't believe Keeley is Ivanov's daughter. And he knew my mother in some intimate way? My mind is blown.

Vik starts the car and glances around. "I'm going to knock that motherfucker out if I do see him."

"Damn," Rafe says, pulling me into his side. "I couldn't seem to believe it was so easy for them to kill him."

"Do you think Merrick and Steele know?" Wolfe asks. "You know they were half gone for Keeley when we saw them."

"No fucking clue," Vik grumbles.

"We know for a fact those two are in bad shape," Rafe adds. "We saw the medical reports."

"At least they're all alive?" I offer because everyone is super tense. This seems like a good thing to me, but the guys are pensive.

Vik nods. "Yeah, but this trip was a waste of time."

"Nah." Wolfe chuckles. "It was a nice little vacation before we all get back to real life."

Our flight back isn't until tomorrow.

Rafe and Vik disappear for an hour or two once we get back to the hotel. Wolfe and I stay in the room and cuddle. Which leads to some really mind-bendingly awesome orgasms.

They bring back take-out, and the smell is so incredibly delicious my mouth actually waters.

"Is it steak?" I groan, popping the lid on my box. "Ohmigod, it smells like steak."

All three of them give me funny looks as I demolish the steak and delicious Alfredo on the side. I'm not even a little ashamed as I go for the salad last.

Life is good.

Our pack has come together and, hell, I have a friend. Although, to be fair, I'm pretty sure our friendship has been so successful because Everly is an extremely easy person to get along with.

I'm even happier that Soren is alive, because that means Keeley is, too.

"Is there dessert?" I ask, glancing around.

"There's always dessert." Wolfe laughs. "You know I'm a bottomless pit."

He comes back a minute later with chocolate cake, and I let out a very omega-sounding squeal.

"I really love seeing you happy, princess," Vik says, running his fingers over my cheek.

Wolfe feeds me bites of cake. Once we're done Rafe cleans up while the rest of us move to the couch in the small living room area of the hotel suite.

Rafe comes in looking exceptionally nervous. When he hits a knee in front of me, my jaw actually falls open.

"Anastasia, will you marry us?" Rafe asks, pulling a small black box from behind his back.

My eyes dart between the guys. Wolfe smirks, nodding to show he thinks I should agree. Vik links his hand with mine tenderly, running his finger over my pulse.

"Of course," I agree, wrapping my free arm around Rafe's neck. I pull him in for a tender kiss.

"Don't you want to see the ring?" Wolfe asks with a laugh.

"Oh yeah," I say, shaking my head. "But my answer is still yes even if it's hideous." I giggle, bumping my shoulder against his so he knows I'm joking.

Rafe pops open the box, and my eyes bug out of my head.

"Holy shit," I whisper. "No, no way. You guys should return that." I cringe. Damn, I sound like a total asshole. "Sorry, I just mean we could probably buy a house for what that thing costs. Did you know I did the math while Vik was gone… I'd have to work an entire month to buy a cellphone."

"You're really fucking cute when you ramble," Wolfe says, stretching down and grabbing a bag off the floor. "It came to our attention that we've done a pretty shitty job of taking care of you thus far. That's going to change from here on out."

Vik holds my hand out, and Rafe slips the ring onto my finger. It's an oval-cut diamond with a halo of smaller stones. It's set in white gold and it's absolutely stunning.

"It's beautiful," I whisper, tilting my hand from side to side to check out how beautifully it sparkles. "But shouldn't we be saving for a house?"

"Open the bag," Rafe suggests.

I do and my confusion rises. It's a new cell phone.

"Thank you," I say sincerely.

"As I was saying," Wolfe says, leaning over to kiss my cheek. "We've all been off work and together lately, so we didn't think of it sooner. We should have had a replacement phone for you before Vik even left."

"We weren't together then." I stretch over and squeeze his thigh. "But thank you. I did need a phone."

"Back to the house," Vik says, catching my attention. "We've already passed on the Reynolds house, but there's property just up the road that's for sale. How do you feel about building our own house?"

My heart flip-flops wildly. "I'd love that," I agree. "I've got that gold from my mom—"

"We want you to save that for whatever you want," Rafe says. "It's yours. We're more than capable of covering the property and a fairly decent sized house as long as you're okay with the wait time. Building a home from scratch is a process…"

"That's okay," I assure him. "I love it at the lodge."

"Good," Wolfe says, pulling me into his lap. "Now let's practice making babies."

I laugh as he carries me off toward the hotel bedroom.

I never expected to find my future when my father forced me to The Exchange. But somehow, I found everything I ever dreamed of and more.