Page 41 of Where There’s Smoke (Fire House Omegas #2)

Elliot

M elody needed to know. She had a right to know.

I had intended to tell her, but then her parents came storming into my fire station like they owned the place. I was livid, my blood pressure still elevated. It didn’t help that they’d threatened to take her away.

“T-they can’t really force me to go back?” Melody asked in a small voice. “Like, legally, I mean?”

Being an omega was completely new to her, so she had no idea what her family could and couldn't legally do. Hell, I didn't even fully understand it, but I had a slightly better idea than she did.

“We will find out,” Samson said.

She nodded. “Usually, they complain for a bit and go away. Hopefully, the same will happen here.” Her voice was so full of hope, and I knew I was about to destroy that with what I needed to tell her.

But there was no way around it, and furthermore, I knew she’d be furious if I kept this from her.

I didn’t want to upset her in the present, but I would not reckon with the full force of her wrath in the future if I allowed this to remain secret.

That was basically suicide. She was an adult, and she had the right to know about this.

I also needed to call my bosses as soon as possible because the police needed to be informed.

“Melody…” She flicked her attention to me, her expression dropping when she met my eyes and undoubtedly saw the worry there. “There’s something I need to tell you…tell all of you.” I looked between my pack mates, landing on Melody, our sweet omega who didn’t deserve this.

Fitz frowned, his brows pinching together as everyone gathered around me. “What's up?”

“There’s a CCTV recording from the fire at your place,” I started to explain, nausea plucking at my insides.

“Yeah, the grainy one. You were waiting on more, right?” Melody said.

“Well, a few days ago, I received some extra footage. It wasn't the best, but I could kind of make out the person. But that was useless, considering we had no idea who it was or no fingerprints yet… only, I'm fairly certain I recognized who it was the other day.”

“What do you mean?” Melody asked, grimacing in confusion as she spoke.

This was it. This was the moment I’d been dreading. Better to rip off the Band-Aid . “I have a pretty strong suspicion that Reed was the one who set the fire.”

My words hung in the air while everyone gaped at me for a moment. The tension was palpable, building and building until Melody shook her head, slashing her hand through the air.

“T-there’s no way!” Melody stammered.

“So much has been happening recently with everyone visiting that it slipped my mind to get you to look at the footage.

That was always the plan. I was going to get you to sit down and look at it and see if you recognized the person.

Only, I'm pretty sure I recognized him first. If this is the case, I need to go to the police and report him, but more importantly, it could mean that you're in danger.”

“Why would I be in danger?”

“A member of your family set a building on fire that you were inside of. They knew you were in there.”

Melody's mouth dropped open as she tried to reconcile what I’d just told her.

“It really wasn't just a faulty microwave, was it?” she asked in a small voice.

I shook my head. Her face fell, and her body sagged.

This sucked. There was no way around that.

I’d just told her that, not only was her overbearing brother the asshole we all thought he was, but he was also willing to take his vindictive agenda to an entirely different level by burning down her shelter.

He could have killed animals. He could have killed her .

Fitz shook his head, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “I think it’s best I call the lawyer sooner rather than later.”

“If her brother and parents turn up again, we’ll simply say that Melody isn't here,” I said, rubbing our trembling omega’s back. She needed to be curled up in her nest, being protected by us, but knowing Melody, she would much rather be looking after her animals.

“It’s a public building. Technically, we can’t stop them…” Fitz pointed out, a grimace on his face.

“I’d like to see them fucking try,” Samson growled, stepping in close to Melody and practically shielding her with his body.

“Yeah, this fire station is full of strong, athletically inclined firefighters.

I think we can keep out a few betas who seem to think they're too big for their britches,” I said, pulling Melody in for another hug.

When she sank into my embrace, needing me for comfort, I felt like I was ten feet tall.

But the joy was quickly tempered by the reality of the situation.

I wanted to provide comfort, to keep Melody safe, and give her everything she could possibly need.

There was no denying that I was quickly falling in love with this omega.

The fact that just as I was beginning to come to terms with that, someone was threatening to take her away set my teeth on edge.

That couldn’t happen. I’d never felt this way about anyone before, and I would do anything to keep my girl right where she belonged.

Melody Smoke was not leaving us.

I didn't care what it took; I was going to keep her safe with me, with our pack.

“I’m going to go shower. Do you think you could let Dotty out for her potty break?” Melody asked, her voice somewhat muffled by my chest.

“Of course. Where is our little mascot?”

The puppy in question was in the den, so while Melody went to shower, I walked out of the room to where the young dog was sleeping on a brightly colored bed that hadn't been there a few days prior.

Every few days, a new item seemed to appear at the firehouse for the puppy. A new toy? A fancy bowl? At first, I had assumed it was Melody or my pack mates, but when I found one of the firehouse guys sneaking in a bag of organic kibble for her, I knew they were all goners for the dog.

The puppy was now getting big and was scampering around the place like she owned it. There had been a few potty accidents, but her space had plenty of puppy pads over the floor for that very reason.

Upon seeing me enter the den, she scampered over to me, yipping excitedly and falling over her own paws.

Just like her owner, the sassy little puppy had worked its way into my heart. Mascot, indeed. The entire station loves her.

Samson followed me into the den, the fury still radiating off him.

“We aren't letting her go, are we?” he said, his voice serious and low so that no one heard him.

“No way in hell,” I agreed, meeting his eyes and nodding.

“I know you weren’t wild about the idea of her coming here?—”

“That was then. We both know everything's changed.” I cut him off. A few weeks ago, I probably would have encouraged Melody to leave with her parents, but now there was no chance. “That woman is incredible, and she deserves a much better family than one who basically sees her as a cash cow. No. I won’t let them ruin her life. I won’t let anyone do that.

Melody said it herself— my pack . She’s one of us, and that omega is going to stay exactly where she belongs, where she’s happy and we can be everything she needs. ”

Samson grinned at me, stepping up to clap me on the shoulder as Dotty sat between our feet, looking up expectantly.

“Damn straight.” His smile stretched wider, and he looked between me and Dotty. “I never thought I’d get to say it, but Elliot Wilder has finally accepted an omega into our pack. I’m proud of you.”

I shoved him off, scoffing through a laugh that I couldn’t hold in. “Shut up. Still…maybe it took so long because I was waiting for her.”

I looked down the hall that led to the bedroom and bathroom, where I knew our omega was.