Page 107 of Talk About… History

“Oh yeah, nobody would work with him after they heard what happened. I think it’s safe to say this town loves you,” Cohen said, giving me a good morning kiss. “Are you feeling better now?”

“God, yes. I took the longest shower. Now, I feel refreshed. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so invigorated after a heat.”

“This is how heats are supposed to be,” Arden said as he came in, placing a kiss on top of my head before wrapping his arms around me.

“Morning,” I said, sending a wave of happiness through the bond with him. He gave me a little squeeze before letting me go.

“I hear we’re celebrating some new jobs around here,” Arden said. “Speaking of this crazy town, here’s your phone. It’s been blowing up for the last thirty minutes.”

I took it, knowing damn well that Arden wouldn’t hand it to me if he thought it was somebody calling that shouldn’t have.

Honestly, I shouldn’t have been surprised to see Sidney’s name with no less than ten calls. There were a couple of voicemails, but I ignored them and called her back instead.

She answered on the first ring. “Oh my god, finally! Are you out of heat now?”

“Yes,” I answered in a rush. “What’s wrong? Is everybody okay?”

“Girl, more than okay! Look, I’m going to send you a link, and I need you to open it. Are the guys around?”

“Of course,” I said, holding the phone out.

“Hey, Sidney,” they all said in unison. She didn’t even laugh or comment on the creepiness of the synchronized talking. Whatever this was, it was big.

“Yeah, yeah, just open the link,” she encouraged me, before ending the call.

A second later, the link came through, leading me to a news site. My jaw dropped as I opened it, the headline telling me everything I needed to know:

Several Arrests Made in Pheromone Scam

“Holy shit!” I exclaimed, clicking on the video instead of reading through the whole article.

The newscaster addressed the camera seriously, his face set in a grim mask.

“The new toll is up to eighteen arrests in the nationwide pheromone scam. We have alphas from several packs and up to three doctors who have now lost their licenses and are facing extreme charges.”

A line of text scrolled across the bottom, calling out all the major pack names and the doctors involved. My eyes scanned over them quickly, hope lighting up in my chest, and then I saw it.

“Pack Barns is on here. They’ve been arrested,” I said, letting that thought sink in. No more calls, no harassment, only punishment for them.

I’d been striving to get closure this whole time, ready to let that part of me officially go. But I felt no different now knowing that they were about to face trials and punishment. I was too happy in my life to care as much anymore, and that was the exact thing I needed.

They were insignificant now. A distant, painful, memory. Nothing more.

I closed the video, refusing to listen to any more. “I don’t need to know the rest,” I told the others. “It’s over. I’m free, and we’ve got our whole lives here. We don’t need anything more than that. Lance will give me updates if needed.”

“I’m so fucking proud of you,” Mason said as he pulled me close, kissing me soundly. “We have the strongest omega.”

“We do,” Cohen agreed. “How do you want to celebrate, omega?”

“Honestly, I miss my family. Can we see about a family cookout?”

“I’ll call them and arrange it,” Ford promised as he plated the pancakes. “Everybody go sit. We’ll deal with it after breakfast.”

The conversation was pretty superficial during the meal. I ate more than I think I’ve ever eaten in my life, catching up for the lost calories of heat.

I couldn’t keep my mind off the future now. My job was settled and growing. It kept me busy and content. If my brothers decided to go through with re-opening the Artisan Fair, I’d help them organize it.

Mama was dating again. My brothers were finally going to get time to themselves, and I was happy with my pack. Life was genuinely good.

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