Page 6 of Broken Dreams

Adira’s shoulders drop from where they were quickly rising toward her ears.

“Yes,” she mutters. “I can accept that. I don’t know her, but I want to find her. She could be wildly different from when you knew her as well. Either way, she shouldn’t have to live in whatever hellhole she may be in.”

“Also true,” I agree. “We’ll have to make sure there’s rules for that too. Being pregnant doesn’t mean you’re breakable, but you should be more careful, Short Stuff.”

I can practically hear the sigh of relief in the room. Callum and I can say things to Adira differently than they can. Coming from them, it comes off as if they’re being backward cavemen.

“Fine,” she sighs. “Let’s blow out this candle then.”

As Kane lights the candle with the lighter he always keeps with him, Callum begins to sing the ‘happy birthday’ song. Grinning, I join in as the others do. Adira stands there, gobsmacked, surrounded by people who love her.

Leaning forward, she blows out the candle, shaking, not a tear in sight this time. Emotions come harder for her, but we can all tell what a big deal this is.

Imagine not having a birthday celebrated for years, or not having people to spend it with? Her pack surrounds her as they hug her tightly, and Callum watches with me.

“It’s like watching a science experiment sometimes,” he whispers, making me shake my head at him. “Other times, it makes me glad we didn’t let Rock kill them all. They just needed the right motivation to figure their shit out.”

“Poor bastards will never stop worshiping at her feet, and that’s exactly how it should be,” I tell him. Raising my voice, I say, “Let’s cut this cake. Watching you all is making me crave sugar.”

Adira grins as she extricates herself from her pack, coming over to hug Callum and I.

“Thanks for being here, guys,” she says quietly.

“You doing okay?” I ask, pulling away to watch her carefully.

“Big emotions are always hard for me, but yes,” she says, nodding. “It’s hard to believe I’m standing here.”

Alive.Jed growls under his breath at the sentiment, but the unspoken word is no less true. We almost lost her a half a dozen times. I’m all for her helping us if she wants to, but Adira and her baby need to stay safe as well.

I won’t put my happiness above hers. Not ever.

CHAPTER 2

QUINN

“The boss needs you,” Star says. I have no idea what her real name is, we don’t ever use them. I hold tightly to mine in my mind, because that and the boys I lost as a kid are the only things from my past I remember.

Losing them means another piece of me is lost in the wind.

“Okay,” I rasp. I rarely speak anymore, not unless it’s at the end of the day to Linus. He’s the only one who gets my words willingly these days, because the clients who walk through Slick Dreams’ doors don’t visit for that purpose.

Dressed in a two piece midnight blue lingerie set, I walk through the club to Bret’s office. There are private rooms at the club, and he’s very specific about what he wants in a location as we move from place to place. Somehow, it’s never the same area, constantly changing to make it difficult to follow us.

The group orgy nights are once a month from what I can keep track of, and he plans and monetizes when we go into heat. BretHarris is very particular about ensuring everything makes him money, and those that don’t, he reminds us daily of those costs.

Knocking on his office door, I wait for him to yell for me to walk inside. The club is opening soon, and I was ensuring everything was ready. I don’t do it out of the goodness of my heart since I doubt I have one of those most days.

I simply don’t want to be punished if something isn’t right.

“Come in!” Bret roars, forcing me to take a settling breath. The alpha is cruel, rarely fair, and calculating. He still makes me nervous, even though I’ve been here for the past sixteen years.

Opening the door, I walk inside. No matter where the club sets up next, there’s always space for an office. It’s a place for him to take meetings if necessary or hide so someone else is forced to make sure everything is in place. The omegas here look to me to do that, so I do.

I wait patiently to see why he wanted me to come here. The less I talk to him, the better. It may be petty, but sometimes I go months without speaking to him. Bret used to punish me for it, until he realized outside of a scream or two, I wouldn’t speak to him then either.

“There you are,” he grunts. “Glad someone is doing what they’re supposed to do today.”

I force myself not to react to his words, because he’s simply complaining. As long as I stay still, he won’t get pissed off. Hopefully.

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