Page 100 of Claimed By the Band

Knox remains silent, and yeah, I get it. He's probably remembering every harsh word, every suspicious glance he threw the new omega's way in the beginning.

"There are some things we need to discuss first," Asher says, his expression growing serious. The shift in his demeanor catches my attention immediately. Asher bites his lip, clearly wrestling with something. "Being an omega isn't the only thing Echo was hiding."

"Moresecrets?" Silas asks, but there's no judgment in his voice. Just curiosity.

"Why are you back to calling him Echo?" I ask, pieces starting to click together in my mind.

"Because Echo's name isn't Alex," Asher says softly. "It's Jordan. And... she's not a he."

The silence that follows is deafening. I process this new information, turning it over in my mind.

Female. Echo—Jordan—is a female omega who's been living as a male beta. Who ran away from...

Oh.

"The cult," I say aloud as understanding dawns. "That's why, isn't it? Because of how they treated female omegas?"

Asher's expression darkens, and there's a dangerous glint in his eyes that I've never seen before. "Yes," he confirms, his voice tight with barely contained rage. "They saw female omegas as breeding stock. Property to be controlled and..." He cuts off, his hands clenching into fists.

"They were going to force-bond her," Knox says quietly from his corner. It's not a question. "That has to be why she left. No omega would leave everything they know, pack and family and home, without something even worse behind them."

Asher nods sharply. "I think so. But she's not ready to discuss the details tonight. All I really know is that she built an entirely new identity for herself. Spent nine years making sure no one could ever find her."

"Except her brother," Knox says, something low and dangerous in his tone even though I can't see his eyes from the way he's looking at the floor.

The room falls silent. We're all on the same page there. Now we're not just looking for the psycho alpha extremists who attacked Asher, we've got a cult on our hands as well.

I'm not sure if I'd be relieved or not if they turned out to be related, rather than two completely distinct threats, but I've got a bad feeling about all of it.

My stomach turns at the thought of what she must have been through. What she was running from. The fact that she managed to escape, to rebuild herself from nothing, to become someone entirely new...

"She's incredible," I breathe, and Asher's expression softens slightly.

"She is," he agrees. "And terrified we'll reject her now that we know the truth."

"Never," Silas says firmly, and the conviction in his voice makes my chest warm. "She's pack. None of this changes that." Hepauses, looking around at all of us. "I think we can all agree on that."

"Of course she is," I answer immediately.

Knox nods. "Damon's not here, but I know he feels the same." His expression is fierce, protective in a way I've only ever seen him direct at Asher before. "If anything, it makes me want to hunt down every last member of that cult and tear them apart."

"Get in line," I mutter, but my heart lifts at his words. We're all united on this. After everything that's happened, pack unity is important than ever.

"She needs to know that," Asher says softly. "That we accept her. All of her. That she doesn't have to hide anymore."

"Then let's show her," Silas says, rising from his seat with that fluid grace that never fails to catch my eye. "If she'll have us."

Asher's smile is brilliant. "Just take it slow. She's still processing a lot, and this heat hit her hard. We need to let her set the pace."

I nod, understanding completely. After so long spent hiding, running, keeping everyone at arm's length... This is a huge step for her. We need to prove ourselves worthy of the trust she's placing in us.

"Whatever she needs," I say firmly. "However long it takes."

Asher reaches for my hand, squeezing it gently. "Come on then. Let's go show our girl she never has to run again."

The words make my chest tight with emotion. Our girl. Our mate. The missing piece we didn't even know we were looking for until she crashed into our lives.

As we follow Asher toward the bedroom, I catch the mingled scents of honey and roses growing stronger. My body responds instantly, alpha instincts roaring to life. But I force them down, reminding myself that this isn't about claiming or possessing.

---