Page 38 of The Honor of Being Hers
By the time he handed her to William, she had utterly broken down, sobbing freely as the largest Alpha bent her over the arm of the couch.
William’s discipline was military-precise, each spank calculated for maximum effect.“Last chance to be honest with us,” he said, his hand pausing.
“Please,” she gasped.“I was scared—scared that if I told you how violated I felt, how dirty, you’d see me differently—”
“There it is,” Tyler said softly, the gentle therapist returning now that she’d finally broken.“That’s our brave girl.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.Now let’s give you five more, to make sure this lesson sticks.”William soothed, then he delivered five more sharp spanks before his hands turned soothing, rubbing her heated skin.
They gathered her up immediately, Tyler pulling her into his arms while Ryan retrieved a blanket.She was shaking with leftover sobs, but something inside her felt cleaner than it had since reading that file.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered against Tyler’s chest.“I’m sorry I didn’t trust you.”
“We know,” he murmured, back to his gentle self but with an edge of steel she’d never forget.“But now you know we won’t let you hide from us again.”
And she did know.All three of her Alphas would take care of her—even when it meant showing her sides of themselves she’d never seen before.
19
The next day, they met in the sunroom.The glass walls caught the afternoon light, throwing patterns across the polished table where Rachel had spread her materials like a war council.Her slate-colored blazer was folded over the back of the chair, and a spreadsheet was lying open across her tablet like it was a game board.It made for an impressive sight, especially considering she was sitting with her bare feet flat against the cool floor and her heels carelessly pushed aside.Justin was stretched out along the bench opposite, ankles crossed, a stylus spinning idly between his fingers.Samantha sat cross-legged on the floor with her laptop open and five documents spread in a semicircle around her like petals.Sarah leaned against the doorway, arms folded, chewing absently on the end of a cinnamon stick she’d nicked from the kitchen tea jar.
Lauren entered barefoot, hair still damp from the shower.She moved differently today—steadier, more grounded.The emotional release from the night before had left her centered in a way she hadn’t felt since first presenting as an Omega.Her wire-rimmed glasses caught the afternoon light as she surveyed the room, and there was a quiet authority in her bearing that hadn’t been there yesterday.Her steps were silent, deliberate.No one stood when she came in.No one hovered.They simply looked up and waited.
She sat beside Rachel, pulled a legal pad toward her, and uncapped a pen.The paper was cream-colored, thick under her fingers, and the pen clicked with satisfying precision as she removed the cap.The Alphas moved closer now, Tyler settled into the chair across from her, his gentle hazel eyes held a new awareness as he watched her.The memory of his commanding authority from the night before settled her more than his usually calm demeanor did.Ryan joined them at the table, as he protectively tracked her every movement, and William assessed the room in a way that left no doubt about his protective skills as he set down his laptop beside Samantha’s.A warmth spread through her.She didn’t have to do this alone.They were in this together.
Lauren scanned the header of William’s notes.
“You’ve found the access point?”
William nodded grimly.“The first indications were wrong.The initial breach didn’t happen by way of a bonded Alpha request.It came through a proxy tied to an OmegaSafe internal account, Judicial Division.Not from the research or education departments.I traced the digital footprint back through three shell servers.”
“The query that pulled your file wasn’t flagged because it used an open investigative protocol,” Sarah added, looking up from the legal research in her hands.“It didn’t trip alarms.But someone inside turned it into evidence.”
“Evidence of what?”
“That Omega arousal can override suppressants, which is not exactly a secret,” Justin said with a shrug.“And that you’re a cautionary tale, because that proves that Omegas shouldn’t have access to high-clearance information.”
“The more circumspect version of Omegas should stay at home, forsake the idea of having a career, and pop out babies instead.”Sarah rolled her eyes as she added this.
Lauren closed her eyes for a moment.She let the burn settle.It didn’t hurt in the same way anymore.Knowing it wasn’t a personal attack, but politically motivated, helped strangely.It wasn’t about her, not really.It was about what she represented and that simultaneously banked and stoked the smoldering fire inside her.When she opened her eyes, the pen felt solid and purposeful in her grip as she wrote one word on the pad.
Reckoning.
“We go after them,” she said.“Not blindly.Not emotionally.Strategically.”
Rachel’s mouth twitched, not quite a smile.“My clients include three board members on the OmegaSafe oversight committee.I can get internal pressure applied.”
“I’m building the legal precedent,” Sarah said, papers spread before her.“There have been seventeen cases in the past five years.We can establish a pattern of institutional abuse.”
“I’ll handle media strategy,” Justin added.“Not about your pack.About institutional violations.Framing you as the template for resistance.”
Samantha looked up from her screen.There were shadows under her eyes that spoke of a sleepless night, and Lauren caught her glancing at her phone with a worried frown.Family pressure, she realized, remembering Justin’s mention of manufactured crises designed to pull Samantha away from her own life.“I can document the health impacts, stress-induced symptoms, and suppressant failures.Medical evidence they can’t dismiss.”
“What do you need from us?”Ryan asked, leaning forward, his broad shoulders filling the space as he shifted into full support mode.The authority he’d shown the night before was still there, but now it was focused entirely on backing her decisions.
“Everything,” Lauren said without hesitation.“Money, connections, legal resources.”
Tyler let out a low breath.Not protest, relief.
