Page 41 of The Honor of Being Hers
She didn’t raise her voice, but no one looked away.
Ryan stood then, not dramatically, not in performance.Just a clean motion as he stepped up beside her.She didn’t look at him.She didn’t need to.
“I didn’t leak her file,” he said, hands loose at his sides.“But I take responsibility for the risk she incurred by being near my name.If the past few weeks have made anything clear, it’s that proximity to public figures, especially Alphas, comes at a cost.One I should have better protected her from.”
Tyler joined them next, not speaking at all, just stepping into view.William followed, silent as always, but steady, his posture angled slightly toward her shoulder.Not to shield.Just to show.
“I’ve made no request to recuse myself from any professional affiliation,” Lauren said, louder now, finishing what she’d come to say.“Because I have nothing to hide.”
She closed the folder.
“I bonded because I wanted to.Not because I was coerced.Not because I was manipulated.Because I was given acceptance and the room to be myself, and I won’t apologize for that.”
The silence that followed wasn’t awkward.It was complete and final.There would be no questions, and the next time someone tried to undermine her.Well, she might just let Ryan and William take care of it; they’d probably enjoy knocking some sense into them.
She stepped down from the podium without further comment.Ryan let her pass, then followed.Tyler and William moved behind them, neither jostling nor closing in.They left the room with the same quiet composure they’d entered it with.
She didn’t rush, and no one tried to stop her.
22
The fire pit had been lit before sunset, even though the air was still warm.Lauren could feel the heat radiating against her shins as she approached, the dry warmth cutting through the evening’s gentle humidity.
As Lauren stepped onto the flagstone terrace barefoot, she could feel the radiating heat from the stones seeping into her.Long summer nights like this were bliss, especially with a glass of something citrus-bright in your hands.The long table had been moved to the edge of the garden, its surface scattered with open dishes, half-folded napkins, and the kind of glassware no one was bothering to match.Crumbs dotted the wooden surface, and rings from abandoned drinks had left their marks, evidence of a meal shared without ceremony or pretense.Someone had brought lanterns and strung them overhead between the terrace posts.They swayed lightly with the evening breeze, throwing slow-moving light over the curve of someone’s laugh.
Justin had already kicked his shoes off and was lying in the grass with his head in Rachel’s lap, one hand twirling a half-eaten breadstick like it was a cigar.His dark hair was perfectly tousled despite the evening breeze, and his sharp cheekbones caught the firelight.There was something peaceful about seeing him so unguarded, the fierce perfectionist finally allowing himself to simply exist.
The leather of his discarded loafers gleamed in the firelight, and grass stains were already marking his expensive trousers.Sarah was sitting cross-legged on a blanket nearby, brushing dandelion fluff off her sleeves between bites of sticky lemon tart.
Samantha stood near the trellis wall, watching the group from the edges the way she always did, quiet, alert, more present than she ever let on.Her phone sat silent beside her wine glass for once—no family crisis manufactured for tonight, Lauren noted with relief.There were still shadows under her eyes, but for the first time in weeks, Samantha looked like she was truly present instead of bracing for the next demand on her time.
Lauren took it in slowly, letting the scene settle around her like the warmth of the fire.No one had made a speech.No one had declared it a party.It just… happened.It happened the way people gather when a storm has passed, and they find themselves still standing.It was only a pity that Kyle hadn’t returned yet; he’d checked in regularly after her personal information had been leaked, but assured that her Alphas had it covered, he’d stayed away on his business trip to do his job.
She hadn’t realized she’d stopped walking until Ryan touched her shoulder.His palm was warm through the thin fabric of her shirt, and she could feel the calluses at the base of his fingers, familiar textures that grounded her in the moment.The man’s presence, whose mere mention had caused her anxiety only weeks ago, now only offered her peace and comfort.He stepped in behind her, his hand firm and warm, the way it always was when he asked permission without words.She leaned back against his chest and let herself feel the full breadth of him for a moment, the solidity, the calm.Tyler appeared on her other side, slipping her glass from her fingers only to top it off with a little more before handing it back.William arrived last, silent, and held out a plate in her direction with something buttery, folded, and still steaming.She smiled at him, soft and real.
“Why don’t you eat something,” he said, "I don’t think you’ve had something yet.”
She hadn't, so she reached out and nibbled at the offering.
Later, she sat between Tyler and Sarah on the wide bench someone had pulled from the dining room, her legs tucked beneath her and her back pressed to Tyler’s side.The wood was smooth beneath her thighs, worn soft by years of use, and Tyler’s shirt was cotton-soft against her shoulders.Ryan and William sat nearby, close enough to touch but not closing in.Rachel had somehow ended up deep in conversation with Ryan about challenges omegas face, and Justin was orchestrating a doomed plan to roast figs over the fire without a skewer.Samantha sat on the low wall, nursing a glass of dark red wine, saying little, but watching everything.
Lauren caught her eye.
Samantha’s expression didn’t change, but she lifted her glass slightly, a quiet acknowledgment.
Lauren excused herself gently and crossed the space between them, perching beside her on the cool stone.
“Did you eat?”Lauren asked.
“Enough,” Samantha said.“I’m not hungry.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Samantha glanced sideways at her, one corner of her mouth lifting in something close to fondness.“Yes,” she said.“I’ve eaten.”
They sat like that for a while, shoulders brushing, neither trying to pull words that didn’t need saying.
“Thank you for being here,” Lauren said finally.
