Page 22 of This Fate That Guides Us
Pulling into the large lot with the rest of the crew, my brow furrows when I see the rest of the Powell pack waiting outside of a sleek silver tour bus. I climb out of the car behind Bea and we’re immediately wrapped in a bear hug by her dad, Forrest. “Surprise!” He beams as he gestures to the bus, pushing against our shoulders to urge us toward the bus.
The door is open and Phoenix sits in the driver's seat with a small grin tilting the side of his lips. He doesn’t say anything as we step past him, just watches us with a knowing smile.
I don’t do well with expensive gifts. Never having received them growing up, it's been difficult for me to accept any gift, let alone something as extravagant as an entire tour bus. I don’t feel worthy of the care their gift shows.
“Damn,” Bea lets out a watery laugh.
I push down my discomfort and feeling of inadequacy long enough to get distracted by the beautiful interior. White walls and light wood floors. A small kitchenette takes up one side. With light blue cabinets and silver appliances, it’s quaint and homey. Across from the kitchenette is a gray couch covered in cute throw pillows.
Through a curtain, we find a room with two wide bunks on one side and a small enclosed bathroom with a shower on the other. The back wall has two narrow doors. Each door has an adorable, curly wooden sign with one of our names.
I peek through the door on the right, the one emblazoned with my name, to find a small undecorated room. A mini nest for our time on the road. My heart aches in the best of ways.
It’s still too much.
I turn to tell Bea’s parents as much, but jump when I find Shelby standing right behind me. Her arms wrap around me as she hugs me tight against her. “You are going to accept this gift and let us love you the way you deserve, Omen. No arguments. You became ours the day I met you at the DAU shelter.”
“We take care of our own and that means you too,” Phoenix adds in his no-nonsense tone.
My shoulders deflate as I meet each of their eyes. They’re all stubborn enough to not back down. It would be more stressful for me to try to fight them on this than to suck it up and accept the gift they are giving me.
“Thank you. It’s perfect,” I reply solemnly.
“It’s fucking awesome!” Bea cheers from her bedroom where she has collapsed on the bed. Her mom scolds her for her language but she just rolls her eyes. “One question though, who’s gonna drive this thing? Cause if Omen or I step behind that wheel, we’ll never make it out of the city without off-roading this beauty.”
The space fills with the sound of our laughter, lightening the mood. Of course, she’s totally right. I could have a panic attack imagining trying to merge in traffic with this huge vehicle.
“No worries,” Austin finally says. “Lex and Ridley will be taking the spare bunks and they both are licensed to drive the RV.”
Bea sobers up at the reminder, but she seems to be less against the idea now than she was before our surprise.
“This gives you both your own space and will make it easier for you to relax without worrying about your bus mates finding out anything they shouldn’t,” Phoenix confirms as he stares at me.
I had voiced my concerns about sharing the tour bus with Brady and the members of Primordial Covenant after accepting the position. One slip of the tongue would be enough to blast my entire world to pieces.
“We’ll grab your stuff and load it on the bus. Lex and Ridley should be here soon,” Austin informs us as he ushers us back to the entrance. “You both need to check in with the rest of the staff. We’ve already discussed the bus with Brady and the executives at Soulbound, so don’t worry about that.”
I follow Bea as she weaves between busy roadies to find the head exec of Soulbound’s office here in Starburgh. Shiloh Acherely is a no-nonsense alpha. Standing a little over 6’, he’s dressed immaculately in a sleek slate gray suit and pressed whitedress shirt. Stern prominent brows and deep brown eyes. You can tell who is in charge as soon as you see him.
He watches Bea approach with a tight jaw and I can’t help but wonder what’s causing the slightly uncomfortable tension between them.
“Good morning, Omegas,” he greets. “Sabine, you’re with me. Let’s run through the list and check in with everyone to ensure the members of Orbital Somatic are ready to go,” Shiloh commands. He walks away not waiting to see if Bea will follow.
My jaw is probably comical as I gape at my best friend as it registers the alpha is using her full first name. The only time anyone ever calls Bea ‘Sabine’ is when she’s in deep trouble with her mom. She rolls her eyes but hurries after him. I’ll make sure to get the story later.
“You good to go? Got everything you need?” Brady’s gruff voice asks. I confirm I’m all set before we are interrupted by other crew members. I feel awkward standing in the midst of the chaos and start contemplating returning to the bus to hide out until we are ready to leave.
Before I can make a decision, my name is called through the crowd. Peeking over my shoulder, I see Nexus smiling broadly as he jogs over. The rest of the band are standing near a massive black bus.
“Hello Nexus,” I grin. He’s dressed in a simple cropped black t-shirt and skinny jeans today with his shaggy hair pushed back by a matching headband. I’m surprised to find the lack of bold colors mildly disappointing.
“Good morning, sweet girl.” A blush tints his cheeks, matching my own, as he offers me a hand. I hesitate before placing my hand in his. His brown eyes glimmer in the morning light, his excitement shining through. “Do you need a hand with your bags?”
He seems to deflate a bit when I decline his help, but he perks right back up when I accept a tour of their bus. I pause to look back at Brady, but he waves me off. I let Nexus guide me to the rest of his bandmates. They offer me various forms of hello as they unload their bags, but Nexus bypasses them, directing me up onto their bus.
The interior is all dark wood and neutral tones. It has a very sleek, masculine feel which suits their pack. A small living area is dominated by a black leather couch with a tiny kitchenette sitting in the corner beside a large television.
“The real highlight,” he says as he points out their board game collection below the TV. “We love having game nights after our shows when we aren’t immediately moving to our next destination.”
