Page 51 of A Promise of Forever
Ames snorts with obvious affection for their Omega. "Hunter would absolutely hang that shit over our heads for weeks. He's petty as hell when he wants to be."
The glimpse into their family dynamics makes me smile despite everything. "We'll have to have you all over for dinner at some point. Sterling would benefit from meeting a few other Omegas who are happy where they are."
"Listen to yourself," Caelan chuckles, a stupid boyish grin splitting across his face. "You're sounding like a proper family man now. Making dinner plans and thinking about Sterling's social needs. I love it."
More laughter follows, and I realize how much my life has changed in just a few days. A week ago, I would have been focused entirely on business strategy and eliminating threats through violence. Now I'm thinking about dinner parties and my future with my Omega.
"Keep me updated on any developments with Wilson," I tell Draven and the St. Clairs. "And thank you for the assistance. I won't forget this."
They all nod and head back toward the main house, leaving me alone in the courtyard. I immediately turn toward the cottage, finding Sterling sprawled across the bed exactly as I left him. He's completely relaxed in sleep, his face peaceful in ways I'venever seen before. His bottom lip is still a little swollen from my mark, and seeing it makes possessive satisfaction surge through me.
I shed my shoes and the shirt Sterling scented so carefully, wanting to feel his skin against mine without barriers. Then I climb back into the nest as carefully as possible, trying not to wake him.
But Sterling molds to my side immediately the moment I settle, his body seeking mine even in sleep. Within seconds, he's tucked perfectly against me with his head on my chest, soft snores starting up seconds later.
Caelan
I only wait until after lunch before heading for the St. Clairs' local headquarters, a place I've heard about for years but never actually visited. The building is impressive from the outside, all glass and steel that screams legitimate business success, though everyone in our world knows the St. Clairs run operations that make my family's underground fighting ring look like a church bake sale.
Bryn is right behind me as we step into one of their conference rooms, his presence reassuring as always.
Moses and Hunter St. Clair are already sitting across the table when we enter, both Valla radiating the kind of controlled power that comes from maintaining a business like this.
Unlike Forrest, their business has a legal front and is very,veryvisible. I'm not sure I'd ever survive in this world after working behind the scenes for so long.
I catch a glimpse of an older Omega giggling with Ames in the hallway, stealing my attention for a moment. Her thick curls frame her full cheeks, both Ames and their Omega a picture-perfect vision of happiness.
Her bright orange dress clings to her gorgeous dark skin, a few shades darker than Ames’, a stark contrast to the Valla brothers I'm sitting across from.
They have more of a bronze glow to their pale skin, though without knowing they were brothers, I wouldn't know they were related.
Moses throws me a curious glance as I return my full focus to the St. Clair Valla. "Your Omega works with you?" I ask, genuinely curious about how they've managed to integrate an Omega into what I assume are often violent and dangerous business operations.
Hunter grins with obvious affection and pride. "Koa didn't want to stay at home alone all day, and we were more than happy to bring her in here. Turns out she's really good at catching details most people miss. Financial discrepancies, patterns in behavior, that kind of thing. It's become a true family affair."
Moses laughs. "She even built a nest in that office because we tend to work longer hours and she refused to let Ames take her home early. Said if we're going to be here, she's going to be here too. She doesn't take part in any of the darker things, but she doesn't shun us for anything we do."
"We tried something similar with Astra," I admit with a rueful smile. "But he enjoys staying at home most of the time. Saysall the business conversations are boring and he'd rather be painting or doing his own thing. He does come to the fights with us, though, seems to enjoy that particular aspect of our work."
"Every Omega is different," Hunter offers as he fiddles with one of the files in front of him. "Some want to be involved in everything, others prefer to maintain separate spaces. The key is respecting what they need rather than imposing what we think they should want. Ames had to help us figure that out and I’m sure we would have terrified her if he hadn't been around. Although Moses fucking chased her after she took off during The Night of Scarlet."
I snort at the confession, looking over to see that Moses is mostly proud of that moment. And then I think about Sterling and how Forrest is learning to navigate his particular needs, the way my brother has completely restructured his life around making Sterling feel safe and valued, even in just the last few days.
Moses' expression grows more serious as he pulls up files on his tablet.
"We've pulled together everything we have on Wilson and his various aliases," Moses begins, swiping through documentation. "But we didn't find much concrete information on Thatcher beyond a phone number that's been used to arrange drug transactions. No real name attached, no address, nothing that would let us track him physically."
The information is frustrating but not entirely surprising. Anyone smart enough to maintain multiple identities for this long would be careful about leaving obvious trails.
"I could call it," I offer, already knowing how Bryn is going to react but putting the suggestion out there anyway.
"Absolutely the fuck not," Bryn responds immediately, his voice carrying the kind of protective authority that makes my instincts want to submit even though I'm an Alpha.
I snort with amusement despite the seriousness of the situation. "Relax, Valla. But someone has to make contact, and I'm not going to stick Lorcan with doing all the dirty work again. He's always the one we send into dangerous situations, and I know he says he likes it, but at some point..."
I trail off, not sure how to articulate my concern. Lorcan is incredibly capable and genuinely seems to enjoy the violence and danger that comes with enforcement work. But relying on him for everything feels like we're taking advantage of his willingness rather than properly distributing risk.
"Unfortunately, I think this is a step that you either hand to a trusted official who can provide some legal cover, or you make the call yourself," Moses says thoughtfully. "Forrest might be the best option, but with his bond to Sterling being so new, I'm not sure what's going to happen if he puts himself in danger. New bonds make Valla incredibly protective but also potentially reckless."
