Page 64 of Discover Me
He pauses, realization crossing his face. "Fuck, we're going to have to find a new name. The label probably owns the trademark or has some legal claim to it."
"What?" I'm still catching up, my mind reeling from this sudden invasion.
Rex looks at me with concern. "Did we interrupt something? You look stressed."
"Not really." I gesture vaguely at the newspaper. "I just found out that one of the guys who assaulted me is actually an Omega, not an Alpha like I thought. And he got murdered by this guy named Hex? I don't even know who that is or why this is happening."
"The serial killer?" Liam's eyes light up with inappropriate interest. "Hex? Holy shit, he got one of the guys who hurt you?"
"What the fuck are you going on about?" I stare at him like he's grown a second head.
"He's some weird unknown face serial killer," Liam explains, his tone taking on that enthusiastic quality people get when discussing their favorite topics. "Nobody knows what he looks like because he never leaves witnesses. Some people think it's an organization rather than one person. The victims are always people with criminal records, but not like major criminals. More like people who got away with things the justice system couldn't prove."
"He's a crime junkie," Jordan says, fondness mixed with exasperation. "He's weird. Has a whole podcast subscription and everything."
"Okay." I try to process this information along with everything else. "So do you need anything from me? For this statement or whatever you're doing?"
"No, we're just going to send out a video message about what's going on," Liam assures me. "Explain our side before Tom can poison the well. Then we'll be out of your hair and let you get back to your morning."
Kellan turns to look at his bandmates, his expression serious. "I'm still pissed at all three of you, you know that, right? What happened before, the way you let Tom divide us, that's not just going to disappear because we're on the same side now."
"We have a lot to make up for," Jordan acknowledges quietly. "We know that. We're not expecting instant forgiveness."
"Rex gets to play the fucking drums for a while," Kellan declares. "Since he's been complaining about my attitude for months, he can experience how hard it is to keep rhythm for you assholes."
Rex groans. "Yeah, no, that's fair. I deserve that."
"And no more love songs," Liam adds, looking at Jordan. "Babe, I love you, but those lyrics are too good. They make me feel things and we're supposed to be angry rock musicians."
"I'll keep them to the notebook," Jordan promises, grinning. "Private love songs just for you."
The easy banter between them reminds me of what Kellan described from their early days. Four friends who genuinely enjoyed each other's company, before Tom's manipulation created distance and resentment. Maybe they can get back to that, given time and effort.
"Fuck, how do you want to process this?" Kellan looks at me, checking in despite the urgency. "You okay with us filming here? We can go somewhere else if you need privacy."
"Go ahead." I wave toward the living room. "I'll be in the kitchen. I’ll still be here when you're done."
I grab my coffee and retreat to give them space, though I can hear everything from where I lean against the counter. They set up someone's phone on a tripod, arranging themselves on my couch in a casual configuration that still looks intentional.
Jordan starts the live stream and immediately comments flood in, the viewer count climbing rapidly. Thousands of people tuning in to see what Lunar Ransom has to say.
"Thanks for joining us," Jordan begins, his voice steady despite the stakes. "We're here to talk about some changes happening with the band and to address some rumors before they get out of control."
"We've left our label," Kellan says bluntly. "All four of us, simultaneously. It was a decision we made together after realizing we couldn't continue under current management."
Liam takes over, explaining Tom's control and manipulation without getting too specific. The way their creative direction was overridden, their personal lives managed like publicity assets, their autonomy stripped away piece by piece until they were just products being sold rather than artists creating.
Rex talks about the love album they were being forced to make, songs that didn't reflect who they actually were. How the label wanted to capitalize on their relationships and package their private lives for consumption.
Then Kellan addresses the elephant in the room. "My relationship with Micah started as a publicity stunt. That's the truth. Our manager conned Micah into signing a contract he thought was an NDA, then used it to force us into a fake relationship for promotional purposes."
He pauses, his expression softening. "But somewhere along the way, it stopped being fake. I fell in love with him for real. And when management tried to force us to stage a breakup on their timeline, we refused. I chose Micah over the contract, overthe label, over everything they were offering. And I'd make that choice again in a heartbeat."
The comments explode with reactions. Support, shock, anger at Tom's manipulation, excitement that the relationship is real. The viewer count keeps climbing as people share the stream, spreading it across platforms.
Tom starts calling. First Jordan's phone, then Liam's, then Rex's, then Kellan's. They let them all ring out, the persistent buzzing becoming background noise to their continued explanation. Tom's fury is palpable even without answering, the sheer volume of calls indicating how desperate he is to shut this down.
For the first time since I came into Kellan's life, I'm seeing the four of them genuinely smile together. Not the practiced smiles for cameras or the forced cheerfulness at promotional events. Real smiles, the kind that reach their eyes and transform their faces. They're unified in a way I've only heard about in Kellan's nostalgic stories, present and supportive of each other without the weight of Tom's manipulation crushing them.
