Page 137 of Choosing Their Omega

“For what, for being there for you? For comforting you? I was scared too, Knox. I thought I might die. It helps me to hold you just like it helps you to be held.” I smile warmly at him. “I love you. I like that I can be there for you just like you’re here for me. That’s what an Omega does. She takes care of her Alphas.”

He kisses me gently. It’s slow and sensual, but there’s no push behind it, no attempt to make it something sexual. It’s just connecting together, showing our affection.

The bedroom door creaks open and I turn to see Lawson, Miles, and Cruz slipping in. “We thought you two might be in here.” Cruz keeps his voice low and soft, like he might disturb something if he talks at a normal volume.

The three other Alphas climb in with us, piling into the nest until all four of them surround me. I feel like I’m almost bathing in their scents. Usually that turns me on, but right now, it just makes me feel like I’m sinking into the sensation of home.

Because that’s what my Alphas are. More than this beautiful house and more than my wonderful nest… my Alphas are my home.

While I wouldn’t enjoy being homeless again, I’d live in a cardboard box so long as it was with them, because I know they would find a way to make me happy while we did it.

Even though none of the other three say it, I know they’re just as scared as Knox was. Maybe not quite as much, but enough that I take my time to soothe them too, remind them all that I’m safe.

I made it out, and I’m safe, safe in the arms of my Alphas who love me. My home.

Chapter 45

Lily

Ben comes home in the afternoon, and it’s so good to see him. I think the dog can tell that I went through something even though I took a shower, and he licks me all over like he’s trying to get the remaining smell of the hospital off me and make sure I smell only like him and the rest of the pack.

“I missed you,” Ben says earnestly as he hugs me. “Are you gonna stay away that long again?”

I don’t tell him that it was only one night. His mom was okay one minute and then dying the next, and for a little kid like Ben is, one night can feel like an eternity. “I promise I’ll try to stay with you as much as I can.”

Ben nods and then hugs me again, and I hug him back, reveling in the joy of getting to be loved by this sweet kid.

“In fact,” I say, pulling back to look him in the eye, “I plan to hang around especially with you the next few days. Your uncles are going to be busy, so it’ll be a lot of me spending time with you. Does that sound okay?”

Ben smiles wide and nods enthusiastically. He hugs me again, wrapping his small arms around my neck, and I hold him tightly.

The next few days are just Ben and me, mostly. The four Alphas are busy with taking care of this Grizzlies issue.

As much as I wish life were a movie and we could now just triumphantly go and kick some ass, we actually do need more than just the hired guy’s word that he was paid to hit me. We need bank statements, we need to talk to the lawyers, the team lawyers, the team managers…

It’s a big mess, and I don’t envy my men having to figure it all out and handle it. I’m really proud of them too, though. I know that Lawson, especially, wants to just go to the Grizzlies and beat the shit out of them rather than deal with all this legal nonsense.

But we have to do it the right way, or genuine justice won’t be achieved. We need to make sure that we don’t come out of here looking like the assholes, and if my Alphas just go and beat up the men responsible, that’s what will happen.

As much as I know this annoys them, they’re smart. They’re not just bruisers. They’re clever and they’re going about this the right way.

Their coach, Vaughn, warned Cruz that the managers for the team might not be happy with the men leaving right before the game started, even though it was an emergency. They’re mollified when Cruz and the others explain that my car crash could very well have been fatal, and that I was lucky to have only walked away with some bruises and a mild concussion.

The team managers still aren’t happy that four of their first-string guys, including their starting goalie and their captain, walked away.

I know when they pull it, because Cruz is on the phone with them and from the kitchen I can hear him, “Oh, so you’re saying that an Alpha pack shouldn’t go and take care of their Omega during a traumatic event? That the Alphas should just shrug and put off their Omegas needs? What if the Omega dies or is seriously injured?”

Nobody ever challenges an Alpha’s commitment to their Omega. I can smell the smugness in Cruz’s scent and I can easily imagine how the managers are apologizing for daring to question the bond between an Alpha and an Omega. It’s one of the most important parts of our society so that Omegas are properly cared for the way they need.

While Cruz is on the phone with the team managers, Miles is talking to the lawyers. So is Lawson. There are a lot of lawyers to deal with.

There’s also the matter of the authorities, and Knox is dealing with them. He’s gruff enough to make it clear that he isn’t going to put up with any nonsense and wants results, but won’t be disrespectful the way Lawson might get.

I’ve had to give another statement to the police as well, and the private investigator and Gary, the guy who was hired to smash into me, have to submit statements as well.

We’re all going a little crazy, just trying to be patient, on the phones all day as we try to wait for something conclusive. Finally, the two lawyer teams—one for the Grizzlies and one for the Titans—arrange to have a meeting with the NHL lawyers and arbitrators, with the accused Grizzly team members and my Alphas present.

It’s basically going to be similar to a divorce meeting, Miles explains. “We each have our lawyers and there’s a separate governing body who’s going to decide who gets what based on our facts and statements.”

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