Page 42 of Harley

“Storm did that, didn’t she?” Jax asks. “She had her winning ticket, just like you had ours?”

“I don’t think she did that because of the uprising.” Harley’s shoulders fall.

Damn it. It wasn’t our intention to make her feel bad about her friend. I look at Jax, and he shakes his head sorry. He didn’t mean to upset her again.

“Jax isn’t saying she did. Just that her actions helped their mission.”

Harley leans back into Zayd, and he starts to purr. I should have done that the moment I walked into the room. Zayd is a better alpha than me. He wraps his arms around her, and she falls against him with a small sigh.

“No, Jax is right. Storm does like to play close to the flame. I’ve seen her. With Jonathan. It was...intense. I’ve been questioning why she rigged it for them. But maybe, even after all these years, I never really knew my friend. Nothing was private. There were cameras everywhere, watching our every move.”

I let out an angry growl, along with Zayd and Jax. Dash stumbles a little and Harley freezes.

“Cameras?” I ask, shaking myself out, and she nods.

“Even in my bedroom. They watched us all the time. That’s how Gage and I got caught. Can I see him? Can he come here?”

He was in her room? He told me they kissed just once and they didn’t get caught. Only when he left a leaf on her pillow. Oh… she was there when he did that.

The way her eyes light up makes me want that. I want him to come here for her. The guy is the only reason we have Harley here in the first place. But I’m worried that, since Veronica seems to know we weren’t in that lottery, if they see him here...

It will be game over for all of us. We have so much going against us at this time… Zayd, Knight… the cheating of the draw. If Gage were to be seen here it will all topple over.

And the last thing I want is for Harley to be taken from us.

“Did you want to call him?” I hand her my phone, and her spirit deflates.

“I’m sorry. It’s just, one wrong move, and it will be the end of us all. They will know Gage helped us.”

She nods. “I know. I just wish...” She trails off.

I wish too, little omega.

I wish…

CHAPTER 20

HARLEY

I feel a cramp. Fuck. Please, please don’t let me go into heat right now. Veronica was here again this morning and demanded to see my nest. I’m so worried that she’s getting close to working out how I did it. Her eyes never left mine as she followed me around. Asking questions. Knight’s been locked in his room all day and I don’t know what to say or do to help him. There’s a level of unrest in the house, and I don’t think my heat will help with it.

The guys have tried to shield me as best they can from it all, but the uprising is happening. I can hear the chants in the streets at night. The guys' house is on the outskirts of the city, and all the alphas who live out here are just like them...like me. Beta-born, impure...not elite. There are a lot of them, and I understand how they feel, yet at night, I get scared they will scent me in here and break in and kidnap me.

Jax assures me that can’t happen. But I saw the way he looked at Ace after that. He was just trying to make me feel better. That’s when he said he would make my nest darker, and they boarded up the window outside. It didn’t make me feel better, though. If anything, I’m more worried. If they did that ... they’re just as concerned.

I’m on edge, and I don’t know if it’s the oncoming heat, the uprising and all those alphas out on the streets, or Veronica and her determination to prove that Pack Bentley cheated. They didn’t ...I did.

I feel unsettled, and those feelings are unconsciously seeping out of me. I hate the looks the guys are giving me. Like I fear them—I don’t.

As much as I trust my alphas to protect me, there are too many of them out there and only four of them in here. They would do anything to protect me, and I know that. Only, the chants last night really frightened me, and I ended up back in Zayd’s room. He held me all night. This time, it wasn’t as awkward. As soon as he heard me on that squeaky floorboard, he opened his door with a shy smile. I think he was waiting for me.

I love the butterflies I get just thinking about that. He’d been waiting for me to come. Knew I would.

I don’t want the others to think I don’t want to go to them—I do—but at night, I feel the safest wrapped up in Zayd’s big arms. He’s a gentle giant and I love that about him.

I’m trying to spend time with each of them. Last night, I watched movies with Jax, since he works with Ace during the day. Dash and Knight are here all day, not that I would know it with Knight. Zayd works from home, and he seems to make his own hours. I think he might be a night owl, since the others have been surprised by how much he’s been working during the day. I guess I have been stealing all his work hours with cuddles. The best cuddles.

But now I’m back in my nest after Veronica’s visit. She seems a little happier with my nest today. It’s almost perfect. Ace ordered the omega mattress, and they will deliver it in the next few days. I don’t get what’s so special about it. I haven’t even stayed in here at night, so I really don’t need it. But maybe it’ll help during my heat...with having all of us in here. I smile at the thought.

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