Page 45 of Harley

“Come on, let's leave them,” Matt says, and they all disappear down the hallway.

CHAPTER 21

DASH

Harley and Maggie spent the afternoon chatting, and I can sense the visit was good for her. I think Maggie cleared up a few things. I love when I get to see her and the rest of Pack Williams.

Now, I need to go out for groceries. I want to make a nice family meal for us all. I want us to be like my dream family...the ones I’ve seen on TV. They all sit down and eat together, talk about their day, and work out any problems they might have had. I love that, and Harley has mentioned how she misses her own family a few times. So, I hope that is how her family was and that I can give her a little piece of that.

Zayd is working on finding where her father and brother ended up. She let it slip that she would love to see them again and that her last name is Reyes. I asked a few more questions before her scent changed, meaning I’d pushed her too far and upset her with the memories.

Her father’s name is James, so we have enough to go on. And I really hope we find them. I know that families of omegas get compensated well when they’re taken away to the Omega House. But I’m sure her father would rather have her than any money he received. And I know she misses them something fierce.

I don’t miss my family...well, the ones I had before I found my family here with Pack Bentley. My mom was young when she had me. My father is an unknown alpha she met in a bar one night. She was underage, and he took advantage of her. That’s the story she told me. She married a beta when I was eight, and my stepfather wasn’t nice to me. He didn’t like that my father was an alpha, which meant I was no longer a pure beta. I was mixed, and I could turn alpha on him. He feared that most of all.

I didn’t. But I couldn’t take it anymore and ended up leaving the first chance I could. I haven’t heard from them in years. I thought my mom would try to reach out to me, at least to see if I was okay. I told her where I live. I called her weekly for months, but she didn’t want to talk to me. When she told me to stop calling, it broke that last piece in me that was holding on to that life.

So, I know what it’s like to lose your family. Even though mine aren’t lost, it still hurts. Only, I know that her family will want to speak to her. Knight said her father was protective of her in the diner. That, from what Knight saw, he’s a good father.

“I’m going to make a special family dinner. You want anything in particular?” I ask Harley as she lies on the couch, snuggling up to Knight as they watch a movie. The scent coming from them makes me want to stay and cuddle. The sweet honeycomb mixes with pancakes makes my mouth water and cock grow harder.

“Ooh, chicken?” She sits up and purses her lips. “Green beans and mashed potatoes?” I nod and she jumps up off the couch and hugs me. I move my groin from her, so she can’t feel how turned on I am.

I inhale her scent as I return the hug. I might only be a beta, but I love touch just as much as an omega. I could cuddle Harley all day and do nothing else and die a lucky man. I don’t think I will ever get enough of that honey sweetness of her.

I pull back and kiss her cheek, wishing it was her lips, but I don’t want to make her feel obliged to kiss me. So, I just smile and extract myself from her. She makes a sound as Knight reaches up and grabs her, bringing her back down onto the couch, and wraps his arm around her waist.

“Mine,” he says into her hair as he scent marks her. I stand and watch, wishing I could scent her like that. I’ve never had a problem with my designation before. But I wish I could be what she needs as an omega. Betas aren’t allowed to be with them, because we don’t have what they need—a knot, the pheromones.

Plus, it's illegal, as the government doesn’t want to have any beta offspring coming from the omegas. They want more omegas.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask if Knight is okay, but he winks over at me, and I can see he’s back to himself. The feral side is hidden. For now.

I walk out of the house before I jump on the couch with them both and never leave. The store isn’t too far from our house, and I love a good walk. I’m used to it. We don’t have enough room for each of us to have a car. Our front yard is small, but it has beautiful flowers in the springtime.

One car is all we have, and now that Ace has sold his motorcycle, he needs to use it to get to the shop with Jax.

The weather is warmer today. I look up at the sky, and it's blue with just a few clouds. I can’t wait for spring. I’m over these wintry days. I round the corner and cross the busy street. There’s a heap of alphas out here. They have signs that read “omegas for all” and “the end to pure lines.”

They are all part of the uprising we’ve been hearing late at night. Jax has been on edge since we started hearing them. Since we live close to the main road leading into the city, the sounds of their chants echo to our home. We haven’t had any problems at home, something I’ve told Jax over and over. But he can’t sleep, not with the uprising in full swing.

Some alphas turn to me as I walk past them and into the store. I’m a claimed beta, so I do sometimes turn heads. My scent has changed, and I guess it makes me more noticeable in this city. Not a lot of pack betas are claimed. So, it’s rare to see one.

There are more alphas than betas in this city. Even though some work in this store, there are still more of them than us, and it’s never been a problem before. But now I understand why Jax hasn’t been sleeping. The way they watch me is making me a little nervous. I’m used to them just turning their heads and scenting me for a moment. But now...now they creep in a little closer than I would like.

I try to ignore their presence and wave hello to Wendy in the deli. But even she gives me a look that’s worrying. I suck in a deep breath and smile at the honeycomb scent on my tee. Harley. I need to get back to her and give her the best meal ever.

This is going to be so exciting. Earlier, we were all working on a temporary space for Gage in Knight’s room. The Williams will be bringing him to the house tomorrow. I organized the whole thing—how to hide him from Veronica, how to sneak him in. So, I get to be the one to tell Harley tonight over dinner. I want to see her face at the news that her beta will soon be here.

I move into the meat section and try to find something I can make for dinner. Grilled chicken...and I will do a cream sauce, sundried tomatoes, and some spinach. As I reach for the chicken breasts, a shadow creeps over me. I look up and see a group of alphas. Their nostrils flare, and I shrink down a little. My stomach twists in a knot, and I instantly want to be home on the couch with Knight and Harley. Not here.

“Can I help you?” I ask with a shaky voice. Please leave me alone.

“Your scent,” one of the alphas says. “You have an omega.” He growls, moving in closer and grabbing my tee in his enormous fist. He pulls me to him, and I drop my basket as he inhales me...Harley.

I swallow the lump in my throat. This is so bad. Oh god. The fear running through me is seeping out, but my beta scent is so mild, no one would even know I need help. I search for Wendy, but she’s not there. I hope she calls the cops.

“Take us to her,” another barks at me.

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