36. Apollo

We sat before Michael's desk, Candy next to me, our hands clasped while Zeus and Odin stood behind us like great guardians. The room was more imposing than it had been two years ago when we first entered. It was still filled with oak and leather and the smell of old books, and Micheal still dominated the space, despite being tucked in the corner behind the desk.

He had been staring at us for the past two minutes. We'd walked in, heads held high, so sure of what we wanted. As always, Michael's solid gaze was punishing, and I refused to crack, though I could feel Zeus was ready to go. Candy was still in heat, and she was doing her best to stay calm.

It was no surprise we were all shaken by what had happened. It had barely been a full day since we left the house, and stinging jabs of guilt kept catching me when I least expected it. The madness of the rogue state clawed at the edges of my mind, but my pack kept me stable. And with Candy's presence now bursting through our bond, there was nothing that could let the darkness in.

Michael smiled at us as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn't created a huge elaborate play to show us how serious he was about keeping us fixed in our contracts.

Candy's face was fully bruised, and she proudly wore the blue and purple marks across her jaw and cheeks as a fuck you to Michael for what he had done to her.

"So…" Michael said, curling his fingers together on top of the desk. Candy's heart jumped, but we were all so focused on her that, as soon as we reached for her through the bond, she calmed instantly. I kept her close, squeezing her hand despite the pain.

Odin and Zeus were even more tense. It might be one small alpha sitting at a desk, but he could do anything he wanted to us.

We really had no idea how this was going to go.

"This is certainly an interesting turn of events," Michael said. His gleaming eyes danced over the three bite marks on her neck—her other source of pride.

Michael took a slow breath as he leant forward, resting his chin on his knuckles. None of us spoke; it felt safer that way. We discussed different strategies after Zeus calmed down, though nothing we suggested was new. We'd promised her to find a way out of this, but it had been years of us trying, and nothing had happened. Yet.

As we spoke in bed, it became clear we didn't know what to do. All the power was in Michael's hands, as it had been since we each signed away our lives years ago.

"I can see you took my suggestion of using your time wisely quite literally," he said, a small smile on his lips. "Though, I must say, I commend you for holding out this long. I fully expected you to last no less than a year."

"What?" I said, my voice heavy, forcing myself to contain my emotions, despite that a single word from Michael had already triggered my anger. "What do you mean?"

"It means I'm deeply impressed by your level of commitment, not just to your mate, but to the job itself. Usually scent matched hosts last three or four months at most. Though, personally, I believe you could have been a tad more subtle in your execution."

There was another pause as he waited for it to sink in.

"How did you find out?" Candy asked quietly. Her fear tremored through the bond. She finally understood what we meant whenever we told her it was too dangerous, but the cost for her realisation was too high.

"Candy, my dear, you couldn't possibly think that the cameras going dead at the beginning of your heat, at exactly the same time your… hmm…" he twisted his lips, "bodyguards decided to transfer overseas was going to go unnoticed."

Her mouth clamped shut in a hard line as she glared at him.

"Yes, exactly. Well, it was rather fun watching everything unfold. Though, again, I apologise for Mr Roberts' enthusiasm." Michael gestured towards her cheeks. "I'll have a very thorough conversation with him when he eventually wakes up. But I can assure you he won't be bothering you in the future."

Zeus sucked in a breath beside me while Odin tensed further. We didn't need to ask what would happen to Mr Roberts, and I didn't want to know. I didn't regret what I did for her.

"What I'm more curious about is what you plan to do now that you've thoroughly ruined yourself." Michael smiled at her again. "You are—or were—my top-earning omega. I can't exactly let you service guests with those marks, now, can I?"

"We'll pay you." I jumped before any of my pack could speak. "Everything we've earned since we started working for you. Whatever it will take to pay back the years you've looked after us." Though he had given us a house, cars, furniture, clothes, food, and anything else we could have possibly wanted, all in return for loyalty. But, as he said, we were more loyal than he had expected.

"No," he replied bluntly, sighing as he straightened his back. "It does not work like that. I did not ask you to sign a contract so you could simply leave whenever you felt like it."

"Then what can we do?" Odin asked. "Is there anything? Just so Candy can stop being a host?"

Michael hummed, his smile growing with his presence, cloying as his energy bloomed. Candy let out a small yelp, the four of us pinned to our seats. I tried to hold back my gasp, but it was hard when it felt like my lungs were being crushed from the inside. Zeus choked as Odin gripped the back of my chair tightly, the pressure building up around us.

I thought I had lost control when I had gone rogue, with nothing there to stop me from destroying everything at first. This had the same flavour, the only difference was Michael was fully composed.

"One favour," he said, the pressure around us suddenly vanishing as he lifted a single finger.

We were reeling, puffing and panting as we adjusted ourselves in our seats, and absorbed his statement.

"What do you mean ‘one favour'?" I croaked.

He watched us with curiosity as we managed to catch ourselves before he continued.

"Oh, well, it's all quite simple," he replied. "In exchange for your freedom, you will owe me a favour, to be redeemed at a time of my choosing."

"So, can she leave?" Zeus cut in instantly, forcing another smile from Michael.

"Well… I wouldn't particularly say you can just ‘leave', but as long as you boys continue working for me, I'll give you that leeway. Obviously, you'll have to relocate. I can't have my other hosts finding out about this generosity. But, yes, Candy," he looked at her, "you would be freed from your contract if you took me up on my offer."

"I accept," she said instantly.

"Wait, hang on," I said. "When you say ‘favour', what are you actually talking about? Do you mean anything? Anything at all?"

"Indeed. Though I have no idea what that anything might be right now. I'll simply wait until I need you."

"But literally anything?" Zeus asked. "Like, we could die kind of anything? That sounds even worse than a contract."

"I can't deny that, depending on the nature of the thing I require of you, there could be a high chance of death. Your size would be a great benefit in a number of ways, so we'll have to see. I can't make any guarantees at the moment."

Silence blanketed the room as the realisation of what he said sunk in. He was providing us with an answer, and I already knew I was going to say yes. I'd agreed to anything he asked if it meant Candy could stop being a host. But the idea of us finally making a real life for ourselves, only to have it ripped away by one of us dying, made me sick.

Candy's throat bobbed, meeting at me with pleading eyes. "I don't want to live like this anymore," she said, her voice hard.

I closed my eyes slowly, my brow furrowing as I replied. "Okay," I said on a breath. "Okay, fine. We'll do it. Odin?" I looked at him. The gentle ache which usually lived between us had faded into slight wisps after last night, and I was so relieved that it was difficult not to wrap my arms around him and pull him to me. While knowing Zeus would press in behind me and sandwich Candy and me between them, as we should have done from the very first day.

The thick vein which ran clear up Odin's temple strained as he grit his jaw as the three of us were peering at him expectantly. I knew he wouldn't say no, but the same as me, it was hard to accept the idea that our pack could be destroyed when we had finally given in to this.

"Yes," he said reluctantly, folding his arms, glaring at Michael, who simply smiled. "But we'll need time. We can't just leave."

"Oh, absolutely. You don't expect me to just throw you out on the street?" Michael tilted his head. "Why don't you take the day to arrange yourselves, and we can meet again tomorrow to go over the finer details? You all must be exhausted from your little ordeal. In the meantime, I'll draw up a contract."

"What?" Candy jolted, her gaze flying back to him. "What do you mean ‘a contract'? I thought you were freeing me from mine."

"Well, you didn't think you were going to get away without signing something. Contracts are my forte, after all." He chuckled with a flourish of his hands.

"Thank you so much," I said before any of my pack could cut in. I had to get us out of there before we did anything to ruin the chance he was offering us. "Is there anything else you'd like us to do?"

"You're very welcome. We can discuss such things later. I wouldn't want to keep you. I can see you're itching to leave."

We rose, the leather from the seats creaking as Michael watched us patiently. Odin and Zeus tucked Candy under their arms, and I followed behind.

I was almost through the door when Michael called out to me, "Oh, and Apollo?"

I turned back just before I shut the door.

"Do make sure to take care of her. You never know what monsters are lurking in the dark." He sent me another soft smile, a hint of his deadly strength curling towards me.

I swallowed, my throat dry as I nodded. As I left, I prayed that whatever he had in store for us would come far, far in the future.