Chapter Sixteen

When I woke up the next day, I still felt exhausted. My mouth felt gross since I hadn’t brushed my teeth after dinner, and I hated the smell of food tainting my nest. Wrinkling my nose, I made a mental note that I was going to clean out my nest as soon as possible.

I knew that Seb was still in the nest with me, my other alphas already gone. Considering my mate should have been at work, I already knew something was wrong. If it was a normal day, Seb would have left the nest to put on his faux-suit pajamas rather than stripping down to his boxers last night and calling it good enough. If we were just taking a pack day, all of my mates would be with me.

“Is it bad?” I asked, my voice croaking at the first use in a few hours.

Seb dropped his phone, turning to face me. He didn’t respond right away, leaning down to kiss my face. My forehead and cheeks and nose and chin and eyelids and then finally my lips.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” I mumbled.

“You have all of us, you know that right?” Seb asked.

I nodded, feeling just a little bit of the tension leaving my body. He was right, I did know that my mates would support me. If I was being honest, that felt like the only thing I was sure of.

My mates had warned me, and I didn’t listen. I wasn’t going to make that mistake again.

“A part of me wished I could just convince you to stay up here in this nest until everything passed,” Seb admitted.

“I’m not hiding away in here.” That had me sitting up, glaring down at my mate. “I might have freaked out yesterday, but I can handle it today. Yesterday was an emotional fluke. I was already sensitive because of how the concert ended.”

“Of course, princess.” Seb kissed my forehead, but I could feel that his lips were fighting against the pull of a smile.

“I’m serious.”

“I believe you.”

I glared at my mate who just smiled at me. His pride was more than obvious in his smile and his scent. Getting up, I huffed and changed into a comfy set of pajamas before bracing myself to leave my nest.

I ignored the fear of whatever I was going to see downstairs. Ignored the embarrassment for how I’d reacted last night.

Grabbing my mate’s hand, I pretended I wasn’t squeezing it harder than normal, and we made our way downstairs.

Almost immediately after leaving my nest, I heard noises coming from the first floor. No one was yelling, but multiple conversations were happening, the news was on TV, and all of my mates were pacing, the scent of stress filling the room and making my nose wrinkle.

Jackson was on the phone, his hand pressing the device so hard against his ear that I wondered if it hurt. Han, too, was on the phone, pacing, walking back and forth as he listened to whatever the person on the other line was saying. Zeke was making breakfast, all the while glaring at the TV. He had a notepad on the counter, and I watched as his gaze barely flicked down to whatever was in his pan, his attention fully on the screen as he wrote something down with his free hand.

My instincts went into overload. I needed to comfort my mates, calm them down, reassure them.

I went to my first alpha, hoping that calming him down would help with the rest of the pack dynamic. He was still holding the phone to his ear when I wrapped my arms around him, pressing our bodies close. I felt his muscles relax under my grip, his large frame curling over mine in an awkward, yet sweet hug. His apple scent surrounded me, the frustration making his usually crisp, fresh scent come across as sour.

Inside my chest, I felt a purr start. My mate had done so much to comfort me since I woke up in the hospital. Helping me through my heat, pack meetings to ensure I was feeling safe and happy, staying home to protect me, carrying me like I wasn’t a burden when I needed to be as close as possible to him. His presence was always near, just around the corner, ready to help me with whatever I needed or wanted.

Once he was calm, I raised onto my tip toes and kissed him. I loved his thick lips. I loved his muscular body and his dominant temperament that meant even in this kiss he took charge. His mouth pressed harder against mine, demanding my lips part for him as his tongue made its way between my lips, tasting me.

My hands roamed over his body, simply holding on as my mate took what he needed from me. As he pulled away, still so close that our lips were touching, I stared at his face. His eyes were closed, his scent quickly losing some of its sour edge.

“I’m going to fix this for you, rebel.”

I kissed the tip of his nose. “I know you will.”

Reluctantly, he let me go, and I made my way to Han. He was on the phone still, no longer pacing, watching me as I neared him. Pressing the phone between his head and shoulder, he opened his arms for me.

I collided with him so hard that he had to take a step back. This close, I could hear someone on the other end of his conversation talking. It didn’t sound like he was talking to Han, more like the phone was simply catching the other male’s side of a conversation.

“How are you feeling?” Han asked, talking quietly, probably so he wouldn’t catch the attention of whoever was on the other line.

“Better than last night.”

“That’s not saying much.”

I shrugged. “Who are you talking to?”

“Our pack’s lawyer. He’s reading up about publication rights. The problem is that most laws have been formed to protect reporters and media sources, not prohibit them from abusing their connections and public appearances.”

“I thought it was best to stay away from the media as much as possible. Let them just run their course.”

The look on Han’s face told me I was missing something.

“That’s not an option anymore. Go get some breakfast. I’m going to tell him to call me when he actually finds a solution.”

I nodded, finding both Seb and Zeke in the kitchen already, the former having taken over writing on the pad. Before I dove into the seriousness of the situation, I wrapped myself around Zeke’s back, careful that my hands didn’t accidentally bump or hit anything hot or edible.

“Morning,” I told him.

“Morning. I’ve made a strong savory breakfast today. Figured we’d need all our strength and energy to handle all this shit.”

“It smells delicious.”

My mouth was literally watering with how good it smelled. He had definitely cooked up a breakfast feast, which was saying something considering we always had a lot of food needing to feed five of us.

I wanted to stay in that moment. Wrapped around my mate as he finished cooking. But the temporary solace was broken when I heard my name—except not in any of my mate’s voices.

An image of me from last night was on the TV, taken from such a side angle that you could see Seb standing in front of me, blocking the other reporters from getting too close. Then the image started to move, and I watched me.

I watched as Seb pushed me into the elevator as the camera continued to get closer. It zoomed in on my face, my eyes wide, my head shaking back and forth. My lips were forming the same word over and over again, but you couldn’t actually hear me.

As the clip ended, two alphas appeared on the screen, both of them behind a desk and only slightly facing each other.

“It was more than obvious just in that few second clip how terrified the little omega was,” the first male said.

The female nodded, her lips pursed in disgust. “If my omega had been essentially attacked like that, you can bet I wouldn’t have handled it as well as this alpha.”

“Again, we’re seeing this pattern occurring of betas attacking omegas.”

Someone changed the channel as the female alpha went to agree. This new station had four people sitting around on a couch, as if they were trying to appear like they were conversing in a living room and not having a scripted debate on TV.

“It was more than obvious that she was disagreeing with everything being asked,” one of the males said. A little banner appeared on the bottom of the screen with his name and designation—Spencer O’Neil, Beta. “Look at her head shaking, her mouth clearly saying the word ‘no’ over and over again.”

“You’re telling me that you look at that video and see an omega answering questions, not one being needlessly bullied?” a different male asked, his tag claiming he was Elijah Flynn, Alpha. “She wasn’t claiming her disagreement, she was clearly afraid.”

“So what, if someone is scared, they can’t answer questions?”

“That’s called coercion.”

“That’s called bravery.”

Another channel, this one with just one person behind a desk, facing the camera. An image of a male I was pretty sure I should recognize was in the top corner. “Representative Adam has put forth a temporary bill to limit omega movement outside the Omega Compound and their respective pack homes until a vote can take place at the end of next month to solidify the rules of movement for omegas.”

She kept talking. I knew that by the way her voice was still heard, by the way her lips kept moving, yet I wasn’t understanding her words. I hadn’t fully deciphered the first thing she said. It was like I suddenly lost the ability to comprehend my own language.

“They can’t actually do that, can they?” I wasn’t sure who I was asking, but all of my mates were nearby, and I was hoping someone would answer. Anyone. “They can’t force me to stay in the house. That’s apocalyptic shit. It has to be illegal.”

“Someone has offered up a similar proposal every year, it’s never had enough votes before,” Seb admitted.

“So, it won’t go through?”

“I don’t know, princess. Right now, both alphas and betas are blaming omegas for the problems between the designations. They might agree to this temporary ban just to settle everyone down.”

He must have seen how angry those words made me because he pulled me close. “I’m not of agreement, princess. Just telling you what I think will happen.”

“Maybe it’ll be a good thing for omegas,” Zeke said, earning my immediate glare. “No, think about it. Right now, the other designations are blaming omegas for all their problems. We can see how ridiculous that is, but they think this is an actual solution. When it doesn’t work, the next vote to make it permanent will fail.”

“Feels like a risk,” I said.

“There’s no other choice. I’ve already left a message for our district representative on behalf of our pack, but I don’t know how useful that’ll be or if they’ve already made up their mind.”

“C’mon,” Jackson said, “let’s have breakfast first. Then we’ll try to talk everything out.”

That was what we did. I pushed all thoughts about everything happening outside of the home from my head and focused on a pack meal. There was nothing more to be done at the moment and everything was out of my control. But I was doing my best to be strong. It was easier than last night since all of my mates were present, and my instincts helped me to keep them calm.

I ate all of my serving and then snuck bites from all of my mates’ plates as I moved around to sit on each of their laps.

When I finished, I found myself on Jackson’s lap, leaning back against him. My hand was rubbing around on his chest and shoulders, just enjoying the feel of my mate.

We were all slow to get up. Slow to clean the dining room, to clean the dishes. Eventually, we had no other choice but to sit our asses down in the living room for a pack meeting.

The TV was still on, the words muted as we’d tried enjoying these last few minutes of peace from it. We all watched the video being played, a banner along the bottom of the screen reminding the viewers that the content may be graphic.

Alphas fought each other in one clip, the destruction they brought down on everything around them almost seemed faked since they were in front of a large, beautiful home with a tended lawn and even a white picket fence. The next clip were protestors, their faces covered in masks, holes cut out just for their eyes and mouth, and they were chanting something about cutting off the noses of alphas for equality. Signs depicting bloody faces were waving around and it suddenly made sense why their masks didn’t have nose holes.

“When is the vote?” I asked.

I never looked away from the TV, watching more and more protests, so many kinds flitting across the screen. Then the channel changed to something that appeared infinitely calmer but had my anxiety immediately heighten.

It was the view of whatever chamber the representatives worked in, all of them sitting, one by one voting yes or no. A little box in the bottom corner showed the number for each vote, keeping tally.

It was close. Too close.

“What happens if omegas have appointments? Doctors or emergencies? Childcare?” I hated looking at the group that determined my life. Had they consulted with any omegas to make their decisions or simply did what they did best?

“I pulled up the proposed bill,” Seb said. “It has hourly restrictions, meaning omegas won’t be allowed to make appointments before 7:00 in the morning and after 7:00 at night. Beyond scheduled appointments, omegas aren’t allowed out during that block, even with a chaperone.”

That got me up off the couch, pacing. “This is fucking ridiculous. All of this is crazy. How many of these dimwitted representatives even have an omega pack member? How can they possibly make a choice like this for an entire designation?”

“Representative Adam doesn’t have one,” Han said. There was an intrigued tone in his voice that had me momentarily glancing away from the screen. “Obviously even the omegas he’s courted have rejected him, that’s why he wants to remove the decision from the omegas’ hands.”

I was back to watching the little counter that would determine my fate. All omegas’ fates.

“There has to be something we can do.” Then an idea came to me. “Where’s my phone?”

We all searched for it, the device somehow appearing from Han’s office. I opened the masquerading social media platform, hoping the password that I remembered using was the same, and then punched the air when I was logged in.

“What are you doing?” Zeke asked. His face was over my shoulder, watching.

“I’m looking on here to see how I can help. I’m not going to sit around just moaning about how unfair all of this is.” I shook my head, my frustration with myself tainting my scent. “Obviously, holding onto hope that the media would be on my side was a bad plan. But actually taking action, that would definitely help.”

“What kind of action?” Jackson asked.

“I don’t know. Something. I’m more than healed now. And even when I’m not doing anything, I’m still being used, so I might as well do something.”

The phone was plucked out of my hand, earning a growl from my chest. I stood up, using the couch cushions as leverage, attempting to go chest to chest with Jackson despite my smaller height.

“Give it back,” I demanded, my hand out for my phone, never breaking eye contact with my mate.

“Start talking shit through and I will.”

“I just want to do something, is that so bad? I want to make a difference—to stand up for my designation.”

“I get that, rebel. I promise, I do. But doing whatever feels right isn’t always the answer.”

“What does that mean?”

“Remember what we told you about our connections?” Seb asked, standing next to Jackson so he could meet my gaze and hold my attention. “Sometimes it’s better to work behind the curtains.”

“Like how?”

“Your classes for one. If you finish those, you’ll have a solid argument to make about omega capabilities in education. Before that, anyone can argue that you didn’t finish college.”

I felt the frustration slowly start to leak out of me, but my mate wasn’t done.

“Plenty of those representatives that voted no are people we know or have some sort of connection with. We have people on our side, but they aren’t going to keep associating with us if we’re causing too many problems.”

I pointed at the TV. It was still on the current count for the vote, but my mate understood the gesture.

“Right now, your image isn’t associated with a single side. Despite how they’re using it. But if you were at a protest or made a statement, that all might change.”

“I do nothing, then?”

Jackson reached out, pulling me closer, and I wrapped my legs around him. “I’m not saying that. Just that whatever you do needs to be a pack decision. The same way we all talk about what we’re going to do and say publicly. We need to be on the same page. You’re a part of this pack, Hannah.”

Despite the slight admonishing tone, I smiled at his words. I was a part of this pack. This new version of me was accepted by all my mates. That meant I had to do more than focus on myself and my own needs, I had to keep my pack together.

And as happy as that made me, I couldn’t ignore the kernel in the back of my mind that reminded me of the other omegas. The ones trapped at the OC. Trapped in packs that didn’t treat them as anything more than a baby maker.

“We’ll come up with a plan together, rebel. Trust us.”

Jackson’s words soothed me, and I nodded against his neck. I would trust my mates. They’d never done anything but protect me.

Setting me back down on the couch, both Han and Zeke took up the seats on either side of me. Zeke whispered about helping me find the perfect way to fight back which had Han leaning closer to whisper, asking what we were whispering about.

“Hannah is right on one front,” Jackson started.

“Just one?” I asked.

He continued like I hadn’t spoken after a quick glare in my direction. “We can’t do nothing. I think we should lay everything on the table. All of our connections, what we can do, and then we’ll create a plan. Who we can talk to, whose hands money needs to go into, everything.”

I nodded my head so hard that a slight headache started on my forehead.

Hope was a distraction that I clung to, excitement filling my veins as all my mates got comfortable, Zeke even bringing the notepad and pen to the living room.

Before we could even start, I heard clapping.

No, that wouldn’t make any sense. My gaze went to the TV for a moment. I was riding the high of my pack, my happiness clouding my prediction on what I was about to see.

Two. That was how many votes the No’s were behind. Two. Less than the members in my pack.

The temporary movement ban was in order. We had forty-five days until the vote for permanency occurred.