Chapter Twenty-Two

Two weeks and six days later

I was a fucking bundle of nerves.

It didn’t matter that Eve had me wait as long as possible to shower in the hope that I could wash off the clinging scent of emotions. I couldn’t hide what I was feeling, and I wasn’t able to distract myself from what was about to happen.

My interview with Presley was in less than an hour. Eve was doing all the tactics that the OC taught her to calm omegas down, except I wasn’t stressed about anything that could be easily soothed with a sarape and my favorite smoothie. Not that I didn’t appreciate her attempts to help me.

“That’s it,” Eve said, standing up from the little metal chair she deemed was good enough for her. “I’m getting one of your mates.”

Words were impossible to get out, but I was looking in a mirror, and I watched my head nod. Then I was alone.

The room that the studio gave me to prep for the interview was small yet filled with every necessity. A tiny shower with complimentary bottles to wash. A couch with a back-up sarape that Eve had told the company I preferred. A vanity where I could do my hair and makeup. There was also a small cabinet of dry foods and a tiny fridge with cold drinks. The thermostat was for just this room so I could make it any temperature I wanted. There was even a little gift when I arrived, and that I tore into seconds after I saw it.

My mates were in my room in seconds considering they were simply outside the door, waiting for the opportunity to be let in. They’d started the afternoon in here with me, but then Adam had wanted a word, thanking me for showing up and my emotions had gone haywire. That meant they were forced to wait outside the room so no one could have another excuse to come in and bother me. However, Eve was right—I needed them more than I needed everyone else to leave me the fuck alone.

It was Sebastian that reached me first, turning me around and pulling me into a hug. I heard the door shut again, only this time, Eve was on the other side, hopefully able to keep anyone else away. It was harder for a beta since the alphas didn’t seem to respect her at all. Still, I appreciated the effort.

“Do you think I’m ready?” I mumbled against Seb’s neck.

“Yes.” There was no hesitation in his confirmation. “Despite her personal opinions, Presley is an expert interviewer. In some ways, that’ll help because she isn’t going to be led into topics we haven’t covered.”

Han came up behind me, rubbing his hand over my back, as he said, “She’ll no doubt start you off easy. Once she realizes she isn’t getting the responses she wants, she’ll throw out the script.”

“Her omega’s here,” Zeke added. “Hopefully that’ll be enough to keep her scent in check.”

“She brought her omega?” I asked. To me, it felt weird, like she’d brought her omega in to watch his doom unfold. Maybe he was one of those rare omegas that was content with the way things were. He had mated Presley and her pack after all.

My alphas did their best to stay close to me, all of us in a huddle. This close to my mates, I was finally able to calm down, my thoughts not able to permeate beyond the loud purring coming from them.

At least until someone softly knocked and Eve stuck her head in the room. “Are you almost ready, Hannah? They want you to get seated so they can mic you up.”

I nodded. Still, I hesitated to leave my mates, to finally commit to this act that had consumed so much of our lives lately.

All the exercising and mock interviews had led to this moment. All the research Seb tried to explain to me, and the stories Eve had told me.

My tongue felt heavy in my mouth. Would I even be able to get the words out? Any words at this point?

“Should I do this? I know we’ve been working toward it and planning on it, but this is it. Our last chance to stop it before we’ve gone too far. We’re going to have to face the OC’s wrath, we’ll have to deal with Adam, his pack, and every other employee in this building just to leave, and that doesn’t even consider the social ramifications—”

“You’re spiraling, rebel.” Jackson cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs caressing my cheekbones. His gaze was intent on mine, not letting me look away from his brown eyes. “All of this is your choice. You know that. We tried behind the scenes and that didn’t work. Now we’re trying out front. If that doesn’t work, we’ll try something else.”

I took a deep inhale, thankful that everyone ignored how shaky that breath sounded.

Eve led the way, with Jackson right behind her, Han and Zeke on either side of me, and Sebastian behind all of us. We all had a role to play in this, especially in front of so many gazes. Despite being surrounded by my mates, I still saw all the glances in our direction, and I was working to keep my stride confident, focusing on ensuring my hips had a slight sway.

Seb chuckled, and I winked at him over my shoulder, mercifully managing not to run into anyone.

The area where the interview was set to take place was brightly lit, my feet automatically slowing down as we neared it.

At least it didn’t look sterile. Two club chairs sat facing each other, lined with fabric I knew would be soft, ensuring any sweat from my palms would soak into the material’s arms, staining it. Between the seats was a decorative rug with a small table set in the middle. It was decorated like a furniture showing with books that didn’t actually have titles laid on top, some fake candles, and even two place settings as if we were going to have some drinks with us while we chatted.

Overhead, dozens of lights dangled and angled themselves to illuminate the whole space. This area was literally warmer than the rest of the room, which I knew wouldn’t help with my already present stress sweats.

Off to the side, I finally saw Presley and her omega. The latter was sitting in a chair with Presley’s name on the back while the former stood, getting her last-minute details done to her hair and makeup. They looked good together, the kind of opposites that somehow perfectly complimented each other.

Presley was all blonde, with long curly hair that elegantly rested over her shoulders. Her eyebrows were dyed a brown color but that was the boldest thing about her. From her outfit to her slightly pink cheeks, she looked soft. Nothing was bold or form fitting, almost reminding me of a doll.

My own outfit was a black suit. I’d had it tailored so that it was almost form fitting. Underneath my coat, even my shirt was black, and my black heeled boots were making a hard thud sound as opposed to the clacking of heeled shoes. Koda had helped with my hair, dying it pink last night, and Zeke had cut it this morning, creating my new signature heart over my scar.

In my humble opinion, I looked badass. I could have been soft and sweet if I wanted, but I’d always been someone with an edge. The last thing I wanted was to appear different than myself as if I’d been coerced into whatever I was about to say. I had to appear normal. This was my normal, even if the suit was technically new.

Presley looked up from the other side of the room, her lips moving as she spoke to her omega, yet her gaze never dropped from our eye contact. She might have been dressed like a pretty little gift, but she was a predator. She was an alpha.

Eve was suddenly in front of me, blocking my view of anything except her. “Well, I can’t smell your scent now, so you’re a little bit calmer. That’s good. Are you feeling good?”

In the face of Eve’s panic, I was actually calming down. My own instincts always demanded that I comforted people I cared about, and Eve had quickly become a close friend of mine. Reaching out, I grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze to reassure her.

“Right. Goodness, I’m nervous and I’m not even the one going on camera. Now, I’m supposed to have you sit on the chair and one of the sound producer guys talked me through how to put a mic on you. Once I do that, everything you say will reverberate throughout the room. Ready?”

“No. Let’s do it.”

I kissed my mates, none of them complaining about the pink stains from my lipstick before taking my designated spot. Sitting in the chair, I worked hard to get myself comfortable before giving up. The fabric was as soft as it looked, the thickness under it surprisingly firm.

Eve started moving around me, tucking what she called the sound pack against my hip, and hiding the mic’s cord behind my jacket. Her nerves were making her scent bloom, and her fingers just barely shook as she continued touching and adjusting the pack and cord and mic over and over again.

“Thank you, Eve.” My whispered words echoed through the raised volume of the microphone, making me jump. I stared wide-eyed at my mates who were unsuccessfully hiding their smiles at the fact that I’d scared myself. Glaring at them, I pretended to turn my nose up.

Then Presley sat down, draining all the humor from me in an instant. For just a moment, I slumped, before I remembered that I was a bad bitch. I had to truly dig deep inside myself for those positive feelings, but I grabbed them with both hands, and used them to roll my shoulders back, posing like I was cocky and not at all intimidated by this alpha.

So close, she smelled like … milk. Her alpha scent reminded me of shoving my nose in a gallon that was close to its expiration date to make sure it was still good. Like a mix of milk and plastic. Honestly, it wasn’t the worst alpha scent ever. It wasn’t my preference, but I would take milk over salty water or black pepper any day.

“Good evening, omega,” Presley said, speaking around the beta that was currently arranging her sound equipment. “We’ll make sure this wraps up on time so you can get home before the curfew.”

I was pretty sure she didn’t mean her words maliciously. After all, she was still looking over her notes, barely even paying attention to the beta in front of her, let alone watching my reaction to her words.

I had no idea what to say, since the words, ‘thank you’ were definitely not coming out of my mouth at that comment. Fortunately, it didn’t look like she was expecting me to answer anyway.

Turning my gaze to my alphas, I was asking them with my eyes if they’d just heard what she said. Sebastian gave me a look that told me to settle down while Han moved his hands around his chest in a gesture for me to breathe.

“Ready?” someone asked.

“Ready,” Presley said.

There was a moment of silence before that same previous voice asked, “Ready, Hannah?”

“Oh, ready.”

Almost directly in front of me, just off to the side of Presley’s head, a large light turned on. I flinched at seeing it, my hands tightening around the arms of the chair as I waited for the light to get closer. It didn’t.

From the peripheral of my vision, I saw Presley look up, watching me have a small melt down from a camera light. “Just relax, you need to focus on me, not the camera. Like you’re gossiping with an old friend.”

“One minute marker,” someone yelled. Their voice was distant, yet it only served to make my memory stronger, to remind me of what happened then—

I was caught in a stare off with an inanimate object until a hand waved in front of it. Jackson was standing next to the camera, his thick corded arms crossed over his chest as he stared right at me. He was protecting me, standing by the thing that had scared me in order to remind my instincts that he wouldn’t let anything hurt me.

The tension drained from my body as someone ran toward Presley, grabbed her notes, and the countdown from ten began.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

Ready or not—one.

“Good evening, everyone, thank you for your viewership,” Presley started. Her voice was softer than I’ve heard in other interviews, and I had no idea if that was supposed to be for my benefit or the viewers.

“Tonight, I am interviewing a very special guest. For the first time ever, an omega is in the chair opposite me—Hannah Zeal. How are you doing, Hannah?”

“I’m good, especially since my alphas are nearby.”

“Of course. If you’re ready, I’d like to jump right into the hard stuff.”

Taking a deep inhale, I gave her as much of a smile as I could. “I’m ready.”

“Perfect. I’d like to start off in the timeline order, having you tell me about the first incident at Representative Adam’s restaurant. How did you find yourself there?”

“If I’m being honest, I don’t remember. I have no recollection of going into the restaurant, or even arriving at the shopping center. Even more, I didn’t know the restaurant existed until my mates told me what had happened.”

“What did your mates tell you?”

“That I’d been tackled. My head hit the pavement, cracking open a portion of my skull, and I was transported to the hospital.”

“Tackled? That almost makes it sound intentional.”

“I don’t remember that part either. All I know is what bystanders saw.”

“How far back does your memory loss go? Do you remember the night before? Six months?”

“Years, actually. I, um—” I was getting choked up as I tried to get the words out in front of people. It was dumb to be sad about forgetting something I couldn’t really remember, yet here I was. My hand came up the back of my neck, touching the only mating bite exposed. “I don’t remember bonding with my alphas. Getting their claiming marks.”

“An argument could be made that your attacker took those from you. How are you handling the effects of such a traumatic event?”

“My mates and I got to know each other again, and I can say, without a doubt, that I’m glad I’d bonded with them. I’d do it again if I could.”

Presley laughed like I’d told a joke, so I did my best to smile like that had been my goal. “That’s great to hear. Omegas need good alphas to support and protect them, especially in your case when it seems that you’ve become a topic of interest to a lot of people. Not all of it good.”

“You know, I think a lot of people spend time daydreaming about what it would be like to be famous. I certainly used to. Having your moment of fame when you’re in a hospital room doesn’t give that fun, fulfilling vibe I’d always imagined. I was missing a chunk of hair after my surgery to fix my scalp, my whole body ached like my blood was sore as it traveled everywhere, and then there were all the emotions, the desire for strange alphas, fear of being in the hospital.”

“It sounds overwhelming.”

“It was.” I almost winced as I said that since my words were hard to pivot to a new discussion.

“No doubt the experience you had with the press a few weeks back has only added to your emotional distress.”

I nodded, not really sure how to answer that statement, before I remembered that I wasn’t supposed to do that.

“I was watching over the clips of what happened, and a lot of questions were thrown out about politics.”

I bit my lip, then stopped, remembering my lipstick. For the last few weeks, I’d literally practiced on how to keep from making meaningless gestures and I was already messing up, but I had no idea how to respond to her statement. My gaze quickly glanced over to Jackson, my only alpha easily in my line of sight. He was too far for me to take any comfort in his scent, but just being able to see him helped me relax.

“I know that omegas typically stay out of the political world, but your circumstances are unique. You’ve almost been forced into it, and I know everyone is wondering your opinions. For instance, do you think the betas at the protest where you were injured should be held responsible for the damages incurred by you?”

“No.” Fuck, I wish I’d said that louder—more confident. I tried again after quickly clearing the embarrassment from my throat. “No.”

That got Presley to lean forward, her face never losing that kind look as if she wasn’t actually fazed by my answer. “You have a kind, forgiving heart, then. How about your alphas, though? Surely, they think that some sort of punishment should be allotted for putting you in a hospital?”

“Well, sure, but that wasn’t what you asked before.”

The smile she gave me was condescending.

As soon as I saw her mouth about to open, I quickly added, “You asked about punishing the betas who were protesting. That wasn’t who attacked me. All the accounts I’ve heard were about an alpha peace officer. That he pulled me from behind with too much force.”

“That’s quite a version of events. I’ve covered protests before, and things get out of hand. An alpha’s instinct is to protect omegas, I imagine that’s what any peace officer was trying to do in an event as volatile as that.”

“Except I was tackled hundreds of feet from the building. Sprinting away from the protest.”

For just a moment, I watched Presley’s smile turn sharper, as if she’d realized I wasn’t just a boring omega to pass the time, but some interesting prey for her to play with. “The peace officers were called out only after several hours had passed of the restaurant losing revenue. It’s most likely possible that you got caught up in the crowd or that your alphas were far enough away that an alpha noticed an unattended omega. Where were your alphas during the incident?”

A trick question with a trick answer. “The emergency personnel struggled to get my alphas out of the way once they arrived. Apparently, I’d blacked out moments after my skull cracked. It really worried my alphas despite our bond.”

“Being newly bonded myself, I can understand their fear. If that was me, I would be wondering how I could have prevented such an injury to my mate. If I should have been closer.”

This time, it was my turn to change the topic, because I knew an argument about how my alphas shouldn’t be blamed for someone else hurting me wasn’t going to go over well. Alphas thought it was their duty to protect omegas. I figured alphas should just learn to control themselves since they were the prominent cause of omega related injuries. Especially unbonded alphas and omegas.

“My mates always stay close,” I admitted, “that’s the only reason I wasn’t completely overwhelmed when all the reporters tried to get their answers on my date.”

“If I remember correctly, several alphas from the orchestral band had to come help you both into the elevator.”

I wondered how many times she’d watched those videos, all of them the same, just from different angles, making a note of each slight head movement I had. She made it sound like she had just glanced at the video, but I knew her question was rhetorical. She knew.

“I’m very grateful to those alphas,” I told her.

“How come you were out alone with just one of your alphas? After what you’d been through, I would have kept my own omega on lockdown. And if he needed to go out, it would be with the whole pack.”

“We’ve never had an issue out in public before all this—”

“That you can remember. With years lost from your memory, you can’t really say for certain that this instance hasn’t happened before.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. But omegas shouldn’t be forced to live in fear of going outside.” I was getting too riled up, making it harder to keep my tone in check.

“I agree. Although a certain level of protection needs to be appointed to omegas. Like this bill proposed by representative Adam. In limiting the times that omegas are out in society, it ensures that the peace officers will be able to maintain proper surveillance. It was one of the hallmarks of Adam’s proposal.”

She didn’t ask a question because she wanted me to simply nod my head along. Sebastian had warned me about that—stopping my natural tendencies in a conversation to simply acknowledge when someone was talking.

“Omegas are supposed to be protected to the point of allowing us out. If you keep us locked up for safety reasons, it seems more like an insult to the alpha, claiming they couldn’t protect their mate.”

“In extreme cases, the worst can happen. Look at you—”

“Exactly. Look at me. My alphas have protected me again and again. We were at a shopping district for the first attack, I might not remember how or why or when we got there, but I could imagine I wanted to go shopping so my mates came along. Then I went on a date, with my alpha, and again, he protected me. Now I get to sit here because the worst didn’t happen.”

“It’s impressive how you stand up for your mates. I don’t know a lot of omegas who would be brave enough.”

“Do you know a lot of omegas?” As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I regretted them. Not their meaning, just their tone. “I just mean that I spent years in the OC, I’ve met hundreds of omegas at events and in housing. Just as much as alphas want to bond, so do omegas. We’re just as territorial, just as loving, putting in just as much effort to be happy together.”

“Of course,” Presley agreed.

I wish I could smell her alpha scent. At this point, I had no idea if I was imagining her eyelid squinting on the edge as frustration. There were simply too many smells in here, and I was so focused on paying attention to what I was saying that I didn’t want to distract myself by seeking her milk scent out.

“A lot of times, those alpha protective instincts come out through laws. Most representatives are alphas, so it’s easy to see how the best interest of omegas is constantly put forward in proposed bills like Representative Adam’s. Have you read it?”

“My mates went over it with me after the temporary ban was put in place.”

“Then you probably noticed your influence in the bill.” Her smirk was back, and this time, I knew I wasn’t imagining it.

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“I’ve spoken with several co-writers on the bill, and I know that Representative Adam has made it clear that the bill’s portion about building ownership and the restriction of certain designations allowed into a business based on the owner’s preference came from the incident at his own restaurant with you. He wanted to ensure that you and other omegas were safe to eat at his business.”

“What about packs that have betas?”

“Statistically speaking, very few packs ever bond with a beta.”

“But some do. Are they simply banned from dining with their mates?”

“Do you have any plans to bond in a beta to your pack? You seem very passionate about this topic.”

Fuck, I was totally messing up. I hadn’t even noticed that I was leaning forward in my seat, that I was getting louder as I spoke. It felt like pure common sense to me that someone could be an ally to something they weren’t a part of, but I knew that wasn’t the image of me Presley was attempting to paint for our viewers.

My pause had been too long.

I tried for a nonchalant answer. “I have several beta friends. If we can’t meet up at Representative Adam’s restaurant, we’ll go somewhere else. Easy as that.”

“How is that? Being friends with betas, I mean. Most omegas tend to feel threatened around unbonded betas since they aren’t familiar with the innate instincts that come naturally to us. Do you work around that feeling?”

“No.” It was almost a question because I didn’t feel threatened around most betas so long as they were respectful—but I immediately realized my mistake. It sounded like I’d answered that last question. I was getting sloppy the longer the interview went on.

“Most omegas find that difficult, and I’m pretty sure that’s why most alphas are proponents for a separation from betas. Without betas, you wouldn’t have been accidentally hurt at a protest, wouldn’t have been swarmed by reporters. When you look at most of what’s happened to you, the actions fall to the hands of betas.”

Be fucking calm, Hannah. “I think that’s a gross simplification. You could blame the laws that were unjust causing the betas to feel the need to protest in the first place. And when it comes to the reporter incident, I think it makes more sense to blame the industry that those specific betas are a part of. Or maybe we should blame the viewers who watched the video of me giving whichever broadcasting company more viewership or more incentive to keep continuing their actions.”

I had to pause for a moment to breathe before I continued. “It wasn’t the first time someone was swarmed with cameras in their face, demanding answers. It was just the first time that someone couldn’t handle it. I’m not a celebrity, I didn’t expect anyone to care about me if I went outside. It was a shock.”

“That would be quite overwhelming. It was a good thing then that the members of the orchestral group were alphas and able to scent your distress.”

“Good people do good things. Designations don’t determine that. My best friends are betas, my lovers are alphas, and I’m an omega. The people in my life are a mix and we’re more than our base instincts.”

“In some sense, sure. But there’s nothing stronger than instincts. As much as you might want to be able to ignore designations, that won’t stop you from going into heat and pulling your mates into a rut. Your designation is simply part of who you are. Unless you hate being an omega?”

“We are our designations, sure. We’re also so much more than that. My heat is just a part of me, like most omegas. That doesn’t mean all omegas are alike. We have unique nests, unique comforts, unique mates. Each of us reacts differently in different scenarios. Some omegas don’t like going outside the month of their heat, some need to be closer to nature. Grouping us together, even by our instincts, doesn’t work.”

“I totally agree,” Presley said, immediately making me wonder how she was going to twist my words for her use. “Not all omegas are fit for every pack. That’s why funding the local OCs are so important. Scent matches and personality matches, it’s all part of forming permanent pack bonds. How was your experience at your OC?”

“I actually met one of my best friends when she was working there. She was sent out by the OC to check on me when I was in the hospital.”

“A beta, then?”

I nodded.

“You’ve made quite a few statements this evening as a proponent of keeping the designations mixed. Does your opinion still stand when betas are taking the places of omegas? Bonding with alphas? Surely your instincts chafe against that, no matter how much you respect betas.”

“Unless betas are murdering omegas and wearing their skin, I don’t consider them taking anything from omegas. Each member of a pack decides who they want to be with. If that happens to be an omega or a beta or staying just with alphas, then I don’t see a problem.”

“What happens if there aren’t enough alphas for omegas to bond with? Should omegas be forced to endure heats by themselves? Or should betas in packs allow their alphas to rut omegas without bonding them?”

“Have you ever been through a heat?” I had to work to contain my own smile, knowing that I was trying to set her up.

“I’ve seen my omega through one.”

“But you haven’t gone through one yourself.”

“I’ve been in a rut.”

“Exactly. A rut, not a heat. You don’t know what omegas go through, except your own. If you gave us a chance, omegas could tell you our opinions about everything. There isn’t a need to guess about laws or packs or heats, because we can tell you.”

“Tell me now.”

It wasn’t what I meant, and she knew it. I knew it. I also knew I wasn’t giving up this opportunity even if I could hear Seb’s and Han’s training in my head telling me to redirect the topic. “Omegas aren’t territorial over alphas, we’re territorial over our mates. Whoever that is. Instincts might help us find our mates, but those instincts are different for each person, for each designation. And when it comes to our heats, we should always be allowed to choose who or if we want someone to help us through it. Forcing sex on anyone, for any reason, should never be allowed.”

“I think that’s a very optimistic look at our society, and maybe one that most omegas share with you. Which is probably exactly why omegas aren’t meant to make the tough decisions. Your alphas have done an excellent job of protecting you from the worst of society, of the people that have been repeatedly trying to take advantage of you, and I admire them for that.”

An ache was forming in my jaw from how hard I was clenching my teeth. She was such a condescending asshole, talking down to me like I was a little kid who wanted world peace. As if my opinions were less because I was an omega.

“And they have my thanks for letting you come out and speak with me this evening.” This was it, the last bit of my interview, the closing remarks.

Despite wishing for more time, I was glad it was done. My body finally relaxed, tension I hadn’t even realized I had during the interview draining away. As of yet, I didn’t have any regrets.

I wanted to stay here in this moment. Without the stress of the interview and before I learned about the effects of whatever was said.

“I wish you the best, Hannah. And for all our viewers, thank you and don’t forget that the curfew for omegas is still active. Head straight home, wherever you are. Goodnight.”

All at once the lights turned off. Presley didn’t have even a moment to say anything to me before I was surrounded by all my mates. Their scents of pride were so strong that I felt the familiar burning sensation behind my eyes as I held back my tears for just a little longer.

I was so tired. Exhausted, really, from all the emotions I felt. My mates didn’t linger, dragging me along with them as we left.

I needed a nap. I needed more time before the vote that week for the temporary ban to become permanent. I needed to know that I hadn’t made things worse for my designation.

I wondered, for all my effort, if I’d even made a difference.