Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Simon

T hree days. It had barely been three days, but my entire life had changed on a profound level. I obeyed Victor's order, climbing into my own bed, but feeling as though it and me and everything in my world now belonged to the handsome, powerful alpha who had placed a collar around my neck and set me free from the false version of myself I'd been up until that point.

"On your back," Victor ordered as he undressed the rest of the way himself, watching me while tired hunger radiated from him.

An impossible thrill zipped through me. We were both so, so tired. We were in my parents' house, in the bed I'd slept in since I was a teenager who had outgrown my old kiddie bed. But that didn't stop me from doing everything Victor ordered, no matter where it would lead.

"Hold your legs apart," Victor continued his orders as he toed off his shoes, then unfastened his trousers.

I didn't dare protest or disobey, even though I could hear my parents' voices as they walked down the hall and past my bedroom door. I grabbed my ankles as I parted my legs and lifted my knees out and to the side, froglike. The position exposed my slick hole to Victor's ready gaze.

"Mmm," he hummed, pushing his trousers off and setting them aside. "That's the most beautiful scent in the world. Your dripping hole."

I let out a shaky breath. "Thank you, Master." I then stepped cheekily out of my place for a moment to say, "You have the most intoxicating alpha scent, too."

"Do I?" Victor asked, moving to the bed, then pushing the covers back even more so that he could crouch between my stretched-open legs to breathe me in straight from the source. "And what is my scent?"

He asked casually as he brushed his beard stubble, which had grown a lot, since we hadn't had time for him to stop and shave for a while, along the insides of my thighs. The gesture had my hole twitching and producing more slick, like my body desperately wanted to go into heat, even though it wasn't time.

"It's wonderful, rugged, and so alpha-like," I sighed restlessly as my cock filled, despite the rest of my body's exhaustion, in response. "It's like leather, oak, and spice and musky sex." My face heated as I not only described him, but breathed him in. "It makes me horny every time I get a whiff."

"Good," Victor murmured, his lips so close to my hole that it took all my powers of concentration not to beg him for more. "I like that I'm not the only one who just wants to fuck when I smell my mate's scent."

I couldn't stop a small, plaintive moan from leaving my lips. Between his mention of fucking me and calling me his mate, my body was quivering like a tight bowstring. I wanted to arch my body to him, presenting myself even more. I wanted to cry out and beg to be fucked and filled. The fact that I wanted it so badly when I was in my parents' house, running on almost no sleep, still adjusting from a major change in my life, was a testament to just how much I belonged with and to Victor.

As if Victor could sense everything about how I felt, he kissed the insides of my thighs, so close to my hole that it nearly brought tears to my eyes, then suddenly shifted away. He stretched his entire, large body over mine, balancing himself on his hands, which were planted outside my shoulders, just below where my head rested on the pillow. I could feel the heat of his stiff cock close enough to my hole to have me panting, but instead of thrusting and taking what was his, he lowered himself to kiss me.

It was a surprisingly sweet, pure kiss. It was filled with love instead of lust. It was soft and long, his tongue teasing without stealing or demanding anything. Even though he hadn't said I could move from my pose, I let go of my ankles so I could wrap my arms and legs around him and kiss him back.

My kiss made him hum and our bond buzz with contentment.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you," he murmured, rubbing the tip of his nose against mine in a gesture that was almost adorable, considering the hot, pulsing need radiating between the two of us. "But I'm sure as hell going to try to keep deserving it for a long time to come."

I sighed with happiness at that thought. "I love you," I whispered, looking straight up into his eyes. I couldn't think of anything else to say. Those were all the words that were needed, and even though the rational part of me thought it was astounding to feel such love so quickly, I simply did.

"I love you, too," Victor said, kissed me again, then rolled to the side so that he could pull me into his arms and spoon me. "Now, get some sleep."

I gusted out a breath, then, before I could stop myself, said, "You mean you're not going to fuck me or let me come?"

"Nope," Victor said, laughter in his voice. "And I'll remember that impertinence in asking when you know you shouldn't later."

I smiled, despite the tickle of disappointment and the ache of denial in my cock and balls. "Yes, Master," I sighed, then closed my eyes and nestled against him.

It felt so good to be bound and bonded, owned and loved by a man who was actively working so hard to be better than the sum of his parts. Even though my body still buzzed with the need for release, my mind felt so safe and cared for that I fell asleep almost at once.

Victor

The only reason I was able to sleep for a few hours was because my inner alpha was so deeply content to have Simon, my omega, my slave, my mate, tucked in my arms. It was nice to be in his bedroom as well. I felt surrounded by the sights and scents of Simon, which practically made me purr with joy.

When this was all over, when everything with Victory Holdings was settled and we could move on to planning a wedding and a life together, I would buy a new house and have Simon decorate it to his taste. Then I would strip him, get him all worked up and dripping with his sweet-smelling slick, and rub him all over the carpet and furnishings in each room.

That silly fantasy woke me from my quick sleep as the alarm on my phone, which I'd set after Simon had fallen asleep, went off.

I reached for my phone to shut the alarm off as Simon stirred awake in the shelter of my body and saw at least a dozen missed messages and calls. With a muttered curse, I pushed myself to sit with my back against the headboard and scanned through them.

Most were from members of the board, asking me about the emergency meeting that had been called. I ignored those, because I would see all those people in just over an hour anyhow. One text was from Vivien, saying everything was set and ready to go, and I should be in the board room of Victory Holdings' main office at eleven.

At least a dozen messages had been fired at me from Uncle Vincent. They did everything from calling me names and telling me I wouldn't get away from the truth, whatever he considered that to be, to threatening me with more. But there was one, the last one he'd sent, that had more of a tone of wheeling and dealing, like he might be ready to compromise. On his terms, of course, which wasn't compromise at all, but there it was. I wondered if Vivien had already spoken to him.

"Is everything okay?" Simon asked, cuddled against my side, his hand resting on my bare chest, like he was trying to soothe me.

"Yeah," I said, frowning at my phone. "I'm just trying to figure out if Vivien is really on our side."

Simon registered surprise. "Do you think she wouldn't be after everything we talked about overnight?"

I dragged my eyes away from my phone to look at him. Despite myself, I smiled at him. "I'm not used to family being loyal to me," I said. "Trusting them doesn't come naturally."

Simon smiled softly, then bent his head to kiss my shoulder. "It'll be okay," he said, so much softness and love in his eyes. "Whatever happens, we'll get through it. Besides, you're marrying into a family of corporate lawyers."

I burst into a broad smile. "Fate really did bring us together," I said, then kissed him back.

That kiss quickly escalated, and I had to forcibly tell myself to cut things short and pull away from Simon to get out of bed.

"We need to get moving," I said with a sigh as I stood. "We need to bring this whole thing to a close."

Simon smiled and climbed out of bed with me, trust and excitement coming at me through his bond. I felt like I would be able to do anything, conquer any enemy, as long as I had him by my side.

I needed that feeling, as everything swirled around me as we quickly showered and I dressed in my clothes from the day before, Simon donning a suit from his closet. There was no guarantee that the board would vote to change the bylaws or push Uncle Vincent into retirement. I knew the board members all too well, and like Vivien, too many of them were more concerned with money than what was right.

Simon's parents were a huge help, though. While we'd been sleeping, they'd been up working. They'd obtained a copy of Victory Holdings' current bylaws, and they'd combed through them, highlighting sections that we would probably want to change. They'd also researched the legal ramifications of changing the bylaws and what could and couldn't be done. Then they'd emailed their work directly to Vivien, making the job ahead of me infinitely easier.

By the time Simon and I left for Victory Holdings' office, borrowing yet another car from Frederick and Ollie, I had an entire briefcase of legal documents and a head full of ideas and arguments to use, if it came to it.

"We're just a phone call away if you need legal representation standing by your side," Frederick told me as he shook his hand before we left.

"Thank you," I said, feeling it as well as saying it. "We'll let you know how it goes."

The drive to the office was short and quiet. Both Simon and I were thinking over the coming battle, Simon driving so that I could read through the proposed bylaw changes to make sure everything read the way I wanted it to, which it did, down to the last detail. It was nice to see that, because of the bond, we didn't need to talk to communicate. I felt every subtle shift of his emotions, and he felt mine, I was sure. It was actually incredibly relaxing to conduct an entire conversation without saying a word.

I needed that interval of peace, because the shit hit the fan as soon as the elevator doors slid open—my security code had been restored overnight, which was a positive sign—and we walked into Victory Holdings' reception area. The second we started heading for the corridor that would take us to the board room, Brenda picked up her phone, dialed one number, then said, "They're here."

I wasn't even a little surprised to find Uncle Vincent tearing down the hallway between the offices and the glass-walled boardroom as soon as we turned the corner. It wasn't a surprise to find the boardroom already packed either, or to see the board members all stand and turn to us as the inevitable confrontation started.

"You!" Uncle Vincent said, scowling as we neared each other in the middle of the hall.

A few of the board members, including Eddie, moved like they would leave the boardroom to join the conversation, but Uncle Vincent held up his hand to stop them. They stayed where they were. Because the boardroom walls, despite being glass, were soundproof and the door was closed, they would see but not hear whatever happened.

"How dare you defy me, after everything I've done for you?" Uncle Vincent seethed quietly instead of shouting.

I was ready for his anger, so I took in a deep breath, steadying myself, and said, "Given the events of the last few days, not to mention the last year, I think it's you who has behaved badly, Uncle Vincent."

Uncle Vincent was so angered that he shook visibly. "Everything you have, you have because of me," he spat. "I raised you. I formed you. It's the worst kind of insult for you to go rogue and defy everything I've worked to build for you."

"For him?" Vivien asked as she stepped out of the office just behind where we'd stopped to have the confrontation.

Uncle Vincent twisted to glare at her with a look that matched his ire for me. "For both of you. For the family," he corrected.

"Forgive me if I don't believe you, Dad." Vivien crossed her arms. "The least you could do is be honest and say everything you've done you've done for yourself."

I was surprised by her bluntness, and when my uncle said, "Of course I've built it for myself. No one in this world ever willingly does anything for anyone else. Other people are ungrateful idiots."

He turned back to me, narrowing his eyes again, like I counted as other people. He also glanced to Simon, which immediately had me on guard.

"I won't be around forever, though," he said. "This was all supposed to be yours when I'm gone."

"Provided I turn into exactly the sort of corrupt, uncaring, power-hungry alpha you've become," I said.

"And what's wrong with being powerful?" Uncle Vincent snapped. "Power gets things done. Power moves mountains."

"Power should be used to help people, to better the world," I argued.

Uncle Vincent snorted. "Pearls before swine," he said. "The world is full of grubbing, ungrateful, lazy wretches who deserve what's coming to them."

I shook my head. "You're entitled to think that as much as you want, but I won't let you turn a company that I've given most of my life to so far into a corrupt, oppressive bully that hurts people instead of helping them."

"And I won't let you give my life's work away to common people who don't deserve it," Uncle Vincent said.

"Your life's work?" I asked, feeling Simon's encouragement and goodness through our bond. "Does that include all the criminal activity you've been involved in for the last few years? The deals with shady business partners and the political interference?"

Uncle Vincent snorted. "Call it what you want, but I've gotten things done."

It chilled me to see that he didn't deny any wrongdoing. It made me wonder just how deep his bad dealings went.

"I plan to get things done, too," I said, standing taller. "Things that will actually benefit mankind. With or without you and Victory Holdings."

"Over my dead body," Uncle Vincent growled.

Vivien held up her hands. "Alright, you two. Stop alphaing it up so much." We both turned to her with frowns, but I had a feeling she was on the right track. "Let's take this to the board and see what they have to say."

"Yes, let's," Uncle Vincent said.

They were the least reassuring words I'd heard from him yet. His swagger as we all moved toward the boardroom door hinted that he thought he knew something I didn't. He thought the board would be on his side.

I glanced to Vivien as we entered the room, but her expression was blank and stony, and she didn't look at me in return. It turned my stomach and made me worry we'd played his whole thing wrong and everything was about to come crashing down on me.

"So what's this all about?" Eddie asked as we all moved to our usual places around the table.

None of us answered as everyone rushed to take their places. Eddie usually sat next to me near the foot of the table, but I pulled that chair around so that Simon could sit next to me.

It worried me that Vivien sat by her father's right hand at the other end of the table. Their positions gave off the feeling that it was them against me, that Vivien had never been on our side. That was my main worry amidst a sea of worries.

One thing that gave me hope was that Artemis was there. He didn't usually sit directly next to me, but he broke protocol to take the seat to my left, around the edge of the table. He sent me a quick nod as if to say he would back me, no matter what happened. I was grateful.

"Could someone please explain what's going on?" Charles, one of the older board members, who had known Uncle Vincent since they were boys, asked.

Both Uncle Vincent and I stood, but Uncle Vincent beat me to speaking.

"My nephew here thinks he can oust me from running my own company," Uncle Vincent said. "Meanwhile, he's off kidnapping omegas and nearly getting himself arrested. He's ruined the family's good name, and I believe he's the one who should be removed as an officer of this company."

I caught my breath, suddenly wondering whether it was such a good idea to change the bylaws so one of us could be removed after all. That person could end up being me.

Sure enough, Eddie spoke up, saying, "Neither of you can be removed. Not without the company dissolving."

"They can if the bylaws are changed," Vivien said, standing to make the point. "I brought you all here to vote on changing the bylaws so that one or more of the family officers can, in fact, be removed from an active role in Victory Holdings without the entire company folding."

A thought occurred to me, and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. One or more members.

Deeply suspicious of my cousin's motives, I stood as well, moving the briefcase that I'd put on the floor to the table and opening it.

"I've had my lawyers go through the bylaws and outline every section that should be changed," I said, taking out a stack of papers, copies of the bylaws with the sections to be changed highlighted. I handed the stack to one of the interns, who started passing them out. "Also highlighted are sections showing that this vote is perfectly legal under the bylaws, and that all we need is a two-thirds majority to make the changes, effective immediately."

I watched as all sixteen of the board members were handed their copies of the work Frederick and Ollie had done. Their reactions were curious. They all pored over the papers they'd been handed, but I had the weird feeling that they were just checking to see whether whatever was in the air was possible.

I met Vivien's eyes across the table. Now she was looking at me, but her grin was anything but reassuring. It gave me the feeling I'd walked into a trap.

Or maybe not. One of the provisions I'd made certain was changed in the bylaws was the strict non-compete clause, should any of the family be ousted from anything but part ownership in Victory Holdings. If Vivien had plotted behind my back, if she pushed the board to reform the bylaws so that she could snatch at everything, she would also give me a way to spread my wings and fly somewhere else.

I grinned right back at her. Against all odds, even though I could see her knives were out, I knew we were on the same page.

"This is all pretty clear," Eddie said, leafing through the bylaws without really reading them, another hint that something else was going on. "I move that the board accepts the bylaw changes as proposed by Victor Woodbury."

"Seconded," another of the board members said right away.

"All in favor?" Vivien asked.

"Aye!" a large number of the board said, raising their hands.

"Nay!" a tiny handful said, including Uncle Vincent.

"What are you doing?" he demanded of Vivien. "There has been no discussion, no formal opening of procedures."

"We followed protocol to begin official proceedings of the meeting earlier," Eddie said, winking across the table at Vivien.

Uncle Vincent still didn't see what was going on. "You cannot do that," he growled. "At least one member of the family must be present for any board meeting to officially convene."

"One was," Vivien said simply, smiling.

Uncle Vincent gaped at her. "You would go behind my back as well?"

"What, like you haven't gone behind my back, or favored Victor over me, every day of my life?" she demanded.

"You cannot do this," Uncle Vincent said, slamming his hand on the desk and standing. "I will not allow you to railroad me like this, you ungrateful beta."

I felt terrible for her, but the only sign of Vivien's lifelong pain of always being second best, always being considered inferior, was a slight pinching of her face.

That and the way she turned to the rest of the board and said, "With a vote of thirteen to three, the motion passes. The bylaws have been amended as laid out in the examples you all hold."

Without missing a beat, she went on to say, "I ask for a motion that Vincent Woodbury and Victor Woodbury be removed from their active roles in Victory Holdings."

"So moved," one of the board members called out, a greedy light in his eyes.

"Seconded," the one who had seconded the earlier motion said.

"All in favor of removing Vincent Woodbury and Victor Woodbury from their offices?" Vivien asked.

"Aye," most of the same men as before called out.

"Nay!" the three who had opposed the earlier motion said, including Artemis.

Vivien burst into a triumphant smile. "The motion passes. Vincent Woodbury and Victor Woodbury, you can pack up your offices and get your rotten alpha asses out of my company, effective immediately."