Chapter 41

The past few weeks have been hell. I don't think I've cried so much in my entire life. It literally feels like someone reached in and ripped my heart out. I haven't been sleeping well, waking up every night screaming from a nightmare I can't remember.

And when I look around, I find myself alone, then I cry myself back to sleep.

I miss them more than I need air to breathe.

When I got back, Leisha welcomed me home with open arms. Then I proceeded to cry while she held me.

After that was done, she brought me down to my room. It was exactly how I left it, and I cried all over again because they cared enough to keep it for me.

It's been two weeks now, and I still feel like I'm in Hell. Is it supposed to feel like you"re dying being away from your scent match alphas? Because that's what it is for me.

The guys tried texting and calling, but I've been ignoring them. I feel awful, but I just can't. I don't know what to say. I left them without a goodbye. I took the easy way out. I was so damn scared and let my emotions make my decisions for me. That"s not like me. I should have said goodbye. God, I wish I did. I just want them to hold me, to kiss me, to tell me everything is going to be okay.

I'm cold and alone, and I fucking hate it.

Calvin called me the other day, and I did pick up. It wasn't easy, and it took a lot of effort to keep it together long enough for him to tell me what was going on.

Turns out that crazy bitch, Gianna, was a lot nuttier than we thought. Calvin didn't go into details, but said she came to the house, started babbling some crazy talk, threatened my life, and held a gun up to the guys. Zane acted in self-defense and shot her.

Then I lost it because I felt like the world"s worst omega. My alphas' lives were at risk, and I was in the air on the way to my own safety. They are dealing with something so damn serious, and I'm hiding like a little bitch. I should be there for them, to try to make things better, to be a shoulder for them to lean on at least.

The idea of them needing me, worried sick about me, kills me.

I knew she had something to do with keeping us apart, and I will be demanding more details when they get home. Something tells me it's a lot more than just an obsessed woman in love with my men.

I'm just a mess of emotions, and I don't know what to do.

To add the cherry on top of the cake, I'm currently sitting on the bathroom floor of my apartment crying in Leisha's arms again with a positive pregnancy test clutched in my hands.

When she found me puking my guts out this morning, she asked me if I was pregnant. I laughed it off because it's only been a few weeks since my heat. There was no way I'd be able to know this early.

Then she pointed out that yes, I would because omegas have heightened hormone levels, and we can tell if we're pregnant sooner than an alpha or beta. Something I didn't know.

She brought me a test, and now here we are. The pure joy I felt when I saw the word positive on the screen was like nothing I've ever felt before. I just wish I could have found out while having the guys here with me.

"It's going to be okay," she soothes, running a hand down the back of my hair.

"I'm the worst omega ever," I sniffle. "I left my alphas to fend for themselves, and now they're not here with me to find out we"re having a baby. A baby, Leisha! I'm going to be a mom." I look up at her with a watery smile. It"s the only bit of joy I've had since my heat.

"Yes, you are." She laughs. "The best mom in the whole world. That baby is going to be so damn loved."

"I'm so happy, but then I feel like shit for being excited because the guys aren"t here."

"Enough of that," she scolds me. "What happened in Greece is serious. They can't just jump on a plane and come back. They have a lot of legal hoops to jump through, but as soon as they're cleared, I know they will be back to kidnap their omega again." She grins at me.

I groan, a laugh slipping free. "Is it messed up that I can't wait?"

"Nah." She laughs. "You do you, baby."

My phone rings, and my eyes widen. Leisha helps me to my feet, and I rush out of the bathroom and over to my phone. "Hello?" I ask without even looking at the caller ID.

"Hello, my Darling." Calvin's voice has my whole body relaxing.

"Calvin!" My voice quivers, the sound of his voice soothes my aching heart.

"How"s my girl doing?" he asks me.

"Miserable," I sniff. "I miss you all. When are you coming home?"

"That"s why I'm calling you. The guys are about to do a press conference, and then we're boarding the plane. We will be with you by tonight, my Darling."

My hand covers my mouth as I hold back a relieved sob.

"Shhh. It's okay, Jade. Darling, don't cry."

"I just miss you so fucking much," I sob. "Please, come home safe. Hurry."

"I love you, Jade."

"I love you too. Send me a link to the conference?"

"I will. No more crying, okay? We'll see you soon. Everything is going to be alright, Jade. We will deal with it together."

"Okay." I nod, even though he can't see me.

Hanging up, I sit on the edge of the bed and wait for Calvin to send me the link to the conference.

"Am I crazy?" I ask, looking up at Leisha.

She raises a brow, hands on her hips. "Depends on what your definition of crazy is. You've always been a bit of a wild card."

I huff out a laugh. "For being with them. Their life is unpredictable. In the few weeks I was gone, a lifetime of things has happened. My life used to be so calm. I'd go to work, do my thing, come home, sleep, and on my days off do whatever I wanted."

"Is that what you want for the rest of your life? Predictable, safe? Because that will never be your life if you"re with them."

"But there is no life without them," I tell her.

"Then there"s your answer. You"re not crazy, Jade. You"re in love, you"re happy. If you want it badly enough, you will find a way to make it work. And something tells me, your guys will be by your side no matter what."

She's right, they would be. "Thanks, Leisha."

"You're welcome. Now, you know where to find me if you need me."

I nod and give her a hug goodbye before sitting on the bed, crossed-legged, looking down at my phone.

Calvin sends over the link, and I immediately click on it. My heart stutters when I see their handsome faces on the screen. "Hello, everyone!" Griffin speaks into the mic. "We have some things to talk about."

I sit and listen as the guys explain about what happened with their ex-manager, her secret obsession with them, and her endgame plans on what she wanted with them. It made my belly twist with nausea. Then they get to the part where Gianna was going to shoot one of them, so Zane did what he had to do and shot first. The reporters go crazy, but the guys handle it like pros.

When they're done, I'm swimming with pride. But I'm also pissed I can't be there with them. I know I can't help it, but I feel like a failure as an omega. I just love and miss them so damn much it hurts.

"There's also something else we would like to address," Zane says, taking over the mic. "The tape was released by our ex-manager in hopes of having the world hate our omega. Jade Love is the best thing that could ever happen to us. We've been family since childhood. She is the most amazing, talented, loving, feisty woman, and we're so damn proud to have her as our omega.

"To our fans who want to cause her harm. Please, do better. This isn't the way to behave. We are humans, this is our lives. Please, have some respect. She doesn't deserve to be treated like this. She's not using us for our money. We're meant to be. Scent matches. It's how it was always going to be and how it's going to stay."

"As for the three of us and our relationship," Everett adds. "Yes, we are together. We've been together for years. We never went out of our way to hide it from the world; we are just very private people regarding our partners and our personal lives. Jade supports our love. And we do love each other. Love is love, and that's all that matters. You don't have to agree with our choices, but please respect them."

By the time they're done, I'm crying yet again, but happy tears this time. I'm so fucking proud of my alphas.

"And, Jade, Jelly Bean, if you"re watching," Griffin says, smiling into the camera with a wink. "We're coming for you."

"JADE." THERE"S A KNOCKat my door.

Climbing off my bed, I answer it to see Leisha standing there with a smug grin on her face. "Hey, what's up?" I've felt a lot better since knowing the guys are on their way home, but I'm also very antsy. I've been distracting myself by looking up stuff for the baby.

"There are a few alphas here, waiting to see you."

My eyes widen. "They're here?" I gasp.

"Yup. Now come on, let's go get your men."

I'm hot on her heels, and she laughs when I grumble about her not going fast enough. "You know, you being in love is oddly adorable."

"Thanks." I laugh.

The club is still closed for another few hours, so when we get to the top, it's pretty empty. All except for the four alphas standing over by the bar.

"Trouble." My name falls from Zane's lips like a prayer, a look of pure relief washing across his face.

I let out a sobbed laugh and run across the room. Zane is ready to catch me as I launch myself into his arms.

"I'm so glad you"re back," I cry, clinging to him like he's going to drift away.

"Never do that again, Jade," he growls, pulling back, so he can crash his lips against mine. I sigh, feeling everything click into place as he brushes his thumb against his bite mark.

"We are a pack. We deal with things together. We don't run. I don't care if you"re scared. We're a team."

"I know." I nod. "Zane, I'm so sorry you had to deal with that."

"I'm not." He shakes his head. "She wouldn't have stopped; she was going to hurt you. She was hell-bent on taking you away from us. We were never going to let that happen."

I nod, not sure what to say. "Give her to us," Griffin mutters, prying me out Zane's arms. "Hey, Jelly Bean." Griffin grins before kissing me just as passionately as Zane did. I melt into his arms, my whole world is back with me and everything feels right again.

"Tiny." Everett doesn't kiss me but squeezes me so tight my heart breaks. "I can"t be away from you again. I just fucking can't."

"You won't have to," I tell him. "I'm not going anywhere."

I look over to find Calvin watching with a small smile on his face. "Hey, Darling."

"Hi," I whisper as he kisses me softly while I'm still in Everett's hold.

"How are you doing?"

"Better now that you"re all back with me." I smile, tears spilling down my face. "I'm sorry I left. It was... it was just a lot to take in. I didn't mean to run. I just felt like it was all my fault. And finding out that people were planning to come find me to hurt me. It was..."

"It's okay," Griffin says, brushing the hair out of my face as he crowds around us. "We understand. We didn't like it, but we understood."

"Not Zane," Everett murmurs. "He lost his mind."

"I'm sorry," I whimper, meeting Zane's eyes.

"Shhh, don't cry," he tells me, kissing my cheek.

I giggle as Everett starts to purr, trying to comfort me. It does the trick, and I feel a little more lighter.

"You smell different," Calvin tells me, and I open my eyes, cheeks heating.

"There's something I need to tell you all."

Zane and Calvin's eyes light up as they give each other a look. "Are you pregnant?" Calvin asks me slowly.

My brows furrow. "How did you know?"

"You're pregnant!?" Everett asks, pulling back to gape down at me.

"Yes." I nod, unable to keep the smile from my face.

"Holy fucking shit!" Griffin laughs. "We're going to be dads!"

"Fuck yeah." Zane high-fives Calvin.

"Did you two have something to do with the fact my heat started when it shouldn't have?" I ask, raising a brow.

"Would you be mad if we said we did?" Zane counters.

"No..." I laugh. And it's true. Maybe it's a red flag, but with them, I'm just going to pretend that I'm color blind. "Because I'm so damn happy. We're having a baby! We're going to be parents."

Calvin pries me from a grumbling Everett and pulls me into his arms. "I love you, Darling. And I love our little one to be."

"I love you too."

"Thank you for choosing us. You had so many reasons to want to leave, but you didn't, and for that, we will be forever grateful."

"I'd never leave. Because I've spent so many years thinking I lost the people I've loved so hard. And once I got them back, nothing would drag me away. You are just the cherry on top of my happily ever after. I'm blessed to have four amazing alphas who would literally do anything for me. I'm not sure what the future holds for us, but as long as we're all together, it doesn"t matter."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Trouble."