8. Jade

eight

"Thank you for the rescue," I singsong.

Hazel studies me curiously out of ocean blue eyes. Her knitted jumper is obviously very expensive, and the shorts show off long, tanned legs. I kinda hate her. "Tell me again why you needed rescuing from Raptore Securities' best employees and Doctor Shultz?"

"Oh, it's just a silly misunderstanding." I beam and cross my leg over the other in the back of the car. It's a really nice car, smells good, too. Comfortable seats. Very shiny.

"Jade," Hazel warns.

I'm really lucky that she was driving down the road at exactly that moment, but then again, I don't really believe in coincidence. One of those people at that house called her.

I tense, and then the energy goes out of me. "So, it turns out that Sven and Adrian are my alphas."

"That's great!" Hazel says excitedly.

"Adrian's leaving, and Sven doesn't want me. His exact quote was ‘not if I don't claim her'." I try for nonchalance, but my tone falls flat.

Hazel sits back and slumps on the car seat. "Boo. Bad boys," she murmurs with a distant look. "I knew there was something going on between them."

The car pulls up outside this incredible wood log house. It looks like it's been plucked from a magazine and placed into this bit of paradise. Hazel gets out, and I trail after her, trying to hide the nerves.

"Come inside, I'll introduce you to my pack and get the girls on conference call so we can figure out what to do."

She pushes open the door, and I follow her into the lounge and stop short. Shit.

I stand there and flex my fingers, but my tongue is tied, and no words come out. Kandi is crying, actually crying, and she's in another man"s arms, and he's holding her. And…am I jealous? Why do I want to be the one holding her? A tiny growl escapes, but I smother it.

Kandi looks up and spots me. "Jade?"

The man turns and glares. "This is her?"

"Sunny, don't. It's not her fault."

"She's hurting you, sis. I don't care if it's her fault or not, I get to hate her."

I tilt my head to the side. "I"ve never had anyone hate me before. How novel. Have at it then, Alpha."

"How does it feel?" he asks with a curious hint of a smile. He's really all very golden. Too golden. Too smiley.

"Strange. I almost want to weep," I deadpan.

He looks away. I fancy that it's because he's holding back a giggle, but I'm not sure. I take the opportunity to take in the sleek and low-key furnishings. Everything is open, with a massive kitchen to my left and a huge lounge to my right. There's a corridor past the kitchen and another space leading deeper into the house in front of me. It's dark and somehow cozy, too.

"Why are you here?" He clears his throat and attempts to look menacing.

"Well, Hazel is my friend," I say tentatively.

"No, she's not. You barely know her," Kandi snaps.

I heave an exasperated sigh. "I know. You're my friend. Adrian is my friend. But beggars can't be choosers when they have a mad alpha trying to kill them." I throw myself down on the other side of Kandi, making sure our thighs are touching. "Sven's choosing you, you know."

"He lied about how important this all was; you, Adrian, all of it. And we are not friends."

"He's choosing to be with you. And you're right, we're not friends. We're something more," I insist. I lean my head back and study the ceiling. "How much pain does an alpha need to go through before he decides running is better than staying?" I muse. "Can't be happy with half a heart. It's better to gouge it out of your chest and throw it away, right?" I give her a pointed look and lean in, fluttering my lashes.

Why am I helping that idiot man right now? Oh, yeah, he's mine, and I don't like seeing this beta cry.

"Stop it!" Kandi hisses. "They lied!"

"Did they lie? It's more like mutually rejecting each other but unable to stay away. Kinda how it seems to be with the four of us. We don't want each other, but fate keeps throwing us together. We say awful things, but we can't stay the hell away."

I glance to the side to find a line of alphas watching us curiously. My hackles rise as I take in the three dangerous, unknown alpha's, Angel, and the golden one.

"I'm a beta. I don't belong in a pack," Kandi hisses.

Her golden alpha makes a soundless protest.

I narrow my eyes at him and stand up. "You don't? Funny, I thought you did." Her eyes widen in shock, then cloud with doubt. "Hazel?" I call out and wander out of the room. Ignoring all the eyes staring at me as I go.

I can feel her gaze on my back all the way out of the room. It's not until I get around the corner that the pressure vanishes. They are the only eyes I care about.

I didn't realise it until this exact minute. Now that I'm walking away, hips swinging, all the attitude I've cultivated gives me a confidence I don't need to pretend. I know what my plan is.

I'm going to fight for my pack. I'm not done yet. Why would I give in so easily?

None of them want to be together. So I'll just make them want it. How hard can it be? I'm easy to love. Kinda. They will just learn to find me irresistible.

So I'll make them see that happiness only exists with the four of us together. Four? I turn back, hoping to catch a glimpse, but I can't see her. My instincts hum when I think about her. I want her, and my instincts are good. It's the only thing I"ve learned to trust in this world.

I want the beta, too.

Call me greedy, but she's mine, too. As soon as I decide that, the tension in my chest eases.

Hazel gestures to me, and I cross to stand beside her. A male omega walks into the room and leans against Hazel. I look him up and down and sniff. His hair is this beautiful rainbow of streaks of blue with white tips.

"What?" he barks with a sullen snarl.

"Your hair is fucking exceptional," I grumble and turn away from him, taking in the stone floors and portraits on the walls. The paintings are also incredible.

He laughs. "I'll introduce you to my hairdresser."

I make a happy sound and turn back as several black boxes come to life on Hazel's tablet. I recognise Onyx and her omega Dylan, who is looking like he'll kill anyone who gets close to her. Now that I"ve seen the twins again, I can safely say they look nothing alike. Silver's features have more symmetry, her lashes are longer, her eyes bluer. Onyx isn't guarded and doesn't have pain in her eyes. Nothing alike. I thought omegas were meant to be happy and charming.

My gaze slides to find another male omega who is smiling. He lights up the room, with dark hair and brown eyes, he's lithe but not in a weird way, like he's proportioned well. Beside him sits, oh, my, the infamous Scarlet Waring. Even through a tablet, her alpha strength is formidable. She has black hair and compelling green eyes, and even from here I want to lower mine and submit to her. Finally, a single woman appears on the last screen. She's got ginger hair with an odd white streak and fierce gold-green eyes.

"Who's this? Don't tell me you got another one?" the omega with Scarlet teases. "You are a greedy, greedy woman, Hazel Montford, collecting omegas the way some people collect alphas."

"Shut up, Barren," Hazel snorts a laugh. "Everyone, this is Jade. She needs help. Jade, this is Barren Knight, his alpha, Scarlet. Missy has the carrot-coloured hair and the awful sense of humour. And you know Onyx and Dylan. Wait, aren't you meant to be in the nest?"

"Yeah, we escaped. We're on limited time," Dylan whispers gruffly. "If anyone rats us out, I'm going to make your alphas suffer!"

"What kind of help?" Missy interrupts.

"Well, interestingly enough, your kind," Hazel points out. "Information, plots, plans, all that shifty stuff you're so good at."

Missy raises a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Sven and Adrian are my alphas," I cut in sharply, I'm strangely hesitant and not wanting to drag Kandi or Hazel into it.

"Sven is taken," Missy says at once, her eyes dangerously cold.

Those words send ice through my blood, and the omega in me rises in territorial challenge.

Yep, I just know this omega and I are not going to get along. "Yes," I draw out the word. "And my instincts are saying she's part of my pack, too. All three of them are mine." My tone allows no argument, and judging from their expressions, they don't like my possession or the way I've said it.

A low growl tries to escape from my throat.

There's a moment of silence as they take that in.

"Oh, that's, wow. I love it." Missy's eyes glow with anger. The words are right, but the tone is wrong. A white-haired guy leans into the screen.

"Sven's running, isn't he?" the guy asks.

Missy waves her hand at the screen, "Jade, meet Lukas. He's one of my alpha's and Sven's boss." She says the last two words with an emphasis that really pisses me off. I don't care who he is, he does not have a claim to my alphas.

"I don't care who you think has a bigger claim than mine. The issue isn't who has them. It's that Sven won't have the pack, and Adrian is leaving town," I growl, my eyes locked with Missy in direct furious challenge.

"WAIT! What?" Barren barks. "Adrian is leaving?"

His sudden question rips my attention away from the stand off I'm having.

"He's not leaving," Onyx says calmly. She pulls up her phone. "Simon, no, listen, did you know that Adrian is leaving town? You didn't? No, I got it from his omega. Yes, I know, surprise to us, too, but he's got one, and he's leaving her."

We all hear the muffled shout from the phone, and then Onyx looks down at it.

"He hung up."

"Oh, Simon is pissed." Missy snorts a laugh. "Simon is Adrian's baby brother. You would have met him at the resort. He's Falcon's right-hand man." The way she says it, like if-you-were-really-his-omega, you-would-know-that, stings. I have no argument for it. What can I say?

"Sven rejected Adrian, too," I snarl.

That silences the group. Scarlet winces, while Dylan and Onyx exchange a look. I think I prefer Silver over Onyx. She seems nice, but a bit too goody goody for me.

"He only wants Kandi," I explain.

"Exactly as I thought. He's Kandi's alpha," Missy says with satisfaction.

"He is my alpha!" I snarl back at her, silencing every screen.

"Who even are you?" Missy asks coldly. "You just come in here, saying they're yours when they're clearly not. Adrian and Sven are not in a relationship. Sven is Kandi's alpha. You have no claim here-"

"Well, actually," Hazel interrupts. "Sven and Adrian do have something going on."

Missy's eyes gleam dangerously. "Hazel-"

"Nope. I think this is maybe one of those situations that we, uh, might want to let play out."

"Hazel!" Missy protests. "We don't know her."

I glare at the screen, wishing she'd burst into flames and start screaming. When that doesn't happen, I sniff and look away.

"What do you want, Jade? What does the end game look like?" Scarlet asks me.

"I want my pack. It's simple. They are mine. I'm going to have them."

"Oh, just like that, huh?" Missy shouts.

Scarlet exchanges a look with Barren. "What do you think?"

"I think perhaps we should stay out of this one," Barren says quietly. "Pack business."

Watching them makes my heart ache. It's the way they look at each other. I"ve never seen a look of love before, but I'm seeing it now.

"Simon says he is leaving. Friday," Onyx says in a shocked voice. "I just got a text from him. He's distraught. Simon loves Adrian. I can't believe this. He's actually going?"

My heart starts to race, and I panic. Friday? He's leaving Friday? I don't realise I've spoken out loud until I feel the weight of the room. Missy sneers.

I blink back tears. I fucking hate this omega.

"Simon says he's going to keep working on him, try to get him to change his mind, but when Adrian sets his mind on something, it is nearly impossible to stop him," Onyx says quietly to the stunned rooms.

"We'll stop him. He can't leave. He belongs here," Missy says confidently. "With us."

I don't miss the dig or glare she sends my way.

I'm hyperventilating when a hand lands on my shoulder. I tense and peek sideways to find Kandi staring at the screens. The contact is like a warmth that flows from her palm into me, soothing and calming.

"So, we're going to interfere in his life. Decide for him what he should have. We're going to stop him leaving?" Kandi asks the group coldly.

Scarlet snorts. "When you say it like that, it sounds terrible."

"Just want to make sure we're on the same page," Kandi says. "And Sven. He"s got his reasons for not wanting a pack. He's been so clear about that. He is a monogamous alpha."

The words sink into me, ripping open little wounds no one can see.

Missy leans forward, glaring at the screen. "Yes. We'll stop him from leaving. And then we'll sort out Sven. He is your alpha, so we'll take care of it. Do you have a problem with that?"

Kandi's fingers tighten on my shoulder. "Missy, stop."

Missy shakes her head, her eyes on fire. "No, she just walked in here and claimed them-"

"The same way you claim yours, and Barren claimed Scarlet, and Hazel stole Soren from her alphas. Hell, Treyfield Pack decided to just take Onyx as a plus one," Kandi growls. "It's what packs do."

"We don't know her."

"Missy, I love you, but pull your head out of your ass."

The omega almost erupts into flames. It's close, but alas, she doesn't end up in ashes.

Kandi's hand squeezes on my shoulder again, tighter.

"All right, first things first. You're coming home with me." Her voice is soft, and for a moment, I think she's talking to someone else.

I blink and whip my head around to the beta, sure I heard her wrong. "Pardon?"

"I'm your bodyguard. You're coming with me. So get your shit and let's go. I can't leave you where you might get hurt, and three omegas in one house is one too many."

Kandi doesn't give me a chance to say goodbye, she just tows me from the room. Probably just as well. Her friends hate me. She probably hates me.

I grab my backpack and hug Hazel and Soren awkwardly. "Thank you both so much."

"You're welcome, Jade. Anytime," Hazel says, but her smile is forced. She does not want to take sides here, and I can see how much that is weighing on her.

Kandi leads me out to her bike. I stare at it, circling it in awe.

"What's wrong?"

"I"ve never ridden a bike before."

Kandi smirks and throws her long leg over. I have to admit, I just kinda stand back and admire the badassery. She looks incredibly hot. Especially when she pulls on a helmet and hands one to me. I pull mine on, and then walk up behind her. She turns, watching me as I climb up. It's a weird feeling, but I press myself up against her back and wrap my arms around her waist.

She taps my hands, and then leans forward. The bike starts, and I tighten my arms. The thrum of power between my thighs and the extraordinary woman I'm hanging on to give me this strange out-of-body experience.

Jade of two years ago would have been too scared, too quiet. How did I end up here? I"ve traveled so far from all I"ve known, but I love it.

We fly down the road, and I let out a whoop. Shouting my joy to the world. This is why I changed. This is why I broke out of my cage. For moments like this.

I'm not sure, but I think she laughs, and then we're accelerating. She takes a winding road out of the city and takes me up to a lookout. She pauses there, looking down. For a couple of minutes, there is peace, a million twinkling lights, and a tough as fuck woman who confuses me less and less.

We travel back down to the city leisurely. She stops outside a little condo and helps me off the bike before she flicks her leg over. Before we go inside, she grabs a cup from the ground, and then trudges up a set of narrow, thin steps.

I follow her and pause when I smell licorice. That familiar scent can only mean one thing. Sven is here.

He turns when he hears us. I can't tell what he's thinking. His expression changes too rapidly, but he pushes off the door and levels his attention on Kandi. Oh, he looks totally stressed, there are lines around his mouth and a deep frown line between his brows. He looks adorable. I want to hug him. But…he's not looking at me. I wait, but he doesn't even glance in my direction! I grind my teeth and huff under my breath.

"Can we talk?"

"I think we're pretty much done talking for today." Kandi says and unlocks her door.

Taking my hint from the pair of them, I slip into the house and try to pretend I can't hear the conversation from the room over.

Kandi"s house is compact but clean and functional. There is almost nothing of character here at all. It could be a display room. I turn in a circle, trying to understand how someone could live like this. It's so depressing.

I peek at the front door, but they're both busy. I creep towards a drawer and pull it open. Oh, the organised hell. My chaotic heart wants to cry.

I open another cupboard. The glasses are arranged by size and function. Worse, they're all grey and uniformly placed. With growing panic, I go from cupboard to cupboard, inspecting every inch of the kitchen.

"Jade?"

I turn to find the alpha and beta staring at me in concern. My breath comes out in stressed pants.

"I can't stay here. I can't be this clean. It's a crime against self-expression." The words spew out of my mouth as I really take in the pristine, spotless walls, the calm painting of palm trees on a beach, the white couch. It's freaking white. That will be the first victim, I just know it.

I glance at them with a wordless plea.

Sven turns and beams at Kandi. "Problem solved. Send her to live with Addy. His expression is chaos itself. They'll be happy together."

My back stiffens, and I march towards the alpha with a feral glare. "I'm not a stray dog you can just dump wherever you want, Alpha." Why does he keep trying to just dump me? What's so wrong with me?

His grin fades, and he folds his arms over his chest. "Then make yourself at home."

I give the small space a horrified look, and then deliberately move into the next room, a small dining room, and pull out a chair. With a glare in the arrogant alpha's direction, I sit down with determination. I'm not going anywhere.