29. Juno

29

JUNO

4 DAYS EARLIER.

“No!”

Juno snatched her shirt back. Her shoulders immediately slumped as she realised what she’d done. She could feel her pack’s distress in her bonds, not wanting her to be upset but needing her to cooperate.

Iris waved a reassuring hand at Juno’s alphas. “It’s ok!” She was a beta who worked at the omega security firm Sanctumguard. Isaac had contracted them when he received word Andrew and Eric had arrived in their city.

“Juno, I swear to you, I have no interest in your packmates,” she said with endless sympathy and patience. “I’m bonded myself you know!” Iris pulled the neck of her collar down and Juno saw a few overlapped bondmarks, with different levels of healed scar tissue. Clearly a long-term committed relationship that had been re-bonded several times. Iris looked down at how tightly Juno was still gripping her clothes and back up again, undeterred.

“His name’s Omari,” Iris said proudly. “He lived in NOC’s Omega Village too, just like you. I met him when I was working as an officer there, years ago. I tried to keep my distance but…” She shook her head fondly at the memory. “I was a goner, Juno.”

Juno’s fingers released their death grip and she finally placed the bundle in Iris’s gloved hands.

“Thank you,” Juno whispered.

“Of course.” Iris smiled, taking the wig and clothes covered in Juno’s scent. The beta stuffed it into a sealed bag to preserve it.

“Are you sure you’re ok with this?” It didn’t sit right with Juno sending someone else into the line of fire, even if it was her job.

“Not the first time I’ve had to pretend to be an omega in this line of work. I’ll be fine!” she chirped. “I used to be so shitty about how short I am but now I’m grateful it’s why I get to help keep omegas safe.” Iris nodded to the rest of her team as they stood to leave. “We’ll keep you updated on how everything goes.”

“Since Eric arrived in the state yesterday he’s hired a car to scope out the SCCA campus several times.” The Sanctumguard point man on their operation was a beta who was as large as Iris was small. “We’ll make sure he gets the sighting he wants. It’ll probably take a few days for him to think he’s cottoned onto your routine.”

“You think he’ll try something?”

Iris smiled, steel in her eyes. “Oh, I very much hope he does.”