15. Silver

fifteen

Silver

Three years ago at the Omega Refuge

O nyx is in the car. I glance back once, seeing her misery. I've never seen her look so defeated. Tears roll down my cheeks, mixing with the rain. She thinks I'm selfish, but I can do this for her. I can let her go. She can have a good life if I'm not there to ruin it.

I walk inside and am led to an office where a woman named Jenny Lathem sits.

"Your sister has paid for you to stay here for three years."

She explains everything in more detail. The rules, my duties. But I don't hear anything else.

I sit there, slumped over, crying in huge fits that shake my entire frame. Onyx bought me safety.

She saved me.

All this time, everything I've done to her, and she saved what was left of my rotten self. She probably doesn't even know what she's done. She put me out of their reach. All of them.

No one will get me here.

No man will enter these walls. No threat by alpha will be obeyed. No strike on omega will fall. Those words are written on the walls of this place. This is the oath the workers here take.

I close my eyes and make a promise to myself and my sister.

I will redeem myself. I will work hard, and I will show her that there's more to me than what I gave.

Present Day

There's this warm glow deep inside me, and I'm not comfortable with it. Part of me realises that it's happiness, and I should be fine with it, yet I'm not. It's strange, and I can't help but feel like the other shoe will drop, and I will wake up and lose this again. My heat is like a dream. All I can remember is how good I felt, how safe I felt, and the flashes of pleasure over and over again.

It's the creepy sensation of wrongness that's pervasive, spreading into the glow and stealing my ability to breathe. I put one hand on the dining table to steady myself. I don't want to ruin it, but the more I think, the more scared I get.

Because I have feelings. Strong feelings. They have been growing since we met all those years ago, but whatever happened during the heat has left me with such powerful feelings that I feel transformed.

I don't want to be hurt again.

I think I remember Ian telling me he loved me, but that can't possibly be true. There's no way.

An arm slings around my waist, hooking me and dragging me back into a wall of naked chest. I inhale and straight away smell the snow-in-the-air scent that is Weston.

"West," I murmur.

He walks us forward towards the glass windows. "There's a whole world that we can explore together. Hand in hand. We can do anything you want. So what do you want to do today?"

I watch his reflection and feel the bond he put on the curve of my neck throb deliciously.

"I want to watch a movie," I say when I get my brain working again.

"A movie? Where?"

I blink. "Here. In your arms. With popcorn and ice cream. I want to sit with oversized blankets that smell like us and laugh at the things they've done wrong. I just want to be with you." It comes out a whisper, and he presses closer to me, as if he can feel the feelings that are pouring out of me.

"That's all?"

I pout. "I haven't been able to watch movies at the refuge. They don't give us popcorn or ice cream. I have had no friends or people to do it with, not since-" I cut myself short.

"Not since we did it that night at the Omega Meet?" West whispers in my ear. "Not since me?"

"It's one of the best memories I have," I admit softly. Admitting a truth I've kept hidden in my heart since it all blew up in my face. They are my best memories.

He spins me around. "What happened?"

I look away. Shame colouring my fairy floss scent. I swallow hard. Would they hate me if I told them? Would they despise me? I would.

I can't tell him. I couldn't bear if he looked at me like that.

"You can trust us, you can trust me," West whispers.

"In all my life, every time someone has said those words to me, my life has become a living hell," I whisper.

West shuts his jaw with a snap. "Well then, let's prove fate wrong."

We spend all day watching movies. When West needs to leave, Ian takes his place, slowly feeding me tiny little pieces of chocolate and stroking my back. He tells me stories of the pack and keeps me belly laughing the whole time.

"I used to think you were scary."

"Me?" Ian asks, shocked. "I'm not scary at all."

"You were to me. Because you were so perfect, and I was afraid I'd hurt you or you would wake up and finally see me and run far away."

"That's in the past. We're together now. This is our happiness."

He strokes his fingers over my bond mark. I shudder and turn so I'm staring up at him.

"What if I were broken? What if I was ruined?"

"Silver, you could never be broken. Or ruined. If someone hurts you, that's on them, not you. No one here is going to blame you for what someone else did."

"What if it was something I did?" I whisper.

"No!" Ian says sharply. "No, just, no. Whatever you had to do to survive, you did to survive. I don't care what it was. You don't need my forgiveness, but if it will make you feel better, you have it. Without needing to know what happened, even if you never tell me, I forgive all of it. It doesn't matter or affect this here, what we have. What you have is my devotion, my trust, my respect. And you have my protection. Nothing will hurt you so long as we are here."

"I second that!" Ross says and sits down beside us. "Now stop thinking about sad things, pretty girl. Believe us when we say to you we want you here."

Ian leaves at some point, and Ross just holds me, humming.

"Why haven't you sung out loud before this time? Hmm, my pretty girl, why were you hiding your voice? Why does no one but us know about this?" He slides his hand over my throat.

"I didn't want anyone to look at me. No one heard me when I asked for help. Why would I sing?"

Ross rests his forehead against mine. "What dark shadows lurk in your eyes? I would take them from you if I could."

"Ross," I moan when he touches his lips to mine. "Sing away the shadows. Sing me back to the light, to happiness."

He does. Singing a song that leaves me crying with laughter. That's how Quint finds us when he walks in with pizza. Ian and West trail behind him.

"Oh, no, not that song!" West shouts and breaks into the second chorus with Ross. His voice isn't bad, but it's clear he's having fun.

Quint hands me a piece of pizza. "Eat, darling."

I take it and take a bite while they finish up the song.

"All right. We need to have a huge celebration meeting," Ross shouts out. "This is our official pack party to welcome our girl to our pack."

I pick up my glass, imitating Ian and West.

"To Silver, the omega we chose, and our one true love."

"To Silver," Ian says with a softness in his eyes.

"Silver," Quint whispers.

"My baby." West purrs.

My throat thickens, but Quint smacks a kiss to my lips, and then feeds me more pizza.

"So, from now until the sun rises, we're not talking about bad things. We're watching movies, eating crap, and having a good time. Those are the rules." West glares at everyone.

"What are we watching?"

I don't pay attention, I'm too busy trying not to giggle, feeling my heart grow in my chest, the bonds they've placed on me tingle and strengthen.

If this is happiness, sign me up.