Chapter Thirty-Seven

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Now Playing: Descending- Sleep Token

Walking into the Soulbound Echo office trailed by two new bodyguards has me sighing inwardly. I’m so over the seemingly endless line of people trying to kidnap or kill me. It has to end somewhere, and I’m ready to do whatever it takes to find the paradise at the end of my fucking rainbow.

The secretary waves cheerily at me, not bothering to stop me as I head toward the manager's offices. Brady was downstairs when they guys went into the recording studio to meet with Manny, and he mentioned my best friend was up here doing paperwork.

And you know what I could use right now? Girl time.

“Knock, knock.” I beam at Bea when she glances up from her desk with a frown. Her lips slowly stretch into a smile when she sees me. “Up for some company, or does this boss bitch have asses to kick?”

“Get in here and sit down,” she tells me with a roll of her eyes. “I have so much paperwork to finish I’ll need to ice my wrists later.”

“So dramatic, Miss Powell.”

I turn when I hear Mr. Acherley’s voice behind me. If anyone we’ve met gives off daddy dom energy, it’s this man. Based on the way Bea’s eyes narrow and her scent intensifies, I have a feeling my bestie knows exactly what he will do if she decides to go into brat mode.

“Good afternoon. Are your mates downstairs?”

“They are. They’re tying up a few loose ends with the record today.”

“I see. Well, please let me know if you need anything. I am also available to discuss reinstating your contract with the label whenever you are interested in doing so.” He places a file folder on top of Bea’s stack, his nostrils flaring when he catches the hints of her scent leaking into the air. Without another word, he turns on his heel and leaves.

Ultimately, rejoining the label would be the best course of action. The guys will eventually have to go back out on tour. At least if I am working as their photographer I won’t be pulled away to my own gigs.

My best friend’s head thuds against her desk, a groan following the sound. “One day I’m going to say something stupid and get fired for mouthing off to that man,” she grouches.

Picking her head up, she returns to the mountain of papers on the edge of her desk. There are probably only twenty or thirty pages there, but I don’t envy her having to go through them all.

“You look better.”

I smile, glancing down at my high-waisted, black and red plaid pants. “I feel better,” I admit. It’s true, over the past week since Nexus and I bonded, my overall health has drastically improved. “It’s… good? Being with the four of them.”

“Oh, I bet it’s better than just good,” she teases. “I’m happy to see you happy again, Oms. Use your superpowers to keep them in line.”

“My superpowers?”

“Uh, what else would I be referring to?” She answers with a glance down at my lap.

Oh, right. It’s been so long since we’ve spent every day together, I somehow managed to forget my bestie thinks with her vagina. What was the phrase she used the other day? Very needy. Very turned on. Very omega. It’s apparently the tagline for her life if it were ever to be made into a movie.

“Shut up,” I chuckle. “They’re putting in the effort all on their own. No mystic feminine wiles necessary.”

“I’m just saying.” She shrugs. “If you’ve got it, use it. What fun is a pack if you can’t torture your mates a little?”

“I bonded Callisto.”

“Lucky omega, you’ve got yourself a fully bonded pack now!”

“Almost. I haven’t fully completed the bond with Nebula yet.”

Bea hums thoughtfully as she switches to a new stack of paperwork. “But you’re going to.”

“Yeah. He’s different now. I think the therapy he started really helped him learn to deal with his past in more productive ways.”

“I’m happy for you, Oms. You deserve a happily ever after. Now if the Feds could catch your brother, that would be great too!”

I study her as she works, noting the darkness beneath her eyes she’s used makeup to hide. Guilt has me shifting in my seat. It is my fault she isn’t allowed back to the apartment, to her nest. And I’ve been so wrapped up in things with my pack, I haven’t called her nearly as often as I should.

“Are you okay?”

She pauses, glancing up at me with wide eyes. Giving me a tight smile, she shrugs. “Yeah. It’s just… Ridley was right. About our Fated connection.”

“Yours is shared pain?” There are a few types of Fated connections that are harder to recognize, like shared emotions and shared pain. Mostly because you only feel the strongest of those, so if your Fate matched mate never breaks a bone or experiences strong pain, you might never know the connection is there.

“It is. I didn’t want to believe him when we were together during the tour. I thought he was just talking out of his ass to try to get into my pants, but now I’m certain he was telling the truth.”

“Are they—“

“Lex and Ridley are both fine. I called my parents and they reached out to the DAU to find out. So the pain is coming from someone else.”

“A mystery fourth mate?”

Bea’s brows furrow and I can hear her mentally counting the potential mates she’s met. I wonder how long it will take her to realize Acherley is one of them. “A new mystery mate, yes,” she finally concedes, choosing to ignore the pull between her and the label exec. “One who is going through something really traumatic.”

“I’m sorry, bestie. It has to be torture not being able to find them but feeling their pain.” A shudder shakes my spine imagining myself in her shoes. I would lose my mind if my mates were being hurt and I had no way to save them.

“I’ll survive. I’m a boss bitch after all.” She grins, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

I switch topics, giving her a break by discussing the newest episode of First Glance Pack with her. She started watching the show after Callisto introduced me to it. ‘Why not enjoy a stranger’s relationship drama as a means to avoid my own?’ she’d told me when I caught her mid-episode. Now she’s as invested as we are.

“So your birthday is this week,” I mention after a lull of silence. “Have any plans? Also, I need to know what you want us to get you.”

“Ugh, nooooo. I work Friday, then Orbital Somatic has a show Saturday in Virginia Beach. My parents want me to come up on Sunday for dinner with them, which you are also invited to.” She pouts at the calendar hanging by her desk. “As for a gift, a new roommate?”

I laugh, shaking my head. We both know I can’t do anything about her current housing situation until my brother is caught. She’s stuck dealing with Mr. Acherley for the foreseeable future–at work and at home.

“Where are we going?” I ask when I notice we are headed further into the city instead of toward the house. When I’d agreed to come to the studio to hang out with Bea today, they hadn’t mentioned having plans after.

“You’ll see, gorgeous.” Nexus grins from beside me.

These men and their love of surprises.

Fifteen minutes of evening traffic later, we pull into the parking lot of a several-story tall, sleek gray and glass warehouse. Lights shine from one corner of the second floor, but with the tint on the windows, I can’t see inside. Nexus grabs my hand, pulling me out of the car and leading me to the single door nearby.

The interior of the building is worn, but clean. Sturdy white cement walls and gray floors are lit by soft white overhead lights. There isn’t anything in our immediate vicinity except tape blocking several doorways. Pack Graves seems to know where they are going, leading us up a stairway to the second floor. Voices trickle down to us, speaking in hushed tones that carry through the open spaces.

Stepping out of the stairwell, my jaw drops open. Hung around the huge, open space are various-sized photographs. “You brought me to an exhibit?” I question, glancing at my mates where they’re standing beside me.

“Not just any exhibit, firefly,” Titan grunts, tilting his head toward the pictures their bodies were blocking. The familiar image of rippling, silver-painted abs surrounded by flowing black fabric has my brain stuttering. My eyes follow the line of a long forearm down to a veiny hand where it caresses the mic stand in a seductive, suggestive manner.

“That’s…” I trail off, glancing to the next picture, and the next. They’re all from my portfolio. The guys shows here on the East Coast. A protest in Philadelphia at the beginning of the year. A Candy Courage show I attended for Bea’s birthday last year. Every single picture spread through the room is mine. “What…”

Did they organize an exhibit? For me?

But why?

Callisto’s hand gently presses to the small of my back, guiding me further into the room. An influx of new voices has my attention straying briefly to the stairs, only to freeze when I see the crowd of people wandering inside.

This is insane. I know the concert pictures I’ve taken have gained a little bit of traction in the music community, but there are so many people here. Did the guys invite them? Are they coworkers or friends? Old classmates maybe?

This is too much. The price they must have paid to rent out this section of the warehouse for the night is enough to send my blood pressure skyrocketing, and that isn’t even factoring in the cost of all of these prints.

“The exhibit is only part of our surprise, babygirl,” Nebula tells me. His large frame moves in front of me, blocking the sea of people discussing my work. A rough, warm palm cups my cheek, tilting my head back so I’m forced to look up at him.

“I can see the dollar signs adding up in your head, and I’m going to tell you right now this is the bare minimum of what we owe you. Your shitty family may have raised you to believe you weren’t valuable, but right here? With us? You’re the rarest, most priceless treasure this world could offer. We are the ones who aren’t worthy.”

His thumb caresses my cheek while he stares into my eyes, imploring me to believe him. It’s difficult to push aside those feelings of inadequacy constantly simmering in my heart, but I manage a shaky nod. He releases my chin and takes my hand instead.

I try not to listen in to everyone’s conversations as we cross the room to a solid black door in the back left corner. Nebula shoulders through it, hitting a light switch on the inside to illuminate the dark room. Multiple stand lights are stored in one corner, and an empty standing desk is in another. Otherwise, the room is empty.

“This is your studio space. We weren’t sure what you would want to add to it, but we can order anything you need.” Titan explains. His heat presses against my back, his chin dropping to rest on the top of my head.

“You rented me studio space?”

“We bought it. This room and the exhibit room are both yours. You can rent the exhibit out to other artists too, if you want.”

They’re insane. The cost of a large space like this, so close to New York–

“None of that,” Nebula reminds me. He squeezes my hand in his. “You deserve a space to work in when we’re home. Somewhere you can escape when we are stuck at the studio for long hours.”

“Accept it, gorgeous. It’s yours, either way. No takebacks.” Nexus winks at me where he’s leaning against Nebula’s other side. The see-through, sparkly black shirt he’s wearing has ridden up to expose several inches of his toned stomach, and fuck me he looks like a wet dream right now. A small burst of my perfume puffs out around us.

As fun as breaking in the studio would be, I don’t know if I’m up for warehouse sex next to a room full of strangers. The way our noises would echo…

“Let’s head back to the exhibit,” Callisto suggests. “I’m sure there are plenty of guests who would love to meet you.”

Having so many people come up to talk to me is a bit overwhelming. If it wasn’t for my mate’s steady presence at my back, I don’t think I ever would have been able to stand here as long as I have.

Imposter syndrome is kicking in hard. There are prominent figures in the East Coast photography world here. Looking at my pictures. And they love them. I have to be dreaming, right?

“You look ten seconds away from crawling into your nest and never coming back out.” I turn when I hear Bea’s voice beside us. She’s striding toward me, Mr. Acherley at her side. The low-cut forest green shirt she’s wearing is paired with a sleek, feminine, floral-printed blazer. She fits in better with all of the other patrons than I ever could. “I heard you have a studio here too?”

I jump at the chance to escape the attention directed my way. The guys follow along, but they wait outside of the door with Mr. Acherley, discussing something work-related.

“This is a lot, huh?” Bea asks after the door closes behind us.

“It is… perfect.” I am hesitant to admit how much I love this place. The potential alone has me bubbling with excitement. “But it’s also very overwhelming. Especially so close to my heat.”

Her nose scrunches, lips pursing. She gets it. Heats are the worst.

“You know they put this place in your name?” She comments offhandedly, not knowing this news sends me reeling.

“Wait, what?”

“Yep. If anything ever happens between the five of you, this space will always be yours. They wanted to make sure you didn’t feel stuck with them.” She shrugs, but I catch the mischievous glint in her eyes. My bestie is trying to spark a fire. And it is working.

Her grin widens, hands resting on her hips. “So, are we finally completing your pack tonight?”

“I think so. The fear is still here.” I point to my chest. “But having the connections to them there too makes the fear seem… less potent? More manageable?”

There is still a lot of healing for us to do, but in the areas that count the most, I’ve forgiven Pack Graves. It’s time to finish claiming my pack, the way we should have when their tour started last summer.

“I’d be jealous if the men interested in me weren’t absolute knotheads.”

I laugh, wrapping my arms around her and squeezing her tight. Her relationships are an entirely different level of complicated, and I do not envy her dealing with the three alphas she has found herself entangled with. I at least have Callisto to help balance out all of their alpha energy.

“Okay, come on, let’s ditch this place and go make these alphas feed us. I’m starving!” The sound of our laughter echoes behind us as she drags me to the door.

I guess it’s time for a new adventure, one that lasts a lifetime.