Chapter Thirty

CHAPTER THIRTY

NOW PLAYING: TELOMERES - Sleep Token

Another three days away from Omen has left my entire pack on edge. I’ve tried to soothe them as best as I can. I feel it too. The longing to be by her side. I’m constantly wondering if she’s eating and getting enough sleep. If she’s experiencing another mini-heat alone in her apartment.

Both my parents are betas so I’ve never really learned much about omegas. Nothing more than the basics they teach us in school before our designations present anyway. Nexus’ mom is an omega so I’ve learned a lot over the years I’ve known her, but even with that increased knowledge, I don’t think any of us knew mini-heats existed. We all know it is extremely detrimental to omegas to go through a heat unassisted.

Imagining Omen suffering through them, waking exhausted, dehydrated, and alone, puts all of us on edge. We want to be there for her. To ease the burden these mini-heats seem to cause.

At the beach the other day, when Nebula and Omen had returned from their walk hand in hand looking cozy and flushed, we’d all known everything was going to change for the better. We’ve all felt the pull to the sweet omega since the moment she walked into Brady’s office all those weeks ago. To see her finally settling in with our pack, giving in to the tension that’s been building between us, was cause for celebration.

Or it should have been. Between nearly a week of days off and Nebula’s breakdown after seeing Grant Montgomery on the news after our show in Philly, we’ve barely seen our omega. Something that hasn’t gone over well with my mates.

So, I’ve distracted them by encouraging them to start making courting plans. Dates they wish to take her on, individually and as a group. Even house hunting has been thrown on the table to occupy their minds.

Nebula has been the worst of them all. He’s been beating himself up about driving Omen away with his anger when he’d seen the Pastor on TV. He’s clung to his phone hoping she’d answer his texts and calls asking for her to come see us or let us go to her. He wants to apologize. To explain his hatred of the Pastor more.

Unfortunately, Omen hasn’t had the time during this break. Which we understand. She has a life here in Starburgh. A family she wants to visit while she’s at home and work for the DAU she still has to do. We miss her. We also can’t help but worry this time apart will allow doubt to creep in. Especially when our pack hasn’t officially told Omen we intend to court her.

Today that changes. We’re playing the first of two shows here in New York City, a forty-minute drive from our apartment. Which means we will finally get to see our north star once more and this time we aren’t leaving the venue without making sure Omen knows exactly what we want for our future: her.

After checking in with Brady, I let the song of her heart lead me to her. I find her in the main room of the venue. Lex stands in the middle of the empty floor so I stop beside him, though my eyes are glued to Omen where she’s getting pre-show shots from different angles around the bottom level.

“Hey man, glad to have you back,” I tell Lex. He grunts his agreement and we stand in silence until Omen is ready to move on. She startles when she sees me standing next to her bodyguard, stumbling over nothing. My lips tilt into a frown when she averts her gaze and refuses to meet my eyes. Maybe our worry wasn’t as misplaced as I led my pack to believe.

“Hello starlight,” I greet softly when she gets close enough to hear me over Orbital Somatic’s soundcheck on stage. “How was your time off?”

Omen fidgets with her camera, her head turned down so her long black and purple hair cascades over her arm and blocks her face from my view. “It was okay. How about yours?”

Our conversation feels stilted. Like polite small talk. I can’t take the change and step closer to offer her the comfort of my affection, but I pull up short when she takes a step back. “Sorry Callisto, I need to get back to work.” She doesn’t look my way before hurrying to the back of the room where the stairs to the upper-level balconies are.

“Do you know–” I hesitantly ask Lex as he turns to follow her but he only shakes his head. I guess that makes sense since he just resumed his role as her bodyguard today. Sighing, I head backstage to the dressing room to find my mates. For once I need the comfort they can provide instead.

Acid eats away at the lining of my stomach as I anxiously pace outside of our SUV. Nexus wanted to stay behind to find Omen while the rest of us waited out back for her. I can’t explain how I know but something major has changed, and not in the way we hoped.

My fear is confirmed when Nexus steps out the back door with one of our security team close behind. My alpha’s bond pulses with confusion and dejection. I don’t hesitate to step forward and wrap my arms around him, squeezing his chest tight against mine, being careful not to smack our masks against each other.

“She’s already gone?” Nebula questions when he joins us, wrapping a large palm around the back of Nexus’ neck to center him.

“No. Maybe. I don’t know. She was still there, waiting for Bea to finish up her conversation with Brady and Mr. Acherley, but she wasn’t our Omen. If that makes sense. It’s like how she acted after Titan’s birthday, only a million times worse.”

My chest feels tight when my alpha admits the same thing I felt after talking to her earlier this evening. Something I quickly convey.

“I’m sorry,” Nebula deflates beside us. “If I had better control of my emotions after our show in Philadelphia–”

“No. I don’t believe for a second you’re the reason why she’s acting so cold toward us now, Alpha.” I won't let him blame himself for a situation we don’t understand.

Titan finally pushes off the side of the SUV to walk over to where we all stand. He’s rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, hurt shining in his obsidian eyes. “For my birthday I took Omen to an underground zipline park in Louisville,” he admits. Finally telling our other mates what he revealed at the protest in St. Louis. “I also kissed the hell out of her. Then she freaked out. Pushed me away in a panic.”

“So you think that’s what's happening here too?” Nebula asks curiously. “She’s panicking and pushing us away out of fear?”

“Maybe,” Tee shrugs his massive shoulders. Silver paint still peeks out of the top of his t-shirt since none of us wanted to waste time washing it off. We were too excited to talk with Omen. “Or maybe she’s worried about backlash from the label. Or the anti-packers we’ll see at our other stops. We won’t know unless she tells us.”

Nexus shifts back and forth on his feet. His hands tugging the bottom of his shirt. “Let’s head home,” he mumbles before shuffling to the car. He’s being a little shifty but I follow along. Being home sounds perfect right now.

We check out with security and head out into traffic. We're nearly out of the city and mask-free before he speaks again. “When I went to apologize to Omen and found out she was experiencing the mini-heat, I also learned something else. I didn’t feel comfortable sharing it, not even with the three of you, as it’s really her secret to share. But if she’s afraid of being seen having a non-platonic relationship with us…” He trails off when traffic slows.

“At the protest we attended before the tour began, Shepherd told us the Powells are very active in the DAU here in the Northeast, which was meant to explain Omen’s connection to their group. That’s true–Shepherd didn’t lie–but her story is more complex. She’s part of their designation protection program and was adopted by the Powells.”

I’m sure my eyebrows are nearly in my hairline as I contemplate this news. Of anything he could have told us I never expected a secret so revolutionary. Yet suddenly so many things make sense. Her discomfort in large crowds. The way she uses her hair as a shield when we’re around anti-designation protestors. Even Lex and Ridley’s presence is understandable if Omen is under protective care within the DAU.

A thousand questions bounce around my mind about Omen’s past, but in the end, I know they don’t matter. Her safety is our only concern.

“She told you that?” Nebula’s voice is thick with suspicion, but his bond pulses with a jealousy-tinged hurt. He’s upset Omen didn’t confide in him. We all are, but as Nexus said, it’s her secret to share. She’s free to share it when she’s ready and we won’t be pressuring her to do so sooner.

“They brought up Bea’s mom so I took advantage of the direction the conversation was going to ask if they were sisters. Since they share the same surname but look nothing alike. I don’t know if Omen would have told me about her DAU connection if I hadn’t noticed her eyes. The icy blue? Colored contacts. Naturally, she has light green eyes. This mossy sea color with a silvery tone like moonlight is permanently shining down on her.” Nexus’ voice turns wistful as he gets lost picturing our omega.

“Do we have Lex’s number? I want to know what the threat level to her safety is. See if we can help.” Nebula is in the zone as he starts making a mental checklist of all the ways we can work with Lex to keep our girl safe. He’s adorable like this. So focused his brows bunch just the slightest and his lips unintentionally turn down into a frown. If I wasn’t sitting in the back seat I would kiss the stress away.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Tee adds. He’s been relatively quiet since we got into the car which isn’t unusual for my passive alpha. Even if he wasn’t driving, he would prefer to listen and process before commenting. “Omen only told Nex about her DAU status. Even if she believes he told all of us, we’ve never brought it up. If she’s already afraid her connection to our pack could endanger her or us, she won’t handle it well if we suddenly start trying to insert ourselves into a part of her life she’s kept us away from.”

Nebula starts to argue, his protective instincts in overdrive after hearing there may be a threat to our siren’s safety. “We’ll do what we can without speaking to Lex. We can be more vigilant while we’re out. Even at shows, we can have someone from our security team keeping an eye on her too. We won’t let anything happen on our watch.” Titan appeases Nebula’s instincts with a workable solution. One we’re all quick to agree with.

“We still haven’t solved the original issue,” I murmur when we pull into the parking lot for our apartment building. “What are we going to do about Omen pushing us away?”

It isn’t until an hour later when we’ve all showered and are getting ready for bed we decide what to do next. After our show tomorrow, we’re going to ask for Bea’s advice.

“Hey Bea, do you have a few minutes?” Nebula calls out when we see the female manager walk into the hall by the dressing rooms. Everyone on the crew is busy loading our equipment up for the night so now is our best chance to get Bea alone. Or as alone as she will ever be. Ridley hovers behind her, watching our surroundings vigilantly.

Bea purses her lips and glances at her phone screen before agreeing. “What did you need?”

“We wanted to ask you about our gorgeous girl–” Bea cuts Nexus off with a withering glare.

“You know I’d also like to ask the four of you about your relationship with Omen too. Whatever you did before we left Philly you need to fix.” Her tone speaks of her frustration and a little bit of anger I believe is directed at my pack. Understandably if she believes we’ve done something to upset her best friend. “If I have to listen to her crying her heart out another night longer I will lose my mind.”

“Did she say anything about how we upset her?” Nebula’s confusion is shared among us all. Aside from my alpha’s meltdown regarding the Pastor, I can’t find a single reason why she would be so distraught.

“She won’t talk with me about anything regarding the four of you,” Bea tells us bitterly. I’m shocked to hear Omen is keeping our relationship to herself. In the few weeks we’ve gotten to know the two omegas it’s been clear to see how close they are with each other. Their friendship is deep enough to make the assumption they are siblings easy to believe.

When we realize Bea won’t be able to help us, we let her get back to whatever tasks she has remaining for the evening. We’re tempted to find Omen and see if she will relent enough to tell us what we’ve done wrong, but we decide to let her be. What we need is a plan.

After the short traffic-filled drive back to Starburgh we still don’t have any ideas. Nebula tells us to take a break, find something else to focus on for a bit, and then come back to the board with a clear head.

I check in with each of my alphas to make sure the issues with Omen aren’t causing any of them to spiral before heading to the nook I use when I’m writing. It’s a small corner of our office. I keep different types of chairs nearby so I always have the physical space I need to focus without straining my body.

Tonight I’m still on edge from our show. My muscles a little sore and my body filled with a low buzz of adrenaline. I pull over a giant bean bag and stretch out on my stomach. Grabbing the small table in the corner, I slide it closer and lay a few blank music sheets and my notebook on its surface.

The muffled noise in our apartment fades away until I’m adrift in a frigid sea. A sensual, alluring song drifts over the water. Beckoning me further into the icy waters. I can barely catch hints of the melody as I row my small boat closer. Soft notes with a seductive drum beat. The dulcet tone of our siren’s voice singing promises and praise.

In the distance, I can see a glimpse of sandy shores and a fairytale forest. Purple flowers dot the lowest branches of the trees. And sitting on the beach in the same black swimsuit I saw on her so many nights ago is my starlight. Fate’s compass guides me across rough waters until I can see her clearly.

The words flow from my pen to the paper and my notes fill the music sheets as quickly. When the real world filters back in and I’m shaking the cramps out of my hands and neck, I see what I’ve written. A solution so perfect I feel daft for not realizing it sooner.

Standing to stretch out my sore limbs, I gather the spread pages and carefully place them in waterproof pouches. I’m meticulous in caring for my creations. Obsessive in maintaining their condition until they are complete. A side effect of my drive for perfection. My songs are one of my two most prized possessions. The other is my guitar which sits in the corner waiting for me to test drive the song I’ve written. Taking the acoustic instrument in my hands, I let myself fall back into the paradise our omega’s soul has brought me.

My fingers move across the chords with practiced ease. My heart calls out with each note filling the air, calling for Fate to guide Omen into our arms.

As the last chord fades, my eyes pop open and I see Nebula leaning against the desk. Heat and approval fill his dark blue eyes. He closes the distance between us and presses a biting kiss to my lips. “That’s perfect, baby,” he whispers. “We’ll work on it this week and play it for her at our show in Boston next weekend. You have a way with words, Cal. Omen will finally understand what we’ve been trying to show her when she hears the song you wrote for her.”

I lean against him, letting him slide my guitar back into its stand. I hope he’s right. If he isn’t, I don’t know what we will do next. All I do know is we aren’t ever giving up on our girl.