by Layla Heart
The room goes deadly quiet.
Oh, crap. Oh, fucking hell, no.
This... No fucking way. She can’t... No way... But one glance at Liam tells me that I didn’t hear that wrong, I definitely didn’t hear that wrong...
Fuck.
What she’s saying is the absolute truth. I’ve always known it, but to have her say it like this, in this matter-of-fact way, it hits differently.
Now we know this, all four of us, we’re now responsible for her. If one of us messes up, accidentally lets this knowledge slip, we’ll be putting her in grave danger.
Until now, it was just her keeping this to herself, but now that we know... Now we know, we’ve become part of it too. Because she’s right. If she’s an Omega phoenix, then there are loads of people out there who would want her, who would want her for themselves. People who really don’t care about her as a person, people who really only care about what she is, not who she is.
Cyra strides over to the table, her movements measured, as she pours herself a glass of rum. “Is that enough reason to do what I do? Is that enough of an excuse?” She takes a deep gulp of the liquor and winces a moment as it burns down her throat, before taking another gulp. “How is it that I always end up having to quantify my experiences before anyone will listen to me? Why won’t people listen the first time?”
She sighs, not as angry anymore. “But what does any of that matter? What does what I want matter? My life is now in your hands. You get to decide what happens to me. If not for knowing what I am, then for how you reacted to my scent. You’re apparently my Alphas, you’re in charge now.” She looks down to the table, her jaw set, as she lets out a defeated sigh. I want to go to her, but Spence is faster.
He kneels next to her, carefully reaching out and she lets him hold her. This is the first time I don’t see her flinch when someone touches her and my heart aches. Why do I feel like she’s given up? Why do I feel like she’s totally given up on herself? On the world?
Liam stands up, letting out a frustrated breath. “I’m sorry for being so pushy about you coming to the gala with us.” He looks over the room. “I should have backed off, like Max told me to, then you’d still be able to live a normal life. Then we’d all still be able to live a normal life.” He takes a swig from his glass and puts it down. “I don’t know how much my word means right now but—”
Before he can finish his sentence, two things happen at the same time, Cyra’s phone rings and all our phones start beeping, messages flooding in.
I frown, grabbing for my phone as Cyra’s eyes widen in panic while she stares at hers. She shakes her head, tears appearing in her eyes.
“No... No... This can’t...” Her eyes won’t leave the screen.
I check my own phone and multiple people have sent me messages, all with a screenshot of the same headline. ‘Four local bachelor Alphas sneak away from Night Gala with rumoured Omega, updates coming.’ Oh, hell no.
The pictures under it are from the four of us on the back deck, probably right as her scent hit us, by how we all have partially shifted, and then right after we snuck through the side gate, our eyes wide with worry as we get away from the party. Oh, no. Fucking hell.
We should have remembered that people are going to take pictures of us, as they always do. Loads of pictures will have been taken at the event but these two pictures together say enough, especially since Cyra has my jacket around her shoulders in the second picture.
Obviously, people are going to speculate when a totally unknown girl shows up at a party, but that’s nothing in comparison to what happens if she then sneaks off with four well-known rich bachelor Alphas.
Fucking hell. I don’t like living in the spotlight, but it seems that we can’t escape it now...
18
Liam
I scroll through the screenshots and the handful of articles people have sent me. Most of them are from gossip websites, but with the four of us involved, especially with the stunt Zack and Spence pulled today, this is going to go far and wide. This isn’t going to stay local.
Glancing at Cyra, my heart aches. She’s still staring at her phone, holding her arms close to her, like she’s trying to stay as far away from it as she can. She’s shaking, her eyes wide, filled with terror.
I step closer, looking at her screen and it simply says ‘Parents’. The timing is a little too coincidental... That can’t be good. “Cyra?” I kneel next to her, try to get her to look at me. “Cyra?”
She rips her gaze away from the screen and my heart breaks at the pained look in her eyes. “I can’t.” Her voice is so soft I barely hear the words, but it’s obvious enough what she’s saying.
“You don’t have to.” I push the phone to the side and turn it over, so she can’t see the screen. “You don’t have to do anything. Just stay here with us.”
Zack moves to one of the windows. “Yeah... Ehhh... We might want to do that ‘staying’ somewhere else. We left the Gala on foot, this is the closest place we could go. The paparazzi are smart enough to put two and two together. People are starting to show up out front.” He’s being serious, his ‘I don’t care’ persona gone. So this is what he’s like when he’s not playing around, it’s a totally different guy.
Fucking hell. Of course, they’d try to follow us, like tonight can get any worse.
Max jumps up, looking around. “Close the curtains.” He immediately starts moving and so does Zack, as Spence and I stay with Cyra.
When the curtains are all closed on this floor, the other two Alphas come back to us.
“We can’t stay.” Zack looks through his phone. “We have to get away from here. We’re too easy of a target if we stay.”
“No shit, Mr Obvious,” I snap. Now he’s starting to finally take this seriously?
“I can’t just leave.” Cyra’s voice is quiet, like it isn’t really her. “I need my things. I can’t just go away. I’ve got work on Monday. I can’t afford to get wrapped up in all of this. I have to get back home.” She stands up, breaking free from our grasp and I look at Spence, who frowns.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I get up too, trying to take her back in my arms, but she steps out of reach.
“I have to get home. I...” She stares to where her phone is. “I can’t...”
Spence also stands up, stepping closer to her. “What do you need from your home?”
“Everything. I’ve worked way too hard to give it all up. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be part of all of this. I just want to go home. I want this to be over and return to my life. I never wanted anything to do with all of this.” She looks to Max. “Please, bring me home.”
He nods. “That sounds like a good idea.”
“Max!” I turn to him, but he gives me a hard look.
“I’m going to drop her off at her house. She’s right, she can’t just up and leave everything behind.” He carefully turns to her. “Can you go get your things?”
She nods slowly, like she’s moving through water or something and I have no idea what’s going on in her mind. She looks... off. “I left my bag with the dress upstairs.”
“Good. You should go get it.” Max keeps his voice careful and Cyra walks up the stairs, like she’s sleepwalking or something. As soon as she’s out of view, he turns to us. “This isn’t her. I think she’s in shock. Something really bad is going on in her head and she’ll just fight us if we try to go against her. It’s better to go along with it and keep her safe. Which is what I’ll be doing. While I’m with her, I need you three to find her a place where she can safely stay. If she gets that panicked by a call from her parents, there’s a good chance we want to keep her as far away from them as possible. We all need to lie low for a while.”
That makes much more sense than just letting her return home. “Okay.” I look at the other two, who both nod.
Max glances to the stairs. “I’ll help her pack some bags at her place. Clothes, stuff she’ll need for a week or two away.
Then I’ll check in with you and we’ll meet up.” He meets my eyes. “I’ll take the less flashy car, you three use the other one to get out of here. Find a place to plan where we’re going to go next. We have to hide, all of us, until the worst of it is over.”
“Running away is not my style.” Zack pulls a face.
“Not even to protect your mate?” I look at him and he averts his eyes. Yeah, that’s what I thought. “Let’s do this. We’ll all leave at the same time, two cars. That way we can hopefully shake anyone trying to follow us. Should hopefully keep you two safe.”
How did tonight end up like this? Oh, yeah, because I wanted a fun evening. Well, next time I’ll have to be more precise in what I consider ‘fun’, because this... This is not what I think of when I think of fun, but it’s definitely not boring.
We’re the first car out of the garage, and I already spot the paparazzi even before we’ve left the driveway. Max and Cyra are going to wait until most of the paparazzi cars are following us before they drive out too, trying to mix in with the paparazzi cars.
I turn in the direction of the main road. We’re going to make a fun little trip through a maze of streets, hopefully losing as many of the paparazzi as possible. As soon as it’s safe, Max and Cyra will drive off to her apartment as we make our way to wherever we can find that we can sit down to come up with a plan.
It takes almost ten minutes, but then I spot Max’ car disappearing down a side street. No other cars seem to try to follow them, so that’s a relief. About five minutes later, I realise we’ve lost the paparazzi cars too. They were apparently not that interested in chasing us.
“Don’t cheer too soon.” Spence is sitting in the passenger seat, checking his phone. “The article keeps getting longer. I think they’ve gotten hold of Cyra’s parents, that’s why we’re not as interesting anymore. The article is starting to include information that we don’t even know about her, and some stuff that’s... odd.”
“Do they know about her type yet?” Because as soon as that becomes known, things could get dangerous for all of us. I’ve heard of people killing an Omega’s mate, or use illegal ways to break the mating bond, because they want an Omega for themselves.
“Not yet. They just keep saying ‘rare’ Omega, nothing else.” He sighs, then looks around. “Take a right at the next light. We can use my office to make a plan, we should be safe there for now.”
Zack leans forward from the back seat. “Can’t we use one of the company’s buildings to hide out in for a while?”
Spence glances back at him. “You think that our parents are going to appreciate that right now? No. We’re better off going somewhere nobody knows to look for us.”
“You have a plan?” I glance his way before looking back to the road.
“Yes. I think I’ve got a plan. We just... We just need to make sure that we can get there without anyone spotting us. I’ve...” He sighs. “I’ve hidden from my parents and the paparazzi before. I’ve found some places that won’t ask any questions, for the right price.”
“Okay.” I nod. It’s probably the best we can do.
It’s not like I can take them all camping out in the wild. It’s getting really cold at night and I don’t think any of them are used to going camping. Plus, it’s not like I’ve got enough gear for a whole group. Usually, I just go by myself. So we’ll have to find a more ‘civilised’ place to stay.
I’d hoped to make Cyra’s life easier, not harder. But my plans always seem to go wrong for some reason. Max says that I always get him and others in trouble, that I do it on purpose, but it just seems to follow me around. I never try to get anyone in trouble, and somehow it always ends up happening anyway. I never go looking for it, it always seems to find me.
“Here. Drive into the underground parking.” Spence points and I turn. The building is huge, gigantic, and I have to blink to really understand the size.
“The whole building is yours?”
From the back, Zack laughs. “No, just a couple of floors. The building is owned by my family, but we rent most of it out.” He holds a card out for me. “Here, use this to get inside.”
I stop in front of a gate and swipe the card over the small machine next to us. Then the gate opens and the machine gives a bright ‘Welcome’ as we pass.
Spence frowns. “You want to let your parents know you’re here?”
Zack laughs again. “This is just an extra card. Sometimes I just need to get in here without anyone noticing, you know? Private party? I made sure to get myself an anonymous card for that.”
Oh, hell. Because, of course, with this guy. “You fuck girls in that office of yours?”
“Nah.” He moves, leaning between us. “There’s a really nice ‘recreational’ room on our floor. The couches there have seen quite a bit of use over the years.”
“Oh, eww.” Spence growls. “I’m never going to go there again. How did I not know that? How often have I sat on those couches right after you fucked a girl on them? Eww.”
“No worries, I always pay the cleaners extra to make sure they get cleaned thoroughly.” He points. “Park there. We can take the staff elevator up. They don’t have as many cameras there.”
I feel like arguing with him, but decide against it. I’m in their territory now, not mine. While I might not agree with whatever crap these two get up to, I’m not here for them. I’m here for Cyra. I’m here because we need to protect Cyra, at all costs.
19
Cyra
It’s hard to wrap my head around what’s going on. It’s all too much. Last week, everything was still normal, the same it had been for years. I was safe, I was in control of my life, I was in control of what was going on around me.
But right now... Everything is different. Everything is going wrong and I don’t know how to fix it. I don’t even know if I have the energy for it.
My phone starts buzzing again, and when I look at it I see ‘Parents’ on the screen. Apart from the calls, I’ve had a few messages, ranging from a simple ‘pick up’ to ‘you ungrateful Omega, pick up’ and ‘I demand you pick up’. They’ve not resorted to cursing, but I feel that’s coming soon. Curses and threats are going to be next on the menu, as always, though I tend to not let it get that far, too scared they’ll take everything away from me. Too scared that they’ll take everything I’ve fought for away from me.
I’ve not answered yet, but I feel like I won’t have a choice soon. I feel like if I keep ignoring them, things are only going to get worse. My parents don’t like waiting, but with the guys around, I didn’t dare to pick up, I didn’t want my parents to hear them. I didn’t want them to know that I’m really with four Alphas, four Alphas they would not approve of.
“Cyra?” Max’ voice is low and his hand comes into view.
I jerk back, startled, but then realise we’ve stopped and are now parked in front of my building. “Thank... Thank you.” With shaking hands, I start taking my bag and my phone, trying not to leave anything behind. It’s better if we have as little contact as possible after this. “I’ll get you these clothes back as soon as I can. I’ll make sure they’re cleaned and all. Don’t worry.”
I can’t drag them into whatever crap my parents have come up with now. The four might be at the top of the social structure here, but according to my parents, none of them are going to be good enough for me. So, it’s better if I stay as far away from them as possible, keep them out of the mess, keep them out of my life.
What will I tell my parents when I do take their call? How will I apologise to them? What will they demand in return for me staying here?
“That’s not what I...” He sighs and I glance his way, not sure what else he wants. He dropped me off, that’s all I asked of him. “I’ll walk you to your apartment.”
“You don’t have to.” I shake my head. “Really.”
It’s not safe in there, my scent will be everywhere. And on top of that, I have no idea if my parents might have someone stationed nearby, someo
ne who could spot him, and tell my parents that I let an Alpha into my place... That would be bad. If they find out that I let Max into my apartment, they’re never going to let me stay here, they’re going to take me home with them. I can’t let that happen. I don’t want that to happen.
“I’m going to walk you to your building.” Max’ voice is more forceful now, making me want to fight him for a moment, before I realise I’m too tired to even try.
Maybe letting him do that simple thing will be enough to satisfy him. Maybe it will let him know that I’m safe and he’ll leave after that. Once he’s satisfied that there are no paparazzi in front of the building and that I’m safe in there, he’ll leave. Then I can just stay hidden in my apartment for the rest of the weekend, until I need to go to work on Monday.
This will all have blown over by then, I’m sure of it. Things like this never last very long. They’ll find someone else to follow soon enough, and once I’ve called my parents, everything will be okay again. Everything will have returned back to normal by Monday, I just have to stay low for the weekend.
I nod. “Okay, just to the door. Then you go back.” Before I’ve even finished my first sentence, he’s already out of the car and comes over to my side, opening the door.
He holds out his hand and I let him pull me from the car, even though I can easily get out myself.
As we walk over to the door of the building, I keep glancing around, hoping that nobody is paying attention to us, but I don’t see anyone.
My parents live too far away to get here this fast, but they’ve got money and could hire someone to keep an eye on me until they’re here. I never know with them.
I’ve been living by myself for years, no matter how hard it has been sometimes, and they’ve always been very hands-off in their approach. I’ve always felt it was more because they were hoping that I’d ‘come back to my senses’ in the time away, than that it was out of the good of their heart. They wanted me to fail, break my spirit, let me know once and for all where my place in the world was.
