I sat in Pack Turro’s living room, nervous energy working its way through my limbs. I wished I could pace around, but my leg was hurting this morning.
Everyone would arrive today—Amirah, Lilah, and all their alphas—so we could plan our moves to take down the government. I felt desperately out of place. I’d spent the past year of my life hiding in my apartment, avoiding the news… avoiding everything. I was especially nervous to meet Lilah. What if she didn’t like me? She was a scientist and had done incredible work for the Alliance with the tabs and the serum, and here I was, barely having finished high school and currently alone without my pack.
I was fighting the urge to hide in my room when I heard people talking in the foyer. I stood up to see who it was, but before I could move, an omega entered the room. Five men surrounded her, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Her dark, messy curls and bright blue eyes were so similar to Ben’s it made my heart hurt. She let out a distressed whimper when she saw me. I braced myself as she threw her arms around me.
“It’s so good to meet you, and I’m sorry for what happened to you and your alphas, and I’m so excited to have a sister.” She spoke with the same rapid exuberance as her brother. I returned her hug, allowing my body to relax against hers.
“Careful, baby,” one of Lilah’s alphas said. I stiffened as he came closer, still feeling skittish around alphas. But then I inhaled and caught his faint forest scent. He was a beta. I took a deep breath, trying to get my heart to slow.
“I’m Noah,” he said, stopping a few feet away. Now it was clear he was shorter than alphas typically were. His brown hair was on the longer side, curling behind his ears, and his face had an open, boyish quality.
“Oh, sorry! Let me introduce you to my pack,” Lilah said, pulling away.
“You need to sit down,” one of the alphas growled abruptly, his eyes on my leg. He was massive with short, cropped hair and a scowl on his face, making me take an automatic step back.
“You’re hurt?” Lilah asked, eyes widening with concern.
“I’m fine,” I said. Now I could really feel my leg hurting. The angry-looking alpha gave me a disapproving look, and I grew more anxious. Lilah looked over her shoulder. “Grayson, honey cakes, you’ve got to tone it down. You’re making her anxious.”
The alpha—Grayson—blinked and took a couple of steps back.
Lilah helped me lower back down on the couch.
“He’s a total softy,” she said. “Just feels very protective when omegas are injured. You know the type,” she said with a wink. “Grumpy alpha is Grayson, and then Noah, of course,” she said, pointing at the beta. “Then there’s Raph and Matteo,” she gestured at two alphas standing in the doorway. “And… where did Orion go?” she asked.
“He needed snacks, apparently,” Matteo said, rolling his eyes. “It’s nice to meet you, Josie,” he said warmly.
I gave him a little nod. They hadn’t given me any reason to feel so anxious, but I’d only just gotten used to being around Pack Turro. Adding another dozen alphas to the house put me on edge.
Lilah seemed to sense how I was feeling and turned to her pack. “Why don’t you all check in with Amirah while Josie and l get to know each other?”
I almost expected them to argue, but they nodded and filed out of the room.
She turned back to me. “How’re you feeling?”
I shrugged, unsure how to answer.
She gave me a kind smile. “It’s a stupid question, isn’t it? Your alphas are in jail. Nothing is going to feel okay until they’re back.”
I blinked quickly to keep myself from crying.
“I miss Ben so much,” she said. “I found out he was part of the Alliance a year ago, and I’ve been begging to be allowed to talk to him, but I was developing the alpha tabs and serum, and Amirah said it was too risky. My pack backed her up, and I was so angry I didn’t speak to them for a solid week. I’ve never seen them so upset. But I guess I understand why the Alliance needed secrecy,” she said with an eye roll.
“Thank you for making the tabs and the serum. You saved my life,” I said, a lump forming in my throat.
Tears sprang to Lilah’s eyes, and soon we were both sniffling.
“All those long days and nights in my lab, I kept thinking about the omegas who hadn’t been able to get out. It drove me to keep going even when it all felt hopeless,” Lilah said, wiping tears from her cheeks.
I reached out and grabbed her hand, the warmth of her skin steadying me. I wished I could say more, express my gratitude in a more eloquent way, but she seemed to understand.
“No one would tell Ben where you were,” I said, breaking the silence. “He looked for you.”
Lilah smiled. “Ben was always the best brother. Cam and Theo were like my brothers, too. Super bossy, serious brothers. It drove me and Ellie insane.”
I bit my lip, a pang of longing seizing my chest.
“Sorry, we don’t have to talk about them if it’s too painful,” she said, softening her voice and squeezing my hand.
“No, I want to. It’s just… I thought they were dead, and now I still can’t get to them.” I cut myself off, my throat burning with the effort of keeping in my tears.
Lilah scooted closer to me and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. “God, I can’t imagine. I don’t know that I’d even be able to get out of bed if I were in your position. You’re so strong.”
I didn’t feel strong, but it was nice that she didn’t think I was completely pathetic.
“I was so angry at my parents for allowing Ben to be exiled,” she said, her arms still around me. “I could tell they didn’t want to—they never bought into the traditionalist designation shit as much as the other parents, but they were too weak to take a stand against the other families.” Her voice was bitter. “I met my pack shortly after he left, and we all decided to leave the province. I hated moving so far away from Ben, but I needed to escape the bad memories,” she said, her voice trailing off.
“How did you meet your pack?” I asked.
A mischievous smile crossed her face. “I may have hit a rebellious streak once Ben was exiled. I started sneaking out and going to clubs in the city. The Designation Government wasn’t in power yet, of course, and omegas were allowed inside clubs even though it might not have been the safest place.”
That was the understatement of the century. I couldn’t imagine going to a club filled with alphas.
“Grayson was a bouncer at one of the clubs and when he saw I was there alone, he pulled me to the side and lectured me about ‘common sense and safety.’” She pitched her voice low in a spot-on impersonation of her alpha. “I just stood there perfuming like crazy because he was sooo hot. Finally, he took a breath and totally lost his train of thought.”
“What happened?” I asked, fascinated by this window into what things had been like before the Designation Government.
“We fucked in the bathroom,” she said dreamily.
“That’s not exactly how it happened,” Grayson grumbled as he and Matteo entered the living room again. This time, they both kept their distance.
“Oh, you want me to give more details like how I lifted my skirt and you—”
“No, no,” Grayson said hurriedly, his cheeks growing pink. Lilah winked at me.
I giggled. “You would get along so well with my friend Poppy.” Although the two of them together might give their alphas heart attacks.
“The rest was history. He was already packmates with Matteo, Raph, and Orion. I found Noah shortly after and added him to the collection.”
“Noah’s a beta?” I asked, curious. Pack Turro was the only pack I’d ever met with a beta.
“Yes, Orion, too, thank god. Can you imagine five alphas? Those two help keep us all calm.”
I scrunched my nose, glancing over at the tense way Grayson and Matteo kept a close watch over their omega.
“Umm…” I said, not wanting to point out the obvious.
“Well, calm for alphas,” she said with a giggle, turning to look at Grayson. “Honey cakes, you’ve got to calm your tits,” she shouted across the room. Grayson’s scowl deepened, sending an anxious shiver up my spine. But Lilah just turned back to me with a smile.
“I’m sure you’re used to it with Cam and Theo as your alphas. Have they mellowed out at all?”
I snorted.
“Ha, thought so,” she said.
“The meeting is going to start soon, kitten,” Grayson said, walking over to us. When he got close, he crouched down so he wouldn’t loom over me.
“Do you need help getting to the library?” he asked softly.
“I think I can do it,” I said, not ready to have another alpha touch me.
“You can lean on me,” Lilah said easily, helping me to my feet.
