Page 74 of Talk About… Trouble

It takes one hell of an omega to avoid an alpha bark, and this omega wasn’t strong enough. Her shaking hands, eyes wide, were the only sign of hesitation. It wasn’t until the effect had worn off that she was furious again.

“If you raise that camera again, I swear to god I’ll break that phone and shove it so far up your ass that the only thing it’ll take pictures of is your insides. Do you under-fucking-stand me?”

Devon growled. He was practically feral now, to protect me.

“This is the same omega who said all that stuff at the club,” I muttered to Shepherd.

It was his turn to growl.

“It wasn’t enough to ruin your reputation, you have to come try again? Do you want to make it worse?” I questioned, anger flaring now that the shock wore off.

“Do you know what you cost me? I was in the courting process with a pack, and they dumped me the moment they saw that drama you created. All that just because of one silly drunk mistake?”

“If it was a mistake, then why are you here right now?” Braxton asked, his voice calm as ever.

She stumbled over her words before finally choking out, “Because if I’m already this far down, I may as well make some money off of it. Do you know how much the tabloids will probably pay for these pictures, especially a pregnancy?”

“Too bad you no longer have the pictures,” Nash said, looking smug now. Most alphas didn’t like barking at omegas, and it was considered very rude to do so in public.

However, this moment warranted it.

A body blurred past us, bumping into the girl so her phone fell to the ground. The pack behind the omega stepping on it, one after the other, until her phone was shattered.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” Sydney said while we pretended like we didn’t even know her. “We didn’t mean to brush into you.”

“Oh, our bad,” the pack said, swooping her off and into the coffee shop without a backward glance.

The omega stood at the edge of the street, screeching like a banshee, drawing a crowd now. Yet, when she looked around, not one person was giving her a single look of sympathy.

In fact, everyone looked ready to jump in on our behalf.

This is what the guys were talking about, that Rockwood Valley protected its own, and she was being told loud and clear that she didn’t belong here.

The girl snatched up her shattered phone before running off, cursing as she went. There were a few others around us now, shaking their heads and talking about how small-town charm was lost on the youth.

It wasn’t about youth, some people were just shitty.

“You know what? She’s not going to snatch this moment away from us,” I said, my tone firm. “Because we’re having a baby.”

That had smiles back on everyone’s faces, not a hint of tension in sight.

“You know, I never thought I’d be excited after everything I went through, but you guys helped me find this new version of myself, and honestly, I think I like her a whole lot more than the old. I was coasting through life, unhappy, and pretending not to be. I don’t even have to think about how happy I am now. I feel it radiating through me all the time.”

Devon pulled me into his arms, brushing his lips across mine before hugging me.

“I feel the same way,” he promised. “We’re a pack now.”

“Honestly, I think we should go buy Sydney’s pack a drink,” I said, leading them into the coffee shop.

There Sidney was, her eyes shining with excitement, and it looked like she was really trying hard to hold herself back.

“So, I guess the cat’s out of the bag. Can you keep it to yourself for just a little longer?” I asked with a laugh.

Sydney let out a squeal and pulled me close. Thankfully, we’d already tucked our pictures away, or there’d be a whole lot of questions circulating through town.

“Absolutely, and congratulations! I’m so happy for you,” she gushed in a whisper. “If anybody deserves this happy-ever-after, it’s you.”

When I first got to town, I didn’t expect this kind of greeting, and yet here I was, finding real friends that cared about me.

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