Page 24 of Nothing is Free

“Freeya, Mon?—”

“Avion, don’t deny me this,” I say, keeping my voice steady before the doctor claims I’m hysterical again anddecides I need more sedation. “Trust me, please.” I hold back my tears while holding his gaze, yet I push my desperation down our bond.

Avion, kisses my hand again and stands. “Okay, Mon Chéri, we will take you to see him, but only if you stay in this bed.”

I offer them both a small smile, eager to get to Omari but I’m also worried about Dez.

“Dez?” I ask tentatively.

“He’s out hunting,” Vic states matter-of-factly, his lips turn down in a menacing scowl.

“Hunting for what?” I ask, but I’m not naïve. I have an inkling I already know what they will say. I just need to worry about one mate at a time. At the moment, Omari needs me more.

“Damyn,” they both reply at the same time, confirming my fears. If he escaped, then he will come for me again, and when he does, because I know he will, I will be ready.

It’s either him or me, there is no consideration involved. I don’t need to have an ethical discussion with myself. I choose my life and the life of my mates, and baby, so, it will be him. No matter what happens, he won’t be walking away.

“Take me to Omari, I promise I won’t leave this bed, but first,” I reach my hand up to my neck, my fingers brush over the tiny scabbed scar. “I need you to get someone to remove the tracker he put in me.”

CHAPTER 15

AVION

6 months later

“Seriously, Avion. These things take time.” Mercy chuckles. “Plus, my bestie has ballooned over there, her baby bump is making her wobble like a penguin, and she can barely see her feet. According to Grace it’s probably best for her to stay put as it is.”

“I’m well aware of my mate’s growing belly, Mercy. It’s making things very. . .interesting. . .” I trail off knowing exactly what?—

“Avion,” Mercy deadpans.

“Oui, Lionne.”Yes, Lioness,I reply sweetly, calling her by the new nickname I deemed appropriate for the Omega.

“I don’t want to know what you five get up to. I have heard more than I need to from Free. Pregnancy hormones and lots of sex, got it.” She sighs as the sound of her typing away on her keyboard echoes down the line. The woman is a machine, and her company is flourishing. “Your concerns for her are valid, but I’ve been there. After the fire, the thought of leaving the house made me physically sick. Faith was missingand the men that left me to die were still at large. Sound familiar?”

“Oui.” I know Freeya’s fear of leaving the penthouse has everything to do with Damyn still breathing. Dez and his team haven’t stopped searching, and it’s been six months.

“The fear will always be there. Let her therapist earn her money. The doctor is making a mint with Faith and me on rotation. Any other concerns, Savoy?” I can’t help it. I laugh. How do Knight, Lox, Nate, and Trey survive life with her? I have no clue. Well, maybe I do. Love and acceptance.

“No. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk shop, Alpha,” I say, hoping she can hear the gratitude in my voice. I’ve been friends with her Alphas for years and our relationship has grown exponentially these last few months. Mercy and I as CEOs talk all the time now, and honestly, she should be charging me for her time and advice.

“We’re family, right,” she says.

“Oui, Lionne. We are. Tell Knight I will call him tomorrow about his licensing issue,” I tell her before we both say our goodbyes.

Putting my phone down, I look at the papers on my desk and gather them up into a pile to be dealt with later. I have no desire to scan charts and numbers now. My concern for my pack and their wellbeing, both mentally and physically, dominates my thoughts almost constantly.

A miracle is what the doctors called Omari’s speedy recovery. The minute Freeya’s bed was rolled next to his, his heart rate spiked in response. When she reached out her hand and laced her fingers with his, his eyes fluttered open. The doctors weren’t sure he was going to make it during those first few hours after his surgery. Dez blamed himself. So did Vic and I for not being there. He is our Omega. Our responsibility,and if we’d lost him. . .well, let’s just be grateful our wonderful Beta pulled him back from the brink.

While Omari’s physical recovery took two long months, Freeya’s mental wounds still linger. Every day we watch her glow and blossom as our baby grows inside of her. At almost nine months pregnant, she is truly a wonder. She threw herself back into work, remotely of course, because she won’t leave the penthouse. Just mentioning going outside triggers a full-blown panic attack. She has a midwife who comes and does all her baby checkups. Plus, Lox’s brother, Heath, is on standby if we need him for emergencies. We have spared no expense to make sure she is safe and comfortable. The closer we get to the baby’s due date, the more frantic she becomes. Only a few people are allowed to visit the penthouse. Omari is close to feral with his protectiveness of her. He won’t leave her side. The nightmares are the worst of all. We’ve all moved into her room, sleeping beside her at night only to wake up to her thrashing and screaming hours later. None of those moments have been easy. As an Alpha, my instincts drive me to protect, to eradicate the problem. But this, I can’t fight her internal battles, and that’s the crux of the matter. Vic, Dez, and I can’t make it better, and it is affecting us all.

I push my desk chair back and stand. Needing to be anywhere but my office right now. I cross the room and stop. Sniff. I smile. A rich, decadent scent of roses—my welcome distraction is about to knock on my door in three, two?—

The door swings open, rocking the bookshelf behind it as Vic storms in, hurrying in the room with our very pregnant mate squealing in his arms bridal style. “Vic!” Freeya shouts playfully and I smile just seeing her smile. I’ve witnessed her joy less and less these days. This is a rare treat.

“Lock the door, Avi. I had to steal our mate from our overbearing Omega. Dez has his dick down his throat as adistraction, but we both know we have about an hour at best before he comes looking for her.” Vic rushes past me. Freeya has her arms wrapped around his neck, her lips planting kisses up down his face and neck. I turn slowly, slightly amused, watching him speed walk to my desk and gently sit Freeya on top of it. I smirk, shaking my head because he isn’t wrong. The bond between Freeya and Omari has only become stronger, headachingly so. Our Omega is definitely more demanding and possessive of our mate. He only wants to share when we are all together. If we want any one-on-one time with our girl, we have to plan moments like this. I shit you not, we have a group chat and everything. Honestly, I love it. It makes things exciting; I am loving a more aggressive Omari. It’s a fucking turn on. Payback is a bitch when he’s begging on his knees for our knots, I’ll call it even. Turnabout is fair play as they like to say. Locking the door, I turn, removing my jacket, I toss it haphazardly, not caring where it lands.

Freeya spreads her legs and the oversized T-shirt rides up her bare thighs. Dark brown eyes find mine as Vic moves to stand between her legs and drops to his knees.

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