Page 167 of Claiming the Pack's Omega
"I'm doing good, I'm just with Stone right now. What's going on?"
"I was wondering whether you were willing to come down to the office to start working on things for the case. I can swing back home and pick you up and we can grab the meds you need from the pharmacy on the way back."
"I mean, sure, I didn't have anything else planned for the day. What will working on the case look like?"
"I'm not the only one working on this case. There's a whole team on it, but you'll only meet two others today, Selene and Andy. We're just going to give you an overview of the case and go over what to expect when you testify. It'll also be so we canget a better sense of what information you have and how your knowledge can help the case, does that make sense?"
A wave of nervousness hits me. It's a little unexpected. I've always known that my testimony in this case was the whole reason the Graylock Pack was interested in me in the first place, so I'm not quite sure why there's a part of me freaking out.
Is it the mention of other lawyers? I'm pretty sure I can handle preparing for my testimony with just Theo, but the thought of two other random Northside strangers there is putting me on edge.
Maybe it's also the fact that testifying in this court will actually make me the traitor that the Sorel Family has labeled me as. I'm not just using the Graylock Pack's generosity to get what I want anymore, I'm actively working against all the systems I've been a part of for years.
Stone must notice the slightly bitter change in my petrichor scent because his chest starts to vibrate with an almost inaudible purr. Even though I can barely hear it, it still soothes my frayed nerves.
"It does, should I get ready now?"
"That would be awesome, I'll be at the house in an hour."
"I'll be ready by then. See you soon, Theo."
"See you soon, Spitfire."
My head flops down onto Stone's chest again as I toss my phone away.
"Everything will be okay," Stone murmurs softly, his chest continuing to vibrate with his purr.
"Will it, though?"
"It will," he says. "Tell me, why're you nervous?"
"Wouldn't you be nervous as hell if you were the star witness to take down some of the most important Northside figures? I spent basically my entire life hating the Northside because ofhow fucked things are in the Southside, and now I'm helping you guys, you know?"
I can feel my pulse pounding through my entire body, from my cheeks to my fingertips, all the way down to my toes.
"And not all Northsiders are as nice as you and the rest of the pack." I can feel the burn of tears behind my eyes, but I do my best to blink them away. "I was a whore. An actual whore. I slept with alphas for money. You know as well as I do that I'm going to be torn apart on that fucking stand."
Stone purses his lips before he sighs and nods slowly.
"You will be. I'm not going to lie to you."
I collapse back down onto his chest, his words and confirmation of my worries knocking the wind out of me.
"You didn't let me finish," he murmurs, his hand coming up to massage the back of my neck gently.
"Well then, finish," I huff, burying my face in his chest and soaking myself in his comforting spicy pepper scent.
"You're right that they're going to try to tear you down, but they don't know you. They don't know how strong you are. They don't know the fire people have tried to put out that still burns inside of you. I could tell you were a fighter from the first conversation we had, Wildflower. You've fought so fucking hard to take care of the people you care about. And you've succeeded. Look at where your family is now, because of you."
My throat grows tight and I shut my eyes. I'm losing the battle against my tears.
"But what if I don't want to be strong anymore," I say, my voice a barely audible, strained whisper. "I've fought for so fucking long, I'm tired, Stone. I'm sick and tired of fighting all the time."
"Fuck," Stone whispers. His next inhale is shaky, as if he's fighting to hold himself together, too. "I'm so sorry, Wildflower. But you've gotta be strong for a little bit longer. Then you neverhave to fight again. I promise you that. You'll live a life of luxury where you never have to do anything you don't want to do."
"Really?" I ask, my voice soft and almost childlike.
"Really," he says. "God, if I could wave my hand and get rid of all this bullshit so you didn't have to testify, I would. God, I would."
