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“Get out of my hotel,” I growl so malevolently that several people around us freeze.
“Silas, I'm sorry-”
“Alpha Hastings, and get out. How dare you come here? How dare you come anywhere near my pack?”
I look over my shoulder at Simon. “Get security. Escort her out of my hotel.”
“But Falcon-”
“Simon, Falcon doesn’t run my hotels. Get her out, or you’ll never work in another one of my hotels again,” I bark.
Simon inclines his head. “At once, sir.”
Sarah? Cattia? I can’t even remember this whore’s name, but her lilac scent is burned into my memory, reminiscent of the most painful time of my life. Lilac is misery, betrayal, and loss. It’s treason.
“Get out, and never, ever come near my pack again.”
Simon takes her arm and pulls her away from me. I watch until I can’t see them anymore before unclenching my fists.
I mutter an apology to the crowd and stalk to the gold lift. Only when it closes do I let myself sag. I close my eyes, seeing the look of pain in Onyx’s eyes as she dragged her sister away.
I wonder if that will be the last time I see her. Falcon decided. But is he right?
It doesn’t matter. We have Dylan. I’ve warned my mother away. We can be happy again. It will just take time to heal. Now, I need to put all my time and energy into protecting my omega like we should have the first time around.
thirty
Onyx
Isleep in late and wake up panicking about where I am. When I remember all the events of yesterday, my heart sinks, and I scramble for the shower and clean clothes. I spent most of the night awake. Every painful moment had to be relived and dissected to figure out where I went wrong. Going over and over what I would say, playing out their reactions, going from angry with them for just abandoning me to devastated that I brought my sister here and she hurt them.
But the truth is simple: without them, I am destroyed. I’d assumed it would be hard to walk away, but not like this. I’d made my choice, I was starting my new life. To have it snatched away. No, that’s not right.
It was almost daylight when I fell asleep. I’d cried so much my eyes were almost swollen shut. But today, I rush through my shower with renewed determination to see them, to face them. I need to explain.
It takes a lot more courage than I'm ready to admit to leave the safety of my ground floor room. I approach the dining room and peer inside.
I'm wearing the only pair of jeans I own and a long-sleeved black t-shirt. I don’t have the fancy uniform or the fancy clothes to shield me. This is me. My hair is loose around my shoulders. There’s not a bit of make-up on my face. My shoes are scuffed but still have wear left in them. Onyx stripped back to her true, honest self without the bells and whistles. Will they still want me?
All I have in the way of jewelry is my bracelet. I wrap my free hand over it, hiding the numbers. I’ve grown fond of the stupid thing. The number, I think, might be lucky for me, but perhaps that, too, is wrong. I need to give it back before I leave.
They aren’t in the dining room, which leaves me with both a sense of relief and disappointment. I leave and go out to the first event, which should be Grayson’s big reveal of the Alice and Wonderland Garden Experience. My access to the tablets has been withdrawn, so I don’t have the itinerary, but luckily, I memorised it.
I find Grayson standing in front of a group of guests. He looks incredible. The sun hits his golden hair, lighting it up. His words get laughs and chuckles, and even though I can’t hear what he’s saying, I can tell he’s captivated everyone. I wish I could tell him how proud I am of him and that it will be exceptional.
He looks around, smiling, but it falters when he sees me. I edge closer to the crowd, staying at the back. A few people see me and move away, leaving a space around me, but I don’t care. I only have eyes for Gray.
My alpha abruptly turns and speaks to Simon beside him. Simon’s eyes find mine and hold. He shakes his head minutely. A moment later, with a hint of resignation in his normally blank expression, Simon nods.
I would put money on the fact that Gray just gave instructions to Simon to get rid of me.
The wind is cold, and I wrap my arms around myself, wishing I had a jacket. I’ve felt alone before, but the way people are avoiding me, the way their eyes find me and linger, is a whole new level of alone. My loneliness is complete, so I stay where I am while the guests follow Grayson on their tour. I just wait for Simon, my heart shattering inside me. I turn away after Gray disappears into the hedges, biting my lower lip and looking up at the perfectly miserable skies. My sarcastic, sad laugh is the only sound around me.
A hand lands lightly on my back. “Hey, sweetheart, it’s going to be okay.” Hazel whispers.
“It won’t.” I shake my head. “I'm all right, Hazel, I’ll see you for dinner, yeah? See the gardens. They are incredible, and he’ll need your opinion on them.”
“He needs a whack upside the head.”
