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“I’d say more than just Haven’s biggest celebrity. You have pictures with some of the most famous packs and omegas in the world right now!” I thought back to when I had finally met Celeste for the first time. She had come to deliver a symbolic check to me, and plenty of cameras were there to document our meeting. She had played a huge part in raising awareness about my disappearance, and because of her, I now had plenty of funds and freedom.
It was bittersweet that because of Celeste and Piper’s efforts, I was in the best position of my life - but also the saddest. Either way, I wanted Celeste to know I appreciated her. We met officially as the cameras flashed and a video clip was made of her hugging me and then of me thanking her for her help. After the media portion was over, I pulled her aside. It was strange - before I’d left for the Darlington Ball, I was so scared and intimidated by someone like her. She was beautiful, graceful and seemed to hold all the power in the world. But when I finally met her, I saw that she was just like me. An omega trying her best to survive in a world where we had less power and were often looked at as accessories or used for our wealth by packs. I could see now why she hadn’t settled down. These packs didn’t want her - they wanted what she represented. That’s why I leaned in and whispered to her that I knew who was behind her kidnapping.
The pieces of information came back to me as I was recovering from my ordeal in Haven. Thinking back on the ball, I remembered the Lockwood pack and their words about how she wouldn’t show for her meeting. And then something I heard Kian say after the attack on the house. I’d been creeping up behind the last intruder, focused on the back of his head and how I needed to deliver a blow before he shot at Jameson. I didn’t pay attention at the time, but later on the words suck with me.
“I’m sure it was our last client. No one else knew we had taken her. I’ll get revenge on that damn Lockwood pack.”
I pulled away from Celeste after whispering the information to her, and her eyes belied an intelligence I hadn’t noticed. She nodded, not as surprised as I would have thought. “The Lockwood Pack. That does make sense.” She sighed, and I thought about how much pressure she must be under. Trying to keep control of her family’s organization while dealing with the media constantly dragging her. I felt compassion for the way she must live, although I had envied it forever. “And for what it’s worth, I’m so sorry that you had to experience what you did. It was meant to happen to me.” She gently held my arms as she spoke.
“You don’t have to apologize. It wasn’t your fault.” I told her with a shrug. She assessed me, her eyes looking through me in a way that told me she saw people a bit deeper than they realized.
“Well, I feel for you either way. Although, omega to omega, something tells me your time being kidnapped wasn’t all bad.” My eyes snapped up to her as she gave me a small smile before her assistants approached us.
“Miss Harringday, you need to be back on your plane in twenty minutes or you’ll be late to the next meeting.” She winked at me and was ushered off while I thought about what she said. I hoped she ended up getting justice against the Lockwood Pack.
Chapter 60
Bella
The event was originally supposed to be for eligible omegas in Haven, but anyone could see I was basically the star of the ball. Most omegas didn’t want to be at a ball where one person would be the center of attention, so it became my personal courting event by default. Tickets were in such demand that the prices had risen to insane amounts, making it nearly impossible for anyone except the wealthiest packs to purchase a pass to attend. The event was being held at the fanciest hotel ballroom in Haven. The setup was amazing - crystal chandeliers and white floral arrangements made it clean and sweet smelling, and soft pink backlighting gave everything a beautiful glow. The ball was being catered by one of the best chefs in town. Guest packs from all over were going to be in attendance, and if someone had told me a year ago that all of this was going to be done just for me, I’d have thought it was a dream come true. But today, while getting my hair and makeup done for the big event, I couldn’t muster up much enthusiasm.
“Everyone in town wants to cover this event!” My agent spoke with excitement as she watched the makeup artist do the finishing touches on my eyes. “We’ve had to turn down countless requests for media access. They were willing to pay thousands to get photos.” I had agreed to attend with the understanding that there would only be one official photographer. The last thing I wanted was documentation of every second of me meeting with these packs. I could barely fake a smile, much less enthusiasm at this point. The dress I wore was gorgeous - a black form fitting dress with thousands of sparkling crystals woven in, so that it looked like a night sky with stars all over. My hands were covered in satin gloves, and when I glanced at myself in the mirror, I truly looked beautiful. The hairdresser finished setting my waves and sprayed my hair so it set. I also had to get sprayed down with descenter multiple times as a precaution.
Piper knocked on the door and squeezed in to see me. The event would start soon, and she was one of the only other omegas here. Since she was mated and her pack was nearby, there was no threat to her being around a bunch of alphas. But her pack was going to be disgruntled about her being around other alphas regardless, and I was sure they would be hovering over her most of the night. “Are you ready? I saw the guest list. These are some prime packs!” Her encouragement lifted me up a little, but all I could think about were sea glass eyes, a man who looked impeccable in a suit, the secret soft nature of a tough beta, and a gentle hitman. I softly laughed at myself. I needed to get my head back into reality and pick a good pack, one who wouldn’t reject me. Even if all these packs were here for my notoriety and wealth, as long as they bit me they wouldn’t be able to throw me away after.
“Alright. I’ll try to be open-minded. Let’s go. I’m sure the food is incredible.” I stood and looked at myself one more time while the makeup artist, hairdresser, and my agent fawned over how good I looked. Piper and I were led by my agent down to the ballroom where the night would begin. It was such a spectacle - it reminded me of my night at the castle when everything was so magical, new and breathtaking. It still was, in a way. We entered onto a large staircase which led down to the main ballroom, and the spotlight was directed at the top where I would make my entrance. Piper squeezed my gloved hand. “Ready?” She whispered. I nodded. I was as ready as I’d ever be.
“Welcome to Haven’s Omega Ball! We are honored to have so many incredible guests from around the world. Servers will be by to offer you tapas and champagne before dinner. In the meantime, we won’t keep you waiting. Please welcome Haven’s very own Bella Carter!” The announcer held out their hand and Piper gave me an encouraging nudge. I walked out across the top of the stairway, a second spotlight finding and following me until the two lights merged as I met the announcer. The ballroom let out a roar of applause. “As we all know, Bella survived a kidnapping attempt at her last Omega Ball. She bravely endured and escaped, and we are so proud to have her here with us today!” Another roar of approval came from the ballroom. “Let’s make sure this Omega Ball lands her a pack, shall we?” The audience went wild. I smiled and waved as Piper gave me a thumbs up from the side of the stairs out of sight from the crowd, now flanked by her pack. “Everyone, make yourselves comfortable before we do tonight's introductions!” The host helped me down the stairs, where I was handed a glass of champagne. I took a sip, then another. It was going to be a long night.
A bit later after everyone had mingled and had some food in them, I was led to the front of the ballroom near the foot of the stairs under some lighting which felt like a spotlight all over again. It made it difficult for me to see into the crowd. “Now for the introductions! We have so many esteemed guests here tonight. I will encourage everyone to be patient, as our omega has a lot of meet and greets to get to!” A few people chuckled as the host prepared. “First up, we have Pack Ferdinand. This special pack came from across the ocean to meet our special Bella. One of its members includes a prince, another is a successful oil rig owner. The third…” The host’s voice trailed off as the pack was introduced. They came up to me and I smiled, greeting all of them. They were certainly handsome, and they smelled fine. But their scents were not nearly as tantalizing as the ones belonging to the pack that stole my heart, then crushed it. The conversation was smooth and natural, and then after a few minutes the next pack was announced. The evening went on like that for an hour, with a much needed break for food afterward.
I sat down at a table with my parents, Piper and her pack, and my agent. My feet were hurting from the heels I was wearing and I felt my social battery slowly losing energy. “So? Who is your favorite so far?” My mom asked with a twinkle in her eye. I was sure my parents were stunned by the number of impressive packs that had been introduced, and all of them were seemingly very interested in me. Or at least what I could offer them. I pushed my steak around on the plate with my fork.
“There are some nice packs.” I mumbled, trying to remember any that stood out. I knew a few were a no from the get go - their scents burned my nose, or they were clearly trying to get access to me for money or fame. But there were some that I felt were genuine as well. It was all so confusing. In the past I would have jumped at the chance to be with any of them. Now, none of them gave me that soul deep, absolute knowing comfort that I felt when I had been with a pack that was by all means the worst choice for me. Piper looked at me with worry in her eyes before looking down at her phone. “Well, you only have a few more left, so if you can get through the next hour, then maybe you’ll find that - wait a minute…” Piper’s brows scrunched together as she scrolled through her phone. “Hmmm. That’s odd.” I leaned over, trying to see what was on her phone.
“What is it?” She didn’t answer, but excused herself from the table.
“Something’s not right with the list. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. Dom, can you come with me?” She asked her pack mate, and he quickly followed her. Whatever it was, I was sure they would handle it. I tried to eat more before the second half of the ball. After the introductions were finished, there would be a live orchestra playing and the alphas would be able to ask me to dance. Ugh. It was going to be a long night.
Soon the tables were cleared and I stood at the bottom of the stairs again as the host went through the next round of packs. I was getting overwhelmed by all of it. All the attention, all the scents, all the small talk. Pack after pack, fake smile after fake smile. Their faces and scents blended together.
Finally, we seemed to be wrapping up. But the host wasn’t done yet. “Looks like we have a late arrival! This pack is the last for the evening, before we get started with the dancing!” The crowd gave a murmur of approval as the host went on. “This pack has recently relocated from the Eastern Province.” My ears suddenly pricked up as the host spoke. Eastern Province? There had been a few from there tonight, even some from the Darlington Ball who I had already seen. “Pack members include Kian, who works in Commercial Real Estate, Cy who is a security specialist, Maddox who is an entrepreneur, and Jameson, a self defense instructor. Please come forward, Pack Genovese.” My mind swirled as I started to lose my balance. I hadn’t seen their name on the list of attendees. Were they really here? How could this be possible? My agent ran over to help me stay up, smiling and waving to everyone as if everything was okay and I had just slipped.
“I’m sorry Bella, this was a last-minute addition. I didn’t see them slip through or I would have caught it. Apparently that is Kian Genovese, he’s the son of Ansaldo, a notorious crime boss in the Eastern Province. I’d advise you to-” I didn’t even listen to the rest of what she said. I simply looked in the direction of where the pack was as they stood at a table in the far back of the room to be brought up to meet me. The spotlight was in their direction, but it was hard to see in between all the other tables and packs. Once I spotted them, I tore away from my agent to get closer. As I made my way to the table, my pace quickened. I could see their faces now, apprehensive under a facade of confidence. I picked up my dress, now practically running as I made my way toward them. I had to be sure it was really them, that they were really here. When I was close, I saw each of their faces. It was them. Each member of the pack, dressed impeccably in a suit as they stood to greet me. Jameson was the first to move toward me and lean down as I came to a screeching halt in front of them, the entire ballroom stunned silent by my sprint down the aisle in heels.
“Kitten, we’re so-” His words were cut short as I socked him as hard as I could, straight in his face.
Chapter 61
Maddox
Bella had hit Jameson with all her might, and I could tell she delivered all the anger and frustration she’d carried in her these past few months. I’d never seen an omega hit someone that hard, and especially not an alpha as large as Jameson. The fact that she’d been able to hit him at all was a miracle. He usually caught fists in the air before they landed near him.
We collectively winced as we heard the hit echo through the ballroom. Bella turned around and stomped away, her heels clicking as she marched off. I looked over at Jameson, who was rubbing his face and grinning like a fool. “There’s my little wildcat!” He said, gazing at her like she hadn’t just delivered the hardest smack he’d probably had in months. We knew it would be a risk to come here, but as a pack we figured she’d had enough time to get situated in her new life and have the opportunity to be fought over and wanted. We had to be sure that if presented a choice, she would want us and not one of the better suited packs. And there were plenty of them here. Cy had hacked into the guest list online and added us at the last minute, the only way we could think of to officially court her in the way the Western Provinces required. It had been a miracle that our pack was even able to register, seeing as we needed to show proof of residency and income. Navigating all of that while selling our business in the Eastern Province and establishing residency here was a behemoth of a task that took months to pull off.
I looked at the rest of the pack. They were for once at a loss as to what to do. We weren’t the type to attend omega balls, as we’d never intended to add one to our pack. “So, should we go after her or…?” I asked, wondering if she would have us removed from the event. Just then her friend Piper approached us with an angry-looking pack backing her up. She had been a wild card, and had helped us get access when she noticed us on the list. Despite our efforts, the security at the door wasn’t letting in last-minute packs. But when Piper arrived with one of her alphas, she seemed to know who we really were to Bella and helped us in. Not without giving us some very harsh words first.
“Uh, sorry about that. Bella’s still a bit upset with you.” Piper was taller than Bella and looked more like a beta, but I knew she was Bella’s closest friend. “I’ll go talk to her. Wait just a minute and then come find us. I’m sure she will want to talk to you. Although, I can’t guarantee the words will be kind.” I sighed in relief.
