#multiple ocs

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the secret: i burned my foot with a flat iron bc i stepped on it and now I’ll remember today as foot burn day instead of mu edit making day 🥲 it hurt so bad and it has a light ache as of now bc i slept a lil ;-; still there’s a light pain

also my two friends’ three month dating anniversary is today too!!

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TikTok promotions again :3

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audio source for that video

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we as a fandom will NOT forget about the daycare au THAT WAS PEAK

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GlassMoon content FINALLY ‼️

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Morning comes to me slowly.

Warmth presses against my back in a way that makes me feel almost boneless beneath the blankets. For a few blissfully quiet seconds, I don’t move. I just exist there in the dark cocoon of my nest, listening to the steady sound of breathing behind me.

Then my brain catches up.

Simon.

My eyes open immediately.

The room is still dim, pale morning light only barely beginning to creep through the curtains. Everything feels soft around the edges, worlds away from the emotional hurricane of yesterday.

Carefully, I shift just enough to glance over my shoulder.

And there he is.

My chest blooms painfully with love at the sight of him.

Simon’s asleep behind me, one arm wrapped tightly around my waist like he’s afraid I’ll disappear if he lets go. His face is half-buried in the mountain of pillows surrounding us, looking more peaceful than I think I’ve ever seen him.

But even sleeping, the exhaustion is impossible to miss.

Dark circles hollow out the skin beneath his eyes, making him look worn down to the bone. Fresh scars I don’t recognize cut across skin that already carried far too many. His blond hair is longer than I remember, still a little damp and messy from the shower he’d taken shortly after dinner when König finally forced everyone to stop talking long enough to eat.

Apparently, spending almost a year and a half hunting for your missing mate does terrible things to a person.

My throat tightens at the thought.

Yesterday’s conversation replays slowly through my mind.

It had started awkwardly. Not bad, just… strange.

I remember Simon’s hand locked around mine so tightly it almost hurt. Konig hovered close enough to intervene if Ghost had begun to spiral again. And then I remember Rhea taking one look at the state of us and wrinkling her nose.

“Absolutely not,” she’d said immediately.

Ghost had paused, like he hadn’t understood the words.

“You smell insane,” she said, looking at Ghost, “And you’re covered in dirt. Shower, both of you. Now.”

I’d actually laughed before guiding him to my room. I waited for Konig to drop off some clothes for Ghost before moving into the bathroom, unable to leave him for long.

He had taken off his mask, and it was like I found him all over again. We were a blur of desperate kisses and gentle touches before we made our way into the shower.

Neither of us spoke as he let me take care of him. I washed the grime off of him as he just gripped my hips, like he needed to touch me to ensure that he was really here. Every now and then, his hands would tighten suddenly and I’d look to find him staring at me with this raw, devastated expression that made my chest ache.

Like he still couldn’t believe he’d found me. Like if he blinked, I’d be gone again.

I think part of me felt the same when.

When I’d finally finished rinsing the shampoo from his hair, he’d leaned down and pressed his forehead against mine, water still pouring over both of us.

“You’re alive,” he’d whispered so quietly I almost hadn’t heard him.

Not a question.

Not even relief, really. 

Just pure disbelief.

I remember my throat tightening so badly I couldn’t answer him right away. Because what do you even say to that?

Sorry you thought I was dead? Sorry it took so long to find me? Sorry I can’t remember a damn thing that could have helped make any of this easier?

Instead, I’d just cupped his face with both hands and kissed him again. It was slower this time, more careful. The bond exploded between us, making us act out the words neither of us seemed to be able to express. Simon made a rough, broken sound against my mouth that nearly shattered me. 

We stood there in each other's arms, neither of us wanting to leave.

Eventually, though, Rhea started banging on the door.

“If you two drowned in there, I’m not dragging your bodies out,” she yelled from the other side.

Simon had actually laughed at that, making my heart clench.

“We’re just finishing up,” I called out.

She made some crude comment about finishing that had me rolling my eyes before we both moved to get out of the shower.

By the time we made it into the living room, everyone else was already spread out waiting for us. 

Konig took up almost the entire chair by himself. Nikto leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, with Horangi and Krueger sitting on either side of Rhea on the couch. 

The second we stepped into the room, every single pair of eyes snapped toward us.

Toward Simon, who was now unmasked with me tucked to his side. 

The silence stretched just long enough to become uncomfortable before Rhea took the reins.

“Come on, Mira,” she said warmly. “Come take a seat with your alpha and introduce us.”

Simon had tightened his grip on me before we moved to the loveseat that had been saved for us.

“Mira?” he asked cautiously as we sat down.

I looked at him, brows furrowing slightly. “That’s my name…” I said, though even as the words left my mouth, I wasn’t sure they felt right anymore.

“That’s what she was called when I found her,” Rhea explained gently.

We could all tell instantly that there were already infinitely more questions than we had expected. So, Rhea started from the beginning. After some brief introductions of her and her alphas, she explained how she found me and how we ended up here.

The whole time, Simon stayed silent, letting her talk while grief and sorrow rolled steadily through the bond.

The other alphas occasionally jumped in to clarify something, but none of them spoke much. It wasn’t until Rhea started explaining my recovery that Horangi finally stepped in. He sounded more like he was giving a mission briefing than talking bout a person.

“Her memory is… compromised,” he said carefully. “She has flashes and fragments, but not much beyond the last few weeks she spent in containment.” 

Something in his expression softened after that. “But she’s made good progress,” he added quietly. “Even with a few setbacks.”

Guilt flooded from my side through the bond, and Simon tracked my gaze to Horangi’s arm.

Not wanting the conversation to linger there much longer, I poke up before anyone else could.

“So, um… what’s actually my name, then?” The question came out sort of cautious. Like maybe the answer would hurt more than not knowing.

Wimon looked at me for a long moment before answering. He gave me my name before following it up with, “But in our pack, you’re known as Boo.”

A flicker of recognition shot through me as multiple facts reemerged from my mind. 

My name is Boo.

I have a pack.

There are three other omegas besides me. Each one of us has an alpha.

Thoughts came in broken fragments, slamming into each other faster than I could process them.

Rhea immediately moved from the couch, slowly crossing the room toward me as I struggled to piece everything together. She must’ve seen the panic starting to creep in because her voice softened even further.

“You wanna try talking through it?” she asked carefully. 

Her scent rolled over me gently, grounding me enough to breathe through the sudden rush in my head.

“I have packmates,” I started slowly. “There’s… there’s four pairs of us,” I start.

I look to Simon for support, but he just nods, letting me try to remember on my own. “I… I don’t remember names.”

“That’s okay,” Rhea says, reaching out for one of my hands. “What do they look like? What do they smell like?”

A cent flickered through my memory.

“Lilac…” I said slowly, like going too quickly would have chased it away. “One of them smelt like lilacs… And honey? No… why are they making me think of honey?”

“Bee,” Simon offered gently.

The name ignited my memory like a match to a haystack.

A blonde girl with freckles and a giant smile. Bee. Yes. It felt so right.

“Yeah,” I smiled. “Bee… Bee and…”

My thoughts stumbled again as another girl surfaced through the haze. Dark hair, lots of giggles… the faintest bit of mint under pomegranate. I could almost see the two of them wrapped around each other, laughing.

“Bun!” I gasped.

Simon smiled and nodded. “Good girl. What about the last one?” 

His praise made warmth flicker through the bond despite everything else happening. But the third omega was harder.

Bee and Bun had always felt connected somehow, making them easier to remember together. The last one lingered at the edge of my mind like a shadow I couldn’t quite reach. I leaned harder into the back of the loveseat, squeezing my eyes shut as I focused.

A floral scent drifted across my thoughts. Something clean and elegant. Like blossoms…

I cocked my head a little bit as a conversation came back to me. 

“Eh, don’t fret, Red. You get used to it.”

“Red?”

“Sorry, I’m unoriginal.”

My breath caught. It felt like something unlocked in my head. Memories crashed into me all at once. 

A tear slipped down my cheek as my eyes flew open. Worry surged through the bond as Simon shifted closer.

“Red,” I whispered, saying her name like a prayer. “Red… and Price… And Sop and Gaz.”

More names came spilling out before I could stop them.”

“And Mo and Henry and Roscoe and—”

My voice broke completely.

My hands flew to my face as tears started pouring down my cheeks.

It was too much too soon, but such a relief to have so many of my memories back at one time. The room was silent as he held me while I cried.

Rhea kneeled in front of us, doing what she could to help me through my emotions without just ripping me away from them.

“You’ve been fighting so hard for so long,” she soothed. “It’s okay to let go. We’ve got you.”

Simon’s arms tightened around me as her words helped me to release the tension in my body. He started murmuring my name in my ear as I continued to cry.

After a few minutes, I was able to calm down enough to look at the others. They all had varying looks of pity and concern on their faces.

“Sorry,” I said, trying to wipe at my face again. “I just…” I trail off, not really knowing how to finish.

“Don’t you dare apologize,” Rhea says gently. “This is a huge breakthrough.”

Nikto gave a grunt in agreement as I took a deep breath, trying to collect myself as I leaned back into Simon’s arms. Rhea settled back on her heels, looking between Simon and I.

“Alright,” she says finally. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way… I think it’s your turn to talk, Mr. Ghost.”

A wave of pure, crushing dread slammed through the bond so strong that it made my own stomach clench.

Konig leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees.

Simon took a deep breath before starting all the way back to the day he’d lost me. 

He talked about the search first. About the frantic scramble to find me and the others in the train. About how Laswell had eventually gotten involved. 

Her name caused a stir among the other alphas, but no one addressed it. He started talking about the train, and memories of my own started to spring up.

“...after the train stopped, I was the one who found the others,” Simon had said quietly. “Bee practically threw herself at me, cryin’ that you were gone.”

Grief surged sharply through the bond, so heavy that it made my chest ache. 

“We searched everywhere,” he continued. “High and low. But there wasn’t a trace of you.” His gaze drifted somewhere far away. “Ended up stayin’ at Mo’s place for a bit.”

He went quiet for a second before speaking again. 

“Think that’s when I stopped sleepin’. Just kept walkin’ around all night. Needed to keep movin’ or I was gonna lose my bloody mind.”

More tears slipped down my cheeks as his emotions bled through the bond.

God. I had put him through so much.

“After a few days,” he continued. “Rosco and his dog—”

“Murphy!” I interrupted. A few people chuckled at my outburst, making my cheeks warm.

Simon just looked down at me, a surge of love cutting through all the grief.

“Yes, love. Murphy.”

The nickname made my chest tighten.

“He picked up your trail near a set of tracks deeper in the woods,” Simon continued. “Tracks weren’t marked on any maps. Ended up bein’ some of the first sold proof we had of Shadow Company’s trafficking routes.”

Konig shifted in his chair at that, eyes darkening some.

Simon continued anyway, explaining how while he and a handful of others searched through Mexico trying to track me down, Laswell had apparently made dismantling Shadow Company her personal mission.

“You were the project she was working on, weren’t you, kätzchen?” Konig asked, surprising all of us.

I blinked at him. It was a rhetorical question, not meant for me, but I still couldn’t help but wanting to give him an answer. 

“Laswell was on the team that originally gave our company the orders to go after Ormond,” he offers as explanation.

He turns his head toward Rhea. “This whole time, we were looking for her and didn’t even know it.”

Rhea nodded thoughtfully, her eyes softening as she looked at me.

“It seems like it,” she murmured. “Do you think Laswell knows the soldier who helped us?”

“Probably does,” Simon had replied. “She was deep into working on finding Boo before I had split off to do my own thing.”

Shame curled through the bond then, thick and ugly. Not mine this time, but his.

“After you had been sold off in Mexico,” he’d continued, “I did lose my bloody mind.”

Nobody interrupted him.

“Took it out on the boys. Was a right prick to everyone.” His jaw tightened slightly. “Couldn’t focus on anything. Price eventually had to put me on medical leave before I did somethin’ really stupid.”

To my surprise, it was König who jumped in to placate him. “Losing your omega is not easy,” he’d kept his eyes on Rhea as he spoke. “I was ready to tear out every single person’s throat if it meant I could get her back…”

The unspoken ‘and I would have, too’ hung heavy in the air. For a moment, something silent passed between the two alphas. An understanding.

Nothing I would consider friendly, but recognition for one another certainly. Since the head alpha had accepted some part of Simon’s grief, and that alone was enough for the others to accept him. They were visibly more relaxed after that.

Simon took a slow breath before continuing.

“I tore through Mexico, tryin’ to retrace everythin’. Every route, every ransacked and abandoned base. I just needed somethin’ to figure out where they’d taken you last.”

“Nothing,” he’d said bitterly. “Found bloody nothing.”

Then his eyes flicked toward me.

“Didn’t help that you kept blowing up operations, love,” he added dryly.

My eyes widened. “I did?”

Rhea snorted.

“Sounds about right,” she said with a grin. “You used to mumble about it when things got back. Honestly, that’s part of what pushed me to do what I did.”

Heat flooded my face even now at the memory.

Simon started laughing suddenly, making everyone stare at him with surprise. Their shock only made Rhea start laughing too, and just like that, the heaviness in the room had loosened. 

I could tell by the crease in his eyes that even Konig had cracked a faint smile. Once the laughter had faded, Simon leaned back slightly against the loveseat.

“After ransackin’ Mexico,” he continued more quietly, “I separated from the pack. Figured if there was even the faintest trail of you somewhere, I’d find it faster on my own.”

Nikto shifted subtly then, like he was going to say something but decided against it.

Konig tilted his head slightly. “And what was the trail that led you here,” he asked carefully, “after all this time?”

The question settled heavily over the room, the brief warmth from the laughter disappearing.

Because this was it, the missing piece.

“It started with Ormond,” Simon said evenly. Everyone went still again.

“Like we’ve established…” A faint flicker of amusement crossed his face. “Explosions seem to be her thing.”

Rhea pressed her lips together, visibly trying not to smile.

“ So… I started tracking explosions, fires, anything unusual.” Simon shrugged slightly. “Read about Ormond and his trafficking operations in the papers. Whole thing just felt… right. No, not right, but just as if it had your name all over it. It was like I’d picked the trail back up again.”

His hand absentmindedly tightened around mine as he continued.

“Heard about two omegas escaping the scene. Then, a few weeks later, there was a raid on a fighting ring not too far from there.”

Simon’s gaze shifted toward the other alphas.

“I managed to get into the system and found out that my pack had been involved in the raid.” His jaw tightened slightly. “Figured they were probably there trying to recover Boo.”

My stomach dropped. 

If they’d been there… They would’ve been so close. They were probably still looking for me now. Fear spiked through me hard enough that my head snapped toward Konig before I could stop myself.

He immediately lifted a hand, like he already knew where my thoughts had gone.

“We’ll deal with it,” he said quietly. “Let's let him finish first.”

The reassurance loosened some of the panic squeezing my chest.

When I looked back at Simon, he was watching Konig carefully before continuing.

Did some more digging after that. Found out a van had left the scene with two omegas inside, including the target they had been searching for.” A small breath left his nose. “Tracked it for a whole. Then hit another dead end.”

Konig gave an easy shrug at that, entirely unapologetic.

Which… fair.

His pack had needed to disappear after all of that.

“That’s when I watched the footage from the raid,” Simon continued. “Knew it was her the second I saw you leading them to the van outside.”

His eyes locked directly onto Konig’s. The tension between them sharpened, and it was at that moment I realized that these two had history together. Not good history, either.

“Wasn’t exactly sure where you would’ve taken her,” Simon admitted. “But your home country seemed as good a starting point as any.” He shrugged slightly. “Been wanderin’ around, chasin’ scraps since then.”

His gaze shifted toward Rhea.

“Then I saw you at the market a few days ago.” His voice roughened slightly. “Caught the faintest hint of her scent and just…” He shook his head once. “Lost my fuckin’ mind.”

My breath catches softly.

“When I saw her out in the yard,” he continued, quieter, “I thought maybe you were keepin’ her here against her will or somethin’.”

A wave of shame rolled through the bond immediately afterward.

“Snapped before I could think better of it.”

And now we’re here, we all seemed to think.

After that, Konig stepped in and declared the conversation over for the night before anyone could spiral into darker territory again. We’d have some dinner and pick up plans on what to do next in the morning.

Dinner ended up being strangely normal. Or as normal as things could possibly be with my long-lost feral alphas suddenly sitting at the kitchen table with me. 

The conversation softened considerably once food was involved. Krueger and Rhea mostly carried it at first, steering things away from painful subjects whenever they could. Stories about me slowly replaced the darker topics.

The bond hummed happily as Rhea talked about me learning to purr and nest again. 

Nikto, who had been mostly silent since Simon’s arrival, even chimed in.

“She cried over forgetting baby goats existed,” he commented. 

My face had heated up at Simon, and Rhea laughed at my expense.

“It’s true,” she’d confirmed. “Went into a full-blown crisis for a bit as we watched some videos online.” Simon’s shoulders shook with silent laughter, the warmth of it flooding our bond.

For a little while, it almost felt like everyone might get along. Then, as we were finishing up, Simon finally addressed them directly.

“Thank you,” he’d said, looking from Rhea to her alphas. “For taking care of her when I couldn’t.”

The sincerity in his voice seemed to have caught everyone off guard. The table went quiet again, but this time it was different. Not tense, just… heavy. Konig and Rhea shared a look that seemed to hold an entire conversation before Rhea’s expression softened into a genuine smile.

“Of course,” she said simply. “Anything for a fellow prime. Even one as stubborn as you.”

And that had been it. Konig had all but pushed us out of the kitchen, telling us to get some sleep. And now I’m here, staring at his face while he gently stirs.

“Mornin’ love,” he rasps out.

My stomach flips, making me shift to face him completely. “Morning…” 

He leans forward, and our lips connect. It’s soft and tender, so different from the desperate, fumbling kisses we shared last night before passing out. His tongue traces the seam of my lips, asking for entrance. 

I open for him, my body pressing closer as he explores my mouth. It’s so utterly perfect that a soft moan escapes me. He’s gentle with me as his arms pull me flush against him. I can practically feel the restraint in his muscles as I settle against the familiar bulk of his body.

The bond thrums between us, a steady flow of love and longing flowing through it as we savor one another. One of his hands drifts from my waist down to my hip, lightly gripping me. He breaks the kiss to trail his lips along my jaw, nipping gently at the skin just below my ear. A wave of pure need floods through the bond, followed by a surge of something possessive. 

“Are you okay?” he asks, pulling back to look at me properly. “I’m not being too rough, am I?”

I shake my head before nuzzling into the crook of his neck. “No,” I purr. “If anything, you’re being too light. I’m okay, Simon. You can touch me… I… I need it.”

A deep rumble starts in his chest, matching my purrs. The hand that’s on my hip moves to my thigh and hooks under my knee. He’s pulling my leg over his hip to open me up for him within a heartbeat. The position is so intimate and familiar that it makes my heart ache. 

“Is this better?” he asks with a hint of amusement as he lazily rocks against me. 

I shake my head. “No,” I whine. “Need more. Please, Simon. Need to feel more of you.” 

A dark look flashes in his eyes. He slowly maneuvers us so I’m on my back with him looming over me. I spread my legs for him without thinking.

“Tell me what you need, love,” he coaxes, pressing his lips to my throat where his mark sits.

I shiver under him, arching my back, trying to get closer. “Need you inside me… Need you to claim me again. Need… God, Simon, I want you to make me forget again.”

A pained expression crosses his face at my words, the bond flooding with so much guilt it hurts.

“Boo…” he whispers, voice cracking slightly. “I would never—”

“I’m not asking you to hurt me,” I say, cutting him off. I bring up a hand to the side of his face so he can look at me. “I’m asking you to love me. Please… I’ve been without you for so long, and I just need to be reminded that I’m yours again. I… I need a new beginning. A moment to put everything else behind me.”

His expression softens slightly. His head dips down, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.

“Alright, love,” he murmurs. “If that’s what you need.”

He presses another kiss to my lips, more demanding this time. I respond eagerly as his hands roam my body.

“I love you so much,” I whisper as I lean into his touch.

His expression crumbles for a split second. Guilt and love flood the bond before he deepens our kiss. I melt into him, letting him set the pace as I try to convey all the feelings that I can’t bring myself to say. 

When we finally part again, the grief that had managed to sneak in had been pushed away, replaced by something else entirely.

Desire.

My scent starts to bloom around us as slick begins to pool between my legs. Simon lets out a low rumble as he catches a whiff of my scent. His lips trail down my body, making me squirm beneath him.

He doesn’t linger on my breasts like flashes of memories remind me he would. Instead, he moves lower and lower until his head is resting against my thigh. He takes a deep breath that has my cheeks warming.

“Fuck,” he growls. “Your scent… It’s so intoxicating.”

He looks up at me. The sheer, raw need in his eyes makes my stomach flutter. “Can I taste you, love?” he asks, voice impossibly ragged.

A soft whimper leaves me as I nod. He delves in without a second thought, licking a long strip up my center that has me bucking into his mouth. He repeats the motion a few more times before he focuses on my clit. 

I can’t help but to cry out as he sucks my clit. My hands fly to his hair as I flood the bond with a mixture of pleasure and relief that makes my eyes water. I didn’t realize how much I needed this until the feeling of rightness washes over me.

“Simon,” I gasp out. “Close… please… don’t stop…”

He keeps licking the way I like, his predatory eyes locked onto every movement of mine. My hips roll on their own, grinding my clit against the flat of his tongue. A coil of pleasure gets tighter and tighter as I have to will myself not to come a few times.

I want to wait for him, to feel him inside me when I come, but it’s too late. His determination to work me over first wins out. My release crashes through me, making my whole body shudder as I ride out my orgasm against his face.

I watch as he climbs back up my body. His eyes are dark with desire as he leans down to kiss me again, letting me taste myself on his tongue. A volley of pleasure passes through us as I enjoy my musky, vanilla taste. 

“So good for me,” he murmurs against my lips. “Wanna make you feel good. Think you’re up for letting me in, love?” The question is so gentle and full of consideration that it makes my chest ache.

I rock my hips up, nodding eagerly as I try to coax him into me. 

“Patience, omega,” he rasps. “I’ll make you feel really good, don’t you worry.”

The casual dominance in his tone makes me whine. I need him so badly that it hurts. He seems to understand because he lines himself up with my entrance and, ever so slowly, starts pushing in. 

A long moan escapes me as he slides inside, filling me inch by inch. He takes it slow, letting me adjust to the stretch. He pauses, checking in with me. 

“You alright, love?” 

I nod, not trusting my ability to speak as I get used to his size again. 

“Talk to me, love,” he says softly, pressing a kiss to my shoulder.

“Just… just need a second,” I breathe out.

He hums, pressing another soft kiss to my mark. His other hand moves down between us, slowly starting to circle my clit. A fresh jolt of pleasure shoots through me, making me clench around him.

“Good girl,” he rumbles, making even more pleasure shoot through me at the praise. “Doing so well for me.”

My purrs start up again as my leg shakes. “Fuck,” I whimper. “You’ve already got me so close,” I whine to him, my face heating up at my admission. 

A breathy laugh leaves him. “I fail to see how that’s a problem,” he says, thumb still expertly twirling around my clit. “I love making you fall apart.”

As if to prove a point, he slowly pushes the rest of the way in, making me cry out. My walls flutter around him as a mini orgasm rushes through me.

“Simon!” I gasp, arching my back.

“There she is,” he grunts, pausing for a second to let me adjust again. “Always so sensitive for me.”

I whine again, pushing my hips up, urging him to move.

“Greedy,” he teases.

He starts a slow, steady rhythm that has my eyes rolling back. I’d forgotten what it felt like to be with him like this. To be so full of him that all I could do was take what he was giving me. 

The bond pulses between us, full of love and so much pleasure that it almost starts to become too much.

His movements are slow and deliberate, making me savor every stroke. I can feel my release building again, getting closer and closer. I try to hold back, wanting to drag this out as long as possible, but he’s making it difficult.

“Simon,” I whine again. “Please… I need…”

“I know, love,” he grunts, picking up the pace. “I know. Let me give you what you need.”

He leans down and captures my lips in a searing kiss as he picks up the pace. The bond floods with an overwhelming amount of possessiveness and love as he continues to thrust wildly into me.

“So good for me, omega,” he murmurs against my lips. “Always so good.”

The praise is my undoing. My hands fly to his back, nails digging into his skin as I try to hold on through the waves of pleasure that crash over me. 

“Alpha,” I whine, hips bucking wildly. “Please… fuck, Simon… I can’t…”

He doesn’t stop, keeping his pace as our eyes meet. A flicker of love shoots through the bond, and I’m tumbling off the cliff in the next breath. My walls clamp down on him, making him groan as he continues to thrust into me.

My whole body is trembling now as he works me through my orgasm.

“Doing so good,” he growls, still not stopping. “Give me another one, and I’ll give you my knot, omega.”

I’m too oversensitive to form a coherent sentence, but my body does the talking for me.

The third orgasm builds so fast that it takes me by surprise as the shaking in my legs becomes constant.

“Alpha,” I sob. “Simon… can’t… please… need… need…”

“Almost there, love,” he encourages. “Come on, give me another one.”

He slows down slightly, fingers focusing on circling my clit faster instead. My hips buck wildly and I scream out his name as the third orgasm tears through me. This one is even more intense than the others, leaving me a breathless, panting mess beneath him.

“Fuck,” he grunts as he thrusts into me one last time, his knot swelling and locking us together.

I cling to him as he stills, the warmth of his release starting to fill me up. The bond glows brightly between us, connecting us in a way I’d been missing for so long.

He collapses on top of me, careful to keep most of his weight on his elbows. We’re both breathing heavily as we come down from our high. My purrs are rumbling steadily in my chest as Simon’s deep, rumbling purrs start to echo mine. The feeling of being locked together like this after so long is so comforting that tears start to stream down my face.

“Shh, love, don’t cry,” he says, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.

I can’t stop, though, as everything that has happened over the last year and a half finally catches up to me.

“Hey, look at me,” he says gently.

I look up, and my breath catches at the tenderness in his eyes.

“I’m here now,” he says softly. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m so sorry it took me so long to find you.”

I shake my head, reaching up to cup his face. “It wasn’t your fault, Si,” I whisper. “You found me. That’s all that matters.”

He nuzzles into my hand before leaning down to kiss me again. This kiss is different from the others. It’s slow and gentle, full of all the words we can’t seem to find.

The kiss deepens, and soon we’re lost in one another again. The world outside this room fades away as we relearn each other's bodies. My hands roam over his back, tracing the familiar lines of muscle and scar tissue. His hands are just as busy, mapping out every curve and dip of my body as if committing it to memory all over again.

“Si,” I murmur against his lips. “I love you.”

He stills, pulling back to look at me. The raw emotion in his eyes makes my chest ache. “I love you too, Boo,” he says, his voice thick with emotion. “More than you’ll ever know.”

The words hang in the air between us, full of all the pain and longing we’ve both endured. For a moment, we just look at each other, saying everything we can’t with our eyes.

The smell of bacon and fresh coffee hits me the second Simon and I step into the kitchen some time later. 

My legs feel a little unsteady beneath me, but there’s a pleasant ache that serves as a reminder of our morning activities. 

The kitchen is already a flurry of movement. Konig stands at the stove, his massive frame somehow gracefully flipping pancakes. Rhea sits on one of the island stools with a mug in her hands, watching everything unfold with a smile on her face. Horangi leans against the counter, slicing fruit with practiced, lethal grace, while Nikto silently sets plates on the table in careful, methodical motions. Krueger lingers away from the rest of them, leaning against the dining room doorway with his arms lazily crossed.

“Morning,” I say softly to everyone.

Every head turns our way.

Oh God. Their reactions tell me that they can definitely know what we were up to. Rhea’s mouth twitches around the rim of her mug.

“Sleep well?” she asks with a twinkle in her eye.

Simon’s arm tightens around my waist. “We did,” he says flatly.

Konig snorts under his breath and flips another pancake. “Coffee’s there,” he says, nodding toward the counter. “Water’s still hot if you want tea.”

“Thank you,” we both chime.

I move toward the counter, and Simon follows close behind me like he’s physically incapable of giving me more than a few inches of space now.

The tension in the room hasn’t disappeared. It’s less than before, but still there. Konig’s pack is protective of Rhea and Simon is possessive in a way that’s impossible to ignore. Neither side fully trusts the other yet, and for good reason.

I pour Simon his tea first and place the mug into his waiting hand before fixing my own coffee.

The first sip settles in my chest, filling me with a pleasant warmth.

Rhea glances between all of us. “So,” she says lightly, “what’s the plan today?”

Konig looks over his shoulder at me. “First, we contact your pack.”

My brows furrow. “I thought we were waiting.”

“We were.” Konig turns his attention back to the stove. “Then I thought about it last night.”

I wait for him to continue, but he just adds another pancake to his stack like the answer should be obvious.

It’s really not, though.

Right as I open my mouth to ask, he sighs.

“You are reunited with your alpha now,” he says. “Your heat will likely follow soon enough.”

I nearly choke on my coffee.

“And,” he continues dryly. “I would prefer not to deal with a territorial alpha in my own house when that happens.”

My face flames instantly as memories of this morning play back in my head.

Yeah… fair enough.

Simon doesn’t even look embarrassed. “Laswell can help,” he says. “If you contact her directly, she can probably arrange a secure call. Transport too, if needed.”

Konig studies him for a long moment before giving a short nod.

“I’ll contact her.”

“I can—”

A raised hand cuts me off.

“I will handle it,” Konig says firmly, but it’s not unkind. He’s more just stating a fact than trying to correct anyone. “If we are doing this, then it needs to be done properly.”

Disappointment twists in my chest, but I swallow it down. Simon’s fingers curl around mine in reassurance. I look back at Konig and nod.

“Alright,” I say softly. “I trust you.”

It’s three days later when we pull up to another cabin buried deep in the woods, this one across the border and somehow even more isolated than the last.

The moment the car stops, Konig and Simon are scanning the tree line before the engine has fully shut off.

It’s safe, they assured me of that when we originally went over the game plan, but old habits seem to die hard for both these men.

Nikto, Horangi, and Krueger had flown in ahead with Rhea to secure the place before we arrived. Since I had absolutely no legal way to cross a border right now, Konig had smuggled me through back roads and checkpoints hidden in the back of his SUV like contraband.

This would all be funny later, I’m sure of it. But right now, my stomach is in knots.

Laswell and part of my pack are already inside waiting for us. Every step toward the cabin makes my pulse pound harder.

Simon left on bad terms. Very bad terms. I know a huge part of him is terrified to see Price again, to face the judgment and pity in his eyes. Anxiety curls tightly between both of us through the bond, but I’m the only one who seems to be outwardly showing it.

Simon’s hand slides to my lower back, helping to pull me out of my spiral.

“It’s alright, love,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my temple. “They’ll be happy to see you.”

Just me? I can’t help to think, but I stay quiet. I nod, even though my chest still feels too tight to breathe properly

“Let’s just get this over with,” I whisper. 

Simon moves his hand from my back, moving to hold my hand as he guides me toward the cabin.

The door opens, and warm air spills over us, sending familiar scents our way. 

Two heads lock onto us immediately.

Price.

Red.

Everything in me stops. 

Red stares at me like she’s not sure she’s seeing the right thing. Her eyes flick over my face, my shorter hair, the weight I’ve lost, the shadows under my eyes.

“Boo…” she breathes. Her voice shatters as she says my name. Tears immediately fill her eyes as she looks past me toward Simon. “You found her.”

Price says nothing at first.

He just watches us carefully. He looks older than I remember, tired in a way that goes beyond lack of sleep.

He takes one step toward me.

Without thinking, I flinch back.

Simon is instantly moving, stepping in front of me with a low growl in his throat.

The entire room tenses.

Price stops immediately, then raises both his hands to show he’s not a threat. “We’re not going to hurt her, Simon,” he says carefully. “We just want to see her.”

Simon doesn’t move. His growl eases slightly, but I can still feel his tension through the bond. He glances back at me, and I give him an encouraging nod. He relaxes, and I step around him.

That’s all Red needs before she breaks. She crosses the room so fast I barely have time to brace before she throws her arms around me.

The force of it knocks the breath from my lungs, forcing me to take in more of her scent when I finally catch my breath.

The smell of sweet, floral trees has me sobbing instantly. I melt into her arms, the sheer relief of her acceptance flooding my system.

“Oh, my god,” Red cries into my shoulder. “We thought you were dead. We all thought—” Her voice cracks. “Boo, where the hell have you been?”

I can barely breathe around my own sobbing.

“I’m sorry,” I manage to choke out. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Red pulls back just enough to grab my face between her hands.

“Don’t,” she says firmly, tears running freely down her cheeks now. “Don’t you dare apologize.”

That only makes me cry harder.

I bury my face against her shoulder again, breathing her in like I’m trying to convince myself she’s real. 

Her arms keep tightening around me.

“Easy, sweetheart,” Price says gently from nearby. “She looks like you could break her if you squeeze too hard.”

Simon bristles from behind me. “She’s not fragile."

Price glances over at him, more exhausted than irritated. “You look like hell, Simon.

Simon snorts quietly. “Felt worse.”

For the first time since we walked in, something almost amused flickers across Price’s face.

“I’m sure you have,” he says with a smirk. “Good to see you anyway.”

“You too, Captain.”

The tension in Simon’s shoulders eases just slightly after that.

Price steps closer again, slower this time, giving me plenty of room to pull away if I need it.

I give him a small smile, turning his way to let him know I won’t flinch this time. He reaches out and rests a hand against my shoulder. The touch pulls a soft purr from my chest before I can stop it.

Price’s expression crumples a little at the sound.

“It’s good to have you back, kid,” he says quietly.

Another sob escapes me. I step forward, wrapping my arms around him. “Good to be back.”

He stiffens in surprise for half a second, then settles, one arm wrapping carefully around my back.

That’s when it clicks.

I’m home.

The relief that crashes through me is so overwhelming that my knees nearly give out. Simon reaches out through the bond, sending me some reassurances through the grief that swirls around my chest. 

When Price finally pulls back, I catch the guilt that flickers across his face. It’s gone almost instantly, buried beneath the calm, controlled expression I’m more used to seeing from him. 

That’s when I notice the other familiar figure in the room.

“Laswell,” I greet, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hands. 

She gives me a small smile. “Boo,” she greets back. “It’s good to see you again. You had a lot of people worried.”

A watery laugh escapes me. “Yeah. Sorry about that.”

Laswell waves off the apology immediately. “You’re alive. That’s all that matters.”

My eyes scan the room, heart sinking a little when I don’t see any of my other packmates.

“Where are the others?” I ask. “Thought they were coming.”

Price lets out a heavy sigh. “There was a slight change of plans. They wanted to be here…” he explains. “...but, we thought it best to keep this small for now.”

He trails off, looking at Red.

I frown. “Why?”

Red scrunches up her lips, then both her and Price look toward Simon. He very pointedly looks somewhere else. And suddenly, the whole room feels different.

Like everyone knows something I don’t.

“What?” I ask, looking between all of them. “What happened?”

Red steps closer and gently touches my arm. “Nothing bad,” she says quickly. “Nobody’s hurt.”

That doesn’t help my anxiety at all.

“Red.”

Her expression softens as I give her a pleading look.

“Bee had a pup while you were gone.”

My brain short-circuits.

A pup.

Bee had a baby. 

The thought hits me so hard I almost feel dizzy. I’ve been gone long enough for an entire pregnancy to happen. I swallow, trying to alleviate my suddenly tight throat.

“A pup?” I whisper.

Red nods, smiling through tears of her own now. “A little boy,” she says softly. “Her and Johnny named him Archie.”

The tears are back instantly. 

“Archie,” I repeat weakly.

I can almost picture it. Bee holding a baby with Soap hovering nearby. He’s trying not to cry while absolutely crying. Joy and grief twist painfully inside me.

I’m so happy for them.

But I missed all of it.

“We didn’t want to overwhelm you,” Price says quietly. “Bee’s… protective right now. More than usual.”

“Especially after everything,” Red adds quietly.

Price nods solemnly. “We figure it’d be better to ease into things… just in case.”

I nod quickly before they can mistake my expression for anger.

“I understand,” I say, even though my voice still sounds strained. And I do. But it doesn’t make this hurt any less.

“And how’s Soap?”

“He’s doing well, staying close to Bee,” Price says. “Gaz and Bun stayed back to help keep things running at the main horse.”

I wipe at my face again, trying to pull myself together. “Main house?”

Price and Red exchange another look.

“Why don’t we get you settled first,” Price suggests, “then we can explain everything.”

Before I can push any further, Rhea pops in from the hallway.

“They you are,” she says, waving both Red and I toward her. “Come on. Leave the brooding alphas to do their weird dominance posturing things.”

A laugh slips its way easily from me.

Behind me, I can feel the tension in the room thickening already.

Possessiveness rolls sharply through the bond from Simon, enough to make me glance back.

He’s watching Price carefully, and Price is watching him right back.

I send a pulse of reassurance through the bond right as Rhea whispers to me, “They’ll be alright.”

I know that, just as much as I know that they need to work through whatever happened between them while I was gone. I still can’t help but to feel a little nervous to leave them alone. Rhea seems to catch onto my thoughts.

“Konig will make sure there’s no bloodshed, I promise.”

Rhea leads us down the hallway and into one of the bedrooms. 

The room itself is warm and soft in a way that immediately eases something tight in my chest. Thick curtains block out most of the daylight, a familiar rug rests next to the bed, while a duffel bag sits at the foot of the large bed. 

I stop short.

“Niky brought your things in,” Rhea says softly. “And Red brought the rug.”

Red shifts a little beside me. “I figured you’d want something familiar.”

I stare down at it, my throat suddenly tight.

I remember buying this rug with the girls, the memory hitting hard enough to ache.

“Rhea said you were starting to nest again,” Red continues. “So I thought you might want something you picked out before…”

I turn and pull her into another hug.

“Thank you,” I whisper against her shoulder. “It’s perfect.”

She laughs softly and hugs me back. “Are you sure you’re my Boo?” she teases. “You’re way cuddlier than I remember.”

I huff a laugh.

Rhea raises a hand. “That might be my fault,” she says with absolutely no shame. “I’ve been aggressively treating her with cuddles. Think I've made it second nature by now.”

Red snorts. “You know what? Fair enough.”

Then her expression softens as she looks over Rhea properly. “Thank you,” she says, voice filled with emotion. “For taking care of her. We owe you a great debt.”

Rhea shakes her head, giving us both a soft smile. “No debt. We’re pack now, just in a different way.”

Rhea hesitates just slightly at that. Not in rejection, more caution than anything. Like she’s not fully ready to let her guard down. After everything that’s happened, can’t say I blame her.

“You sound like quite the head omega now,” I muse.

That earns me a tiny shrug.

“Well,” she says dryly. “It’s not like you really gave me a choice.”

I laugh weakly before the guilt can really settle in.

“You’re good at it,” I tell her honestly. “Better than I was.”

Red’s expression hardens. “No,” she says firmly, reminding me of her mate. “We’re just different. You held everyone together in ways I couldn’t. I’ve just stepped up where I had to.”

My throat tightens. 

“We worked because we worked together,” she continues. “All of us.”

I look over to Rhea who nods encouragingly at me. A purr rumbles up from my chest, making Red pause. Her eyes widen slightly as she also turns toward Rhea. 

“You did this?” she asks, sounding genuinely impressed. “Took us forever to get to this point. We might need to steal you for ourselves.”

Rhea grins. “Good luck with that.”

“I’m serious,” Red teases. “She’s made more progress with you in a few weeks than we managed in months.”

“Hey!” I say, acting offended.

Rhea giggles. “I did not change her,” she says softly. “I merely allowed her omega to find itself again. She was always there, just needed the guidance to come out.”

Before Red and I can spiral into a complete sobbing disaster again, Rhea firmly pushes me toward the bathroom to wash my face and change my clothes.

By the time we all make it back to the living room, I feel at least a little more human, and certainly ready to deal with whatever is awaiting me.

The tension from earlier seems to have simmered down some. It’s not gone entirely, but Simon and Price must have reached some kind of temporary understanding while we were gone.

At the very least, neither of them looks ready to kill the other anymore.

Konig gives me a small nod from where he stands near the kitchen, and Laswell offers a matching nod from her seat beside Price.

I make my way over to the couch and sit close enough to Simon that our thighs press together immediately. His arm settles across the back of the couch behind me on instinct.

The other slowly settle too, taking their place next to their alphas as we all settle in.

“So,” I say lightly, “before we get into all the doom and gloom… What else have I missed since I’ve been gone?”

A few chuckles bounce around the room.

Price exhales through his nose and leans back slightly in his chair. “A lot, unfortunately.”

“Ah,” I sigh dramatically. “Straight into the trauma. Excellent.”

That earns me the tiniest twitch of amusement from him before his expression settles again.

“Things changed after you disappeared,” he says carefully. “The house stopped feeling safe for any of the omegas.”

The humor drains out of me a little at that.

“So,” he continues, “a couple of months after moving into the house you knew about, we bought land.”

My brows lift.

“How much land?”

“Too much,” Red comments.

“Enough,” Price corrects.

Red snorts and crosses her arms. “It’s in the middle of nowhere,” she explains to me. “Kinda like this place. It’s kind of the point, really. Guys say it’s easier to monitor who comes and goes.”

“We built the main house first,” Price continues. “Big enough for all of us to stay there temporarily. Eventually, it’ll act more like a central hub.”

I shift against Simon slightly. “Temporarily?”

Price nods. “Everyone’s building separate houses around it.”

I stare at him. “You made a compound?” 

Price shrugs. “Yeah,” he says easily. “Bee and Bun’s houses are already finished. Ours is next.

“And…” I hesitate slightly. “Would Simon and I get one too?”

The room goes a bit quiet, and Price looks toward Simon.

“If that’s what you both want,” he says carefully. 

Simon’s jaw shifts slightly before he turns to me. “I left before deciding anything,” he admits. “Needed to find you first.”

There’s another pregnant pause in the room before Price clears his throat.

“For now, you’ve got a room for the both of you in the main house,” he says. “No pressure beyond that.”

I nod slowly. “Okay. Yeah. That sounds… nice, actually.”

The conversation lulls for a moment, and I take the chance to squeak in a question.

“How’s Bun doing? You guys didn’t mention her much earlier.”

Red immediately looks down, making my stomach tighten.

“She’s better now,” Red says carefully.

Now. Not before. Something cold slips down my spine. 

“What happened?”

Red rubs her palms together nervously before answering.

“She took your disappearance really hard,” she says quietly. “We all did, but… bun especially.”

My chest aches. Flashes of us half-feral and terrified play through my mind. Guilt pulses sharply through the bond. Simon reaches over and rubs his thumb against the back of my hand.

“She started having feral episodes,” Red admits softly. “Really bad ones. She wouldn’t let anyone near her except Gaz, and even that wasn’t certain.”

“She stopped sleeping properly,” Price adds. “Stopped eating unless Gaz physically stayed beside her.”

Red nods solemnly. “We were scared she was going to hurt herself.”

“Okay,” I whisper slowly. “That sounds really bad…”

“It was bad,” Price says honestly. “Gas did everything he could. But eventually, we needed outside help.”

Something about the way he says it immediately makes my skin crawl.

Simon goes still beside me as anger starts to creep through the bond.

“What kind of outside help?” I ask carefully.

Price keeps his tone calm and measured. “We got her into an omega treatment facility. They specialize in regulation therapy.”

Every instinct in my body goes on high alert. 

I glance over slightly at Simon, and he’s already staring Price down.

“...Okay,” I say cautiously. “And that helped?”

“It did,” Red says just a little too quickly for my liking.

“She’s doing much better now,” Price adds.

Red's posture starts to change, getting a hint more defensive, like she already knows I’m not going to like where this conversation is heading.

“The program was actually really good,” she says carefully. “They help omegas recover after trauma, feral episodes—”

“Where is this going?” I interrupt flatly.

Neither of them immediately answers. It’s Price’s heavy sigh that lets me know this isn’t going to be good. 

“We think it might be a good idea for you to spend some time there before coming back to the pack house.” The room explodes. 

Simon is on his feet instantly. “No,” he barks. 

Konig’s growl cuts through the room a moment later, deep enough to make my chest rattle. “She does not need a facility.”

 “I just got her back,” Simon snarls. “You are not sending her away again.”

“That’s not what we’re saying,” Price shoots back, clearly exhausted. “Christ, Simon, we weren’t even planning on discussing this yet—”

“Then perhaps it is good we discuss it now,” Konig says coldly.

The tension spikes so fast it makes my pulse jump.

Red sits forward immediately. “We’re not trying to punish her,” she says. “We just want to make sure she’s okay.”

“I am okay,” I say firmly, even as my anxiety starts to spark. “I just want to go home.”

Simon’s anger floods the bond, only serving to feed my own panic even more. 

All of a sudden, there are too many emotions, too many instincts, too many people talking about me like I’m not right here in front of them. My panic starts to rise more and more until Rhea steps into the middle of the room. 

Her scent hits everyone like a brick wall, immediately bringing the tension to zero.

“Enough,” she says, not loudly but enough that every single person listens. “We can discuss this later, but not like this.”

Red exhales shakily. “Rhea, you’re not going to be there for her. If she goes feral again—”

“You have not heard her story,” Rhea cuts in.

The room quiets.

“You do not know what she survived,” she says, looking directly at Price and Red. “You do not get to decide her future without knowing her full past. She has come a long way, she is no doubt different than you remember her.”

Nobody speaks for several long seconds.

Eventually, Price rubs a hand over his face. “...Fair enough.”

After a long silence, Price looks back toward me. “So,” he says gently, “why don’t we start, then?”

My stomach sinks again. Insecurities about how they’ll take everything, especially now that I know they might try to send me away, flood my system.

I grimace slightly. “I mean… is that it? Is there anything else that I missed?”

To my surprise, Laswell answers first.

“They spent most of their time looking for you,” she says dryly. 

I blink at her.

“When they weren’t actively trying to erase evidence that the pack existed,” she continues, “they were calling me at all hours with leads they swore would pan out.”

Price looks mildly offended. “Some of them did pan out.”

“John,” Laswell says flatly, “one of your leads was a woman in Prague with braids.”

“They looked just like hers,” Price defends.

“The woman was a different race,” Laswell deadpans.

Despite the lingering tension, a laugh escapes me.

Laswell gives me a soft smile before it’s back to business with her. “Boo,” she says gently, “before you start, there’s something I need to ask your permission for.”

I tilt my head. “Permission?”

“I’d like to record your statements,” she explains. 

My brows knit together.

“You’re not in trouble,” she quickly adds. “And this is entirely your choice. If you don’t want to, I can head out on the next flight.”

I pause and look over to Simon for his input. He gives me that blank expression before shrugging, telling me that it really is my preference and that nothing bad should come out of it if I do say yes.

“We have several of Ormond’s men in custody,” Laswell continues. “We’re just looking for testimonies from his victims that could help place them behind bars.”

I take a moment to think. “Am I going to have to like, go to court or anything like that?” I ask hesitantly.

“This would be in place of going to court,” Laswell replies. “We get your statement so we don’t have to subpoena you.”

“Oh,” I say with a heavy breath. “Well then, I’ll tell you everything I can.”

Another round of chuckles bounce around the room. 

“Alright,” she says, reaching into a nearby bag and pulling out a small recording device. Horangi, Nikto, and Krueger seem to make themselves scarce as Kate starts to say a few words into the recorder. She mentions her name, the date, as well as my name, designation, and a few other details.

She sets it on the table in the ottoman in the middle of the room.

I stare at it as a tiny red light stares back at me. “Is… is that actually going to pick me up?”

Laswell nods. “It should pick up everyone in the room.” Her gaze flicks around the group, already seeing that it’s been thinned out. “So if anyone doesn’t want to be recorded, now’s the time to leave.”

Konig glances over to Rhea. 

The two of them have a silent conversation before he leaves with a reluctant nod. Rhea stays, leaving just the six of us behind. 

Laswell settles back into her seat before speaking again. “Boo, do you consent to this interview being recorded for investigative and prosecutorial purposes?”

“Yeah,” I answer with a nod. “That’s fine.”

My hands twist together in my lap. “Um, do I just like get started or…?”

Laswell nods, a faint smile on her face. “Whenever you’re ready,” she says gently. “Start wherever makes the most sense to you. Don’t worry about getting everything perfectly in order. Just tell your story the way you remember it. If I have any questions, I’ll just ask you later. Sound good?”

I nod again before she smiles at me. I realize my mistake and quickly scramble. “Yes, yeah, sorry.”

My nerves build up, but Simon’s quick to try and balance me out through the bond. “Well, then… I, uh. I guess I’ll start as best as I can in Mexico…”

Just like last time, my story takes a few hours.

It wasn’t one long, uninterrupted confession. We took breaks for food and bathroom trips as they were needed, but I told them everything I could.

I talked about Shadow Company, about Ormond and his island. About the cages I was kept in, and as much of the conditioning and abuse as I could manage. 

Some parts came easier than others. The practical details were the easiest: names, layouts, procedures, anything I could remember. The emotional parts were where I stumbles. 

More than once, Simon had to call for a break so I could regulate myself with him and Rhea. 

Red cried quietly more than once, and Price looked ready to commit murder about the same number of times. Simon held me closer as I talked about the island, more memories surfacing since the last time I’d spoken about it.

At one point, I stopped mid-sentence as something suddenly clicked into place.

Then I burst out laughing.

“Sorry. I’m sorry,” I said, covering my mouth as I tried to get myself under control. “I just remembered where my name came from.”

“Your name?” Laswell prompted.

“Mira,” I clarified. “I was confused where that name came from. I was thinking maybe it was just a common name for his omegas or something, but no.”

I had to stop myself from laughing again.

“In Mexico, when he bought me, my handlers were speaking Spanish, right?”

Laswell nodded for me to continue. 

“Well, they were trying to get Ormond to look at me. Probably just really trying to get rid of me or something. They kept saying, ‘mira, mira’. You know, like, ‘look, look’?”

A few giggles escaped before I could stop them.

“I think he just assumed it was my name.”

Rhea snorted, making me laugh harder, and even Laswell had looked away for a moment. I saw her fight a smile before she composed herself again. 

I continued from there, the mood quickly turning more down again.

By the end of it, I felt hollowed out.

Currently, I’m curled up sideways on the couch with a blanket over my legs, silently working my way through a pudding cup Konig had given me when Laswell picks up the recorder again.

She glances down at the notepad she’d been taking notes on.

“Think you can handle some follow up questions?” she asks.

I nod, settling myself for whatever comes next.

“Alright,” she says, switching the recorder back on and setting it in its place on the coffee table. “If you don’t remember something, just say so. I may ask a few follow-up questions to see if anything jogs your memory, but if it doesn’t seem productive, we’ll move on.”

I nod.

We spent another two hours going over every detail Laswell had questions about. At some point, it started feeling less like a conversation and more like I was in the middle of an interrogation.

I didn’t mean to, but I started answering mostly in yeses and nos. It felt better, like I was less attached to the situation. Laswell seemed to catch on quickly and adjusted to it, keeping her questions short and direct. It really helped once we started getting into the harder topics, like my time on the island, and especially the conditioning.

She asked about the other omegas, and my chest ached thinking about the ones who never made it out the way I did. I gave descriptions wherever I could. Faces, voices, scars, anything that might help to identify who I was talking about. Especially when it came to the people I’d seen visiting Ormond’s “collection” as he so lovingly called us.

Eventually, the questions shifted toward prime alphas and omegas.

She asked if I’d seen any while I was being held captive or on the island. I answered as carefully as I could without risking Simon or Rhea’s names or designations ending up anywhere in the case files.

“Have you kept up with the news lately?” Laswell asks.

I shake my head. “No. I’ve been more focused on my health.”

“So you’re currently unaware of any movements regarding prime alphas and omegas.”

Again, I shake my head. “No.”

“Have you looked into any of the alphas or omegas that have escaped from Ormond’s facility, besides yourself?”

“No.”

“Have you had any contact with any of the other alphas or omegas you had seen under Ormond’s care?”

I glance at Rhea. She gives me a small shake of her head.

I look back to Laswell, and she only shrugs, expression unreadable.

“No,” I lie.

Laswell accepts the answer easily and moves on.

“I’m just going to ask a few questions about your physical health,” she says.

I straightened a little. 

“Have you experienced any dizziness or chronic headaches since your rescue?”

“Yes.”

“Any nausea or vomiting?”

“Yes.”

“Shortness of breath?”

“Yes.”

“Any loss of vision or hearing?”

“Some.”

“Chronic pain? Particularly in your lower abdomen or back?”

“Yes.”

“Have you had any memory issues?”

“Heavily, yes,” I answered with a small snort. 

“Alright, and last question about your current health,” she says, looking down at her pad. “Have you had a medical exam since your rescue?”

“Yes.”

“By a licensed medical professional?”

“...No.” I look down at my hands. “I, um. I’m not really a fan of doctors.”

“May I ask why?” Laswell presses gently.

I look at her with an expression that read, Seriously?, but then I remembered that this is for the recording.

“I, uh…” I rub my arm. “I grew up on a farm. Doctors weren’t really something you went to unless you were missing something important.”

I swallowed. “And lately, whenever I do end up in a doctor’s office, they’re either actively trying to harm me… or kill me.”

Price stiffened and Simon’s arm tightens around me for half a second before he forces himself to relax again.

Thankfully, Laswell seems to recognize that she’d reached the limit.

“Alright,” she says quietly. “I think that’s everything I need for now.”

She clicks the recorder off, and the entire room seems to exhale at once. 

“I must say,” Laswell muses, sounding almost impressed. “I didn’t think you’d make it through all of that in one sitting. I was expecting this to take a day or two.”

“My strong girl,” Simon murmurs, making my cheeks heat.

Not too long after that, the night finally comes to an end, and everyone drifts back to their rooms. Mentally exhausted from the day’s conversations, I was asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The next day passed in a blur.

One moment, I was sitting at the breakfast table with everyone, and the next, I was holding Rhea tightly as we said goodbye.

It was harder than I expected, leaving the pack that had cared for me during the worst period of my life. I don’t think any of us walked away from those goodbyes with dry eyes.

Getting into the car afterward felt right and wrong all at once.

Rhea gave me a way to contact her before we left, promising we’d see each other again someday, but I knew how life worked. We weren’t teenagers promising to stay in touch after summer vacation. We were adults with separate lives, responsibilities, and obligations pulling us in different directions. 

I didn’t know when I’d ever see her again, but I was grateful for the time we’d had together.

Thankfully, the trip home was much less stressful than the journey to the safehouse.

With Laswell’s clearance, crossing borders and catching a flight back was surprisingly easy. Even so, I spent most of the flight gripping Simon’s arm hard enough to leave marks, constantly teetering on the edge of going feral. It was the first flight I’d been fully conscious for and I hated it.

By late afternoon, we were landing back at the base I used to call home.

It felt so strange being there. Nothing had changed, yet everything had all at the same time.

We weren’t there long, just enough to load the few belongings I’d collected from Rhea and her pack into the back of an SUV before we were back on the road again, heading toward my new home.

I couldn’t stop staring out the window.

The world outside felt almost unreal. It was familiar in a way that made my chest ache. Every passing street and storefront pulled fragments of memory back to the surface. 

Simon sat up front beside Price while Red rode in the back with me, filling the silence with easy chatter about anything and everything she could. I tried to follow along, really I did, but my attention kept drifting back outside.

I couldn’t stop looking at it.

At the life I’d once believed was gone forever.

I don’t realize we’ve arrived at the compound until the car starts to slow.

My eyes drift across the forest around us. A long driveway branches off into smaller paths, each leading to houses tucked between the trees. 

Price takes the center road. The main house sits at the end of it. The place is massive, big enough to house a small army.

Even from here, I can see the other homes scattered through the woods, close enough to feel connected without sacrificing privacy. Bee and Soap’s place sits off to the left, Gaz and Bun’s is farther to the right. 

“Here we are,” Price says as he parks. “Home sweet home.”

My throat tightens immediately.

Red reaches over and squeezes my hand. “We’ll get you all settled in.”

The sharp sounds of doors opening, boots hitting gravel, and voices pulling luggage from the back yank me back into the present. Simon is at my side almost immediately, opening my door and guiding me out against him.

He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t need to. I can feel his comforting rumble and his reassurance pulsing through our bond. It helps me to ground myself before I can even spiral. 

The front door swings open before we even reach the porch.

Bee and Bun stand there together, framed by warm light spilling out from inside.

My breath catches.

They’ve changed.

We all have, really. 

But Bee… she’s softer now, in a way that suits her. She’s curvier, seems warmer. There’s a glow about her that has nothing to do with the light behind her. It betrays her recent motherhood in a way that makes my heart clench.

Bun looks different too. Thinner, in a tired way that I recognize immediately. When her eyes meet mine, relief floods across her face so quickly it nearly knocks the breath from me.

My steps falter.

“Easy, love,” Simon says from beside me, helping me to keep steady.

I barely hear him.

“Boo…” Bee breathes, her eyes filling instantly.

Then she’s moving.

Before I can fully process it, she’s hurrying down the porch steps and I’m meeting her halfway. 

We collide hard enough to make my bones rattle.

“Thought we lost you,” she sobs into my shoulder. “Every day, we thought…”

My throat tightens.

I just hold onto her, burying my face against the familiar sweetness of her scent like I’m afraid she’ll disappear if I let go.

When we finally pull apart, Bun is standing there waiting. She’s watching me with wide, hesitant eyes.

Bee glances between us before stepping aside reluctantly as I open my arms.

Bun approaches slowly, cautiously.

When she hugs me, it’s nothing like Bee’s crushing grip. It’s careful… fragile. Like she’s afraid I’ll break apart in her hands.

“It’s good to have you back,” she whispers against my hair.

I squeeze her tighter, and after a moment, she does the same.

“It’s good to be back,” I whisper.

Bee’s gaze drifts over me, her head shaking slightly like she still can’t fully believe I’m standing here. Honestly, I can’t blame her.

“Your muscles,” she mourns with a small pout. 

I snort out a laugh, slapping at my softer upper arms. “They’ll come back eventually. Just means I’m gonna have to spend way more time in the gym than I want to.”

I grab the ends of my hair. “My hair’ll probably be back to my old length by the time they’re back.”

“Nah, you should keep this length,” Bee says with a grin. “I like it. Makes you look dangerous.”

Her giggle hits me right in the chest. It’s such a normal sound and it just makes everything feel so right again.

“Don’t listen to her,” Bun says softly. “You look good.”

Her eyes flick over me carefully. “Healthy, even.”

Before I can answer, Gaz and Soap finally step outside. Soap has a small bundle tucked carefully against his chest that has my response dying on my tongue.

The moment Soap’s eyes land on me, his entire face shifts with it. Relief, disbelief, concern, all dash across his face. He himself looks exhausted in the way only new parents can, but he’s happy at the same time, too.

“Boo,” Gaz breathes.

He walks up, pulling me into a hug the second I’m free.

“You look like you’ve been through hell and back.”

“Pretty much,” I admit with a weak laugh. “It’s good to see you, Gaz.”

He squeezes me once before stepping aside so Soap can move closer.

“Lass,” Soap says quietly, staring at me like he still isn’t convinced I’m real. Then his eyes lift toward Simon.

“You found her.”

I glance over my shoulder just in time to catch the way Simon’s head slightly dips.

“Aye,” Simon says. “Found her.”

The awkwardness that settles afterward is thick enough to choke on, so I focus instead on the bundle in Soap’s arms. I look between him and Bee carefully.

“Can… can I meet him?”

Soap’s expression softens instantly.

Bee smiles and gently takes the wrapped pup from Soap’s arms, turning him slightly so I can see him better.

I catch onto the dynamic quickly. 

I can see him, but Bee needs to be the one in control.

Taking a careful step forward, I look down at Archie’s tiny face. He’s sleeping peacefully beneath his blanket, looking all peaceful and warm. He’s got Bee’s nose and Soap’s jawline somehow already visible in miniature. 

A perfect little mix of both of them.

Something painful twists in my chest.

Not jealousy. Just grief, for the time I lost.

I missed this. This huge, life-changing moment.

“He’s so small,” I whisper. My voice cracks halfway through the words, tears slipping free before I can stop them. “Beautiful.”

Soap practically glows with pride.

“He’s a braw lad,” he says, his accent thickening with emotion. “Keeps us busy, he does.”

Bee leans lightly against my shoulder, bringing him closer to me without actually physically handing him over.

“You’ll tell me everything when you’re ready, right?” she asks softly. “And I do mean, everything.”

I nod quickly, wiping at my face.

“I will. I promise.”

Behind me, Simon settles close enough that I can feel the steady warmth of him at my back. His hand comes to rest at my side, grounding me again as Bee takes a step back.

“We should head inside,” Price says after a moment, his voice cutting gently through the emotion hanging in the air.

The others murmur their agreement, and slowly, the group starts toward the house.

As we reach the porch steps, Bun glances back at me with a small smile.

“Welcome home, Boo.”

Epilogue

10 Years Later

“I’m honestly so happy that you agreed to let him stay here for the summer,” Mo says to me as I flip another burger on the grill. “He already looks like he’s having the time of his life.”

I grin, glancing toward Henry just in time to watch him get tackled by a swarm of children trying to wrestle him into the grass.

“Of course,” I say easily. “I’m just happy he got into college over here. Still blows my mind that he’s out of high school already,” I shake my head. “Feels like I blinked and suddenly he was grown.”

Mo laughs as she cracks open a beer. “You’re tellin’ me.”

“Wish you were over her too,” I admit. “Kinda sucks I’m only getting you for a few days.”

“God, me too,” Mo groans dramatically. “I was looking at townhouses around London, but Rosco’s still wrapped up in the omega program, training the new recruits and all that.”

She takes a sip of her beer, wrinkling her nose slightly. “Probably gonna be a few more years before he’s finally done with it.”

“I get it,” I say with a sympathetic nod. “I don’t think Simon would’ve retired as early as he did if it wasn’t for my little adventure.”

Mo snorts into her drink at the understatement.

“But the two of you have been married, what, four years now?”

“Five,” she corrects immediately.

I whistle softly. “Damn. Still newlyweds, then.” I bump her shoulder with mine. “He’ll figure out eventually that your best interests are his best interests.” 

She laughs, shaking her head.

Movement across the yard catches my eye.

“Aye! Thomas Riley!” I shout. “You know better than to be bitin’ people!”

My five-year-old immediately unlatches his teeth from Henry’s arm.

“Eh, it’s alright, Ma,” Henry calls back through the chaos. “He barely got me.”

I sigh dramatically. “Point is, he shouldn’t bitin’ people in the first place,” I mutter to Mo. My attention drifts toward Simon, wondering what he’s up to, and just like that, all the irritation drains right out of me.

He’s sitting with the other alphas nearby, Noelle perched on his knee while he talks. Every so often, she bounces impatiently against him while trying to joining the conversation, despite being all of three years old.

Mo follows my line of sight.

“She’s the one getting big,” she comments. “Couldn’t believe the size of her when you guys picked us up from the airport.” She squints towards Noelle. “You sure she’s only three?”

I laugh under my breath while continuing to tend to the grill. “Honestly? Sometimes I wonder myself. She’s growin’ like a weed.” I shake my head. “Poor Tommy is furious she’s almost taller than him already.”

Tommy suddenly abandons the pile of children and barrels toward me across the yard. Every time I look at him, all I can see is Simon. 

He got my dark hair, but everything else belongs to his father. Noelle, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. You wouldn’t know she was my child unless I said something. Everything from her cute blonde hair to her big brown eyes is all Simon. 

I finish the last burger and transfer it to the tray before shutting down the grill. Mo helps grab some nearby trays so we can carry the food over to the long tables set up across the yard.

Technically, everyone here was celebrating Henry graduating high school.

But honestly, with Mo and Nikolai around, it felt more like a family reunion than anything else. 

The only ones missing were…

As if summoned by the thought, two SUVs roll up the driveway.

I glance over toward Price and Nikolai, who are already making their way over. 

Then the passenger door swings open and a familiar face steps out.

“Rhea!” I cry out.

She’s barely out of the vehicle before I’m hurrying toward her.

Three pups end up spilling out after her, one little boy and two older girls, while the rest of her pack gets out of the second SUV, immediately moving to help their very pregnant omega.

“Oh my god, look at you,” I laugh, meeting her with open arms. “You look ready to pop. I can’t believe you came all this way. I would’ve thought your pack would’ve chained to a bed before letting you travel.”

“And miss this?” Rhea beams. “Never.”

“She prefers rope to chain," Nikolai comments, making us both laugh.

Rhea rubs her belly fondly as she waves him off. “I had to come see my kuschelbär and her little bärchens. It’s been too long.”

Her eyes flick toward the yard nervously. “Hopefully we’re not imposing.”

I pull back just enough to stare at her.

“Rhea, we practically built his place to hold a whole army.” I gesture toward the tables. “And your timing’s perfect. I literally just finished cooking.”

By the time everyone settles in, the entire yard is alive with noise. There’s laughter, conversations overlapping one another, and silverware clicking against plates. Children scream as they run around the yard, all blending together in one big blur.

For just a moment, I sit there, taking it all in.

Simon catches my eye from across the table, a soft smile tugging at his mouth as he watches Noelle attempt to feed pieces of burger to one of her dolls.

Our gaze lock. 

And just like that, everything settles.

Ten years. 

A full decade since we thought we’d never see each other again. Yet every day feels like that day we reunited.

Here we are, living in a future that once felt impossible.

A tug at my sleeve pulls me from my thoughts.

Tommy stands beside me with ketchup smeared across his face.

“Mama,” he asks hopefully, “can we have ice cream now?”

I laugh softly and wipe his face clean with my thumb despite his dramatic protests. 

“After everyone’s done eating, sweetheart.” I nod toward the yard. “Why don’t you go dit with Georgie and Charlie? Looks like Uncle Gaz and Uncle Soap are tellin’ stories again.”

His entire face lights up before he tears back across the yard.

George and Charles were Bun’s twins, the result of the heat cycle we’d all accidentally synced up on years ago.

Thomas had been my result from that whole debacle. 

Bee, meanwhile, ended up with her third pup, a little girl named Daisie.

At the time, the heat sync had been terrifying. Now, it was one of our favorite stories to laugh about. Especially because all three of us ended up pregnant together.

Bun’s twins arrived first after an emergency c-section nearly a month early. The rest of our pups followed not long after, all born within the span of a single, chaotic week.

Archie had naturally appointed himself leader of the younger pups from the second he was old enough to boss people around. His sisters, Maisie and Daisier, were never far behind him.

The three of them moved through the compound like the three musketeers.

Price and Red only had one pup, Theodore, who was Red’s pride and joy. He was not as outgoing as the rest of the pups, but far more intelligent than his pack siblings.

I sigh happily. My pack… My family…

It hadn’t all been easy.

The nightmares still come sometimes. Certain memories still hit hard enough to leave me shaken for days afterward. There were moments where I felt the instinct to pull away from everyone, even my own pups, just to keep them safe from the parts of me that still hurt.

I was still healing, but I was far better than I ever thought I’d be when I first came home.

Eventually, I did go to the treatment facility Price had recommended. I stayed far longer than any of us originally expected. More memories surfaced, making me regress for a while. I had to learn how to regulate myself without any help which was the hardest challenge.

Simon was there as much as was allowed, and Laswell also visited several times during my stay. I called her, needing to give her more details, especially once the investigations into Shadow Company and Ormond’s operations began to fully unravel.

In the end, I’d say it was worth it.

Shadow Company, though partially disbanded at the time of my rescue, became fully disoperational. Many of the remaining members ended up imprisoned alongside several wealthy clients and public figures that were connected to Ormond’s operation.

The exposure also forced the existence of prime alphas and omegas into the public eye.

Like with everything, chaos initially ensued.

Then activism.

Then change.

Before the pups came along, Simon and I worked closely with several prime advocacy groups. We stayed away from the research side of things, but we helped support primes who’d been exposed or displayed after everything became public.

With Laswell’s help, and occasionally KorTac’s, we ended up helping hundreds of primes across the world find housing, safety, and the support they needed to live normal lives.

I smile quietly to myself as I watch Price and Nikolai talking with Rhea and her packmates across the yard.

They’re all maskless now, something that’s been a thing for years, but still feels strange seeing it. Gray streaks through their hair and beards these days, but honestly? I think it suits them.

Nikolai catches my eye and winks at me, the gesture making me roll my eyes with a quiet laugh. Even after all these years, the cheeky bastard still loved pushing Simon’s buttons.

 But he was also one of our strongest allies when it came to transporting primes. His network of safe houses and contacts saved more lives than I could count.

Simon’s arm wraps around my waist, pulling me into his side before pressing a kiss to my temple.

“You’re thinking too hard,” he murmurs. 

“Am I?” I ask, leaning my head against his shoulder. “I was just thinking about how much has changed.”

He hums, his gaze floating around the pack around us. “Aye. That it has.”

I tilt my head to the side, kissing his shoulder with a small smile. “Good news is, we have an au pair for the summer,” I tease, jerking my head to where Henry is currently sneaking Noelle and Tommy some ice cream.

Simon snorts quietly. 

“Poor bastard doesn’t know what he’s signed up for.”

“No one ever does,” I drawl.

The afternoon sun filters through the trees surrounding the compound, washing everything in a warm light. Children’s laughter echoes through the yard while somewhere Soap and Gaz argue over the correct way to tell Jack and the Beanstalk to the kids. 

Bee’s giggling with Bun, as always, but this time Mo joins in with them, creating a symphony of giggles that warms my heart. 

Price looks exhausted next to Nikolai as they watch over everything, scanning trees as nonchalantly as they can while they pass a flask back and forth.

Rhea’s girls are chasing Archie through the grass, trying to enlist the twin’s help to grab him.

Red and Theo lay sprawled out on the grass, taking a brief nap while the KorTac alphas help to start cleaning things up.

The ache in my chest doesn’t come from grief anymore. It seems to settle with the weight of the love for my pack. 

Something I thought would never be achievable for me, now part of my daily life. I used to think strength meant being able to survive alone. Enduring whatever the world threw at me without breaking. 

But being here now, surrounded by the people who carried me when I couldn’t carry myself, I finally understand what strength actually looks like. 

It’s not the absence of fear. It’s this. Family, trust, healing… People choosing to stay and help despite how hard it gets.

Simon squeezes my waist gently, grounding me back in the moment, and I look up at him with a soft smile. 

For so long, I thought I was trapped in the shadow of terrible men. Now, surrounded by the people I love, I realize something else entirely.

I’m proudly standing in the shadow of strength.

THE END 💜

PREVIOUS

A/N: Had to do the dumb thing and end it with the title somehow hahaha 💜

Genuinely, genuinely, genuinely, thank you so much for reading this fic. It came out almost two years ago to this day (June 6, 2024) and has been such an incredible journey. I am both super sad and super relieved to bring this story to a close. Hope you all enjoyed a peek into the pack's future. 💜 I had so much fun coming up with each pair's little family. Teared up the first couple of times I wrote the epilogue because I was just so happy for everyone, ahaha. 💜💜

I'm working on a typeset for this fic so you can print it out for yourself if you're interested, but it will most likely be posted on my Tumblr so please follow me there if you're interested!

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