Chapter Nineteen

Hailey finished her dessert. “I told you.”

Yorgi blinked. “I have not seen an omega who wouldn’t demand what they wanted of their people.”

Grigory murmured. “You aren’t her people. You are playing games with her comfort and safety. She won’t trust you until she can predict your behaviour.”

Rya sighed. “Yeah, we learned that last night.”

Yorgi sighed. “Hailey warned me to make a second dessert. I honestly thought she would steal yours, Grigory.”

Hailey shook her head. “She doesn’t steal food. Ever. She earns money to buy the food, and that is what she will fight for, but if she didn’t buy it, she isn’t going to fight for it.”

Yorgi rubbed the back of his neck. “Fuck. I am too used to my family.”

Grigory nodded. “She is family, but she is family that has had a very bad few years. Treat her gently.”

Hailey asked, “Did you work for Delun, Yorgi?”

“Yeah, I was his housekeeper. When Grigory and Delun mentioned this, I started laughing. I know how to deal with these alphas. The soft-strong-fragile omega is harder.”

The rest of the table agreed, and Hailey said, “Stop trying to bully her or play with her. It has been Mom and me for five years with people trying to hurt her. That doesn’t go away in two weeks.”

They went quiet as the little girl stomped away. Yorgi sighed. “That kind of omega I know how to deal with.”

* * * *

She winced at the bruising and went straight to the shower. This would be her first night with no one in her bed. It would be painful.

She put on her super-soft blouse and skirt and pinned her hair up after the blow dryer did its work. Underwear wasn’t even an option. The bruise covered her from rib to hip.

She left her nest and crept back to the main floor, hearing voices at the table discussing how difficult it was to adapt to her needs. She slumped. Yeah, it was easier with just her and Hailey, but that wasn’t possible.

She headed to her study and started to write lyrics she had thought of after the fall. The world coming up to meet her. The under-inflated fall bag, the feeling of herself hitting the floor.

She hummed and wrote a few possible songs when there was a knock on her door. She looked up. Hailey was with a surprised Grigory. “See? Told yah. She didn’t run away; she just needed quiet. Right, Misha?”

Misha was curled up on Lexa’s skirt and giving her babies a bath.

“What? Are they here?”

Hailey came to her and hugged her. “Yeah, they are on the way.”

Lexa’s breath rushed out of her lungs as Hailey hugged her. The pain was intense. “Excellent. I will stop fussing here. I just have to get the kittens and Misha back in their little nest.”

Hailey helped move the kittens, and they headed out to the back patio. Grigory was careful of her. “You injured yourself.”

“Yeah, quite impressively.”

“Can I see?”

She looked to see if Hailey was around, and then, when the coast was clear, she hiked up the shirt and pulled down the edge of her skirt.

He hissed. “She hugged you.”

“Yeah. And you grabbed me and pulled me onto your lap. There is no blame. I did a stunt, it was badly rigged, and the safety equipment wasn’t properly arranged. Ford is suing the company for the time lost as I am not going to be going back until the bruise is healed. I think this is beyond Delun’s capabilities.”

Delun spoke from the kitchen. “Few things are outside of my capabilities. Lexa, what happened?”

She explained the stunt and the fall. He knelt in his tailored trousers, and he pressed his lips to her bruise. She whimpered at the stroke of his tongue because the process wasn’t painless.

When he lifted his head, he exhaled in relief. “I can heal it.”

She looked down. “You can?”

He looked up at her with a wry smile. “If I couldn’t, you would be on your way to the hospital now. It would indicate internal bleeding.”

She saw that he had painted a D on her with his tongue. “Funny.”

“I was just trying to lighten the mood, Lexa. This could have been a devastating fall.”

Arthur walked up and stared. “What happened?”

“Accident on set. I fell. People have been fired and blacklisted.”

Grigory frowned. “You aren’t wearing anything under your clothing.”

Delun tutted. “The pressure would have hurt, Grigory.” He looked up at her. “I won’t be able to heal this in a short time. It will take hours.”

She nodded. “It’s fine. I can deal with it for a few days.”

He rose to his feet, sliding her clothing back into place. “Oh, no. I will heal it tonight, but I can’t do it before they get here.”

The jeeps driving toward them let her know she was out of time. “I thought we were watching videos.”

Hailey waved a remote, and behind the bar on the deck, a huge screen rose up to turn the backyard into a movie theatre.

Ford grinned as he came out. “I need to install one of those.”

Ambrose snorted.

“Fine. Hire someone to install it.” Ford spotted Lexa. “Hey, darlin’, are you all right?”

Grigory growled. “You take our mate, and you bring her back with a bruise that makes every contact pain?”

Lexa had been watching, and Hailey’s face was stricken. She moved to Hailey’s side, and she said, “No hug from you ever hurts, baby.”

Hailey sighed and gave her a serious look. “Where can I hug?”

“Around my neck?”

Lexa bent, and Hailey hugged her around the neck, giving her a big kiss on the cheek.

“Is Delun helping you like he did for your neck?”

“He will later. I can manage for a few hours.”

“Okay, but if you turn grey, I am telling Dad to take you away.”

Lexa blinked. “Oh. Right. I had forgotten about that.”

Hailey leaned back and let go. “I am working on remembering. He’s a nice man, and I think he will be a good dad.”

“Keep that in mind if he does something you don’t like.”

“Has he done something you don’t like, Mom?”

“Erm... no, but it can still happen.” She thought back to one of the fairy tales she had acted out just that day. “He’s just right.”

“That makes Grigory too big and Arthur too small.”

“Um, they are all just right, but sometimes, there are different layers of right. The other two shift around, but Delun is always right.”

Hailey giggled.

Lexa slowly straightened.

Delun’s voice whispered in her ear. “We are ready to get started.”

She didn’t meet his gaze as she headed for the couch that had been set up. Olivia came by and checked on her, looked at her face, and said, “A few days off?”

“Until after the party. Oh, you guys are coming, right? Do you want me to write an invitation?”

“What is the party for... exactly?” Olivia was curious.

Grigory answered from a few feet away. “Our first heat together and the possibility of the next generation.”

Lexa’s cheeks got hot.

Olivia blinked. “They have parties for that?”

“Um, I get the feeling that my guys will party for just about any reason. As will their families. Last night, we took up an entire restaurant downtown.”

Ford asked, “Which one?”

“Hynura.” Delun grinned.

Ford, Ambrose, and Dexter stared. Olivia frowned and looked at Yemeen. “Isn’t that the one with a four-month waiting list?”

Lexa blinked. “Oh. Right. Uh... ask Delun. We went after we got our family photos done for the society page.”

Ambrose looked at Grigory. “Seriously? You are making us look bad.”

“We have a daughter to protect and a large family to introduce Lexa to. The photos are definitely going to ease the way.”

Olivia’s eyes went wide. “Family photos?”

Grigory pulled up the serious image on his phone and showed Olivia, then he scrolled to the funny one, and finally the group hug.

“Aw, that is so sweet.”

Hailey sang out, “I want to see the video, please.”

They sat, and Hailey cuddled up in Lexa’s lap, Arthur on her left, Grigory on his left, and Delun on her right. Ford started the video, the projector kicked on, and music started playing.

Lexa craned her neck to look at Ford. “You put music on?”

He grinned. “It gave me editing points.”

Credits rolled, including Lexa as Coordinator, acrobat, dancer, craft services.

Delun asked, “Acrobat?”

Ford chuckled. “You have got to see this.” The video started, and they watched.

Lexa watched herself and Hailey dressed for theme park bounding out of the house, they kissed Olivia, and then, everyone was in the car. The next shot was of them walking through the park gates. Then them entering and Lexa, Olivia, and Hailey laughing and running into the park.

The videos of them on rides, running from attraction to attraction, and then the moment when the street was empty around them, and Hailey asked Lexa to do backflips. So, she did six backflips before landing after a twist. Hailey ran to her and hugged her, and she bowed to her friends. There were segments with her and Olivia dancing with performers. And then her bringing two trays of food to their exhausted group.

It disappeared in seconds, so Ford grabbed her to make selections, and they brought back four trays, and then, they disappeared just as fast.

Arthur murmured, “You didn’t eat.”

“It wasn’t in my budget. Ford was paying, but it still felt weird. They had done me a favour by coming along, so that was that. I ate when I got home. I have a weird relationship with food.”

He pressed his lips to her neck. “What did you get for your birthday?”

On the screen, Hailey was being given items by the pride from the gift shop.

“Um, I got a day out with Hailey and friends.”

Arthur blinked. “Nothing?”

“Um... no. It’s fine. Same old, same old.”

“When was the last time you got a present?”

“Do you remember that charm bracelet I used to wear?”

He chuckled. “Yeah, you jingled when you moved.”

“That was the last present.”

“You don’t wear it anymore. Where is it?”

She swallowed. “It disappeared with the necklace you got me that night. If I ever get the money together again, I will replace it. It isn’t too pricey, but one charm is worth a week of groceries, so I have had to put it on the back burner.”

“I didn’t know that. I knew they took your phone and watch but not the bracelet and necklace.” He picked up her hand and kissed her wrist.

There was more dancing, Hailey getting a princess makeover, and two exhausted omegas being pulled along by said princess.

The second to last shot of the video was Olivia on her pride’s laps and a giant stuffed tiger.

The final shot of the video was Hailey on Lexa’s lap in the car, two heads together, and then, Lexa’s eye opened, and she smiled. Tucked under her arm was a stuffed brown bear.

She leaned her head toward Arthur’s as the group applauded Ford’s efforts.

Hailey paused. “Mom. Didn’t you have the blue foamy thing?”

“No. That was for Olivia.”

“What about the fries?”

“I think I had a few.”

Hailey was getting upset. “When? I just saw the video. You didn’t have anything. You didn’t get anything. It was your birthday, too, and no one knew!”

Hailey jumped off her lap and ran for it. Delun patted Lexa. “Let me try. You can fix what I do wrong later.”

She paused then met his gaze and nodded.

He got up and headed into the house. Olivia came over and crouched. “It was your birthday as well?”

“Yup.”

“You didn’t tell anybody. Ford feels like shit, and the guys are growling in circles.”

“I... hoping for things hasn’t worked out well. So, I just plow through and try to keep Hailey happy and secure. If I can do that, I am happy, and I get what I want. Hailey’s a child, and since joining this family, she has suddenly seen attention directed toward me, and she has started to analyze our behaviours in the past. Comparing them to her new normal... she sees the difference.” She swallowed. “And I have not exactly been stable. I had withdrawal from the suppressors, I had a heat, I am spending time with people who aren’t her. There is a lot of new going on, and I have not locked it down, so I am not sure what to do about it. Today, I just wanted quiet time, so I took a shower and went to my sitting room... and they thought I had made a run for it.”

Grigory frowned. “I did not; I just thought you might have gone for a walk with your motorcycle.”

Arthur murmured, “The motorcycle is in storage.”

Lexa grumbled. “Like that.”

Olivia wrapped her arms around her, and she nuzzled her cheek, her surprisingly robust purr working on Lexa’s nerves and soothing them.

Olivia held her hands. “I had to move away from my pride for them to actually realize they had an omega, but we managed and now are bigger and better than ever.” She sat back, and there was a sly smile. “You need a birthday party.”

“Fine. Next year. That is soon enough.”

“Oh, no. I think catching up is in order. Then, when my birthday pops up, you can take me somewhere nice. Maybe... Hynura?”

Lexa smiled. “I think that Lady Fen might help me there. I have her wracked with guilt, so she might be eager to assist. When is your birthday?”

She got the date, then she got Grigory’s, Arthur’s, and Rya shared Delun’s.

Delun came back with a sniffling Hailey in his arms. When he set her down, she ran to Lexa, and then, Ford put on the raw reels from the filming that day.

Delun murmured in her ear, “She is having a problem with what happened at dinner when they kept dessert from you, with you not feeding yourself. We have discussed it, and I told her that if you go back to skipping meals, I am going to paddle your ass. She thought that was funny, and I think it is the best idea I have had all night.”

She got a funny flip in her stomach that accompanied a blast of roses. Delun grinned and kissed her hand.

She looked at Grigory. “Does your family have any costume they need me in when I meet your mother?”

“I want to lie and say a negligee, but in reality, just be there with your hair unbound and Hailey at your side, and you will have a warm welcome.”

“So, not naked.”

His expression ran through a thousand emotions, and he said, “Regretfully... not.”

She grinned. “See, progress.”

They watched some of the footage, and she had been running with Olivia across the field until big cats split them up, and she was forced into the forest. She entered the house, and her costume had changed to more of a short skirt with tons of petticoats as she acted out Goldilocks. The alphas dressed as bears made Grigory snort. Arthur chuckled. Delun purred underneath her arm. When the largest bear roared, and she ducked under the table to hide, the smallest bear hauled her out by her ankle, and then, the middle bear held her in a hug, and his hand slid down to her backside. Goldilocks leaned back, and the head of the middle bear approached for a kiss, and the screen flicked to Olivia.

Olivia’s character was trapped by a beast, portrayed by Dexter.

Delun murmured, “We had the option to play the bears?”

“I don’t think it would have been a good idea considering your occupation or Arthur’s. Pretty sure that Grigory is bulletproof on that one.” She patted Delun’s hand. “I will play Goldilocks and the three bears any time you want. With costumes.”

He grinned and rubbed his nose to hers. “We will just have to ask the others to play.”

Grigory leaned in. “I would love to. We can even make a small house in the woods for playdates.”

Arthur was on the other side. “Sounds stress-relieving. I think we should try to have it ready for after the court cases finish.”

Grigory frowned. “That could take years.”

“You underestimate my mother’s terror of exposure and my brother’s long history of stupidity. The first offer to go to arbitration came in today. She can either keep her money and be exposed and lose the money anyway, or settle immediately and maintain some semblance of dignity with her position in society.” Arthur muttered, “That is more important to her than life itself.”

Lexa sighed. “I still want her punished.”

“She will be. There will be no gag order. No confidentiality agreement. That is the first stipulation. You are free to describe her and her actions in regards to you and Hailey.”

She cocked her head. “How about I agree to be bound by not mentioning her name? That lets me describe her as your mother, Arnold’s mother, Hailey’s estranged grandmother, the plaintiff, the defendant, my stalker... like that.”

Delun chuckled. “That is acceptable. A judge would sign off on it. Well, I would. So, a specific gag order covering her full name only. Obviously, it could not bind the name Morthiwen, or you wouldn’t be able to talk about Arthur.”

Arthur grinned. “I could change my name.”

Delun blinked. “To...”

“Adders?”

Hailey grinned. “My name?”

She had bounced out of nowhere after running around the gathering and playing with the huge cats that were roaming around and sniffing things. It was funny how playing with the big cats had made her just see them like cats and not predators. She was more afraid of Misha than she was of Romulus and Remus, or even Caesar and Hector. The white tigers weren’t socialized enough for random visiting.

Arthur nodded. “I am thinking about it. My mom took a lot from you, so I think this might give something back, and it would be a far more comfortable name to have. And then, I can have alliteration.”

“What does that mean?”

“All my names would start with A.”

“Neat.” Hailey smiled shyly. “It’s okay with me.”

Arthur touched her cheek. “Thank you. There aren’t enough Adders in the world.”

Hailey got a canny look. “If there’s a baby, do you want a boy or a girl?”

“I don’t know. What do you want?”

“A girl! Then, I can dress her up and take her for walks and teach her how to do tricks.”

Lexa blinked. “I think we might want to start with a kitten or puppy.”

Hailey smiled. “If you think that’s best.”

“Wow. You totally played me.”

She beamed. “I am working my way up to pony.”

Ford lifted his head and spoke loudly. “I can have some equestrians do a bit of a display ride for your party.”

Lexa smiled. “Alita?”

He nodded. “Her brothers have been looking for bookings outside the ren faires.”

Grigory cocked his head. “I think for this party, we don’t need them, but for the next party, definitely.”

Hailey wandered over to where Remus was chewing on one of the settees. She crouched next to him, and he purred and pushed her over. Olivia spoke softly, and Remus lay down.

Lexa smiled. “When is the next party?”

He looked at her, astonished as if she should know. “The first month after your first heat.”

“Is that the day it started or the day my legs got back together?”

Delun barked a laugh and hugged her carefully.

Grigory grinned. “The last one.”

Arthur chuckled.

“Ah, reunification day. Nice.” She laughed, and the video from the day played the moments before her fall.