Page 97 of The Bright Omega

I smirk. “It’s my job to know what’s happening. Besides, I’ve been running surveillance on her, between efforts to find that one.” I point to where Shayna sits in the back of a cruiser.

Her lips tighten. “That’s two secrets you’ve kept from me.”

I bend and kiss her forehead. “I know, baby. The teddy bear one was wrong of me. Of all of us. I’ll never keep you in the dark about anything like that again. But Lucy’s secret is hers to tell.”

The look on Cammie’s face tells me she’s waffling between her anger with me and curiosity about Lucy’s pack. I’m about to tell her everything when Piers arrives like a summer storm. Fast and fierce and threatening to drown everyone in his path.

His Cullinan screeches into the lot and he’s out before the engine even dies, long strides eating up the distance. The second he sees Cammie still tucked against my chest, something in his face cracks. He reaches us in seconds, dropping to his knees in front of her without a word, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her stomach.

Her eyes are still red and puffy from crying earlier, but the fire is back. She runs her fingers through his hair then tugs until he’s looking her in the eyes.

“You kept it from me,” she snarls. “The teddy bear. You all kept it from me.”

Piers doesn’t flinch. He reaches up and cups her face with both hands, thumbs brushing across her cheeks. “I know,” he says, voice heavy with regret. “It was my call. I made the decision. I told them not to tell you. I thought I was protecting you. I was wrong.”

He doesn’t make excuses or shift blame. He owns it.

Cammie stares at him for a long moment, then huffs. “I’m so mad at every single one of you.”

Piers’ mouth twitches, the tiniest hint of relief breaking through. “I know that too.”

She leans forward and presses her forehead to his. “Don’t ever keep something like that from me again.”

“I won't," he promises immediately. "Never again. Unless it's a surprise. I'll always give you surprises.”

She looks at him for a long moment. "I mean it, Piers. Don't manage me. I'm not fragile."

"I know," he says. And the way he says it tells her he actually does. "I won't."

She exhales. “Okay.” She cups his face, “I love surprises.”

Piers exhales like the weight of the world lifted off his shoulders, then stands. He kisses her forehead, then her temple, then pulls back enough to look at both of us.

“Let’s get you home,” he says, voice steady again. “I won’t be worth a damn until I’m sure you’re safe in our home. None of us will.”

Cammie nods, reaching for my hand and Piers’ at the same time. Beck is back from talking to the officers and hovering close.

“We have to wait for Finn,” she says. “He’ll be right back.”

Piers nods. None of us are leaving until we’re all together. By the time we get Cammie safely tucked in the back of Piers’ Cullinan, Finn has returned. We move as one unit, filling in the spaces around her, Cammie safely in the middle of us.

She’s still nursing a little anger and hurt. We have a lot to make up for. But she’s coming home with us. That’s what matters most.

forty-five

Finn

“Yeah, I totally get it,” Cammie says to her laptop screen. Then, “No, no. It’s okay. You have to do what you think is best for you and your brand.” She ends the call, pulls out her headphones, and sighs at the ceiling.

It’s only been two days since the stalker situation, and none of us are in any headspace to leave our omega. Between the four of us, we’ve made sure she’s never alone for more than a few minutes. Which means we’ve mostly been ignoring our jobs.

Cammie, however, has been logging into work every day. Yesterday I watched her flinch when Belinda dropped a plastic storage bowl on the floor. She covered it fast, laughed it off, went straight back to her laptop. She hasn't mentioned Shayna once.

I’m standing in the kitchen with Piers, both of us nursing coffee and pretending not to hover, when she snaps the laptop shut with a decisive click.

“No one should ever be forced to sell toilet paper,” she declares. “It’s just not a reasonable ask.” She drops her head dramatically onto the table like she wants to melt straight into the wood.

Piers and I exchange a look. His mouth twitches with the barest hint of amusement, but I can feel the gentle wave of concern through the bond.