Page 76 of For All My Effort
I felt my eyebrows pull together, my confusion more than obvious in my features and my scent. Hopefully, Adam would believe that the emotion came from not understanding the type of interview rather than my absolute curiosity at his intentions. After all, he thought I was a dumb omega.
“I’m not sure—”
Seb’s words were cut off by Adam. “I’m talking about the long-term effects of protecting your omega. Right now, whether you like it or not, she’s a public figure. Her name, her designation, her injuries, it’s all being addressed by morning shows and talk segments. There’s nothing you can do about that, no hiding her, only ensuring that she isn’t used as a tool by people who hadn’t even bothered to check in with how she’s healing.”
That was fucking laughable. The chuckle almost made it past my lips, getting caught in my throat.
Pressing my face against Zeke’s shoulder to hide the sound, I cleared my throat as quietly as possible.
“Who exactly were you thinking of?” Seb asked.
“Presley Abject. She’s someone I would have my own personal interviews with if we hadn’t been friends for years and I knew she’d take it easy on me.”
“Oh, yes, Presley. My mother knows her omega’s parents … a friend of a friend. How is mating treating them all?”
“Wonderfully. Like any good alpha, Presley is still focused on her career, aware she needs to provide long-term, and I know she wouldn’t mind if I set up a meeting.”
“Did she take off time for her mating? We wouldn’t want to pull her from bonding with her omega. It’s important for the pack health as well as the health of her omega that mates stay close together, especially so close to leaving marks.”
I wondered if it was as obvious to Adam as it was to me that Seb was trying to turn down this offer. And I wondered if it didn’t matter how subtly Sebastian changed the topic. If Adam would continue to lead us back to where he wanted because his offer was more a demand.
“Presley is never truly off the clock.” Adam’s words were losing their careful teasing, their lightheartedness. “And even if she did take off time, I know this issue would be close to her heart.”
For a moment, none of my alphas responded. Adam took a slow sip of his dark liquor, the look on his face so cocky, it was obvious that he thought he’d won.
Won what, though?
Was he trying to slip me up in the interview, forcing me to admit that I am an omega who was at the sit-in protest of his diner? Would that actually help him keep my designation under lock and key? Or was I supposed to lie, supposed to further his narrative that I was a victim to the betas?
I wished that I remembered what happened. Not knowing felt as if I was missing a piece of this puzzle—the single piece that would help me to understand Adam better. Help me play the game better.
“Doing an interview, any interview as a member of this pack, requires a conversation with our families,” Seb finally said.
It sounded like a last-ditch effort, and Adam’s smile said he knew it too.
“By all means. Call them. Have a discussion. I’m not unfamiliar with the names in this pack, and I’m more than sure all our values and goals align. Protecting omegas is always at the top of my agenda—it controls almost everything I do. In the meantime, I’ll go ahead and book the interview with Presley. It’ll take about three weeks to book the studio and set up lighting, makeup, all that jazz. Plenty of time to speak with your families.”
Adam finished his drink in a huge gulp, setting the glass down harder than he probably should’ve. Then he was standing, buttoning his jacket again and reaching a hand toward my alphas. Everyone stood except Zeke and me.
I didn’t care if I looked like a bad omega for not saying proper goodbyes. As far as I was concerned, they weren’t true guests in this house. I crossed one leg over the other, playing with the fabric covering my knee as I waited for my alphas to shut the door and come back to me.
Nothing about this suggestion felt like a good idea. The fact that it came from Adam was warning number one. Number two was that he essentially didn’t let us refuse. Then, there was the Presley issue, number three, which was mostly just on the basis that I didn’t trust anyone that Adam would speak fondly of. Finally, the last concern was the timeline. Three weeks? That would be just days before the permanency vote for the omega movement proposition. That couldn’t be a coincidence.
I refused to be used as a weapon for Adam to wield. My attack, my silence, all of it had already been used against my best intentions. Still, I’d managed to justify that to myself because it was out of my control. They were using videos and pictures and comments that were taken out of context.
Sitting down and lying—or even dancing around the answer like I was a professional ballerina—was me changing sides. Even if I didn’t lie, if my truth was twisted for the wrong audience, that would all be on me. My fault.
“Hannah.”
My name pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts. Jackson was crouched in front of me, hands on either side of me like he hadn’t wanted to touch me and risk startling me. His scent was bitter, no doubt he’d held back his emotions as best he could while Adam was here, which is why Sebastian had taken the lead. Now that we were all alone again, he wasn’t holding back.
“We can get you out of this if you want.”
If I wanted? Why did his words sound weird? I looked up at Han and Seb, both males standing off to the sides of Jackson, watching me intently, both with mirror looks of worry on their faces.
“I can’t do an interview that makes things worse for my designation.” I needed them to understand that. I understood that they didn’t want to piss Adam off, but I wasn’t going to be used to hurt other omegas.
“We know, rebel. We never thought you would. The question is whether you think you can handle the interview setting?”