“I miss old Oliver, you’ve changed.”
“Nash,” I growled into the phone’s mic.
“Yeah yeah, one second,” I hear him whispering to someone, then a door opening and slamming shut. “Sorry, I had company over and had to ask them to leave. See what I do for you? I could have gotten a morning blow-”
“NASH!” I bark out, done with his stalling.
His sigh tells me I won't like what he says next. “Listen, Oliver, the owner was here last night, but there's nothing to share. He dismissed it as someone wanting to sign with his company or looking for a job at Ferality. When I pointed out that no one knew he owned the club, he got angry and avoided me all night. He knows more but isn't going to tell me; I’m sorry, Kid.”
I sit back in the office chair, his words sinking in. Liam Jones, knowing who Savvy was, was my last chance of finding her. Calling schools had been a bust; most refused to give any information about students, regardless of the flimsy excuses I provided. Nash and a couple of club employees he trusted had been keeping an eye out for her at Ferality, but she never went back.
I knew there was a possibility this wouldn’t work out, that I might never find her, but fuck me, I really wanted to. I thought not seeing her would make me come to my senses, make me realize everything I thought about that night had been my imagination. But the longer it takes me to find her, the harder it’s becoming to move forward. A piece of my heart is missing, and it’s shaped like Savvy.
“You still there?” Nash’s voice comes from my phone and I realize I’ve been gripping it so hard my knuckles started going white. I switch over to the speaker before I end up breaking it in half.
“What do I do now?” I ask, my voice sounding hollow.
“Kid, I think you need to move on,” I open my mouth to tell him to fuck off, but he cuts me off. “Sign with the guys, get away from that rat hole of a town, and start a new life. Make good music and get your photo plastered on every magazine cover and bulletin board across the country. Fuck, write a song for her, tell her how you feel. If it’s meant to be, she’ll find you. She might have just not been ready yet.”
“I feel so broken without her, Nash,” I admit to him.
“Yeah Kid, I get it, but you’re not alone. You have the baker lady, who Jack can’t stop yapping about by the way, and you have the band. Those guys love you, and if you let them, they’ll look after you. Let them.” I hear something crashing through Nash’s mic before he swears under his breath. “I have to go; the chick wasn’t too happy about me asking her to leave. If she breaks anything valuable, I’m sending you the bill.”
“He’s right, you know?” Grayson had somehow managed to sneak into the room without me noticing him.
“Right about what? Moving on?”
“That too,” he adjusts his glasses, which I’ve come to realize is a sign of his nervousness. Grayson and I are the most similar of the three of us. “It’s been me, Jack, and Grayson against the world for so long, and I never thought we would connect with anyone else. The idea of finding an Omega one day scared the living shit out of me.” He lets out a small chuckle. “But seeing you face your fears on stage and getting to know you this past month makes it feel like you've always belonged with us. We do care, and we will help you through everything that comes your way, Oliver, if you let us.”
“I would have never gone through with it if Savvy hadn’t been there, Gray.”
“Probably not,” He agrees, and I love the fact he doesn’t shy away from the truth. “I will forever owe Savvy a huge debt for having my brother's back, and I really do hope we find her one day so I can pay it in full.”
Him knowing how special Savvy is, without even meeting her, does me in. Tears I’ve been holding back the last month, fuck maybe myentire life, starts streaming down my face and I let Grayson wrap his arms around me, giving me the comfort I so badly need.
I feel a set of hands wrap around me from behind, and a strong, steady hand lands on my shoulder. Jack and Hale have joined us in the tiny office, and they are lending me their strength through my breakdown.
We stay like that for what feels like hours, but eventually, I pull away and give each of them a thankful smile. “I’ve been so alone my entire life, so it’s hard for me to believe any of this is real. Jane has been there for me, but I always had to leave her bubble of safety and return to my dad's house. Being around her almost made life harder because I knew what I was missing out on.” I take a deep breath, nervous to say what comes next.
“Savvy believed in me from the moment she met me; she was there for me when I needed her most. Without her, I wouldn’t have been brave enough to continue performing, I would have run out of Ferality, and I would have continued living on autopilot, putting up with my dad's bullshit and living for the few hours a day I spent with Jane. I would never have gotten to know you three and feel like part of a real family. I don’t think I can ever stop looking for her; my heart knows she is mine, but the same goes for you. You’re my future too, if you’ll have me.”
I looked at them, and I wasn’t sure what I expected to see, but it wasn’t all three of them looking like they were holding back tears.
“We came here wanting to ask you something,” Hale takes the lead as always. “Honestly, I didn’t think you were ready, but after hearing all that I think you are.” Jack and Gray both nod their agreement. “Oliver, when you sign with the band in a couple of months, we want you to sign something else as well, but only if you want to.”
“Are you trying to get me to sign away my life savings?” I ask with a snort. “I can give it to you right now, Hale, but you’ll be disappointed to find out it isn’t much.”
“Haha,” Hale says dryly, rolling his eyes at my banter. “We want you to officially join Pack Reed and become our brother.”
“Won’t we need an Omega?” I ask Hale, regretting that this is my first question after they invited me to join their pack, but I can’t imagine bonding with anyone else who isn’t Savvy.
“Yes, but we have talked about it at length, and we will wait however long it takes you to find Savvy, or for you to move on. And if you do find her, and she turns out to be a beta, we can find a male omega to join the pack. It doesn’t have to be romantic. Savvy will always have a spot if you say yes.”
Jack nudges me from the side. “Say yes dude.”
“Fuck yes,” My smile is so big, it starts hurting my face. “Yes to the band. Yes to being your brother. Yes to finding Savvy. Yes to everything.”
Jack starts doing a happy dance, knocking everything over. Grayson pulls me into a hug, welcoming me to the family, while Hale stands by, looking like a proud dad.
