"SHANNON," I growled as she kept dragging me along. "He won't be there! You have come here every day for almost two weeks!"
She stopped in her tracks and stared me down, "what else do you expect me to do?!" She hissed before she yanked me off to the side of the large walking area in the shopping center.
"He isn't worth the effort anymore! He isn't even Will! He's that Alpha's plaything!"
"You're big ass mouth got us into this mess!" Shannon's hand squeezed mine until it hurt. "Give up your stupid pride and contact him!" I was surprised to see tears welling up. "He's pregnant with another kid and is having to go through it without you! Without all of us!"
I scoffed as I yanked my hand out of hers, "why are you changing your tune all the sudden?" She scowled at me, "you never liked Will! You kept telling me that he was just some slutty Omega waiting to jump me."
Shannon began storming away and I slowly followed. She went down the large ramp at the end of the shopping center and onto the slimmer sidewalk leading to the park. She scanned the area before stopping at the edge of the playground and looking more intensely. I stopped at her side and stayed quiet.
"I already told you that I was wrong, damn it. He changed after he came back and was a different person. He was a real person, not just a selfish, mooching porn star." She took a deep breath, "it also changed once Cam told me some of Will's past. I didn't know he was so screwed over in life."
Shannon leaned onto me as I heard her begin to cry. I wrapped my arms around her and stroked her hair.
"You would've been horrified if you saw him a few weeks ago..." she sniffled. "He isn't himself anymore. That guy was so quiet, meek, and scared of me, nothing like the Will I know!"
I sighed as I held her closer, "you seriously want to look over what he did?"
She shoved me off her and wiped her face, "months of abandonment isn't atonement enough?! I was sure he was going to come back after a few days and apologize. But he followed what you said and cut all contact with everyone!"
"He chose to go."
Shannon slipped out of my grip and began back the way we came. "I'm not dealing with you. Let's just go home."
Shannon refused to speak to me the entire drive home, in the morning, on the way to work, and after she picked me up. As we cleaned the house and got the food ready, she only muttered some directions of what to do.
She finally spoke when the doorbell rang and she rushed to get it. "Hey! Come on in!" She sang before leading them over to the living room. I stood and hugged Cam before high fiving Sean. They both sat at the couch near my recliner and Cam leaned into Sean.
"You're looking better," Sean said with a smirk. "But seems like you're in the dog house."
I frowned, "married life is hard."
Cam sighed, "as if I would know." He elbowed Sean who groaned.
We all paused when Shannon opened the door again, "you made it!"
"Well I finally was given a night off work. My boss is a hardass."
Asher stomped his way over and sat on the chair beside me. Connor followed and looked to Asher with annoyance before he went and sat beside Cam on the couch.
"You're looking to work a month straight."
Connor smiled to me, "hi Hunter. Sorry we're late."
I planted my hand on Asher's shoulder before patting it twice, "how've you been? You look tired."
Asher leaned forward and his head hung slightly. From behind his shirt slipped out the chain with two black bands that stayed around his neck. "Having trouble sleeping."
"Dreams of him are keeping Asher up at night." Conner replied in a sigh, "I can't even let him in his office alone. Otherwise he will drink himself sick."
Cam glanced at Sean before looking to Asher, "did you get in touch with the contacts I gave you?"
Asher scoffed before staring down Cam, "there's no point."
"You gotta move on, Ash," Sean insisted. "He made is choice....well not that he really had one."
We all looked up as Shannon handed out beers before sitting down beside Connor. "So has anyone heard from him?"
I looked down to my lap, "nothing," Cam replied.
Shannon cleared her throat, causing me to look to her. She stared me down, but I wasn't backing down this time. She finally sighed, "I ran into him."
Everyone else froze as the looked to Shannon with shock, "in person?"
She nodded to Sean, "about two weeks ago. It was only for a couple of minutes."
I felt Asher stiffen next to me as his hands gripped the beer bottle harder. "Was..." he gulped hard. "How was he?"
She sighed before leaning on the arm rest of the couch, "not good." Everyone in the room became tense and the room was silent.
"I'm sure you're exaggerating. He's pregnant so that's probably the cause."
"Maybe that Alpha..." Cam elbowed Sean even harder to make him stop talking.
"Were the kids with him?"
Shannon nodded to Cam, "they seem to be growing up fast. They're even more independent and protective of Will."
"In what way did he not look good?" Asher began lightly bouncing his leg, "bruises? Scars? Marks?"
Shannon looked to Asher with sympathy, "nothing like that. He just seemed afraid to speak to me. He seemed beyond uncomfortable, like he was going to have the baby right then and there. Even the twins didn't speak to me."
"He's probably been conditioned not to speak," I hissed as my blood boiled. To think part of that man was in me, it made me feel disgusted. "That damn Alpha is so controlling, I wouldn't be surprised if they all have been told not to speak to us." I pulled my fingers through my hair as I took a deep breath.
"He's not that horrible, Hunter!" Cam growled, "you and I both know Will is stronger than to stay if he's being abused!"
"He's not the Will we know!" Asher yelled as he slammed his beer on the table in the middle of us. "That Alpha killed OUR Will!" His hand wrapped around the rings he wore, "he killed my Will."
"I've tried to get in contact with him, but he hasn't contacted anyone." Sean stated, "I had hoped that, just like before, he would contact me. Then we could at least know if he's okay."
"Can't you just apologize?!" Connor hissed, "you are acting like a kid!"
I leaned back in my chair, "NONE of you have a right to tell me if I was right or wrong. No one has been through what he and I have! He has done cruel shit to me before, but this is too much! That Alpha..." I gulped so that I would not scream, "that scum is part of me now! Will knew I would never want this! Yet he went behind my back and took my choice away!" I slammed my hand on the arm rest of my chair, "I have stood beside him for so long and this is the thanks I get?! He abandoned me for six fucking years! Then to betray me after just coming back? I can't forgive that!"
Everyone went silent as they looked down and seemed unsure on what to say. Asher caught all of our attention when he pulled something out of his pant pocket. He stood and spread out some pictures on the table in the middle of us. Everyone leaned into the table and picked up a few pictures.
In the first one I grabbed was Jayden holding a slutty woman in his arms while kissing her neck. I felt my heart race and my anger intensify. The second one showed Jayden sitting at a nice dining area with a young woman in little clothing on his left. On his right was a feminine male Omega that hung on his shoulder. I couldn't even look at the others before I threw them on the floor.
I leaned back in the chair again as I covered my eyes with my hands and hung my head. "What are these?" Cam whispered.
"Where did you get these, Asher?" Shannon said in a breathless way.
Asher sat back down and just stared at the table, "Elijah has been coming to the bar every week and meeting with Asher."
My eyes shot from Conner to Asher and I saw how hard her was gritting his teeth. "He's been concerned about Will's well-being ever since the incident. He has people tailing Jayden and has found that Jayden has been seeing men and women behind Will's back." Asher's eyes seemed to blaze with anger. "He is cheating on Will like he's nothing! He knows Will can't be with anyone else physically but he lied! He CAN be with others!"
I felt my stomach ache and saw everyone seem to shrink. "What do you want to do?"
Cam whipped around to glare at Sean, "we have to go tell him!"
"How are we going to get to him without Jayden finding out?"
Conner sighed as he looked to Shannon, "what about through the mail?"
"Its the only shot we have," Sean agreed. "Maybe if he sees these, he will realize what kind of guy he's with. Then we can help him and the kids get away."
"You know that won't be enough." I grumbled and heard Asher grunt.
"If he sees these pictures and sees Hunter, he might start to figure it out." He let out a deep breath, "then I will convince him to come back. Regardless of that Alpha, we still love each other. We can all finally be back together."
"I hope you're right," Shannon whispered. "Otherwise you may scare him off and make it so he will never leave."
Asher clenched the rings, "I know he will see the truth."
The next late afternoon, Shannon drug me to the strip mall once again. I trudged behind her as she rushed through the crowd towards the playground. "He's never there, Shannon!" I hissed but paused when she stopped at the edge of the playground.
My heart skipped as I saw him and instinctively grabbed Shannon's hand. She definitely hadn't lied, he barely looked like himself anymore. If I hadn't seen Jayden, I don't know if I would've recognized him so quickly. We watched as he went over and played with the twins and another kid. My whole body jumped slightly as Will fell and, instinctively, I wanted to race to his side and help. I fought the instinct and looked down to the ground.
"Will!" Shannon called and he paused. After a few moments, I heard him walk over. I couldn't bring myself to look at him. All I would do is scream.
Shannon seemed to hesitate, "You had the baby?" I looked up to Shannon as she lightly squeezed my hand before letting go.
"Yes, she was born a few weeks ago." Will replied but, God, he sounded horrible.
"Is she healthy? She came a little early, right?"
"She's perfect," Will replied as his voice sounded worse. Shannon let out a sigh of frustration as I knew this was definitely going as she expected. For some reason, she seems to think that everything would be solved just by meeting with him. As if it's that easy.
Shannon finally stated what we're both thinking, "you don't look so well. Are you alright?"
"I'm good. Just been pretty busy. Is everything going well for you?" Busy?! With what?! What is that damn psycho putting you through?!
Shannon took my hand again, "we're doing really good! Hunter's doctors said he's getting stronger by the day. He's even back to working a few days a week!" When Shannon glanced at me, I looked away. "Have you gone back to work yet?"
"Uh, no," he whispered. "There really aren't any legal jobs for male Omegas. I promised the kids I wouldn't do anything like my old jobs."
"You aren't working with Elijah anymore?"
I could hear Will's posture shift, "he's a bright man. He went into hiding a while back."
"From Jayden?"
"He doesn't need to worry about Jayden. I'm the one that will deal with him."
Shannon paused as her hand tightened again, "But all he did was tell the truth."
"You're right," Will whispered and my head automatically whipped up to glare at him. I rushed to look back to the ground, "But it wasn't his to tell. It was mine."
I couldn't hold myself back anymore but also didn't want to scream. "And you didn't say shit."
"I know...and I will never forgive myself," he whispered. "I should get going. They're waiting for me."
"Will!" Shannon called before grabbing his wrist, "We should meet up soon. Maybe you two can chat. I know the others want to see you."
I looked back down, "Its not best to push things on people, Shannon. I...it might be good just to have a clean break." Will suddenly choked up and I could hear him begin to cry. "Thanks for everything, Shannon. You really are," he cleared his throat, "you really were a good friend."
Will finally rushed off and I immediately embraced Shannon as she lost her composure. She began crying in my arms, "he's completely given up!"
I took a deep breath, "once he sees those pictures, he'll know the truth. Then we can help him."