Lyric & the Heartbeats

by Kole, Lana

  With the four of them staring her down, she felt like a child being scolded.

  “If she was an actual threat, I wouldn’t have pushed you away. But she was just a fan. She just happened to be an alpha too.”

  “What happened?” Desi inquired as she came from the back of the bus.

  Lyric huffed, and parted her lips to explain, but Emerson beat her to it.

  A soft touch on her shoulder stole her attention, and she turned to glance up at Adra.

  “I’m sorry for interrupting. We’re just protective of you.”

  Lyric sighed. “I get that… I do.”

  And she hoped that would be the end of it. Lyric patted Adra’s hand where it was resting on her shoulder… and tuned into what Emerson was saying as Javier looked up from organizing covered dishes on the table.

  “…knows what could have happened? If it had been a crazed fan—a dangerous one—something terrible could have happened. And everything going on with the black market? I mean, she’s our omega, of course I want to protect her.”

  Lyric bristled at the last phrase, but she bit her tongue. He did say our…

  And she understood. They wanted to protect her.

  It wasn’t something she was used to, considering she’d been protecting herself from others for so long. Being protected was something she would have to grow accustomed to.

  But dammit, couldn’t they be a little more gentle about it?

  Lyric rubbed the knot out of her eyebrows, released a breath, and glanced to Henry, who’d remained suspiciously quiet the past few minutes.

  His gaze was dark, and part of her wanted to say anything to erase that shadow of frustration lurking beneath the surface. But she was frustrated too.

  For once, someone had seen her as nothing more than someone to look up to. In that moment, signing that woman’s shirt, taking the picture with her, Lyric hadn’t been an omega coming face to face with an alpha. She had simply been a musician signing a shirt for a fan

  And she couldn’t help but dwell on that thought. On that honor.

  Lyric was looked down on by so many others, seen only as an omega.

  You’ll never be on stage, not as an omega.

  Don’t worry, one day you’ll find an alpha to take care of you. Or two.

  Don’t worry about music. You’ll find an alpha who will play you anything you want to hear.

  Forget about those dreams, Lyric. The only thing you need to focus on is finding an alpha to set you up for life.

  Lyric shook those memories out of her mind. There was no place for them here. A touch on her cheek startled her, and she pulled back as she blinked her eyes open, finding Emerson a few inches away. His lips were pulled back from his teeth slightly, the canines visible.

  “She scent marked you,” Emerson growled, pulling Lyric close.

  His nose drifted across her cheek, the same one that had touched the female alpha during the selfie.

  “She didn’t scent mark me,” Lyric responded in a grunt. “We took a selfie and had to fit in the frame. Were you even watching?”

  “I was watching alright. Worried if that alpha was going to hurt our omega—”

  “I’m not just an omega, dammit!” Lyric shouted.

  She gritted her teeth, cheeks on fire, and ignored the sharp stare from the others at her outburst.

  Lyric turned, knocking Emerson’s hand away, and headed for the door, needing air to cool the heat in her cheeks and ease the embarrassment of losing her calm.

  “Lyric!” Henry’s voice called out after her, but she was already pulling the door open. “What about the buddy system—dammit.”

  She heard his sigh a few seconds before the door slammed after her.

  Frustration fueling her, she stalked across the parking lot until the asphalt turned to grass, softer beneath her feet. She sucked in a lungful of cold air, but it wasn’t enough to cool the embers of anger in her chest.

  Her fears were manifesting in front of her.

  “I’m not just an omega!” Her own voice echoed in her head, and she replayed that moment over again. Revisited their stunned expressions, Adra’s worry, Javi’s concern, Henry’s sharp stare, Emerson’s surprise, Nohen’s shock. Even Desi had looked taken aback by her outburst.

  Her throat grew tight and she marched faster.

  It was like her mother all over again.

  She just needed some air.

  The night air enveloped her and she breathed it deep, letting it fill her lungs near bursting before she exhaled. Trees framed the entire area, and moonlight guided her way until she stopped, resting with her back against a tree.

  She closed her eyes, keeping her ears perked for anyone who might sneak up, and she let out a breath. Even with her outburst and request for air, it was only a few moments later when she heard footsteps scrape across the pavement.

  “I wondered who you guys would send to see if I was okay.”

  “Who were you betting on?” Javi asked with a sad smile.

  She shrugged. “I didn’t have a bet.”

  “If you want me to leave, the answer is no, according to Henry. But I can pretend to give you some privacy by hanging out over here.” He leaned against a tree several feet away, one sneaker cocked against the trunk, arms crossed.

  Lyric crossed her arms with a huff, resting her arms on her knees with a huff. No matter how quiet Javi was, his presence was loudest of all.

  As delicious as he looked looming against the tree like a dark specter…

  “If you’re going to hang out here you might as well get over here. But I don’t want to talk. Just sit with me?” she asked and patted the grass next to her.

  “If you’re sure,” he said, a smile creeping along the edge of his lips.

  She nodded, and he sank to the ground elegantly despite his size.

  He leaned against the other side of the tree, and she eyed his palm resting against the ground before rolling her eyes at herself. Reaching a few inches over, she threaded their fingers together. Relief filled her, and she once again wondered if it was her pesky omega senses at work. Why did she feel so relaxed when Javi was around? Because he was an alpha? Or because he was Javi?

  “Ever since I was little, I was pretty much groomed to be the perfect omega,” she began, even though she’d said she didn’t want to talk. But the words spilled out of her, and she didn’t have the strength to stop them. Maybe she didn’t want to stop them. It was about time she came clean with someone, right?

  “My mom was a beta. She wanted to be an omega… like her sister. Wanted nothing more than to be waited on hand and foot. Loved the idea of not working, letting someone else take care of her. I think she was jealous of my aunt, of the life she was living as an omega with a proper pack, and once we found out I was an omega…” Lyric took a deep breath. “She pushed all her dreams on me, tried to prepare me to be the perfect little omega. But I hated all of it.

  “I’m old enough now to imagine that she was doing it out of love, or some weird motherly instinct. She wanted the best for me, and in her mind, the best was having a pack to take care of her.

  “But it just made me feel trapped. I hated learning about being an omega, hated the thought that I was expected to sit around and wait for an alpha to decide he wanted to whisk me away to a life of luxury, where I had no choice but to accept because I was lucky to be picked.”

  Javi sucked at his teeth and tightened his hand around hers.

  “Any time I brought up music or school, getting a job, or doing… anything, I was shot down and told that omegas didn’t need those kinds of things because that was the job of an alpha.” A bitter laugh tumbled from her lips to shatter the silence around them. “She once told me maybe I’d be lucky enough to find an alpha to write songs about me. It didn’t matter that I wanted to write my own damned songs.”

  A low whistle came from Javier. “Pajarita… damn. I’m so sorry.”

  She shrugged, though she didn’t know if he saw her or not. She was try
ing her best not to look at him, because she feared if she saw even an ounce of understanding in his eyes, the lump in her throat would crack and spill out of her eyes.

  “I never asked for this. And I’m tired of trying to meet expectations that were never fair in the first place.” Lyric’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I hate being an omega.”

  Javier’s fingers squeezed hers so tight she almost protested, but then he relaxed and brushed his thumb over the back of her hand.

  “Is it possible…” He paused. The nightlife around them chirped and buzzed to fill the silence.

  “No, don’t stop. What is it?” she prompted.

  “I was raised in a big family, well, bigger than most I suppose. I have an omega sister and she… my madré…” He sighed, struggling to put the words in the right order. “Is it possible that all those things you hate about being an omega were actually just things you hated about your mom’s version of being an omega?”

  The words landed like a physical blow, and she was struck silent.

  Javi mistook her silence for anger, and he kept speaking softly. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s different for every pack, but for the most part, the omega is the one that holds all the power. An alpha just wants to make his pack happy, and the omega is the heart of the pack. If you’re not happy, no one is. So, in my mind, you tell us to jump, we say how high.”

  Lyric’s heart raced. “But isn’t that… I mean, don’t you get a choice too?”

  “Of course. But it’s natural to want to make you happy. That’s what makes us happy. That’s how packs work.”

  “I guess I just struggle with accepting what is omega, and what is Lyric. Do you know what I mean?”

  His brow furrowed, and his hand tightened on hers before he spoke. “I know what you mean. Try not to take this the wrong way, but it’s all the same. I just know we want to keep you safe. And happy. But mostly safe, even if it pisses you off. Try to understand where Henry and the others are coming from.”

  “But what if what makes me happy is something you wouldn’t agree with?”

  “I can’t imagine not agreeing with anything that would make you happy.”

  Lyric frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. What if I was some fucking weirdo who only found joy in like... torturing tiny woodland creatures?”

  He chuckled at that. “The thing is, I wouldn’t be attracted to someone who wanted something like that, alpha instincts or not. I’m attracted to you, Lyric. An impossibly talented, successful musician who eats gummy bears for dessert and lives in her head too much. I just happen to be an alpha. The instincts don’t make us who we are. And neither do yours.”

  Lyric chuckled. “There’s never enough gummy bears.”

  “I’m sure the others didn’t mean to make you feel… less. But at the end of the day, you’re our omega.”

  The possessiveness of his tone didn’t make her skin itch like it usually would have. Instead, warmth prickled her chest. She rubbed her sternum as he continued speaking.

  “It’s not that we see you as that and nothing more. But it would be purely irresponsible and dangerous not to recognize the risks that come with being an omega. You’re still Lyric. You’re still a rising pop star who can command an entire venue and put hosts in their place when they deserve it, as well as hold a bus full of alphas at attention. And as for Henry… he’s your tour manager and your alpha, and he’s just trying to take care of you. Do you think you could let him? Let us?”

  The pad of his thumb continued swiping across her skin slowly, warmth skating over her skin along with sparks at every brush.

  “Okay. I’ll let you. But try to give me some credit. I’m not stupid.”

  Javier’s deep chuckle joined the chirps of the nightlife, and he lifted her hand and painted a kiss there with a brush of his lips. “I know. They’re guilty of seeing an alpha, in that moment, rushing toward someone they wanted to protect. You understand that, right?”

  Lyric sighed, melting at the touch of his kiss and the soft brush of air across the back of her hand with the breath of his explanation. “Yeah. I can understand that.”

  Leaning back against the tree, she looked up at the branches, and farther past that toward the night sky. “I feel silly for storming out.”

  “Don’t. You’re allowed to get upset with us. Thank you for talking it out with me.”

  Lyric rolled her head against the tree and traced the shadows of Javier’s features. “And thank you for being patient with me. This is all… new. And I won’t lie to you, it’s a little scary.”

  “I know. I’m glad you’re braving this new territory though. Don’t let us scare you off too easily.”

  A soft chuckle tickled her lips. “I don’t know, there are still two weeks left.”

  “I look forward to every second,” Javi admitted. “In fact… I know something that will make you feel better, if you’re up for it.”

  Lyric squinted at him. “And what’s that?”

  “Cooking,” Javier answered, as if it was obvious.

  The doubtful glance she sent him spoke wonders, but he chuckled and squeezed her hand. “Think about it. We’ll have fun.”

  “It’s… a date,” she said, cheeks heating at the idea.

  “Deal.”

  Words appeared on the tip of her tongue that felt so elementary compared to the swell of emotion filling her chest in that moment. But she let them out anyway. “I really like you. But I know I’m not there yet.”

  “That’s okay. We’ll get there,” he reassured her with a smile, one that molded his cheeks into laugh lines like clay and made her want to trace them.

  Lyric was pretty sure if there was marked with an X on a map with detailed instructions, she still wouldn’t know how to get there.

  But this, telling him how she felt, was a start.

  Henry tried not to interfere with the meet and greets, tried to give her the space she wanted to meet fans after shows uninterrupted. And he did... kind of.

  He stood close by, acting as her bodyguard. And it wasn’t that he didn’t trust the venue security guards… okay, fine. Yes. It was.

  Henry wouldn’t be comfortable trusting Lyric’s safety to anyone but himself and the other guys on the bus. He didn’t think that would ever change, which was why he was side-eyeing each and every handshake, and every item Lyric was handed over the barrier. It was why he carried a giant bag, throwing in her gifts one after the other to inspect later before bringing them onto the bus. Was it a little overzealous? Maybe.

  Was Lyric going to change his mind on the matter?

  Absolutely not.

  Especially not with the news consumed with the disappearance of omegas around the country. He’d be damned if Lyric would become one of the statistics, not on his watch.

  Once again, he surveyed the small crowd gathered around the barricade and frowned. Toward the back was a pair that had yet to squeeze their way through the crowd for an autograph. Two men, alphas, if the scent Henry caught was theirs. As Lyric giggled and signed another shirt, Henry stared at the two men out of the corner of his eye. They were wearing Lyric’s merch… but Henry did not like the way they stared at his omega. There was something darker in their eyes than simple admiration for a talented musician.

  But they didn’t make any moves. They didn’t threaten Lyric or say anything, which was probably the most suspicious. They weren’t holding any merch for her to sign, and Henry would be damned if Lyric was going to lay her hands on them to sign the shirts on their bodies.

  The two alphas mumbled something to each other before they glanced at Henry, and then shuffled uncomfortably.

  That was enough.

  “Lyric, last one,” he called, stepping forward and touching her elbow gently.

  Lyric frowned at him over her shoulder, but she must have sensed how serious he was. Her brows dipped, and she nodded once before scribbling a last signature and saying goodbye to the crowd.

  Henry placed a hand at the small of her back and
ushered her away from the small crowd.

  When he looked over his shoulder, the two alphas were gone.

  “Guys, we need to have a talk.” Henry’s deep voice echoed around the bus, interrupting their afternoon the following day. His voice came out more stern than he intended… but good. He needed their attention, and he needed them to take this seriously.

  Lyric paused, her hand halfway into the bag of gummy bears, and slowly withdrew it, an orange bear pinched between two fingers.

  “I thought we were talking,” she teased, but quickly swallowed her smile at Henry’s stern glance.

  “I know you guys haven’t been keeping up with the news, but there’s something that’s more concerning going on. It means I’m buckling down on the rules.”

  “What is it?” Adra asked, brow furrowed with concern.

  Leaning against the counter with his ankles crossed, Henry swiped his forefinger across his tablet before turning it to face them. He cranked up the volume of the news report he’d been following for the past couple of weeks.

  The somber tone of the reporter echoed around the bus.

  “…fifth report of a missing omega in the area. There are no leads at this time, but we are asking all citizens to be vigilant. Stay aware of your surroundings, especially omegas.”

  As he muted the volume, he spoke, even as their gazes stayed glued to the tablet. Worry filled the alphas’ eyes and a pinch of relief eased in his chest. Knowing he wasn’t the only one who worried for Lyric made him feel better.

  “There have been similar reports all over the country. Maybe not in this great of number… but it’s still concerning. I know we make jokes about the buddy system, but it’s time to get serious. Don’t go anywhere without someone by your side.”

  Lyric dropped her gummy bear back into the bag.

  Henry sighed. “I know it’s a touchy subject for you, Lyric, but—”

  “No, it’s okay. I understand. I promise I’ll take someone with me if I need to go somewhere. I’m still an omega, and that’s who they’re hunting.” She smiled grimly. “I like to get under your skin, Henry, but I’m not stupid. I’ll be good.”