Broken Dreams (Unhingedverse)
Broken Dreams: Chapter 14

CHRISTIAN

“Fuck!” I scream, throwing a glass half filled with amber liquid at the wall. It isn’t at all satisfying to watch it explode, and I blow out a breath in frustration.

Three days. That’s how long it took for this asshole to pick up the phone. I know someone came into the room when he muted me, but the rest is a mystery. I also know Makayla and Linus are with them, and they did the closest thing to rejecting me that they could without saying the words.

Rejection. Fuck. I didn’t think they’d do that. My mind was so consumed with replaceing them that I didn’t think much further than that. I didn’t think about if my actions would have hurt them outside of abstractly wondering if they would.

Maybe I am the asshole here.

My eyes glance back at my laptop open in front of me, lips pursed. I was trying to track the call, but the signal jumped around a lot. A professional is protecting their location, and I can feel my lips lift in a snarl in irritation. Fuck, it even jumped to Tokyo! There’s no way they’re there.

Right before the man hung up, the signal stopped in a large area of Minnesota. It’s a place to start, even though it’s covering a lot of miles. I have a place to go at least.

I’ve already called my contacts for work and told them I’m on hiatus. They weren’t happy, but I reminded them I’m an independent contractor. They don’t own me or my time.

Standing, I turn to face the window of my condo in Chicago. I don’t live full time in any one place because of how much I travel, but it got old quickly to sleep on uncomfortable mattresses in hotel rooms. Instead, I bought a few condos in the areas I travel to for work most often.

They’re excellent investments, and it means I sleep like a baby every night.

I feel a rush of guilt because I’ve never once thought about how Makayla or Linus sleep. I knew the conditions weren’t great, and the stingy way Bret set up the bedroom for heats spoke volumes. I’m a selfish prick.

They deserve so much better. Unfortunately for me, it sounds as if they’re getting it. I just can’t let go of them. Growling under my breath, I head to the bedroom to pack a bag.

I want to be better for you. Both of my omegas. I want the opportunity to state my case in front of them, throw myself on my sword, and then beg them to give me a chance. Maybe they can show me mercy, and I can learn the right way to love them.

QUINN

Glaring at my hair at breakfast, I look for the cutting shears. The very sight of the blonde shit on my head is pissing me off. It itches on my skin, and I may just shave my head.

Everything my hair stands for is what I hate about it. The length is a construct of Bret’s control. The color, though natural, is what the men at the club wanted. Blondes have more fun, right? Yeah, no.

“I am a little scared right now,” Duncan says, moving the shears farther away from me. “It looks like it’s finally time to change your hair, so why don’t you replace me some photos online, and then we’ll decide if we need a professional or not.”

Instead of relaxing, my face scrunches up even more. They’ve given me more than enough, I don’t want them spending money on me. I’ll just wait until I’m working. They’re taking me to an interview at a club that has cage dancing. The owner said they needed two more dancers, and wanted to meet us.

“Quinn,” Linus says, shaking his head to lean forward and kiss my twisted up lips. “Do it. It’s been pissing you off for ages, and if you don’t, you’re going to end up looking like Brittany Spears during her trauma era.”

A giggle releases from my lips, surprising me. Duncan and Callum’s jaws drop before their features transform into feral hunger. Laughter is harder to replace, and most of it is silent as well.

Linus and I did a deep dive on celebrity meltdowns that I’ve missed, music we may not have heard while working at the club, allowing us to catch up on things. There’s been so much that’s happened in the world in the last twenty years, Linus and I decided we’d pick a genre of history and devour everything that we could about it.

Even if it’s trashy history.

“The man has a point,” Callum growls, making the hair on my body stand up. He’s so sexy. From the ink on his skin to the well kept scruff on his face, and God, the perfect abs that make me want to lick them…

Focus, I think as the men surrounding me at the table groan. The entire kitchen smells like candied flowers, and it’s all my fault. Ugh. This is embarrassing.

Pressing my thighs together, I decide that when we go buy new bras, I’ll also look into scent dampening and slick wicking panties. Good Lord.

Looking for an escape, I pull the laptop on the island toward me. It’s not the one I typically use, and I glance at Callum for permission first. He rolls his eyes in response, so I continue on with my internet search.

I scroll through for pretty, curly shoulder length hair. When I replace the right inspiration photo, I begin to search for bright pink shades to highlight my hair with. If I’m going to make a change, I may as well go all the way. I don’t want Bret to ever want me again.

I also don’t want to be recognized, either. If I’m going to be dancing, I want to have a modicum of protection.

Oh! My lips purse as I see a photo of a girl with bright fuschia pink streaked throughout her blonde hair. Yeah, I really like this one.

Here comes the moment of truth! Turning the computer toward Linus and the alphas, I point out the length I want and then the colors. They’re silent for so long, I worry about their thoughts.

“I am definitely not equipped to play with hair dye,” Callum finally says with a smirk.

“That’s fucking hot,” Duncan says with wide eyes. “Yes, you should do it if that’s what you want.”

Sneaking a glance at Linus, he just grins and looks back at me.

“You could wear a bag on your head, and you’d be the most beautiful woman in the world,” he says. “I think shorter hair would look great, especially with the color. You’ve always been this bold on the inside, baby. May as well let it show on the outside too.”

These men make me feel special, but Linus always has a way of showing me that I actually am.

“If you’re done eating, go get changed. We have a busy day,” Duncan says, leaning forward. “I’m going to replace a salon in Minneapolis that can do this to your hair. There’s errands to run and an interview to go to.”

Don’t interviews mean… talking? Anxiety threatens to claw at me as I self consciously touch my throat.

“She knows,” Callum says gently. “Cerenity will accommodate it.”

I’m not sure what that means, but I nod and slide off the chair to walk up to Linus and my room. It was only yesterday that I learned Alpha Sanchez was searching for us and we rejected him. It feels like so much longer than that.

Callum and Duncan also didn’t leave our bed at the butt crack of dawn this morning, but held us until we woke up. They explained how we’ve been having nightmares, and every night they’d come running. Linus asked why they didn’t just cut out the middle part and stay with us every night.

I know they’re giving us the space to acclimate, but I replace myself wanting to be close at all times. I’m sure that’s partly the scent match wanting to throw us together, yet it’s more than that.

“Ever feel as if they’re giving us too much space?” Linus asks as we walk up to the nest. At my eye roll, he chuckles under his breath. “Yeah, me too. How about we put a stop to that.”

My arms wrap around him as I nod, his body barely moving as I lean into him. He may be thin, but there’s so much strength in his body. We danced together while Duncan was making breakfast, and Callum pushed the furniture out of the way for us so we could.

It managed to work, but my core strength feels ignored. Would it be odd to ask for a pole? I used to enjoy seeing how far I could push my body while dancing around the pole. It’s been my exercise for so many years, it’s difficult to imagine my life without it.

“What’s up?” Linus asks, looking for a shirt in the closet in our room.

I can tell him anything, so I grab the pad and pen and fight to explain it.

I miss the pole. I can’t feel a decent burn while dancing otherwise.

Linus’ eyes move across the page and he nods.

“Callum!” he calls out as the alpha walks past. It’s too late to grab him as he puts on the shirt, though he’s only wearing boxers still.

“Yeah?” the alpha asks, peeking his head in. My cheeks burn as I toss the pad to the side, biting my lip.

“Quinn has a very specific set of muscles she’s worried are going to atrophy without the proper care,” Linus begins.

Oh my God. I can’t imagine what Callum is going to think, pressing my overheated cheeks with my hands. Please don’t think he’s talking about my cunt. Please.

“I think I’m going to need a bit more context,” the alpha says, as I slowly die from embarrassment. His gaze moves down Linus’ body, while my best friend remains oblivious.

He’s having too much fun, and he doesn’t notice men’s attention now that we’re outside of the club unless it’s blatant.

“She needs to dance on a pole,” Linus says, smirking. “Maybe not where anyone but us can see her, but it works muscles nothing else really does.”

“Looks like we’re installing a pole in the house. I’ll add it to the list!” Callum says, winking at me before slipping back into the hallway to continue on to wherever he was headed.

Linus walks over and tackles me, picking me up to swing me around while I squeal wordlessly. Gasping as he puts me down, I kiss him before I pull on a sage green crop top that grazes the bottom of my ribs and a high waisted white pair of pants with a floral pattern.

Brown sandals complete the outfit, and then I begin to brush out my hair before arranging it into two braids and making space buns with them. Leaving my face bare feels amazing after so many nights of slathering makeup on.

Turning to Linus who is wearing a pair of linen pants that look comfortable and an open blue button down over an undershirt. Holding out his hand, I take it, ready to start the day.

Watch out, Minneapolis, here we come.

Bret kept our whereabouts a secret from us as we traveled, so I never really knew where we were unless someone mentioned it. City to city, I’m sure I’ve been to so many places in the United States and even Canada and Mexico. The accents changed over time, but there were days I’d disconnect to get through it.

A sleek black SUV surprises me as we walk outside with Callum and Duncan, very different from their truck.

“I wanted there to be room for everyone,” Duncan mentions as he opens the back door for us to slide inside. He says it as if it’s not a big deal, but no one has cared about my comfort in a long damn time.

The drive to Minneapolis is spent listening to music as I look outside the window, wondering how much things have changed since I was a kid. My parents live about thirty minutes away from this house, but I haven’t allowed myself to think much about them.

It’s too hard, the memories filled with ugliness and regret. I wish I hadn’t been such a people pleaser back then, and that I’d refused to be a pawn.

A notepad is tucked into the pocket of the seat in front of me with a pen, and my lips press together to hide a smile. They show so much care for me, my ability to be able to communicate. I’m in awe of them. I haven’t been given that in a long time.

The mingling scents in the SUV help me relax despite the busy day, and helps my soul settle. These men are mine, just like Linus is mine. Our fingers link across the seats as we ride into the city, a solid link of where our pasts have been, and the knowledge that we’ll always be together.

“Shopping first, then Club Serenity,” Callum says. “There’s a dance shop that has the pole I’ll need in the city as well. It actually may be a good idea to make the sunroom into a dance room. We never use it, the light is fantastic, and it has really good acoustics. Grandma Diedre loved to have her coffee there.”

“Won’t she be upset if she comes over one day and sees it?” Linus asks, reading my mind.

“Nah,” Duncan says, shaking his head. “Our grandmother has been hoping and praying for the day we completed our pack. She’ll be tickled at the sight of the pole.”

“She’s always been a really cool grandma,” Callum adds.

From what I remember, they’re right. She did whatever she wanted, society be damned.

I wish for that kind of energy. I’ll no longer worry about what people think, nor make anyone happy but myself and my pack to be.

Fuck the people pleasing.