Broken Dreams (Unhingedverse)
Broken Dreams: Chapter 1

June 13th

CALLUM

It’s a bittersweet day. There are many regrets that I have, things I wish I had done differently in the past. It’s also the day my other best friend was born, someone who’s become very important to my brother and I.

Today is the day we lost Quinn, twenty years ago. My heart cramps so hard, I’d worry it was a heart attack if it didn’t happen so often. Every time I think about my childhood best friend, I’m reminded of how she was stolen from us. I don’t even know who was responsible for her kidnapping, because it shouldn’t have happened.

Not if her bodyguards were paying attention.

The more I think about it over the past twenty years, the more I think it was an inside job. There isn’t a soul alive who can convince me otherwise. How did so many people not see her being kidnapped, yanked from our lives without a second thought?

Gazing at the photo in my office, I see my pretty girl with a straight smile, long, wavy blonde hair, and the beginnings of curves at fourteen years old. Duncan and I lazily have our arms thrown over her, smirking at the camera. God, I wish we’d told her how we felt about her then.

It wasn’t that we didn’t love her, it simply felt wrong when we were seventeen and eighteen years old. Her father continually reminded us to let her be a kid, to hold back our alpha instincts until she at least presented. He didn’t want us to push her to become romantically involved, and it made sense back then.

While we agreed at the time, I regret it now. Duncan and I can feel it in our bones that she was meant to be ours.

Now, here I am with years between us, and Quinn is lost in the wind amongst the ashes of regret and grief.

“Hey,” my brother says, leaning on the door jamb as he watches me. I don’t think he’s been there long, I would have noticed. “We have to go see Adira and the guys. It’s her birthday, remember?”

There’s no way I’d ever forget her birthday, not when it’s tattooed on my skin in Roman numerals. I don’t know how she’s never noticed. The tattoo of a crown, the name “Quinn”, and the date of her disappearance takes up a large portion of my upper arm. There are other tattoos that grace my skin, but Quinn’s is one of the first ones Adira noticed when we bought her at an auction.

The reasons are lengthy for why we insisted on paying an exorbitant amount for her, but we immediately felt responsible for Adira. Our friendship transcends both reason and time. It’s important for us to go celebrate the first birthday anyone’s given a shit about in a long time.

She reflects our broken pieces, and simply fits in with Duncan and I. Unfortunately, she’s not our scent match, happily packed up with assholes that kneel and bend only for her. Pack Dresmond isn’t a normal pack, which somehow fits our best friend, Adira, perfectly.

There are so many little things that Duncan and I can’t ignore when it comes to the little omega. She’s to be protected at all costs, her happiness as important as if she were ours. Sometimes, people come into our lives and we immediately know they’re our soulmate, just not one we want to fuck.

That’s who Adira is for my brother and I.

“Yeah,” I say finally. “Got lost in my memories for a while is all. Knowing Quinn is definitely out there is fucking with my head a bit.”

Duncan sighs as he nods. Adira managed to get information about her from a very bad man who tried to use Quinn against us. It didn’t quite go the way he thought it would. Threats rarely seem to.

“I get it,” he mutters. “We have a direction to run in now. We’ll replace her. We may need to do some shady shit, but I’m not too worried.”

“You mean pretend we’re interested in replaceing a sex club where anything goes?” I ask, rolling my eyes as I stand and stretch. “It’s almost cliche enough to work.”

“It worked when we bought Adira,” he reminds me, smirking. “We’re two alphas without an omega who are known to be fuck boys.”

“I haven’t fucked anything but my hand in way too long,” I groan.

“That’s because Adira is the one people thought we were fucking,” Duncan chuckles. “Let’s go. I want to see her face when she sees her present.”

That gets my ass moving because I want the same. We helped her guys with her nest, because we know her the best. It really was a pleasure to do as well. Adira’s new house needed a recording booth, and we were happy to help.

She’s an omega of many talents, her voice a reminder of strength for those who care to listen.

The drive to Adira’s new house helps me pull myself together. We still live further away than I’d like, though it’s closer to the university and the city. Adira and her pack are creating the house of their dreams, one that can also be defended well if needed.

Driving through the front gate and up the drive to the house makes me smile. This is the perfect place for her to grow with her pack. None of them are sane, nor seem interested in toning down their crazy. Adira is so indulgent, I think she likes Kane’s voices and Damon’s demons. Even Jed isn’t any less domineering, he is merely more inclined to listen when Adira speaks now.

It’s all about balance, and she holds their leashes. As long as she’s happy, then I’m happy for her.

Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I walk up to the front door with Duncan.

“Kane says the front door should be open, and to head up to the attic,” he murmurs.

“For such protective assholes, they share her with us well,” I say, following him inside.

“They don’t really have a choice,” my brother reminds me, closing the door behind himself and locking it.

Now that we’re here, the possible security breach isn’t needed.

Pulling my hands from my pockets, I jog up the stairs silently with Duncan on my heels. Now that I’m here, I’m excited to see Adira. I’m very adept at compartmentalizing my emotions, as is my brother.

Living in sadness isn’t the best use of our energy, though there’s a tendril of hope now that I know she could be alive. I’ll hold onto that for now.

There are voices up in Adira’s nest, pulling a smile from me. She sounds excited as she looks around. Peeking in, I notice the exact moment her jaw drops as she sees the closet booth Duncan and I built her.

“That’s a combined project,” I tell her, grinning as she glances between myself and the closet. There’s a wide eyed wonder in her gaze, one I enjoy putting there.

She’s not used to people wanting to take care of her. The booth is therapy as much as it is a way for her to communicate with others. Her podcast is important. Adira shouldn’t have to be limited in when she’s able to record.

“It’s an audio recording booth!” she squeals. “Oh my God.”

“We talked about it,” Morris reminds her with a chuckle. “However, I don’t know the first thing about it, and the Kelly brothers are the experts.”

“We didn’t touch a thing outside of that corner, Short Stuff,” Duncan says beside me on the stairs. An omega’s nest is sacred, and we don’t want to fuck up the scents inside. We made sure to air out the room once we finished building the audio booth.

“It’s perfect,” she breathes. Adira sounds as if she’s going to cry, her voice clogged with unshed tears.

I have a feeling there’s something going on, because her emotions feel larger than what I’d expect, since it’s her birthday and we’re spoiling her with gifts. Glancing at Duncan, he inclines his head at me as if confirming my suspicions. I wonder what Adira isn’t saying.

“Let’s go eat and have cake, beautiful,” Jed says as he pulls her to him for a hug. “We have so many things to celebrate.”

As I take a step back down a stair to begin my descent, I notice the way she rubs her stomach. Eyes narrowing, I turn away to be able to concentrate. Even then, I fucking trip on the last step.

“What’s your deal?” Duncan hisses. “What did you see?”

Being the baby brother by eleven months means I can’t keep a secret from him. He knows all of my tells, and if you asked him, he’d say that I’m acting twitchy, even though my face isn’t betraying a single thought.

“Something is up with Adira,” I mutter. “She has a very limited window to tell us before I blow her secret, if it is one.”

“She’s all over the place,” he agrees. Glancing over his shoulder as Pack Dresmond and Adira follow us down, he sighs. “Give her a chance to tell us why she’s off today.”

Nodding, I walk to the beautiful, open kitchen with a large island where we’ll cut the cake. Duncan opens the fridge and pulls out the cake, already comfortable with where everything is. Anything to get things moving so we can replace out what Adira is keeping from us.

Neither of us are very comfortable with secrets, even small ones when it comes to her.

Adira is biting her lip as she comes into the kitchen, a clear sign of anxiety.

“Hey you,” I say easily, reaching over to grab her around the waist and pull her toward me.

Jed rolls his eyes but doesn’t say a word, used to my antics. Adira Firestone is part of me, and they know that.

My lips are pressed against the shell of her ear as I whisper, “What secrets are you keeping from us?”

Flinching in surprise, she looks at me. “I’m trying to figure out how to tell everyone,” she says, her lips barely moving.

Ha, I fucking knew it. Now that I know my instincts are right, I’ll manage to keep quiet for a little longer.

“I’m not a patient man,” I remind her.

“What’s going on?” Jed asks, brow raised. “You feel weird.’

Since they’re all packed up, it’ll be harder to keep strong emotions from them. I’m surprised she’s been able to keep it under wraps this long.

“Fuck,” Adira mutters as the cake is placed in front of her and Damon puts a single candle in it, unlit. “Before we light this, I need to tell you all something.”

“Secrets, Little Rabbit?” Kane asks interestedly, leaning against the island.

“So much big alpha dick energy,” she sighs, shaking her head.

Smirking, Morris walks over to steal her away from me, his hand cupping the back of her head.

“They’re just picking up on your nervous energy,” he says, dropping a kiss gently on her lips. “You know how they all are. Rip the bandage off, baby girl.”

I’m glad Morris got his shit together for her. While he fucked up, wallowing in his guilt was selfish. Adira needs him to help her tone down our “alpha bullshit.”

I may really combust though if she doesn’t tell us what’s going on. Is she sick? Did something bad happen? Is it a good thing?

I fucking need to know.

Duncan cuffs me over the back of the head to settle the fuck down, and Adira chuckles lightly as she turns to face us.

“I just found out this morning, and I’ve been trying to wrap my head around it,” she explains. “I also haven’t really stopped moving long enough to tell anyone.”

“What is it?” Jed insists, his dark gaze stormy as he lasers in on her.

Every eye is on her, but I can’t bring myself to diffuse the intense energy in the room. Tell us.

“I took a test this morning,” Adira says, her arms wrapped protectively around her waist.

Damon is gazing at her arms, swallowing hard as he waits for her to get to her verbal destination. As much as we want to rush her, I know we can’t. I hate waiting.

“Bandage off,” Duncan grunts as if reminding her.

Hypocrite. I’m deeply amused at how impatient he is, given how he reprimanded me just a moment ago.

“I know this is really soon, and we haven’t really talked about this,” she whispers, taking a shuddering breath as tears slowly begin to leak out of her eyes.

Adira looks tragically beautiful in the brightly sunlit room… almost as if she’s glowing.

Oh. Ohhh. Fuck me sideways.

“Little One, breathe,” Jed rasps. Her alphas begin to purr, desperately wanting to ease her anxiety.

“We can always murder whoever it is that’s hurting you,” Damon murmurs, trying to understand why she’s so upset.

If Damon hasn’t been able to pick up on what’s going on with how tightly she’s shielding and neither has Jed, then it’s because Adira is worried about their reaction.

“You’re going to have to get used to sharing me with someone else,” she says slowly. “This person is going to be very tiny, need all of my attention, and will make my appetite very odd.”

“Adira,” Damon and Jed whisper at the same time.

“I’m pregnant,” she says, confirming my suspicions.

Kane’s jaw drops, his dark eyes glittering like black diamonds.

“A baby,” he whispers before his eyes grow wide. “Fuck, a baby. What if I break it? I’ve never been around babies.”

Adira’s lips twitch as she watches him, not expecting that reaction.

“You won’t break it,” Jed says, amused. “We’ll get you a baby doll to practice with.”

As far as I know, Jed pretty much raised his brothers, so he’ll be the most comfortable with the idea of babies and kids. It’s fun to see them wrap their brains around this.

“Holy fuck, a baby!” Morris yells, picking Adira up and squeezing her tightly. Half crying, half laughing, she hugs him back.

Taking a deep breath, I watch her get everything she ever could have dreamed of. The best part is that she’s nowhere near done being surprised by life. I fucking love being a part of it all.

DUNCAN

“Seriously though, a baby is growing inside of you?” Kane asks, eyes so wide it would be comical if it was anyone but this insane bastard.

Adira extricates herself from Morris, moving over to Kane with her arms raised. Kane immediately picks her up, and she wraps her arms and legs around him like a koala.

“Hey,” she whispers, her forehead leaning against him. “Kind of crazy, huh?”

“Yeah,” he breathes, holding her. Somehow, she’s the calm in this crazy storm, and they’re all going to need her. It also means that as soon as they fully wrap their minds around it, she may have trouble going out or doing anything.

They’ll be really protective. Damn, I know I will be.

“What if the baby is like me?” Kane says suddenly. “The voices aren’t very nice. It fucking sucked to have people tell me what to do in my head as a kid.”

Jed gazes sadly at his brother, and I start to realize how bad things must have been as children for all of them.

“Then it just means this baby is going to be extra loved,” Adira murmurs, breathing when he does. The moment is so heavy, it’s difficult not to look away as I watch them together. Working through the possibility of your kid having a mental illness isn’t easy. “Our baby will be so loved. I just didn’t know if you’d be happy about it or not…”

“Oh. Little Rabbit, this baby is a piece of you and us, and fuck yeah I’m happy,” Kane says with so much enthusiasm I chuff out a chuckle. “I’m just also going to freak out a little.”

“I’m freaked out and happy,” Damon admits. “We haven’t used any real protection against pregnancy, simply because we haven’t thought about it. I think we’ve just been excited to be able to have sex with you. The doghouse was lonely.”

Callum snorts, while I knock against his shoulder with mine. They have had some challenges, but what did they expect when they shot her and then sold her? Fucking idiots.

“I never thought we’d have kids,” Morris murmurs. “This is a really good surprise, baby.”

Adira gives them all the most heartbreakingly beautiful smile, and my heart clenches. I’m so damn happy for her.

“Congratulations, Short Stuff,” I say, grinning. “Does this mean you’re all going to become cavemen who won’t let her do anything?”

“Ah fuck,” Jed groans. “Adira…”

“Absolutely not,” she barks, doing a damn good impression of an alpha. She’s adorable. “Being pregnant doesn’t mean I can’t go to school or help Cian with some of the reform things we’re discussing. I haven’t suddenly become incapable just because I’m growing a tiny person inside of me!”

“Of course not,” I murmur, trying to help.

Why is her pack glaring at me? Jesus.

“You may be a little more tired while you’re growing our tiny person,” Morris hedges. “My sister said that she was exhausted for the first trimester.”

“If we could limit the amount of dangerous shit we get into, that may help my blood pressure,” Jed asks, sighing.

“You’re not an old man,” Callum says, rolling his eyes. “Adira is going to want to continue to do her normal activities. I may just want her to carry more weapons with her while she does it.”

“Callum,” Damon groans. “Trouble follows our omega somehow.”

“It’s what I love about her and what gives me heartburn,” my brother says with a shrug. “You just got to a good place with Adira, don’t fuck it up.”

“I’m right here!” she yells, making me smirk.

“We know,” Kane says, kissing her since he’s still holding her.

“I can’t properly fight with you when you do that,” she complains.

“Well let’s not fight,” I suggest. “Come here so Callum and I can hug you and then you can blow out your candle.”

Damon curls his lip at me while I pretend to wear a halo that I definitely am not. It’s fun to fuck with them.

Sliding down Kane’s body, Adira walks around the island toward us.

“I have ground rules,” she announces.

Get ‘em, Short Stuff.

“I’m really not going to like these, am I?” Jed grumbles, dropping his head in his hands.

Morris rubs his back while winking at Adira, his long locs braided away from his face today. It gives him a regal appearance. It’s been interesting watching them all acclimate to being mated, as well as leaning into their newfound freedom now that Rock is dead.

They’re still the same hard-headed group who often need to be reminded that Adira Firestone is in charge here.

“I very much doubt it,” Morris murmurs, though he smirks.

“Tell us your demands, my queen,” Kane says indulgently, but completely meaning it. He and his voices have a soft spot for Adira, even if he is nervous about a little human joining their pack.

“I’m still going to school,” she begins, her arms crossing over her chest. Jed opens his mouth and she shakes her head. “I’m not done yet! I still have a seat at the senior mafia families table, and I want to help Callum and Duncan replace Quinn.”

Oh shit. I should have expected that, and now I have the Dresmond pack glaring at Callum and I.

“Adira,” I rasp, surprised she’d insist. Well, that’s stupid, because she’s our person and has become quite the tiny badass.

“Don’t grow a patriarchal backbone now,” she snarls at me, making me wince.

“You deserved that big brother,” Callum says snickering. “If you want to help, I’m down, but there are places you’re not going to be able to come. It won’t be because you’re a girl, either. It’ll be because you’re an omega and the sex club Quinn may be at will want to keep you if you go in there. I think we can all agree that we’d prefer that not happen.”

Adira’s shoulders drop from where they were quickly rising toward her ears.

“Yes,” she mutters. “I can accept that. I don’t know her, but I want to replace her. She could be wildly different from when you knew her as well. Either way, she shouldn’t have to live in whatever hellhole she may be in.”

“Also true,” I agree. “We’ll have to make sure there’s rules for that too. Being pregnant doesn’t mean you’re breakable, but you should be more careful, Short Stuff.”

I can practically hear the sigh of relief in the room. Callum and I can say things to Adira differently than they can. Coming from them, it comes off as if they’re being backward cavemen.

“Fine,” she sighs. “Let’s blow out this candle then.”

As Kane lights the candle with the lighter he always keeps with him, Callum begins to sing the ‘happy birthday’ song. Grinning, I join in as the others do. Adira stands there, gobsmacked, surrounded by people who love her.

Leaning forward, she blows out the candle, shaking, not a tear in sight this time. Emotions come harder for her, but we can all tell what a big deal this is.

Imagine not having a birthday celebrated for years, or not having people to spend it with? Her pack surrounds her as they hug her tightly, and Callum watches with me.

“It’s like watching a science experiment sometimes,” he whispers, making me shake my head at him. “Other times, it makes me glad we didn’t let Rock kill them all. They just needed the right motivation to figure their shit out.”

“Poor bastards will never stop worshiping at her feet, and that’s exactly how it should be,” I tell him. Raising my voice, I say, “Let’s cut this cake. Watching you all is making me crave sugar.”

Adira grins as she extricates herself from her pack, coming over to hug Callum and I.

“Thanks for being here, guys,” she says quietly.

“You doing okay?” I ask, pulling away to watch her carefully.

“Big emotions are always hard for me, but yes,” she says, nodding. “It’s hard to believe I’m standing here.”

Alive. Jed growls under his breath at the sentiment, but the unspoken word is no less true. We almost lost her a half a dozen times. I’m all for her helping us if she wants to, but Adira and her baby need to stay safe as well.

I won’t put my happiness above hers. Not ever.