Chapter 112

#Chapter 112 – New Years Day When Victor pushes my back door open the next day, he’s greeted with a lazy sight. I’m curled up with the boys on my small sofa. The three of us are a little cuddle puddle of sleepy happiness.

“Oh good,” I say, looking up at him and then staring deliberately at the bag of chocolate-covered pretzels on the counter. “Can you bring those over to us? We’re all out.” I pick up the empty bag that we put on the floor next to us and shake it, the sound of the empty crumbs bouncing inside of it demonstrating our lack.

Victor laughs and grabs the bag off of the counter in the kitchen. “What, is this all the greeting I get? Is this all I’m good for to you people?”

“Nooo, Papa,” Alvin says, lifting his head up from its position on my hip. “We love you. And also, can you bring more chocolate milk?” He puts his head back down and Victor laughs, stopping by the fridge to grab a carton of that as well.

Victor comes into the living room and deposits the snacks on the coffee table, looking down at us.

“What a sight you lot are.”

I ignore him, snatching the pretzels and the chocolate milk from his hands and then sighing. “No, this is all wrong Victor,” I say, pouting and looking up at him. “That’s too much sweet stuff. We need something salty to balance it out.”

“Yeah dad,” Ian murmurs, his eyes fixed on the comic book he’s reading, curled up by my head. “We need some popcorn.”

Victor laughs and sits on the floor next to the couch, reaching into the bag of pretzels. “Get it yourself, boy,” he says, taking a bite. “I’m not your butler.”

“I would never hire you as my butler,” Ian says, turning up his nose and glaring at his father. “Burton would never betray me like you did last night.”

Victor stops almost mid-chew, looking at his son. “Wha-“

Ian’s glare intensifies, his mouth turning into a deep frown. Alvin lifts his head to glare at Victor as well, his face identical to his brother’s.

“Wait,” Victor says, laughing, and putting up his hands. “What did I do?!”

“You abandoned them,” I say, casually taking a sip from my cup of tea and lifting a magazine off the floor to read next. “I told them it was all your fault they couldn’t come to the party, that you told me with absolutely certainty that you decided they couldn’t be there, and that I fought for them but,” I shrug, unable to help the little smirk that crawls onto my face. “That you wouldn’t budge.”

My eyes slide to Victor, savoring the shock on his face.

“What!” He says, dropping his pretzel. “No way, we agreed!”

Alvin slowly shakes his head. “Mommy said you would say that too.”

“Betrayal,” Ian hisses, his eyes narrow slits now.

Victor laughs at the position I’ve put him in, putting a hand to his head.

My smile is broad now – I can’t help it. “I told them that in recompense that you would be their slave all day long today. That they’re the Alphas of the house now, and you’re their lowly Omega, theirs to command.”

“Yeah!” Alvin says, giving Victor a wicked smile. “And you have to do it, or we won’t love you anymore!”

Evelyn nods slowly in confirmation.

“Yeah.” Ian says, an impish grin growing on his face as well. “So go get us some popcorn, Omega.”

Victor laughs, getting to his feet, and I’m pleased to see that he’s playing along. “Yes, masters,” he says, giving them a deep bow and heading into the kitchen to grab a bag of popcorn.

“Can you get me a bottle of water, while you’re in there, Omega?” I call, flipping through my magazine.

“I’m not your slave-for-a-day, Evelyn,” he calls back, shooting me a false glare.

I sigh. “Alvin?”

He nods at me and then calls into the kitchen. “Omega? I demand one bottle of water.”

Victor laughs, acquiescing, and returns to his seat on the floor with the water and popcorn in hand.

“Anything for you, my little Alpha pups.”

As the boys happily much on their snacks, Alvin resting with his eyes closed and Ian reading his book.

Victor smiles at them for a moment, and then brushes my hand with his finger. “And how are you, Evelyn?”

“I’m good,” I say, smiling and pretending I don’t notice his finger gently tracing over my knuckles. “I could have used more sleep, but I wanted to make sure that everything wrapped up.”

Guests went home around one thirty, but I was up until around three ensuring that the vendors packed up everything safely, passing out tips, making sure perishable leftovers were stored in the spare freezers Victor keeps in his basement (which, of course, I didn’t know he had).

Victor stayed up along with me, of course, but he had his own business to attend to, with Rafe and his father.

“Was anything…decided? Last night?” I asked, speaking in code to keep the details out of my boys’

hands as much as possible, though I know they listen to everything and understand far more than they let on.

“It came down in our favor,” Victor replies, smiling up at me. “Thank you, Evelyn. I know it was a challenge, but you really rose to it, even though the odds were against you.”

“Good,” I say, closing my eyes and putting my head down with a smile. “I’m glad I could help you, Victor.”

“How did it make you feel, though?” he asks, and I find myself surprised by the question. “Beyond helping me, did you enjoy throwing the party?”

I consider this quietly for a moment. Honestly, I hadn’t thought about it until now. “There are things I could do without,” I say softly. “I can’t say that I like having to be nice to people who I do not respect, just because they are guests in your home.”

He laughs lightly here – not at me, but I think in agreement with my sentiment.

“I understand, of course,” I say, “that if you’ve invited someone to your home you should do everything you can to make them feel welcome there. But ugh,” I say, covering my eyes with my hands, “it’s a shame that being an Alpha in this community means you have to invite some truly despicable people to your home.”

“I know what you mean,” he murmurs. “I wish it was different, but this is the world in which we live.”

“I have to admit, though,” I say, letting my hands fall from my face and thinking aloud. “I rather enjoyed being…their equal for the first time in a long time. For so long, having been Rogue, having been the disgraced daughter of John Walsh, and, well…” I flit my eyes to him, “everything else that my reputation entails.”

He nods, understanding.

“It was nice to force them to look me in the face and smile politely at me, tell me how nice my party was, to offer them a glass of wine and give them my opinion on whatever subject they were discussing.

They had to listen to me, because I was, again, one of them.” I laugh a little, ruminating. “I suppose I liked the power of it, just a little bit.”

Victor chuckles along with me for a moment. “You were the most powerful person in the room, Evelyn,”

he says softly. “You certainly had me wrapped around your finger.”

I blush a little, but before we can go any further, a knock sounds at the door. Archie runs over to it, barking happily.

“Come in!” I call, knitting my brows in confusion. Who is coming by on New Year’s Day? It must be someone we know, or else the Betas guarding the house never would have let them by.

I hear the knob turn and slowly the door pushes open. I feel my stomach drop as I see who is standing there.

“Edgar,” I gasp.