Parfait

Chapter Thirty-Eight

It was not Hana's first time at this conference table, Manager Jo seated next to her and suits lined up on the other side. She had a different alpha attending today, though. As head of the pack, Namjoon was responsible for the signatures that would make her an official member in all ways that legally mattered. To soothe her nerves, the alphas had all made sure that she left the house freshly covered in their scents. It was a reassurance that no matter what happened with the contracts, she already belonged to them, and with them.

And she was indeed nervous about the contracts. She had turned in the amendments to Manager Jo after her doctor's appointment, but she had not seen the final version yet. Jo Ahnjong said that she had not, either. The PR department was likely hoping to pressure Hana into signing whatever they were offering by surprising her with it in front of the lawyers. Namjoon had promised that neither of them would sign anything that included the conditions the pack had already rejected. Time was short, with their travels approaching, but everyone had agreed that it was better to risk leaving Hana behind for now than to cripple their future beyond that.

The room was quiet besides the shuffling of papers while everyone reviewed the details. Namjoon barely quelled a startled noise when he read his copy. "You really left us very little room, didn't you?" one of the PR reps said almost snidely as Hana turned back to the front of the contract.

"I didn't see any reason to. We have similar goals," Hana said back with a calm that surprised even her. "I don't want to do anything to jeopardize my alphas' careers or reputations, and I prefer my own privacy, too. I'll cooperate with you as much as possible, but not by restricting my pack's freedom."

"The band feels the same way," Namjoon agreed, jumping aboard despite his surprise. "We plan to be careful. We only want the right to decide for ourselves which risks are worth taking, and when."

After all of the contracts were signed, Manager Jo took a quick look at Namjoon and invited him to use her office to speak to Hana. She excused herself to another meeting, and as soon as the door was closed behind them the alpha swept his omega into a tight embrace. "You took it all out. What the hell were you thinking? The marriage clause was supposed to be our bargaining chip!" His words were almost a scolding, but his tone said otherwise, as did his face when he set her down. He was grinning ear to ear. They were practically free, after all. Per her contract the omega was never to approach press, go on social media, make any statement that would reach the public on her own. Information about the pack would always go through the filter of the company. But she preferred that, anyway. Everything else, she had refused, and against all odds the company had accepted her version of the contract. Perhaps even they had come to understand that the pack would be going through with the arrangement whether anyone else approved or not.

"I did it because that clause made my alphas sad," Hana told him firmly. She always had an easier time doing things for them than for herself. "I get to carry my alphas' scars to prove that we're mates. But I don't think they're going to want to bite each other." It was one of the reasons marriage had become so ingrained in society, separate from mating bonds- pairs of the same sub gender typically weren't able to scar one another, even if they could reproduce. The institution of marriage had given legitimacy to many a female alpha who wanted to carry pups instead of siring them, even if her collarbones remained bare. "I know that as things are, we can't get married. But the world is getting better about that, slowly. I decided that they needed enough room for hope. That was worth risking the company's disapproval."

"They're going to be very happy," Namjoon confirmed. "It means a lot that you accept us and all of our relationships, you know. We're not always used to that."

"You're all perfect to me, just as you are," she assured him. "And, well... I benefit from all of your relationships too, you know. So you don't have to act like it's a burden for me."