Desert Heat (Complete)
Desert Storm Chapter 38

{Cianna’s P.O.V.}

“LUCIAN!!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. Everyone was already in the car waiting to go to the airport.

“I’M COMING CICI!” he shouted from upstairs. A few seconds later, I heard his footsteps.

“For f***s sake Luci, why didn’t you pack last night!?” I asked him.

“Damn, you sound like Deacon,”

“Whatever, hurry up! I want to go to see Lacie!” I said running out the door and leaving him behind. I could tell he was shaking his head and rolling his eyes at me. I was so excited to go back to Desert Moon and see Lacie and everyone else. I know it has only been just over a month since I saw her, and we video call each other almost every other day, but we grew up together in the same home. I had seen her at least once every day for the last 20 years, so it’s crazy being away from her like this.

“Lacie isn’t going to disappear Cici, she will be there waiting for us, just as she promised last night,” Lucian said to me as he got in the car.

“I know, I’m just so excited! I’m excited to see Lacie, I’m excited to see Aries, I’m excited to see Allie and Dorian, and all the other ranked members and party with them,”

“You’re just excited in general, sis,” Apollo said from the driver seat.

“Aren’t you guys excited!?” I asked all of them.

“We are Cianna, but we don’t express it the way you do,” Deacon said from the passenger seat. I just rolled my eyes and kept my happy face. These Debbie downer brothers-in-law of mine were not going to dampen my mood. It didn’t take long to get to the airstrip where Deacon’s private jet was waiting and ready to go.

Lucian and the guys put our luggage away, and I went onto the jet to get comfy,

“Hello, Cianna, it is good to see you again,”

“Hi, Ra…Rachel?” I sucked at names.

“Yes, Rachel,” she replied.

“Oh, okay, whew!” I said and wiped my forehead. “I’m sorry, I suck at names, but I promise to remember for certain next time,”

“No worries, it’s only our second time meeting, so it’s understandable,” she said with a big smile. After a few minutes, Lucian and the others came on board. They all took their seats and Lucian made sure to sit as close to me as possible.

“Hello Alpha,” came the captain. “Weather is nice and cool in Las Vegas. I received word that we cannot fly into their international airport like we normally do, due to the sheer amount of traffic coming in; however, we are able to fly into North Las Vegas airport. My understanding is that it is actually closer to the Desert Moon packhouse,”

“That’s fine Connor, as we long we get there safely,” Deacon tells him.

“Very good sir. Everybody buckle up, and Rachel please close the cabin door. We should be cleared for takeoff here shortly,” Connor said and went into the cockpit. Ten minutes later, I could feel the jet moving, and getting ready for takeoff. I just could not contain my excitement.

{Allie’s P.O.V.}

“Luna are they here yet!?” Lacie asked for the 100th time already.

“Precious, calm down, and stop bothering the Luna,” Aries said trying to pull her out of my office.

“She’s fine Aries, leave her be. She’s just excited to see her best friend,” I say with a smile. “And how many times do I have to tell you two to just call me Allie. I think we’re past the formalities since you’re going to be going on vacation with us in May,”

“Apologies Lun…I mean Allie, it’s a force of habit for me,” Aries replies.

“Same,” Lacie answers.

“Lacie, you were fine calling me by my name when we first met, why did you all of a sudden switch to calling me Luna anyway?” I ask her.

“I guess since I’m now considered an Omega, I figured I would have to,” she replied.

“Bleh, I hate the formalities, I wish everyone would just use my name,” I say while looking at the computer trying to book my classes for the spring semester.

“Baby, you know that Omegas have to call you Luna,” Dorian said coming into my office.

“Not if I give them the option not to, and I’ve given that option to Lacie and Aries,”

“Well, if that’s the case, then I guess you two are welcome to call me Dorian,” I smile at his response even though I’m not looking at them.

“UGH! Why can’t I replace this class available on Tuesdays and Thursdays?!” I shout at the computer.

“What class baby?”

“Geology,”

“Why the hell do you need Geology for a Civil Engineering degree?” Dorian asked.

“Hell, if I know, it’s a damn pre-requisite,” I reply and keep looking through the catalog. After looking through the course catalog, I finally found a Geology class offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the only problem was that it was at eight in the morning, which meant, whoever was taking me to school would be skipping out on morning training, as well as me.

“What classes are you taking baby?”

“Let’s see, Physics II, with a lab, Geology 101, Statics, Engineering Mechanics of Deformable Bodies, and Calculus II,”

“What? You’re going to take five classes? Allie, that’s fifteen credit hours, on top of a lab,”

“I know,”

“Can you handle that baby?”

“Yes, I can. Plus, I need to take Calculus II and this other engineering course if I want to take Calculus III and Engineering Thermodynamics for summer II courses,”

“Summer classes again!?” Dorian exclaimed.

“I don’t want to spend four years in school Dorian, I want to graduate early!”

“Allie, it’s bad enough that I have to go bed alone half the time you’re in school as it is, but in the summer it’s even worse because you’re in school every day for eight weeks,”

“Well, the faster I graduate, the less time you spend going to bed alone,” I said, and stuck out my tongue. “Lacie, will you please go get the printout of my school schedule and give a copy to Brandon?”

“Yes, Lun…I mean, Allie,” she replied and went to the printer. “Question, why does the Beta need a copy of this?”

“I don’t drive myself, so Brandon sets up a schedule for those who will be responsible for taking me to school and picking me up,”

“Allie, you can’t drive?” Aries asked.

“I didn’t say that I can’t drive, I said that I don’t drive. I don’t have a car and Dorian refuses to buy me one,” I replied, and they both looked at Dorian.

“You’re the Luna of this pack, you don’t need a car. There are plenty of people to drive you around and that’s what they’re paid to do, especially your guards,” Dorian answers. “Speaking of, Aries, since you don’t have any contracts lined up for a while, do you want to help drive Allie to and from school? I’ll pay you for your efforts,”

“Sure, I have no problem with that,”

“Great, another babysitter,” I grunt in annoyance. Dorian was about to say something when Lacie received a notification on her phone,

“AHHH!!! THEY’RE HERE!!” Lacie shrieked and she ran out of my office.

“I apologize on Lacie’s behalf,” Aries said with a bow, and then followed after Lacie. Dorian and I just smiled and followed after them too. By the time we got out front, Lacie and Cianna were already squealing, hugging, and jumping up and down. Deacon was shaking his head and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Cici, act like a ranked member will you, please?” Lucian scolded her.

“Oops, sorry,” Cianna gathered her composure and stood next to Lucian.

“Dorian, Allie, it’s good to see you again,” Deacon said shaking our hands. Apollo, Lucian, and Cianna bowed their heads.

“Okay, now you can freak out,” Lucian said to Cianna and she went back to jumping up and down with Lacie.

“Please forgive her, she’s been super excited since before we even left the house,” Lucian said.

“That’s nothing, when we first went to go replace Leah at Mojave Mountain, Sin jumped out of the car and just ran straight into the house,” I tell them, and they all start laughing.

“Why did she do that?” Deacon asked.

“Because Sin and Leah have been best friends since high school, so for Sin, it wasn’t a formal visit at all. Thankfully, since C.J.’s dad and Leah’s grandfather had known her for so long, they didn’t care,” I replied

“I was actually quite pissed off, but I had to remember that it was her first real visit to another pack as the Gamma female, and she essentially grew up in that house,” Dorian said.

“Anyway, you guys will be using the same rooms as normal, and Lacie,”

“Yes, Allie?”

“Be sure to give that list to Brandon before you do anything with Cianna, and please make certain you let him know to add Aries to the schedule,” I tell her.

“Yes, ma’am,” she bowed her head, and she, Cianna, and Aries went inside.

“So, we heard what happened to their place,” Lucian said.

“Yeah, it was pretty bad,” I reply.

“Seriously though, who the hell does that? Burns down someone else’s home because you wanted to be their mate?” Deacon asks.

“I don’t know what’s worse; being forcefully marked, or having your s**t burned down,” Apollo replied.

“I think both are bad in their own ways,” I reply, and the guys nod. “It’s bad enough Lacie has to worry about having an unstable sister, while her best friend is mated to that sister’s ex-mates brother, and she has now deal with her mate’s own ex,” I shudder at the thought of all the drama.

“Has Lacie heard from Heather at all?” Deacon asks.

“She says that Heather has been harassing her with phone calls and texts. She refuses to block her though because even though Heather is crazy, she’s still Lacie’s sister,” I tell him.

“Damn, that’s really big of Lace. She definitely is the more mature one in that family,” Lucian replied.

“If you guys are ready, let’s head on inside,” Dorian said. We all nodded, the guys gathered their bags and followed us in. As soon as we got inside, there was yelling and screaming. Dorian and I looked at each other and ran over to see what the commotion was about. We found Cianna and an Omega screaming at each other, Lacie holding her face, and Aries being held back by Simba and Nick. He was furious.

“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?” Dorian roared. Everyone stopped what they were doing and bowed their heads in shame.

“Your Alpha asked you a question!” I shouted at our pack members.

“CIANNA!” Deacon roared. Lucian ran over and pulled her away from the Omega.

“I won’t ask again! What the f**k is going on here!?” Dorian shouted in his Alpha tone. I watched as no one could answer, and then I saw Lacie lower her hand. She had a laceration on her cheek.

“Lacie! What happened to your cheek!?” I asked and ran over to her.

“That Omega slapped Lacie across the face with her ring flipped inwards!” Cianna replied. I walked over to the Omega, flipped her right hand over, and saw that her ring was indeed facing inwards, and it had b***d and tissue on.

“Esther! What the hell!?” I yelled at her. “Explain yourself!!”

“Luna…”

“NOW!” I roared in my Luna tone.

“She’s the reason my best friend is set for banishment!” Esther shouted.

“Best friend?” we all asked in unison. I stand there and think for a minute and realize who she’s talking about.

“Maya,” and Esther nods. “So, you decided that you would take it upon yourself to slap my assistant? And not only that but also physically cause an injury by flipping your ring inwards?”

“She took Maya’s mate from her! And now Maya is wanted for attempted murder!” Esther cried.

“Esther, you listen to me and you listen well! Lacie didn’t steal anything from anyone. She is Aries’ destined mate and not Maya! Maya put Lacie in the hospital and burned down their home, along with two other homes in our territory!”

“I…I…I had no idea…I thought that…Maya just told me that a lower level Omega by the name of Lacie stole Aries’ from her and that she was banished because they fought,”

“Even if that was true, you have no authority in this house! You are also low-level Omega!” I yell in her face. “Lacie is my assistant, and she lives in this packhouse! She may be a low-level Omega because she is mated to Aries, but Lacie is also the daughter of an Alpha!” Esther looks at Lacie in pure shock. “She outranks you by b***d!”

“Esther!” Dorian gets her attention. “You are hereby sentenced to one week in the cellar!”

“No, wait! I’m sorry! Alpha, I’m sorry!”

“Simba! Nick! Take her!” Dorian commanded.

“Yes, Alpha!”

“No, please! Alpha! Please!” Esther screamed for mercy. Going to the cellar was a form of being grounded. Only, you were placed in an eight by ten cell completely surrounded by darkness, and only given water for survival. I personally didn’t know what was worse, going down to the cellar, or being banished.

I looked back Lacie who was being consoled by Aries, and the cut on her cheek was already starting to heal,

“Cianna, we’ve been here five minutes and you’re already fighting with a pack member from Dorian’s pack!? We’re guests!” Deacon shouted.

“Lacie is my best friend! And that Omega hit her all because her name is Lacie! What would have happened if she wasn’t the Lacie that Omega was looking for!?” Cianna replied.

“What are you talking about Cici?” Lucian asked.

“That Omega, Esther, she heard me say Lacie’s name, and just came running towards us and slapped her out of nowhere. When I saw that she cut Lacie’s cheek, I grabbed her hand and saw her ring flipped inwards. I confronted her, and she was like ‘So, your name is Lacie! Are you the one that stole my best friend’s mate from her?’”

“Wait, are you saying she slapped first and asked questions second?” I asked.

“Yes, Allie. She didn’t even know that Aries was Aries,” all of us were speechless at that point.

“Wow,” was all I could say. “Okay, I’m just going to drop this now, because there is no point in getting worked up over this. Lacie, are you okay?” I ask her. She nods. “Did you give my schedule to Brandon?” she nods. “Okay, then you and Aries go to your room and calm each other down. Cianna, go with Lucian to your guestroom and calm down yourself,”

“Yes, Luna,” they all replied, and Lacie and Aries left. Cianna looked at Deacon and his brothers apologetically and they all went to their respective guest rooms as well.

Dorian and I made our way to the kitchen because I wanted to see what Mrs. Johnson was making for lunch and found that everyone else was already at the dining room table just relaxing,

“Hey,” Leah said as she saw us come in.

“Hey,” I replied setting out a big sigh. Dorian sat down in his chair and pulled me onto his lap.

“We heard screaming, what happened?” Sin asked.

“Huh? Oh, some Omega slapped Lacie and cut her cheek. Cianna and the Omega started to scream at each other,” I told the table.

“What? Which Omega? And why?” Sam asked.

“Esther, apparently she is best friends with Maya, and she heard about Lacie. The problem is that Maya lied to her about who Lacie was and said that Lacie stole Aries from her, so Esther took it upon herself to get back at Lacie for Maya. The bigger problem, Maya didn’t tell Esther what Lacie looked like, so Esther solely went based off on a name,”

“What?!” everyone at the table exclaimed.

“So, what happened with Esther then?” Mikey asked.

“She’s going to be in the cellar for one week,” Dorian replied.

“Damn, that’s rough,” Brandon said.

“I wonder why I didn’t see it coming,” Leah said.

“What do you mean sweetcheeks?” Brandon asked her.

“Why didn’t I see the attack coming on Lacie?”

“Uhhh, Leah I don’t think being slapped across the face counts as an imminent danger,” I tell her.

“I didn’t see the fire happen either,”

“Because no one was in danger, remember. Lacie and Aries weren’t home, and the other two houses were vacant,” I reply.

“Oh, okay. Whew, I thought my powers were getting all wonky,” we all just laughed at her. Leah hasn’t had any major visions lately, so she has been worried about her powers, but honestly, there hasn’t any real danger to us or anyone close to us.

“So, since Cianna has arrived a day early, are we going shopping today?” Dani asked.

“No, we will wait until tomorrow as planned. I think they all need to cool off and rest,” everyone nodded. “Mrs. Johnson!?” I called out.

“Yes, Luna?” she peeked her head from around the corner in the kitchen.

“What is on the lunch menu today?” I asked.

“Bison burgers, pasta salad, and roasted sweet corn,”

“Sounds amazing, thank you,” she smiled and went back into the kitchen. I sent a quick mind link to Lacie,

Lacie?

Yes, Allie?

Lunch will be ready in about an hour or so. Please come down and join us and bring the others with you.

Okay, thank you. I will.

While we were waiting for lunch, Brandon got a call at the table.

“Hello…What?…No!…I said no!… I don’t care if they’ve already paid the VIP price…The lounge is off-limits!… I don’t care if they’re going to leave a bad review!… You tell them that the owner of the club has already booked the lounge! And if they have a problem with it, tell them to go somewhere else!” he hung up and slammed his phone on the table.

“What’s wrong?” Leah asked.

“That was Stefan, the manager at Trifecta, someone was trying to book our VIP lounge on the second floor for New Year’s Eve,”

“What? But Stefan knows that that the lounge is off-limits during New Year’s Eve because we go every year,”

“I know sweetcheeks, that’s why I told him no. The fact that he even bothered calling to ask for permission is ridiculous,”

“He probably thought you would rather make money off of someone,” Mikey said, and Brandon just shrugged.