Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Bahraini sun reflected arrogantly off the hotel windows, as if it knew what was coming. Ollie squinted behind his sunglasses as the van that had picked them up from the airport pulled up outside the main lobby. The tinted glass wasn't enough to hide the heat building on the back of his neck, but it wasn't the weather he wanted to protect himself from either. It was the intangible but ever-present weight of tension.

"Is everything okay?" Isack asked quietly beside him, with that calmness that was only real at times.

Ollie nodded, though the answer was a white lie. Nothing was okay.

Since they got off the plane, he'd felt nervousness mixed with the dry desert breeze. Not just his, but everyone's. Gabriel, jaw clenched, constantly checking his phone. Liam, hands in his pockets, trying to hide the fact that they were shaking. Oscar, rigid as if his spine were a steel beam. Logan, on the other hand, looked like a latent storm, as if he were holding back for the pups more than for himself. Kimi remained calm and edgy, as if daring to break the atmosphere. Jack pretended better, pretending to be fine, but it was noticeable that his smile was forced. And Franco, silent, stuck like a shadow next to his pack alpha.

No one said it, but everyone knew it. This time they wouldn't be able to avoid each other's gaze. This time, they weren't at an event where protocol and etiquette could excuse distance. They were in the paddock. And while their bodies were no longer bleeding internally as they had been in the days following the breakup, the wound was still there, latent.

At least Dino and Paul would be spared the situation, having had to travel to Barcelona for Dino's Formula 2 tests just after Paul's heat had ended. That night they would be on their way to Monaco, finishing packing the entire pack for the first round in Australia, including the cycles that some had to go through. Especially the first one from a certain alpha, who was starting to act quite hormonal.

They went up to their rooms in silence. Logan and Oscar were the only ones from the pairs allowed to go together, the laws regarding pack leaders allowing them to share a room even though they weren't yet marked. The rest were divided up with the surgical care of someone defusing a bomb.

"Well," Isack sighed as he entered the room he would share with Ollie, "at least we're together. I can't imagine being alone now."

The younger man didn't reply. He sank down onto the bed without taking off his shoes, staring at the ceiling as if he could find some writing between the cracks in the plaster. He didn't have the strength to verbalize his hopes. Words brought fears to life, and Ollie didn't want to make them real.

That evening, they met in the apartment's common room. At first, just to coordinate schedules, go over the simulators, and organize their backpacks for the next day. But little by little, one by one, they sat down without saying a word.

"Tomorrow's going to be a long day," Oscar murmured, more to himself than to anyone else.

Jack nodded, and for the first time all night, someone answered clearly:

"And there's no way around it this time."

The sun hadn't yet fully risen over the desert. The light was a mix of orange and gold, filtering timidly through the thin curtains of the hotel where the pack pups were staying. The air conditioner hummed softly, unable to silence the nervous commotion in each room. Everyone had their doors open, moving from room to room to borrow clothes or simply share a few words of encouragement.

In the quietest room, Franco barely blinked, sitting on the edge of the bed while tying his shoelaces with almost obsessive precision. Jack stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his clothes with focused, though tense, movements.

"You're going to stay with me when you're done, aren't you?" the Argentinian asked without looking up.

Jack turned around. His eyes were fire and fear wrapped in feigned calm.

"Of course I am. I'm not going to let them get near you. If they try, you'll come looking for me. Understood?"

Franco nodded, his chest rising with a suppressed sigh.

In the next room, Liam was clumsily packing his backpack. He'd insisted on packing at the hotel before heading to the track despite usually doing so there, just to avoid Max in the Red Bull hospitality suite.

Meanwhile, Isack—still half asleep—sat on the bed in his room next to Ollie, sharing the breakfast they'd been given.

"Do you think Esteban and Yuki are really going to stay out of it?" the Englishman asked, listlessly stirring the yogurt.

Isack shrugged.

"Dam and sire say they are. That they have some kind of agreement."

Ollie sighed. His scent was thick with tension, a sharp, amber edge that wouldn't dissipate.

"I'll have to put up with Charles and Max today, I know it." He paused for a second. "But if they come near you or Kimi, I swear..."

"You won't have to," he interrupted with a crooked smile. "I'll be the best escape artist in the paddock. Honestly."

They both laughed, though the laughter lingered, vibrating in discomfort.

The hospitality areas were beginning to vibrate with a life of their own. The sun was a bright white spear on the asphalt, and the generators groaned in the distance. Logan moved like a shadow between zones. Sometimes he stopped at McLaren next to Oscar. Sometimes he was seen near Alpine, supervising Franco and Jack. Sometimes he simply walked, observing everyone without seeming to observe anyone.

It was precisely on one of those walks that Nico Hülkenberg intercepted him.

"Logan," he called in a dry voice, as if saying that name was as strange as it was painful.

The omega stopped, but didn't turn around. He just said, in a neutral tone:

"I'm busy."

"It doesn't seem like it."

Logan slowly turned his face. His gaze was like burnished steel. Indifferent. Cruel in its firmness.

"I have nothing to say to you, Nico."

The German took a step forward, but Oscar appeared at that same instant. His presence was electric, protective. He stood between Logan and Nico without a word, like a wall.

"Everything okay?" he asked, but the way he smelled like a protective alpha left no doubt: he was ready to bite.

Nico pulled away with a disappointed snort. Kevin, further away, watched them... and didn't come closer.

At Red Bull, Liam occasionally slipped away to take refuge in the Racing Bulls building. He ran into Isack as often as possible, never losing track of him for a second. Max watched him from a distance. It was Charles who approached him first, trying to talk to him.

"Liam, wait."

"I'm busy," he said without pausing.

"Liam, you can't keep avoiding us like we're enemies. We just want to talk."

The beta turned for a second. His face was shadowed, his expression expressionless.

"And I don't want to talk to someone like you." And he disappeared into the pits.

Charles found him in one of the alleys behind the Haas area.

"Ollie, can I talk to you?"

The young man raised an eyebrow without pausing.

"I'm not sure we have anything to say to each other."

"Don't be like that," he insisted, quickening his pace beside him. "I don't know what they made you believe... but we've always been here for you."

Ollie stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to him, his brown eyes flashing harshly.

"Really? Were you 'there' in December, Charles?"

Silence.

"I..."

"Were you there when we needed someone? When we couldn't even smell anyone in the nests? Were you there or Max?"

Charles opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"Then don't come pretending this can be fixed with a couple of polite words. I'm not a journalist for you to lie to me so blatantly."

The boy walked away. Not running, but with the speed of someone who doesn't want to be followed. And then, it was Max who found him near the Sauber hospitality, where Logan and Oscar were talking with Gabriel.

"Ollie," he said with a trembling smile. "Can I…?"

But the Brit gave him a quick glance with a neutral expression before addressing his pack members. And he said, loud and clear:

"Dam, can you come here for a second?"

It took Logan less than a blink of an eye to appear at his side, head held high, radiating his presence and the scent of coconut.

Max froze. The word, the gesture, the way Ollie said it… it was all a statement. He hadn't just got his place taken, he'd replaced him. 

He left without a word. Logan didn't even look at him, too busy smiling calmly at his pup.

A few hours later, Oscar was at McLaren, going over data with the engineers, when Lando approached with a smile he tried to keep casual.

"Hey. How are you?"

Oscar didn't look up from his monitor.

"Good."

"Do you want to chat a bit when we're done?"

"No."

The omega gulped.

"Look, I know you're probably upset about the vacation, but..."

Then Oscar looked up. His scent grew thicker. Dominant alpha. Alpha willing to do anything.

"It's not that I'm 'upset,' Lando. It's that I don't trust you. Not with you near my pack."

Lando froze and sought refuge in his boyfriend's arms, trying to forget the sharp gaze that had paralyzed him moments before.

Later, Fernando tried.

"Oscar, cariño..."

"Don't call me that."

"I just want to talk."

"And I don't want to listen."

"But this is important..."

"I don't care about your opinion or your needs," Oscar snapped, abruptly pulling away.

Considering the battle was lost, the Spaniard tried his luck by asking the rest of his small family unit for help. When Mark and Carlos arrived, Oscar's chest was already expanded, his eyes hard, his scent sharp as a storm.

"None of you are my pack. None of you have the right."

In Mercedes, the atmosphere felt dense. George, from early on, had adopted the posture of a cautious spectator. Every time Kimi passed by, he gave him a brief, almost imperceptible smile, but he didn't approach. He didn't try anything else. He didn't ask.

Kimi silently thanked him. His attention, however, wasn't on George. It was on the shadow moving through the corridors, watching every move with a sharp eye: Nico Rosberg. And beside him, Lewis.

Both moved with an air of determination that alerted all of the young alpha's senses. Lewis was talking to someone a few feet away from him. He seemed casual, but his gaze swept the area until it landed on Kimi. And then he walked toward him.

"Kimi," he greeted with a forced smile. "Can we talk for a moment?"

He didn't reply. The edge of his jaw tensed, but he didn't say anything. The older man persisted, taking a step closer.

"We want to know how you're doing. We haven't seen you since the event. There are things we should discuss."

Kimi took a step back. His scent changed instantly: it wasn't fear, it was warning. Like that of a wolf that decides that one more step is invaded territory. Lewis raised his hands, conciliatory, but Nico had already joined in. And it was he who looked directly at the Italian, his expression concerned.

"If you have something to tell us, now is the time."

But Kimi didn't speak to them. He turned toward the building's entrance and left with an annoyed expression.

A little later, he was walking with his jaw clenched, trying to clear his mind of the attempted rapprochement. They had no right to demand anything of him, not after everything that had happened. But then, his gaze stopped.

Further ahead, in a secluded area, but still within his field of vision, Ollie was alone. The omega's posture was calm, relaxed... until two figures appeared on the scene. They moved with calculated precision, approaching Ollie with a different energy. Not like someone looking for a casual conversation, but with a clear objective. Kimi understood before it happened. He saw Nico tilt his arm slightly, his scent poised to spill intentionally over Ollie. Lewis took a few steps closer, like someone preparing the ground, seeking contact. Both trying to mark Ollie so that Kimi would associate their scents with someone he cared about. He saw the discomfort in his omega's posture, the subtle hardening of his shoulders, the slight step back, trying to avoid attracting attention so he could escape more easily.

But before they achieved what they wanted, before their scents touched his boy, Kimi reacted. With quick, calculated steps, he placed himself between him and the two adults, his presence an impenetrable barrier. His scent changed instantly, from alert to pure warning, a wave of protective instinct that enveloped Ollie completely, making him feel safe, protected.

"No," he growled, and this time there was no diplomacy in his tone. His jaw was tight, his eyes cold and sharp.

Lewis and Nico stopped immediately. Not because they wanted to, but because the intensity in Kimi's gaze made it clear they'd made a mistake.

The German frowned, trying to compose himself.

"Kimi, we're not doing anything wrong," he argued, his tone measured. "We just want to talk to you."

He didn't move. He didn't budge.

"You're not going to touch him," he declared, his voice firm and unwavering. "You're not going to use him."

Ollie stood behind him, feeling the solidity of his alpha's presence as a shield between him and the threats.

Lewis, with a heavy exhalation, tried to diffuse the situation.

"Kimi, it's not like that," he said, with forced patience. "We don't want to manipulate Ollie. We just want to understand you."

The Italian narrowed his eyes, his posture still rigid.

"If you want to talk to me, do it without touching him. Without trying to impregnate him with your scent so I associate you with him."

The tension thickened with each passing second. Oscar, having noticed the tug on his instincts, was quick to intervene. The pack alpha arrived with confident strides, placing a firm hand on Kimi's shoulder. The contact was an anchor, a reminder that he didn't need to take the situation any further.

"Easy," he murmured, his tone calm but non-negotiable. "I'll take care of it."

Kimi remained silent, but his breathing was still heavy, his body still ready to react. Oscar maintained the pressure of his hand, conveying reassurance.

"Don't you come near my boys like that again," Oscar declared, with a calculated glance at Lewis and Nico. "It's not the way. It's not the place."

The adults exchanged a glance. They couldn't push this any further, not without doing irreparable damage. Slowly, they stepped back, moving away, letting the air regain some of its balance.

Kimi didn't relax immediately. Not until they were far enough away. Only then did he let out a long breath and looked at Ollie, assessing his condition.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice still thick with tension.

The omega nodded, feeling Kimi's protection still enveloping him. Oscar gave Kimi a gentle, affectionate shove on the shoulder.

"Well handled," he said proudly.

Kimi returned a firm touch, only then taking Ollie by the arm and leading him away from the area, making sure no one could try anything else.

The air was still thick, but for now, they wouldn't have to deal with that.

Not yet.

Isack was like a fish in a net. Every time someone tried to talk to him, he found an excuse, a door, a corner, a conversation that saved him. When he saw Max approaching for the third time, he took off, as if the entire circuit were a maze only he knew how to navigate. When the other finally noticed, the boy was already with Logan, helping Franco choose which coffee to take to Jack.

Lewis also tried to approach him once, in one of the side corridors, but Isack pretended to receive an urgent call and disappeared behind a door.

Franco was a ghost in Alpine. He only showed himself when strictly necessary. He stuck close to Jack or Logan, and if that wasn't possible, he found excuses to hide in the Australian's room, who insisted on keeping him as hidden as possible so no one would disturb him while he was in the car. It was easy to hide in that building, partly because Pierre ignored their presence.

Carlos tried to approach them between sessions, with a friendly smile. But the young man didn't even slow his pace. He turned in time to see Jack nearby, and ran toward him as if called.

"Jack," he said in a small voice. "He's here."

The beta turned, and wordlessly placed him in front of him as they walked, like a human shield hugging his waist.

Lando tried as dusk fell. Franco was alone for a moment, trying to find Oscar near the McLaren area. But when he saw the figure approaching, his whole body tensed. He didn't wait for him to speak. He literally ran off until he reached his dam in the Haas hospitality area.

Logan put an arm around him without asking anything. He simply kept him glued to his side.

"All right, sweetheart," he whispered. "It's over."

Gabriel had adopted silence as his trench. On the team, Hulk respected his space, perhaps more because of what he'd learned from the encounter with Logan than out of his own conviction. 

Fernando, on the other hand, insisted.

"Gabriel," he called in his signature tone. "I need to talk to you."

"I don't have time."

"You say the same thing all the time. But we can't stay like this. It's not healthy."

"Nor was what happened. But that didn't seem important at the time."

Fernando approached him, hurt.

"I know we failed. But I want to fix it."

"I don't want you to fix it anymore. I just want you to leave me alone."

When Fernando walked away, Mark intercepted him, ready to intervene. But Gabriel had already disappeared in the direction of the Racing Bulls area, searching for a small French smile that would brighten his remaining hours in the paddock.

Chapter Text

The day was coming to an end. The sky had turned fiery, and the paddock was beginning to calm after the frantic hours. But the tension, far from dissipating, felt thicker. More charged.

Sebastian and Kimi Räikkönen watched everything from a distance. Both sat on a side bench near the Ferrari hospitality area, where they had been staying throughout the day. Their gazes weren't judgmental, but analytical. They had let everyone else take their course. They had seen the wounds barely healed, the failed confrontations, the broken promises begin to bleed again.

"Do you think anyone will manage to reach them before tonight?" the alpha asked, his voice deep, his gaze on the horizon.

Sebastian sighed, crossing his arms.

"No. Not like this. Not this way."

"So then?"

The German looked down at the ground.

"Then we'll go tonight." If not to get closer… at least to remind them that they are not alone. Even if they don't want us now. Even if they've chosen other arms to grow in.

Kimi didn't respond. But in his silence, there was a promise. One last chance. One last door before closing everything.

When the sun finally died behind the dunes, and the paddock was plunged into that deceptive calm that covers battlefields after the first assault, the adults withdrew. Each knew the day had been a failure. They hadn't been won back. And not for lack of trying, but because the children no longer sought to return.

There was something definitive in their steps, in the way they protected each other, in the way their scents overlapped like a living shield.

Sebastian walked through the hotel corridors with Kimi at his side, both of them silent. There was no need for words between them. Now, when everyone else had given up—or sunk deeper into their own awkwardness—it was their turn. Not as leaders. Not as guides. Just like what they should have been: a pack.

"They're hurt," the omega murmured as the elevator opened in front of them. "But not just from what happened now. This comes from before."

Kimi nodded with a low growl.

"We didn't do anything. They were kids, Kimi."

"They're not anymore."

The elevator ascended in a thick silence. It stopped on the floor where the boys' rooms were (being who they were gave them that advantage, although they had no doubt that after this ambush, the boys would make sure they couldn't repeat it, no matter their fame). They left aimlessly, walking down the hallway like ghosts. They looked for a half-open door, a muffled laugh. Anything.

The first room they found was Jack and Liam's. The Australian was outside, leaning against the wall, his phone in one hand and the other crossed over his chest. As soon as he saw Sebastian and Kimi, he straightened his body.

The omega took a step forward. His voice was barely a whisper.

"We're not here to bother you. Or to ask you to come back. We just wanted to know if you'd let us see them. Even for a few seconds."

"No."

"Please..." the Finn began, but was quickly stopped by the young man.

"Get out."

Oscar was the first to notice it. A thin thread of an aggressive scent, penetrating sandalwood, sharp as an invisible claw. It came from the end of the hallway, where Jack was still standing, though now his body was more tense, like a spring ready to spring as soon as something—or someone—threatened what he protected.

Logan felt it too. His pupils dilated for a second. He turned to Oscar, no words needed. And that was when they both left the room. They quietly opened the door all the way, and the halo of soft light projected into the hallway. With it, the thick scent of the newly built nest escaped into the open air, flooding the space with the dense mix of young pheromones, in the throes of mutual belonging.

Sebastian and Kimi stopped dead in their tracks. Oscar barely spared them a glance as he approached, Logan pressed against his side.

"Jack, come here," he ordered, his voice low but firm. "They're starting to get nervous."

The boy didn't hesitate. He nodded, and in a couple of steps, he disappeared into the room, leaving the door open behind him.

The Finn was the first to look inside. And he froze. The room was a nest. A real one, a jumble of blankets, folded clothes, pillows of various shapes and sizes. There was a lamp lit in the corner, covered with a T-shirt that cast the light a warm color, as if it were a cave.

There were no divisions, no barriers, and above all, no modesty.

Kimi Antonelli sat cross-legged, his back against the wall. On his lap, as if it were the most natural place in the world, Ollie leaned sideways, one arm around the alpha's neck and his head on his shoulder. His scent was sweet, devoted, bright as a ripe cherry. And Kimi held him with a silent pride that needed no words.

Isack and Gabriel were curled up next to Liam, the three of them intertwined. The omega was in the middle, with the Brazilian clinging to his back and the blond in front. Isack's eyes were closed, and his berry scent was an intense mix of repressed affection and fierce tenderness.

Franco was lying on the edge, his face turned toward the door. Half asleep, yes, but staring at Logan, his pack mom. Jack approached him calmly. He knelt beside Franco, without intruding. He reached out his hand. The puppy watched him for a second, then, with ceremonial slowness, brought her to his cheek, rubbing against her open palm, seeking the comfort of the scent, the belonging. His blinking was slow, like an exhausted feline. As if that contact would be enough to sleep for a week.

Oscar, who had been watching silently, took a step back and firmly closed the door. The physical barrier, the symbolic wall. They didn't want witnesses. No opinions. No repeated mistakes.

The sharp knock echoed in the hallway. The oldest of them all was the first to speak, communicating what was already assumed during the F1 75.

"You're... courting."

He didn't say it as a question. He said it like someone peering into the future from a cliff. Sebastian nodded, his eyes fixed on the door.

"You two. Kimi and Ollie."

"And is it any of your business because...?" the Australian growled.

Sebastian sighed deeply.

"We were wrong."

Kimi leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes for a moment.

"We failed. We should have organized ourselves better. Communicate. We're sorry."

"You've created a pack. One that doesn't include us," the German whispered. "But you can still include us, or come back," he insisted. “We can reorganize. Be all together again. Sharing space, letting the pups return to their parents. Like before.”

"Like before?" Oscar's voice was a knife. "Really?"

Kimi turned to him. Oscar was standing, with Logan at his side. They weren't touching, but just looking at them was enough to understand that they didn't need to, to know they were one.

"Do you want them to go back to those who abandoned them? To those who ignored their fears, their needs? To those who refused to see that they weren't children, that they were growing up?"

Sebastian frowned.

"We didn't abandon anyone. We just... failed to live up to it."

"Then you don't deserve to be around them." Logan finally spoke. His voice was low, but hard. "We're not going to give up our pups. Not after what it took for them to trust. Not after what you put them through."

"You're too young," the other omega tried to argue.

“But we stepped up when they needed us, and they trust us,” Oscar snapped. “We've earned their respect and their love, and I won't risk it just because you want to go back to playing families like we're dolls you can throw away when you don't want to use them anymore.”

Silence fell over them like a curtain.

The nest door remained closed. On the other side, the heartbeats continued, synchronized. Not like clocks, but like hearts learning to love each other, to hold each other, to grow.

Sebastian took a slow breath. His tired eyes searched Oscar's. They were fierce, firm, clinging to a determination that neither age nor experience could dispute. He wasn't just any alpha. He was a caretaker. A leader. One who didn't need to raise his voice to hold a world on his shoulders.

"We're not asking for your forgiveness," he began, his voice trembling slightly, not out of fear but from the rawness of the moment. "We're asking... for a chance. Not to go back to what we were. But to prove we can do better."

Kimi crossed his arms, his back still against the wall. His presence was different now, less imposing, quieter. More open.

"We want to have a conversation. With everyone. With the pups too. They deserve to hear it from us. Not from you. Not as intermediaries. To give them the option to decide if they want to move forward without us. Or if there's anything... even a part, that can still be repaired."

Logan's laugh was as unexpected as it was cruel. It held no mockery. It held no sarcasm. Just a broken disbelief that hurt more than any words.

"A conversation?" he repeated, incredulous. "After all this? After what you've seen, and you still want to call them 'your pups'? These boys who have had to build a home with their own hands because no one else did it for them?"

"Logan..." Sebastian raised a hand, wanting to calm him down, but the other omega shook his head.

"Have you checked the pack statuses for this season?" he asked bluntly. His tone changed. It was no longer emotion. It was data. Solid information. "Because if you do, you'll find a surprise. The boys are no longer with you. Legally."

The silence was like a sharp blow. Kimi straightened. Sebastian frowned, incredulous.

"What...?"

Oscar spoke then, without raising his voice.

“It was voluntary. Each of them signed. Each one decided to leave their previous ties behind. They did it because we didn't force them. We just gave them the option. And they chose this. They chose us.”

“You're... you're talking about severing nurturing ties. About officially declaring a new pack…” the German murmured, as if trying to come to terms with the weight of that.

“Yes,” Logan said with all the firmness of someone no longer afraid to speak out. “And that's what we are. A new pack. Without you.”

Sebastian clenched his fists. Not out of anger, but out of vertigo. Out of the chasm that was finally opening beneath his feet. Out of the certainty that could no longer be denied.

“But… even so, we think we should talk,” he insisted, his voice low. “Tomorrow. When everyone’s rested. When they can decide for themselves if they want to hear us.”

Oscar was slow to respond. He looked at Logan. There was an exchange of thoughts without words. The alpha finally nodded, slowly, as if weighing each word.

“Fine. But on our terms. In a common room in a neutral area of ​​the paddock. Don’t think this sneaking into our floor will happen again, and the next time you try, we’ll sue for invasion of privacy, harassment, and emotional abuse,” he threatened seriously. “Only those who want to attend will go. No one will be forced. There will be no impositions, no pressure. If someone doesn’t want to listen to you, they won’t. And you won’t make them feel bad about it.”

“Of course,” Sebastian nodded.

"And one more thing," Logan added, crossing his arms. "Paul and Dino are in Monaco. Getting everything ready for the trip to Australia. You won't disturb them. Not a call, not a mention. They've got enough on their plate without carrying this too."

Kimi grunted softly. Not in disagreement, but like someone accepting a ruling they can no longer argue with.

"Understood."

Oscar took a step back.

"Tomorrow, then."

They were almost forcibly guided to the elevator, waited for the doors to begin to turn, and without further ado, disappeared down the hallway, leaving the two adults standing in front of the closed door of a world they no longer belonged to.

Kimi ran a hand over his face. He wasn't tired. He was... old. For the first time, he felt out of place. Not because of age, but because of disconnection. Because he had believed there would always be an open door. That blood, memories, or affection were enough.

"Not everyone will come," he murmured.

"I know that," Sebastian replied.

"Maybe none of them will."

"I know that too."

"And yet you still want to do it?"

The German looked up. His eyes, filled with guilt, but also with a deep determination, didn't waver.

"Yes. Because if we're going to lose them forever... at least let's do it by looking them in the eyes. And telling them we love them. That we're sorry. That they failed us, yes. But also that we failed them first."

"I don't know if they ever failed us, kulta."

He looked once more at the closed door, where the future lay asleep behind it. One that no longer belonged to them. One that, perhaps, was never theirs to begin with.

The next morning was strangely sunny for such an unwelcome moment. The sky, as clear as ever, seemed to mock the weight that weighed on every heart. There wasn't a single cloud, and the sun streamed brazenly through the paddock's high windows, warming the ground and tinting the white walls with gold. It was as if the universe, indifferent to the human drama, refused to set the right atmosphere for what was about to happen.

Oscar arrived with Logan a little before the appointed time, their faces pale, their dark circles under their eyes, but their movements controlled. They both knew that day would mark a turning point. Not just for them, but for the entire pack. They prepared the private room in silence, without needing to speak. Logan set out water bottles and biscuits for his pups. Oscar made sure the air conditioning wasn't too strong and that the seats were separated. They wanted a neutral space.

The first to arrive were Jack and Gabriel. Jack had the expression of a soldier on a mission. His eyes, normally bright with curiosity, were as hard as stone. He walked close to Gabriel, who seemed less alert, but just as determined.

Then Liam and Isack entered. They walked together, shoulder to shoulder, as if they were one body. The omega's lips were pressed together, his hands clenched against the hem of his shirt. The blond murmured something in his ear, words barely audible, a constant thread of support.

Kimi appeared shortly after, his face impenetrable. He greeted them with only a slight nod. His eyes scanned the room, resting briefly on each member of his pack. He sat next to Isack and Liam, like a silent wall.

Franco and Ollie had decided not to go the night before. They weren't ready. The Argentinian didn't think he could face them without crying, and Ollie was terrified of having to face the accusations Charles would undoubtedly make.

Little by little, the adults began to arrive.

Lando and Carlos entered together, speaking in whispers, their steps tense, not looking at anyone. Charles and Max followed them, hand in hand, but with no softness in their features. The alpha walked upright, his mouth pursed, his chin high. Max's brow furrowed, and although he tried to relax, his jaw betrayed him. Sebastian and Kimi Räikkönen were among the few who greeted them with a friendly bow. Kevin and Nico Hulk stood near the door, as did Fernando and Mark, all with their arms crossed and their eyes alert. Pierre settled by the window, his silhouette a sculpture of rigidity, yet somewhat indifferent, as was his custom. Nico and Lewis sat together in the center, like two columns of an ancient cathedral that still refuses to collapse.

And then they arrived. George, Lance, Esteban, Mick, Alex, and Yuki. They sat apart, in a discreet row. They didn't raise their voices, they didn't interrupt. They had said what they needed to say at the right time; this time, they were just going to observe.

Oscar stood up. His voice was soft, firm, and unwavering.

“Thanks for coming and not making it any harder. We’re not about to repeat this, so you better explain what you need to now.”

Silence. A long moment of nothing. Then came the excuses. As always.

Carlos was the first to speak, hunched over, his hands clasped together.

“We didn’t expect Franco to be… so sensitive. We thought taking care of a pup would be simpler. More… automatic. We were wrong. I know.”

Lando nodded, not raising his head.

“We thought we could take space for ourselves. He never complained. We thought he was fine.”

Jack gritted his teeth. Kimi lowered his gaze, his fists clenched.

That’s when Lewis, his voice thick with half-digested guilt, talked. 

“I wasn’t planning on taking Isack in. I thought Yuki and Alex, or even Max and Charles, might be able to. I arranged his trip hoping he'd fit in with some family," he explained before turning his gaze to the boy. "I'm sorry it didn't work out the way I expected."

Isack shrank back in his seat. Liam reached out and stroked his thigh tenderly, a gesture that was almost invisible. Kimi murmured something to herself.

Alex continued, despite not wanting to repeat himself. His tone was calm, almost pained.

"We said no. From the start. We're not ready to be parental figures. We didn't want to do to Isack what you did to Franco."

Yuki nodded.

"We preferred to tell the truth. We weren't going to pretend to be something we couldn't offer."

Max frowned.

"I... I thought it wasn't that serious. I didn't imagine you'd refuse. I know there were rumors about Charles and me, but we never considered taking Isack in. I thought another family would."

That's when the Monegasque spoke. And everything went to hell.

"And while this nonsense is being sorted out, what are you doing? Letting Liam and Isack be so close? Allowing an unmated omega to be so openly touched? He's got his hand on his thigh, in case you haven't noticed," he exclaimed in a haughty growl. "Letting Ollie dress however he wants? Letting Kimi scent-mark him however he pleases? Ollie smells like him constantly. Where are the lines? Who's teaching them how to behave?"

The air turned to ice. Liam bolted upright, his face flushed with rage.

"How to behave? Do you want me to send you a list of what you think is acceptable? How high should Ollie's skirts be, or how far should he sleep from Kimi?"

Isack was trembling.

"This is too much," he muttered quietly, to no one in particular.

Kimi stood up, as they had planned to do if anyone needed to leave the situation. The Italian also felt his anger growing, and decided it was best to disappear before starting to pick a fight.

"We're leaving."

He didn't ask permission. He didn't explain. He simply surrounded them with his presence and began to help them up. Before he could stand, Gabriel marked Isack's wrist with his scent, a gentle touch, a protective gesture meant to be a source of calm for the walk back. Charles saw it and stood up, shocked.

"Are you scenting him?! Here, in front of everyone?!"

Gabriel didn't respond. He just looked at Charles with a mixture of pity and defiance. 

As he passed Oscar and Logan, Liam whispered, "See you, Sire. Dam."

Isack repeated the same thing, barely audible. Jack followed them with his eyes, prepared to act as a shield if anyone tried to follow them.

Meanwhile, those words, "dam and sire," exploded in the room like a silent bomb.

"Have they replaced us like this?" Max asked, almost sadly.

"Is that what little we are now?" Hulk murmured.

Oscar sighed.

"That's what we are to them. You stopped being that the moment you walked out the door. Or maybe before, when you wouldn't let them be themselves."

And then they exploded.

Their voices rose. Charles was yelling about boundaries and rules. Sebastian was trying to mediate, with a hint of embarrassment. Kimi was running his hands over his face, exasperated. Fernando and Mark were arguing with each other. Kevin and Hulk too. Lando insisted over and over that he didn't know Franco was suffering. Carlos seconded him.

George was rubbing his eyes. Mick leaned toward Esteban, as if they needed strength. Lance checked his watch, saying nothing. Alex and Yuki just watched, their lips pressed together.

Hours. Hours of screaming. Of tears. Of veiled accusations. Of truths that hurt. Of memories that pierced like knives. Until Logan, calm as a sword, stood up.

"They're not coming back. And if any of you cause harm with your words or actions, we'll take legal action."

The silence was absolute.

Sebastian nodded slowly, seconded by his alpha. Lewis lowered his gaze. Charles fell silent. Max squeezed his hand. No one argued.

Oscar was the last to speak.

"You don't have to agree. But you must respect it. Because we're not asking permission anymore. We're protecting our pack."

And in that moment, everyone knew they were lost.

Forever.