Claimed by the Band (Fameverse #1)

Chapter 2 – DANTE

2

DANTE

T he antiseptic smell of the hospital burns my nostrils as I lean against the wall outside Knox's room. Asher is in there with him, since the big guy is still unconscious after a four-hour surgery to fix his broken eye socket.

Fucking alphas and our hero complexes.

Not that I can talk. I was right there with him when those assholes rushed the stage.

Maybe I'm just a little jealous he's gonna get a cool scar out of it.

I run a hand through my hair, tugging at the roots. The adrenaline from the attack has long since faded, leaving behind a bone-deep exhaustion and simmering rage.

How dare they? How fucking dare they attack our pack, our omega?

A commotion down the hall draws my attention. Damon's gruff voice carries clearly, his words slurred slightly from the painkillers.

"I don't give a rat's ass about protocol. That's my omega in there, and I'm going to see him!"

I can't help but smirk. Even drugged and beaten to hell, our drummer's still a force to be reckoned with. Poor nurses probably don't know what they're dealing with. But the fact that he doesn't immediately come barreling out makes me think they tranquilized him like a raging bull.

Probably for the best, since his injuries were the worst after Knox.

Footsteps approach, and I look up to see Silas striding toward me. Our lead guitarist looks like hell, dark circles under his normally sharp green eyes and his usually perfectly styled black hair is a mess. Can't blame him. None of us have slept a minute since the attack.

"How are they?" Silas asks, coming to a stop beside me.

I shrug, aiming for nonchalance but probably missing by a mile. "Knox is still out. Surgery went well, though. Doc says he'll have a wicked scar above his eyebrow."

"Which he'll fucking love," Silas mutters, a hint of fondness creeping into his voice.

I nod, raking a hand through my dark hair. My fingers snag on something that's probably dried blood. I'm just not sure if it's from my bloody nose, or the guy whose face I split open when he tried to get to Asher. Despite the fact that we got into a major bitch fight not five minutes before we went out onstage, we all rallied around our omega like a single unit.

It's easy to forget sometimes, given how often Silas and Knox butt heads, but we're all pack. Family. For all our posturing and alpha bullshit, we'd die for each other in a heartbeat.

Hell, Knox nearly did.

"Any word from the cops?" I ask, desperate for some good news.

Silas's face darkens, that obnoxiously chiseled jaw clenching. "Fuck all. They're 'investigating,' whatever the hell that means. Load of useless?—"

He cuts himself off, taking a deep breath. I get it. We're all on edge, and Silas has never been great at feeling helpless. He's a man of action, our fearless leader. And right now, there's precious little he can do.

"They're all still in custody, right?" I ask hopefully. The last thing we need to worry about is those freaks coming after Asher again.

"For now," he says in a tone that suggests I'm not going to like what comes after. "It's legally tricky."

"How is it fucking tricky ?" I cry. "They attacked our omega!"

"I know," he says with a heavy sigh. "But the first responders and the hospital staff confirmed they were all under the influence of some kind of chemical compound."

"A compound?" I wrinkle my nose. "What kind of compound does that? "

"I guess that's what they're investigating."

We both fall silent, sitting with the non-answers that are all we really have to contend with. How are we supposed to hold these fuckers accountable if they're just puppets, and we don't know who really did this? If any alpha in our audience could be turned into a weapon against Asher in a split second?

"I've hired more security," he says after a moment. "Fired the idiots who let those fuckers get anywhere near the stage in the first place."

I raise an eyebrow. "That was fast."

Silas meets my gaze, eyes flashing with rage. "Not fast enough."

I nod. Nothing will be fast enough, thorough enough, to ease the guilt and fear gnawing at all of us. We're alphas, for fuck's sake. We're supposed to protect our omega, and we failed.

Spectacularly.

"There's more," Silas says, his voice low. "The cops say there's been a string of omega-related attacks lately. They think it's some kind of organized group that's behind the compound."

My blood runs cold. "Targeting Asher specifically?"

Silas nods grimly. "Not just him, but yeah. They warned me he's likely to be a continued target, given how outspoken he is about omega rights. And tonight's attack would probably spur more."

"Fuck," I breathe, running a hand down my face. "What else?"

Silas's lip curls in disgust. "They suggested we stop touring. For Asher's safety."

I can't help but laugh at that, the sound harsh and bitter. "Yeah, good luck with that conversation. You know how Ash is gonna react to that bullshit."

"Oh, I know," Silas says dryly. "Believe me, I know."

The door to Knox's room swings open, and our omega steps out as if on cue.

He's sporting a few bandages, a nasty bruise blooming along his jaw that has me seeing red, but otherwise looks okay. My chest aches at the sight of him, relief and lingering fear warring for dominance within me.

"Any updates?" Asher asks, his violet eyes scanning our faces.

I can't help myself. I reach out, pulling him into a gentle hug. At six-two, he's only a couple inches shorter than me, and he's all lean muscle. Definitely not your typical omega, aside from the long golden mane he spends a small fortune in products on every month. But even if he's not a wispy omega, I still came too fucking close to losing him tonight. "You should be resting," I murmur into his hair, breathing in his honey-sweet scent.

Asher huffs, pulling back to fix me with an exasperated look. "I'm fine, Dante. Stop fussing."

I exchange a glance with Silas, knowing we're both thinking the same thing. Asher's anything but fine, but he'll be damned if he shows any weakness. In some regards, he's as bad as any alpha.

Maybe worse.

Asher catches the look, his eyes narrowing. "Stop that," he snaps. "I hate when you do that silent communication thing. You'd think you were twins."

Silas holds up his hands in a placating gesture. "Sorry, Ash. We're just worried."

"Yeah, well, worry about Knox," Asher retorts, gesturing toward the room he just left. "He's the one who just had surgery for a broken fucking skull."

I wince at the reminder. "How's he doing?"

Asher's face softens slightly. "Better. Doc says he'll make a full recovery, but it'll take time. They're keeping him out for now to give his body a chance to heal."

Silas nods, some of the tension leaving his broad shoulders. "That's good. Listen, Asher, there's something we need to talk about?—"

"The cops say there've been other attacks," Asher cuts him off. At our surprised looks, he rolls his eyes. "These walls aren't exactly soundproof, you know."

Silas nods grimly. "Yeah, there were other attacks. They think it's an organized group, targeting omega rights activists."

Asher's jaw clenches, a fire lighting in those mesmerizing eyes. "And? What are they doing about it?"

The silence that follows is answer enough.

"Fuck that," Asher spits, starting to pace. The movement is graceful despite his injuries, reminding me of a caged tiger. Beautiful and deadly. "If the police won't do anything, we fucking will."

"Ash," Silas starts, his tone placating. "We need to be smart about this. The cops suggested we stop touring, at least until?—"

"No." Asher's voice is steel, brooking no argument. "Absolutely not. We are not canceling the tour."

I can't help but smirk at Silas. Called it.

Asher whirls on me, jabbing a finger into my chest. "Don't you start."

I hold up my hands in surrender, but I can't quite wipe the grin off my face. He's so damn hot when he's all fired up and protective. It's one of the many things I love about our unconventional omega.

But now is definitely not the time.

"I'm serious," Asher continues. "I'm not calming down, I'm not backing off, and I'm sure as hell not letting these bastards win by hiding away like a good little omega."

"No one's saying that," Silas tries, but Asher's on a roll now.

"I want revenge," he snarls, eyes flashing. "I want to know who the fuck is responsible for this, and if the police won't do anything about it, I fucking will."

Part of me wants to agree, to feed into that righteous anger. But the more rational part knows this isn't the time or place. We need to be smart about this, strategic.

This isn't just a few jeers from pissbabies in the crowd, or bitchy headlines. It's life and death.

An idea starts to form in the back of my mind. It's risky, potentially illegal, but... desperate times and all that.

"What if," I start slowly, drawing their attention. "What if we reached out to someone... unconventional? In addition to the added security, I mean."

Asher's brow furrows. "What do you mean?"

I hesitate, choosing my words carefully. "I have a friend from college. He's into computers."

"We need muscle, not an IT guy," Asher scoffs.

I can't help but grin. "That's a very euphemistic way of saying he's into some seriously shady shit. Back in college, a group of alpha assholes made a list of omegas on campus. Their schedules, their names, their pictures, and all kinds of other creepy personal information. The school administration wouldn't do jack shit about it, either."

Asher's nose wrinkles in disgust. "Good to see nothing has changed."

"Yeah, well, Adam decided to take it into his own hands," I continue. "He hacked into the school database and published everything on those assholes from their grades to their academic records and their parents' work numbers. The other list was down in an hour."

Silas snorts. "Not bad."

"He might be able to help us figure out who's behind the attacks if the police can't," I say with a shrug. "Or won't."

Silas frowns, clearly not fully on board with the idea. But Asher... Asher's eyes light up with interest and a hint of that mischievous spark I love so much.

"You really think he could help?" he asks, a note of hope in his voice. "This is a little bigger than a school database."

I shrug, trying to play it cool. "Worth a shot, right? Can't hurt to reach out, at least."

Silas opens his mouth, probably to list all the ways it absolutely could hurt, but Asher cuts him off.

"Do it," he says firmly. "Reach out to your friend. We need all the help we can get."

I nod, already pulling out my phone. As I start composing a message, I can't help but wonder what the hell I'm getting us into. But one look at Asher's determined face, at the bruises marring his honeyed skin, and I know it doesn't matter.

We're pack. Family.

And we'll do whatever it takes to protect our own.

Even if it means breaking a few laws along the way.