7. Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
I ’m dead.
He is actually going to kill me.
I have always questioned if he would actually do it. If one day the anger would completely overcome him and he would just snap once and for all. I know for certain now that he will.
There’s no way that he won’t. Not with a giant mating mark on my neck. He’s going to kill me.
What the fuck was that Alpha thinking? He hadn’t even spoken a word to me other than verbally claiming me as his before he made it permanent.
I still don’t know his name.
I think Theo may have mentioned it to me earlier but all the emotions of the last two days have finally caught up on me.
I trip over my own feet as I shoot down the hallway. My knees slam into the ground. The pain would normally make me whimper but it doesn’t even register. Nothing does other than the overwhelming knowledge of my demise. “Kennedy!” A rough voice calls out from behind me but I don’t let myself turn around to face them.
I scramble up from my position on the floor.
I hear footsteps thundering behind me and it only makes me pick up speed. I don’t even know where I’m going.
I sure as fuck can’t go back home. I know what will undoubtedly meet me there. I try to wrack my brain for places that I could go but my distracted mind costs me. Arms wrap around my waist, hauling me up into their hold.
“No, please no,” I whimper, “He’s going to kill me.”
I thrash in the hold trying to extract myself from the vice-like grip the arms have on me but they don’t relent.
“Please, just let me go. I’ll just leave. He will never have to see me again. I won’t cause problems for him. Just please.” I beg as tears begin to stream down my face. A growl nearly deafens me as my pleas turn into whimpers.
“Who, Little Omega? Tell me their name and I will fucking kill them. I will wipe them from the face of the earth.”
Ledger’s voice breaks through my struggle. The fight starts to leave my body as I give in to him, allowing myself to go limp.
My head falls back to rest on his shoulder as the tears continue their descent down my face.
“My father. He’s going to kill me,” I cry. I feel something in my heart break at that moment.
This isn’t how meeting and being claimed by my mate was meant to go. I was meant to feel safe. I was meant to be safe.
I feel as far as I possibly can from that feeling right now.
Terror overcomes me. Anxiety threatens my stomach contents .
It feels like the walls begin to close in on me as reality starts to drift. I start to pant, trying to catch a breath that fails me. A light sheen of sweat coats my body as I feel my body jostle. “Kennedy, baby. I need you to breathe for me. Fuck, Jax!” His voice sounds far away even though a part of me knows I am in his arms.
A distant sound of more footsteps sound up the hallway. I can’t tell how far away they are from me or who they even are.
“Give her to me.” The new voice growls.
Ledger hands me off to another person who holds me tightly.
“Come on, my sweet girl. I need you to breathe for me. Please don’t make me use my bark.” The familiar voice is gentle as they try to coax me from my attack. “In and out. Come on, baby.”
There's something about the voice that makes me want to obey it. I attempt to take in my first breath. It shudders but it seems to make him happy.
“That’s it. Such a good girl. Now, I need another one.”
I take in another breath. And another.
The room slowly starts to come back into focus as the anxiety starts to dissipate. My chest still feels tight but my breathing starts to even out.
I blink my eyes a few times as my surroundings come into focus.
“I’m sorry, Kennedy.”
My head snaps up to look into the eyes of my Alpha.
Jax, I’m guessing as I remember the name Ledger demanded for.
There’s a broken look in his eyes that I feel mirrored inside of me. It occurs to me then that he can feel everything that I am feeling and vice versa .
“I’m so sorry that I claimed you without your consent. I fucked up. I’m sorry.” Jax’s eyes water as he looks down at me. It feels as though a part of his very soul breaks. I feel his deep regret through the bond as he closes his eyes and hangs his head in shame.
I instantly start shaking my head. “No, Jax. Don’t you dare apologise to me.” He opens his eyes before frowning down at me. He cocks his head, giving me a questioning look.
“Don’t ever apologise for claiming me. I’m not happy with the fact that you couldn’t even have a conversation with me before laying claim, but I understand.” I can’t help myself from reaching up and cupping his cheek with my hand. While I still feel terror running rampant in my chest at what the mark on my neck means, my words are true. Feeling what I do now, I can’t help but want this Alpha with everything I am. My blood sings for him.
It makes a part of me insane watching my Alpha break. The primal part of me is already so attuned with who I am destined to be for him. I want to make sure he is okay. I want to stop his pain.
“I don’t understand,” he says quietly.
“I’m not running from you, Jax.”
“Who then? Tell me who makes you feel like this and I will fix it.”
“I…” I begin but cringe. I look around the hallway. It's currently completely empty but I don’t trust it. Nowhere my father can access is safe.
“Is there somewhere else that we can go to talk privately?”
Theo steps up to where I am still in Jax’s arms. “We can go back to our place?” I no d
even though my emotions are unstable. I don’t know what to trust right now. But the one thing I can trust is the feeling in my chest that these men are safe. At least for now.
We don’t bother going back to class. Instead, we end up loading up into a blacked out SUV; coincidently the same one that almost ran me over yesterday. Theo at least had the decency to look sheepish and apologise when I told him exactly that.
I don’t know what has gotten into me.
Deep within my soul, it's true. I’m not angry with Jax for laying claim to me. The Alpha inside of him took over. When faced with our scent matches, all rational thought goes out the window. I know that. It was a part of Mrs. Reed’s lesson yesterday. Would I have liked to have actually been courted first? Absolutely.
But, here we are.
I can’t regret having a mate. One that was so desperate to claim me he was unable to control himself.
Some might say it's a reg flag, a major one at that, but I am actually into it. From what I can tell through, it's not that he wanted to claim me just to control me. That he doesn’t just want me for what I can give him. That I can help him to regulate his control. To be a better Alpha.
The feeling in my chest tells me another story. A story of a man that has walked a troubled path.
A path that has seen hurt that feels like the scale of my own .
A man that just wants to give love that he hasn’t been afforded.
That is the kind of Alpha that I want.
If that's who Jax is at his core, nothing else matters to me. Not even my father’s reaction. Even though on the surface level, I am fucking terrified.
It's not long before we are pulling up at one of the gated communities in our city. The drive to the house is quiet and slightly awkward. None of us know where to look or what to say. Beside me, Jax leans against the car door, looking like a wounded puppy. I feel his eyes on me every so often; an array of emotions letting me know he is just as conflicted as I am. He keeps a hold of my hand though, refusing to let go.
It's ironic that we are pulling up at this exact estate.
My father has been desperate to get into the community that is Eastwood Heights for years. His current standing just isn’t good enough for him.
Calvin Hayes wants to be the most powerful man in Vedena. In order to do that, becoming a resident of Eastwood Heights is where he needs to be. Just like all of the other residents here, being a resident means power.
He has tried numerous times to buy a house here. Much to his outrage, he hasn’t been successful.
Guards stare us down as Theo rolls his window down. The Beta immediately nods their head and with a press of a button, the gates open.
My head feels like it is on a swivel as I turn side to side, taking in the properties that line the road. It takes a good couple of minutes to actually begin to start seeing the houses. ‘Houses’ is calling it modestly. They are fucking mansions.
My eyes blow wide as I take in the stone exteriors and the intricate details even visible from the road.
These houses are insane.
This kind of wealth just seems so extreme. Why do people need such big houses? What is the use of a couple that lives in a house with fifteen toilets?
I can understand those that have large packs and then have children but seriously. There's got to be some kind of restraint at some point.
I would hate to see their power bill.
Jax chuckles from beside me. My palm feels sweaty in his. The feeling of having physical contact with someone feels foreign but it's nice.
It’s so fucking nice.
I think that's why I have just given myself over to him so easily. That I hoped into this car abandoning all judgement toward the three strangers. The feeling of being touched and it not followed through with pain is almost euphoric. It is scrambling my brain, I’m sure of it.
I’m sure normal people don’t feel this way. Unfortunately, I am anything but normal at this point.
I should hold reservations.
I should be freaking out.
I should have run away from them. But something is telling me to stay. To put my trust in these three men. To abandon all reason and put my life in their hands. I know it's not going to end well but I can’t seem to self-preserve .
“Impressed, beautiful?” Jax whispers into my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.
“You could say that. These houses are so extravagant.”
He chuckles again, the sound tightening something in my core. The scent of my arousal spikes and the entire car groans. Jax tightens his hand in mine. “Damn, Kennedy. I didn’t think that architecture would get you so turned on.” I can’t help my elbow from slamming into his ribs.
Immediately, I gasp, turning to look at him as I pull my hand from his even though he tries to tighten his grip.
“Oh my god, Jax. I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I just did that.” I fuss with the bottom of his shirt, pulling up the cotton to reveal his dark, toned skin. I run my hand over his ribs like my touch alone could heal him. Like I’m some kind of healer from a fantasy novel. His skin prickles with goosebumps as my hand runs back and forth.
He lets out a moan and I can’t help but gasp again, immediately pulling my hand away. Before I can get too far away, Jax snatches my hand in his.
Looking up, I find his gaze. Pure heat and desire encase them as he looks down at me. “I’m okay, baby. You didn’t hurt me. Your touch is driving me fucking wild though.” I raise my eyebrow at him, “I don’t believe you, Jax.”
Theo laughs from the front seat. I turn to look at him, finding his attention on me already in the rearview mirror.
“Love, you couldn’t hurt a fly. An elbow to the ribs would be nothing.”
My hackles instantly rise and I frown.
“What are you saying, Theo? That I’m weak? ”
Theo’s eyes widen and he stumbles over his words. “N…no. Wh…What. I didn’t. Kennedy.”
He shakes his head in panic before pulling up directly in the middle of the road. Theo turns around in his seat, leaning over the centre console. He seems to gather himself enough to not be a stuttering mess as looks at me. His face is serious. Any teasing banter, gone.
“Listen to me clearly, Kennedy. You are the strongest woman I have ever met in my life. I don’t know your story. Shit, I don’t even know anything other than surface level shit. But what I do know is those marks covering your stomach,” he says pointing down at my torso, “they don’t tell a story of someone that is weak. They tell me the story of a brave woman. A woman that is strong. Stronger than the, no doubt, weak person that hurt her.”
He grabs my hands in his, “You are strong, Kennedy. Tell me you understand.” I nod straight away. The serious exterior fades away as he gives me a small smile. “Good girl,” he practically purrs, bringing my hands up to his lips. The kiss he places on my knuckles is so tender that I feel like I melt right there in the leather seats. Fucking swoon.
Theo gives me a final smile before turning back around and putting the car into drive. The rest of the car trip is silent yet again. My eyes don’t leave Theo’s face for one moment.
Was I too quick in jumping the gun and believing that he was a spy my father had put in my life?
Was he generally just trying to get to know me?
His words gave me no indication that he was lying. It just seems surreal to have these three Alphas so interested in me. I feel like I have been overlooked my entire life. Pushed to the side and discarded. Never good enough for anyone .
Even though my life has, quite frankly, been a shit show up until now, I can’t help but wish for hope.
Hope that this is it. This is my chance at escaping my life. Of getting away from my father and the damnation that will follow me if I stay there any longer. If that means putting my faith into these Alphas, allowing them to take control from me, I'll do it.
Anything to escape my prison.