Chapter 13 Repossessed #2
“But I see how it is,” Hunter added with a theatrical sigh and a wave of his hand. “I understand that I may have waited a little too long, so perhaps a compromise is in order. Would you like to share my Omega with me now that you’ve already had a taste of his adorable ass?”
Felix’s nostrils flared, and I could only assume that he was mere hairs away from ripping Hunter’s head off.
“But how would that work?” Hunter blundered on, completely ignoring the physical manifestation of incandescent fury before him.
“Would I go first or would you? Better yet, maybe we should just pick alternating days, like I could have him today, then you could have him tomorrow.” He snapped his fingers and laughed.
“I know! We could just have him at the same time! That would make things equal, wouldn’t it? ”
Felix’s breath rasped through his clenched teeth. His chest heaved as though every breath was shackled by the effort of holding back his rage. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ara’s eyes widen as she looked from brother to brother, then she took a step back.
Good. I wasn’t going completely mad and imagining things then. On second thought, maybe it wasn’t quite such a positive development to realize that Hunter was indeed draping his arm over my shoulders and using me as bait to make Felix lose control and give in to a murderous frenzy.
“You disrespect the family,” Felix forced out.
“You disrespect the efforts I have made to bring the pack back from the brink, and you disrespect all Omegas with your flippant attitude. And most of all, you disrespect your mate. I know you are just jesting in your own cruel, sadistic way, but you should know that I will not tolerate your bullshit today.”
By the end of it, he almost sounded civilized, if even more furious than before. The feral rage was gone, replaced by the blinding pain of familial disappointment.
And the worst part of all was that I found cold clarity right alongside Felix.
With each word, the reality of the situation sank in, and the few paths before me grew clearer.
It was unthinkable, it was horrible, but could I even hope for anything better than exactly what Hunter had proposed?
If I was going to be handed over, then there was a sliver of hope in the possibility that I could still spend some time with Felix as I was handed—shared—from brother to brother.
Disgusting. Sordid. I know.
And perhaps the best option left to me.
Hunter relaxed into his chair, but I was growing to understand him as well. There was only the pretense of aloof laziness. He was secretly watching his brother’s every move, down to the twitch of muscles in his jaw.
“No,” Felix said at last, turning away from both of us to gaze off at the horizon. “There will be no sharing under any circumstances.”
And just like that, the last vestige of shameful hope withered away.
Disgust and relief warred within me, tangled up with a healthy dose of self-loathing and resignation.
Perhaps it was for the best that I hadn’t debased myself by speaking up in favor of the horrible arrangement, though I’m not sure my voice would have cooperated even if I’d wanted to say something.
“I… I think I have a headache,” I croaked out. “I need to… I need to go lie down.”
I don’t know how I got the words out. Hell, I don’t know if I even said anything intelligible. All I knew was that I needed to get out of there, and so I stumbled to my feet, lurching away from the disgusting grasp of Hunter’s arm.
I was dimly aware of Ara following as I blindly rushed back to my room, but she didn’t say a word, for which I was thankful.
Was it too late to flee? That would surely be better than being stuck with Hunter for the rest of my life. Even if I got caught and punished, that would surely be a better fate than going meekly to my doom.
A different kind of feeling took hold of me, a violent energy that rolled through me until my body trembled with it.
Before the wedding, I’d had no idea. I’d imagined all sorts of horrors that Hunter might inflict on me, but I’d been ignorant of reality and how good mating could really feel.
Now that I knew the truth, his horrible promises cut far, far deeper.
When I reached my room, I shut the door behind me. Ara didn’t yelp even though I’d been rude and might have even hit her in the face. I threw myself down onto the mattress as a wretched laugh left my throat.
In a stroke of unthinkable irony, Hunter would be the first wolf to take me in this bed where I’d been sleeping beside his brother for months.
This same bed, where I’d stolen scraps of comfort from Felix’s nearness, where I’d memorized the rise and fall of his breathing in the dark, where the faint brush of his arm or the heat radiating off his body had been enough to keep me sane.
My body rolled to his side of the bed and I buried my face into his pillow.
It still carried his scent. Pine and rain-soaked earth.
I drew it deep into my lungs until it hurt, until I couldn’t tell if I was breathing him in or drowning on it.
Tears filled my eyes and I couldn’t stop the desperate scream I let out, muffled against the pillow.
I didn't have the strength to fight an Alpha like Felix or his brother, but I could take it out on this bed. This bed that had held the foolish hope that one night he'd wake up and admit the truth of what had been building between us.
My fists hammered the mattress again and again. Tears spilled, soaking into the fabric, mingling with his scent until it felt like I was bleeding myself out into the bed we’d shared.
My mind was a chaotic whirlwind as I fought back deep, racking sobs. I have no idea if my breakdown was silent or if everyone in the pack house could hear it. All I could focus on was the impossible question of whether this was endurable.
Perhaps if I persevered, Hunter would lose interest and leave again. But Felix… I wasn’t sure if he’d comfort me then or play the role of good, loyal brother.
And even if Hunter did leave and Felix provided me solace, that might be the worst fate of all.
Because after Hunter grew bored in his pursuit of pleasures elsewhere, he would return and enjoy my body some more.
I’d never know a moment of peace, and him reclaiming me would always be a possibility hanging over our heads.
I would surely grow to hate Felix more and more every time he handed me over to his cruel, careless brother.
At some point, I must have drifted off into restless, fitful sleep.
The line between terrible premonitions and genuine nightmares was thin, and I was tormented by both Hunter and Felix in equal measure.
Hunter looming over me, crushing me down to the bed.
The Alpha I’d lived with, not defending me but watching with cold judgment in his eyes.
All the comforting warmth was gone, replaced with impassive acceptance of Hunter’s assault.
It felt so very real, and it was never going to end.
Without warning, I woke up, and it was like a bucket of cold water had been splashed in my face. The bed was empty. Hunter had not come to claim his rights, but neither had Felix come to sleep here one last time.
And then I heard the creaking out in the hallway, and I knew that my imagination didn’t hold a candle to reality.
The door cracked open, and a narrow streak of light burned into the wall.
For a long moment, I held my breath and listened. Judging by the sounds and lack thereof, whoever was on the other side was holding their breath as well.
“Please let it be Felix,” I mouthed silently. “Please, Felix. I need you.”
The door opened wider, then a dark shadow slipped into the room. The door closed behind it, and then we were alone. My lungs were burning to the point I thought they were going to burst, but still I didn’t breathe.
“Finally. I’ve been waiting so very long for this.”
A hand clapped over my mouth, but it wasn’t enough to completely stifle my sobbing cry. Air rushed into my lungs, but deep, gulping breaths weren’t enough. It felt like I would never breathe easily again.
The bed protested as Hunter climbed up. He hadn’t bothered to get undressed beforehand, nor had he pulled the blanket back. Instead, he just savagely ripped away the thin linens protecting me, then he reached into his pants and freed himself.
Bile shot up my throat. In that stunned, fight-or-flight haze, I could almost see what the old Monte would have done. I knew exactly how much I was willing to bear for the sake of my family and this marriage. I would’ve closed my eyes and endured the humiliation.
But these past two months had changed me. That’s the only explanation I can find for why I lashed out at Hunter, striking and grabbing, pushing him away while trying to writhe my way free of his oppressive imposition.
Just for a moment, I thought I was free and about to tumble to the floor. I could scramble for the door. I could escape!
But then Hunter recovered from his surprise, and my ankle was caught in an iron grip. With a savage yank, I was dragged back onto the bed. I reached for something, anything to save me, but my nails caught on nothing at all.
“Thank the Goddess, I was afraid you’d just be meek and lie there like roadkill,” Hunter cackled in my face, his hot breath washing over me and burning my nose.
“No, please,” I whimpered.
Impossibly, my first thought was of Felix and whether he’d forgive me for lying with another wolf. I knew it was stupid and an absurd thing to fear, yet that was the single thought overpowering all others.
And that’s when a roar echoed through the house with such violence and fury that I felt a whine of submission break free of my throat.
Felix was coming, and he was not pleased.