Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
Jarek
My mind feels like it has exploded, and my heart is a mess in the mud Vivian creates with a river of tears. There's no thought, no ideas on how to make the unbearable pain leave my woman alone.
The sounds of feral snarling drew us out here first, but the scent of blood is what made Kade wrench her away from the flower bed. Only the fact that she was scratching at her own arms to get free made him release her.
Teeth bared, tears running down her cheeks, and long nails ripping her flesh apart, Vivian embodied the true definition of feral. Fear kept me still until she saw the destruction she caused.
"NO. NO. NO. NO!!!"
Crashing to my knees, I scamper toward her, my instincts urging me to be smaller for my terrified omega. As if I already know what to do, which is a load of fucking bullshit because I'm shaking and beyond worried, I know words won't matter right now.
Allowing my alpha to surface, I wrap my hand around the back of her neck and squeeze enough for her silent scream to hiccup. That one stutter gives me the in I need. Grabbing her face, I force her to look at me. What am I up against?
She's not in there. My woman is sobbing and clearly the most distressed I have ever seen, but there's nothing in her eyes that tells me she sees me.
"Jarek, inside," Riot mutters, giving me some guidance when I get stuck searching her dead eyes for signs of my mate. "Hold her head and wrap her arms around your neck."
My body follows his directions without question. We need to get her to her nest. Her safe space. Her warmth and comfort.
At Riot's nod, I stand, and he guides her legs around my hips. She's close to being completely limp. Her chattering teeth near my ear and the thundering of her heart against mine have me rushing into the house and up the stairs.
Before I pass the threshold into our pack nest, I slow my steps and my breathing. This isn't the place for panic and desperation.
My bare feet are caked in dirt, but I don't care as I enter the cozy room and drop to my knees on our mattress. Her arms cling a little harder, making relief rush through me so fast I become lightheaded.
"I'm not going anywhere, Butterfly," I murmur, situating us so she's mostly under me in her pile of blankets and pillows.
The whereabouts of Kade and Silas aren't my concern, especially when all I can feel from them is the rising of fierce determination to fix this. I'm certain by the time Vivie comes to, the garden will be put back together.
Riot gently removes her arms and places them outstretched from her body. I have to close my eyes at the sight of her deep cuts and ripped nails to keep my growl at bay.
Taking up the same position on her other side, Riot rests on one elbow, hikes one leg over hers, and places his hand on her stomach so our fingers intertwine.
She doesn't open her eyes. When I pay attention, I realize her breaths have evened out and her heart has slowed.
"Passed out or sleeping?" Riot whispers, not once taking his focus off her.
This episode reminds me a bit of when she lost consciousness after we found her in the rain. Her system was overloaded then too, but in a less volatile way. "Passed out," I murmur, voice catching on an anguished emotion I can't name.
I just need my mate to be okay.
I wake to the sound of soft whispers and heated bodies around me. Vivian! My eyes spring open as my energy goes from zero to one hundred in a fucking nanosecond.
"She's waking up," Riot murmurs, catching my eye when I start to panic. "Kade and Silas are cooking some soup. They cleaned her up while we rested."
"Thanks," I say, throat scratchy from sleep.
Vivian's eyelids flutter. When she registers it's me and Riot holding her, a million emotions rush through her gaze. If I listened hard enough, I bet I could hear the cracking of mine and Riot's hearts as our woman begins to cry.
She tries to fight it, biting down on her wobbling lip and refusing to blink to keep the tears from squeezing out. We don't need her to hide her feelings though.
"It's okay, little Omega. You can cry," Riot whispers, running the backs of his fingers down her cheek. "You just rest and let me talk for a few minutes, okay?"
Something like relief flits through her bond, and she melts a little into the pillows. Riot, noticing my confusion, clears his throat and explains something I never thought of.
"I guessed it could be a comfort. When we were in those cells together, I talked a lot. I never thought she really listened, but it became the norm. She'd sit there and suffer through my rants."
A soft huff of a laugh escapes Vivian, shocking the shit out of me, but I also feel immense appreciation for Riot. "Well, let's hear what you got," I tease, trying to help lighten the mood.
Riot turns all his attention on Vivie. "They have a theory, baby, and I need you to listen with an open mind. I think it will help you understand some of the stuff you're feeling."
Vivie nods and tugs a blanket up to her chin. I can feel more than see the fear she's battling right now. Such a brave girl.
"I believe you when you tell me we're partially bonded. What we think that means is you're being bombarded with my shit and my feelings. We think this bond is more trauma-formed, and it's affecting you into thinking you still need to be in fight-or-flight mode."
Vivie frowns but doesn't say anything. She doesn't seem to have a question which sets Riot on edge a bit.
When the other alpha glances at me, I nod in encouragement.
We sprung this theory on him when Vivian ran out to the garden.
He had no time to come to terms with it, but he seems ready to accept and learn with Vivian.
He blows out a nervous breath and places his hand over her stomach next to mine again. "You are my scent match, my fated mate, and pairing such a strong connection with something as intense as trauma without being fully bonded...Well, let’s just say it's a miracle you aren't constantly angry."
Vivian frowns deeper, and I nudge him. "Get to the main part, man."
"Sometimes what you feel is actually what I feel. Anger, hunger cues, insomnia and—" He shuffles and casts me a worried glance. "I haven't told the guys yet, but I think the nightmare you're having is actually mine, baby."
"What?!" she gasps and sits up. Her small flinch at the tug on her new scratches makes me wince.
Riot nods guiltily, and I don't like that he feels that way. "When I was fourteen in foster care, I woke up in the middle of the night to an older boy strangling me in my sleep."
A high-pitched whimper comes from Vivian. I help her when she moves to climb into her alpha's lap. They both need the comfort.
"I relive it in a nightmare almost every night," Riot whispers. He holds her so gently as if she's the most precious thing to him in the world. "How long have you been having those nightmares? Or waking up gasping for breath?"
I answer immediately. "First nightmare was with me during a nap. She was gasping and scratching at her throat like she was trying to pry the fingers off. That was a week or so before she found you."
Riot sighs and presses his forehead to hers. "I'm so sorry, baby. Sorry your connection to me has been causing you turmoil since before we even met. I'm sorr?—"
Vivian silences him with a sweet kiss on the lips. She pulls away pretty fast and immediately shakes her head at him. I knew she wouldn't blame him.
I chuckle at the clear love in his eyes and take over the initial conversation.
"Butterfly," I murmur to get her attention.
When I have it, I continue, "We think once Riot is bonded into the pack fully, your omega will be able to form a healthy attachment.
Because Riot's right. The depth of your connection with him was formed out of necessity for survival. "
"I trusted him to guide me," Vivie whimpers, clinging to her new alpha.
Riot begins to purr, and I shuffle forward to hold her cheeks in my hands.
"And he did so well. You were right to trust him, Omega.
Now, you're not in danger. You can eat when you want, sleep as much as you like without fear of someone hurting you, and you can have your own feelings. You're safe to be you."
She took his guidance to a whole new level.
One I'll research later because the way her body and mind formed to match his is something I didn't think was possible.
But I can't judge that. I'll never know what they truly went through together.
Vivian survived and so did Riot. They leaned on each other in their own ways.
My omega has never done anything half assed either, so I shouldn't be surprised her stomach learned to convince itself that it ran off Riot's hunger cues.
It's wild and different, but that's okay. "We have a solution to try. I think I speak for everyone when I say we're all willing and excited to bond our mate to us."
Tears fill both of their eyes, so I do the only thing I can think of to punctuate my statement. Wrapping one hand around Riot's neck and the other around the back of Vivie's head, I pull our mouths into a three-way kiss that heats my blood and fills my heart.
They're mine.