Chapter 14
Booking two last-minute seats on a flight from Newark to Huntsville, an FCDA agent meets us at the airport and escorts us to the hospital where Bea is being treated.
Orion had shown up at the label several hours after I dropped him off at his therapy appointment.
Hearing him admit he had been on the verge of drinking to drown his fear of losing Bea had gutted me.
I remember too vividly how terrifying it was to find him the last time he’d resorted to alcohol as a cure for his problems.
Thankfully, Fate had intervened this time by sending Orion’s father to his doorstep. Mr. Walker had saved Orion from relapsing, and he gave him something to focus on instead of wallowing in the dark thoughts swirling in his head.
I only wish Orion hadn’t looped me into finding Mr. Ferguson and Mr. Hale’s shared apartment.
Breaking and entering is not a crime I ever thought I would commit, yet clothes from their rooms are stacked in the scent-sealed tote in the trunk.
Hopefully, they won’t be upset about the intrusion. It is for a good cause, after all.
Arriving at the hospital, I help Orion grab the things he brought for Bea, and we follow the agent up to the private wing they use for Omega patients.
The clinical environment seems like a terrible place to house injured or sick Omegas, but I suppose there aren’t many more comfortable options that would allow them to receive the care they need.
A small pack stands down the hall from the door that the nurse directs us to. The woman looks so much like Bea that I have to do a double-take. They must be her parents. Seeing them huddled together with tear-soaked faces makes my heart thud painfully against my ribs.
What sight awaits us inside this room?
How much damage has my Omega had to endure over the past two days?
Orion doesn’t share my hesitance, nor does he seem to have spotted Bea’s family. He is completely focused on laying eyes on our girl. The room is quiet when he opens the door, with only the soft beeping of equipment disturbing the silence.
I hold my breath as I follow him past the wide curtain running around the top of the room. Curled on her side in the bed, Bea’s wide eyes turn to us. I’m struck first by her beauty. She’s always been radiant, glowing with a confidence that pulls me into her orbit.
The closer I look, the more awestruck turns to appalled. Bruises line her eyes, a testament to the trauma she’s been through. Bandages cover both sides of her neck, matching the pain we felt through our Fated connection. Seeing her sitting here makes the reality of what happened undeniable.
If the FCDA hasn’t captured those responsible, I’m going to take care of them myself. Anyone who dared to lay a hand on her deserves to suffer threefold the pain and fear she has.
Orion approaches her bed, blathering as he tries to process his feelings now that he knows she is alive.
I stand several feet from the bottom of her bed, frozen by the anger her wounds have ignited in my soul.
She opens her arms, welcoming Orion into her embrace.
I steel myself for the inevitable jealousy, but it never comes.
If anything, I’m relieved they can comfort each other.
When Orion steps away, helping to unpack the scent bags he brought her, Ridley leans in and kisses her softly. I’m tempted to turn away, but a voice sounding entirely too much like my younger brother reminds me I can never be hers if I cannot accept them too.
Watching him kiss her is… uneventful. There is no urge to rip him away and lay claim to my Omega. I also have no interest in watching him do so again.
Bea’s eyes wander to me, pulling me from my confused thoughts about my place in her future pack.
I step closer, slipping my hands into the pockets of my slacks.
My face remains neutral despite the moment of disgust crawling through me when I remember I haven’t showered or changed clothes since the morning I heard she was missing.
I should have cleaned up before I came to visit her.
“You came,” she whispers, her voice hoarse. I step to a nearby cart and pour her a cup of water, placing a straw inside. Our fingers brush as I pass it to her, sending sparks of electricity racing along my skin. Touching her always feels like a jolt of adrenaline.
“I owe you an apology. Your safety ultimately fell into my hands, and I failed. I never should have sent you on tour without additional personal security, given the danger the breeding ring posed.” Her shoulders fall, curling in slightly.
I’m fucking this up. “If I had allowed you to remain in my apartment, to shield you from the threats against you, regardless of their improbability, you might not have had to suffer like this.”
Orion makes a disgruntled noise, so I glance his way. He’s giving me a look that I interpret as ‘what the fuck are you doing?’ Frankly, I have no fucking clue.
“What I meant to say is that I should have protected you. As your boss, as an Alpha, and as your Fate-matched mate. I failed you in all three regards, and I’m deeply sorry for that.”
Bea watches me for several moments. I shift on my feet, unnerved by her scrutiny. Does she find my apology lacking? Would she be more inclined to believe I am sincere if I admit to helping Orion break into her other Alpha’s apartments?
“It wasn’t your fault.” When she finally speaks, she drops her head to stare at the pile of blankets and clothes Orion and Ridley have been tucking around her.
It’s adorable, the way her nose scrunches before she untangles the mess and rearranges it.
“If I had listened to you and not ventured off on my own in a city I was unfamiliar with, things might have gone differently.”
Crouching down, I use my knuckles to tilt her head up so she’s looking me in the eye. “You were hurting. Feeling the residual pain from a mate through your Fated connection. With the strain it was causing you, I should have been more thorough in taking steps to keep you safe.”
Bea’s lips part, a response waiting on them, but the sound of something crashing, followed by shouting, stops her. I jump to my feet, placing myself between her and the door. At my side, I sense Orion and Ridley doing the same. Whatever threat heads our way, we won’t let it touch our Omega.