Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Saint Cage, Haven
“ Y ou love Ghost.” It’s the early hours of Tuesday morning, and I’m lying in my soft bed between Lincoln and Thomas.
I’m hot and I’ve kicked off most of the pile of shimmering cushions and blankets. Only a single sheet is bunched around my middle.
I’m naked, and so is Lincoln. I love the feel of his skin rubbing against mine.
The peacock stuffie sits on the end of the bed. I turned it to face away from me because I felt like it was staring at me.
The bed smells of my fated mates’ scents mingled with mine.
It smells of home.
Thomas came back to Saint Cage so late last night that I was already in bed.
Thomas is being worked to death by his dad.
How many hours of sleep can you survive on long term? Thomas is getting four hours at most.
Thomas’ opulent bedroom is only lit by a single low crystal lamp that’s balanced on the teak chest of drawers.
Thomas collapsed onto the bed with a groan only a few hours ago. He didn’t even change out of his suit.
He has less than half an hour now, before he’ll need to leave for work again.
Death by paperwork. What a way to go.
Thomas hesitates. “Do I? What gave it away? Right now, my feelings don’t matter. It won’t change anything. So what does it matter that I’ve loved him for a long time?”
I rub my cheek against the silk pillow, while my eyes prickle with tears that Ghost is sleeping underneath the mansion without a pillow. “We’re scent matches. It hit me hard, just like it did with you. We’re Omega soul mates. He’s not like anyone I’ve met before.”
Lincoln throws his strong arm over my middle. “We both love quirky, right? Feral is our catnip. With those sweet, blue eyes, he looks innocent, but I think that he’s a secret psycho.” Lincoln says psycho like it’s the highest compliment. “Little gambler is one of us. He’s pack. But he flinches from me.”
Sadness and hurt wash through the bond.
I grip Lincoln’s chin. “He’s been conditioned to fear Betas. His body associates you with pain, even if he knows in his mind that you’re not the same. He’s already learning that you’re different. Just be yourself. He’ll see the truth. Then he’ll love you as much as I do.”
Thomas is lying stiffly next to me.
What’s wrong?
Confused and worried, I turn, licking his neck.
Thomas glances down at me; his expression becomes weary. “What Dad is doing to Ghost is fucked up. I begged to be allowed to bond with him. Then I begged for him to be allowed to serve the pack in some other way, rather than being held as a prisoner. And I am not one who begs normally. Dad refused again. He’s making an example out of Ghost, but it’s more than that. He doesn’t allow any of us to be anything but perfect. It’s why he selected an asshole elite like Richard to be his Second Alpha. It’s not like he loves the bully. Richard was eager to bond with Dad because of his political ambition and the power that he’d then hold over me. What do you bet that he’s regretting all his life choices now he knows what Dad’s truly like? But Dad can’t see that Ghost is perfect just as he is.”
My ugly Rej bracelet suddenly feels heavier than normal.
I jangle my bracelet. “Am I?”
Thomas kisses the top of my head. “Sweet venom, you’re more than perfect. You’re everything .”
I glow, and my shoulders relax.
I bite my lip. “It’s destroying Ghost to be shut up down there alone. If he can’t be released, then I’m going to spend my days with Sugar and him. One Omega shouldn’t have freedom, while another doesn’t.”
Lincoln punches the air. “Omega solidarity!”
“Always.”
Thomas looks conflicted but he nods. “It’s your choice. Fuck, I love you.”
“Can we all love Ghost as well?” I ask in a quiet voice.
Silence.
Anxious, I watch, while Thomas edges away from me on the bed.
I suddenly feel cold without his warmth next to me.
How cold is Ghost alone in the freezing basement?
I hope that Sugar is at least sleeping on him with her tail wrapped around him, warming him with her fur.
I hope that Ghost’s wrapped in my soft blue blanket.
Thomas’ expression is hard. “Falling for him now risks breaking your heart if things go wrong.”
My eyes narrow. “What are you so frightened of? Is it that he’s not fated like we are? That your dad is planning something worse? That Fletcher’s your enemy?”
I can hardly breathe.
What’s the mystery?
Thomas becomes ashen.
Shit, did I guess right? Which one is it?
“Fletcher broke his bond with my twin. He could have killed her,” Thomas bursts out, clenching his hands. “I should hate Ghost but I won’t be like Dad. I won’t blame one pack member for another’s actions. Or am I a fool, and you’re blaming me for being a Saint?”
He turns his head. His eyes are flat in a way that I hate.
I instantly struggle out from underneath Lincoln’s arm to press my lips to Thomas’.
He sucks in a shocked breath, before the stiffness bleeds from him.
He kisses back, passionately.
His tongue twines with mine, and I moan.
My heart feels like it’s about to beat out of my chest. Thomas’ fingers toy with my hair, before caressing down my collarbone to my tits.
I want more.
Thomas teases over my nipples, flicking one way and then the other.
I arch into his touch, and he deepens the kiss.
Desire pools between my thighs.
I kiss Thomas back with more eagerness than I have before, and he gives a surprised sound that I swallow.
In this moment, everything else is meaningless.
The world and our worries fall away.
My Alpha is kissing me, and I’m kissing him. I crave the scent of my fated. I want him close to me always. I can feel the strength of his love through the bond, and in the same way as when we’re knotted, I can’t tell where he begins and where I end.
We’re joined, and I never want us to be parted.
Except, my lungs, my fucking lungs , need oxygen. I fight it as long as I can.
But then, Thomas is pulling back from the kiss, gasping for breath at the same time as I am.
He rests both of his hands on my shoulders.
I’m relieved to see a yearning in his eyes replace the flatness of before.
I flatten my hand over Thomas’ shirt, where the wolf Soul Mark is. “You’re my fated. You’re also Seven, the man who sent me messages every morning and evening to check that I was okay and dirty talks like a pro. You’re kind and smart. You helped me through my heat and you’re holding everything together, even though I can see how close you are to falling apart. How many years have you had this weight on your shoulders? All your life? I’m sorry that I judged you because of your pack. All I see now is the Alpha who I love.”
“Our peacock,” Lincoln adds, proudly.
Thomas’ expression is serious. “Then I need to be honest about Ghost.”
He stops talking for a moment, as if he’s gathering his thoughts or struggling with them, rather than hesitating.
Has he spoken about this with anyone before?
I feel honored that he feels he can share this with us.
“As kids, my sister and I played with Fletcher’s Omega brother in his house,” he continues. “We were taken over to the Ace Mansion, whenever there was a deal going down. The Ace pack is more brutal than the Saints. I hated it there. The female Alpha was tyrannical to everyone, especially Ghost. But Fletcher was caring and playful with his brother. Fletcher’s a decade older and appeared to be the only one raising Ghost. I wanted Ghost to be my Omega; he was a beautiful genius. He was more interesting than any other male Omega I’d met. It blinded me to the truth that Fletcher was obsessed with my sister and me.”
I pale. “Fuck.”
“Obsessed as in…?” Lincoln looks set to be triggered into murder mode.
“He wanted to claim us both. He’d have become the Alpha to the Saints twins.” Thomas is avoiding our eyes.
“He’s dead,” Lincoln snarls.
“He may as well be. Fletcher’s been sentenced to life in the A-a-alpha C-center.” Thomas stumbles over the name, which is so unlike him that I study his face. Dread coils in my guts. Are the rumors true that Raylan sent his own son to suffer in the center? Vito thinks so. Thomas steadies himself fast, however, and his gaze becomes steely. “The important thing is that simply because we can’t bond with Ghost yet, doesn’t mean that we can’t act like he’s worthy of it. Because he is.”
Yet…?
Suddenly, I feel wide awake.
I scramble to sit up. “What the hell does that mean?”
Thomas’ frosty eyes become calculating. “It means that you’re not the only one working on a rescue mission for us.”
My heart speeds up. “Wait, you have to tell me.”
Unexpectedly, Thomas’ phone rings in his pocket.
Thomas looks wearier at the sound.
His eyes are shadowed with deep smudges, and his cheekbones appear sharper.
He slips the phone out of his pocket.
“Dad, I’m not late to work,” Thomas snaps into the phone. “I’m not expected in until 6 a.m., and that’s still—”
“Adjust the attitude, or I’ll adjust it for you,” a harsh voice snarls, loud enough for me to hear. Thomas winces. “I haven’t raised you to be a weak, stupid Alpha. So, why aren’t you capable of following my orders? Richard told me over dinner last night that you still haven’t closed down the Dough Knot.”
Shit, it’s Raylan.
My pulse speeds up. Lincoln pushes himself upright next to me, alert and attentively listening.
Thomas’ gaze rests on mine.
His face falls into a mask.
“I had their accounts hacked.” Thomas’ voice is ice cold. It’s like he’s pulled on a different persona entirely than the man who I’ve just been lying with. “They were rather a mess.” He takes the phone away from his ear, as he mouths sorry at me. “Richard’s a sadist who’d go for the knife in the guts, rather than the subtle whisper in someone’s ear. My methods are smoother. That bakery financially can’t stay open longer than a few more weeks. Trust me, it won’t be a problem. Let it collapse all by itself and then swoop in and take over.”
“Trust you?” Raylan barks. “Outrageous. After everything you’ve done, practically helping your sister rebel, siding with her and those outlaws, and communicating with her secretly, how can I trust you?”
Thomas’ jaw clenches. “I’ve only just got back from being punished. Weren’t all those months locked in the Alpha Center enough to atone?”
Lincoln stifles his gasp against my hair.
I’m frozen.
The Alpha Center is a prison that conditions Alphas who don’t act dynamically appropriately or who abuse Omegas. It’s also for true criminals. But Head Alphas can choose to use it as a threat against their pack members to keep them in line.
The center’s methods can break an Alpha as thoroughly as the methods used against Ghost.
I hate that the rumors are true.
I wish with everything in me that they weren’t.
It explains where Thomas has been for months and why he was missing, when Ghost was first brought to the Saint pack.
I stare at Thomas, reading shame now in the bond, as well as his reddened cheeks.
He has nothing to be ashamed about.
I’m fucking proud that he stood up for his twin Omega sister. I also understand why there’s such deep-seated pain through our fate bond.
He’s been taught in the Alpha Center that he’s a bad Alpha .
I’m going to kill his dad.
Next to me, Lincoln is struggling not to growl.
“Loyalty has to be earned,” Raylan says. “I don’t give special treatment to anyone, including my son. You’ll continue to live in the Saint Cage, until I can trust you again. Richard will shadow you because I can trust him. He’s a good Alpha. He’s strong and obedient. If he wants to inspect your house, strip search you, bloody do any sample test he likes, then you’ll let him. This is like parole.”
“It is.”
“Is that attitude again?” Raylan’s voice becomes soft and dangerous. “You’re lucky that Ghost and you are alive. You’re not stupid enough not to realize that.”
Slowly, Thomas lowers the phone from his ear, switching it off, then he sharply pushes himself out of bed. “I need to get to work.”
Distressed, I hold my hand out to him. “Tom…”
When Thomas glances over his shoulder, I’m taken by surprise at the dark gleam in his eye. “By the way, I lied to Dad. I do that rather a lot. This stupid Alpha is playing a game, and I’ve always been competitive. I’m going to win. When I was young, I often broke my superhero toys by allowing the villains to over enthusiastically win their battles. Now, I’m that villain, at least, in society’s eyes.”
“What do you mean?” I whisper.
Thomas adjusts his cufflinks. He looks tall and imposing in his suit like a gorgeous model. He’s energized again, despite the shadows underneath his eyes.
When he marches to the drapes and drags them back, the dawn’s light glints off the copper in his hair, making it appear as if he’s on fire
He looks otherworldly, but I don’t know whether he appears more demonic or angelic.
“The Dough Knot won’t collapse financially,” Thomas drawls, “because a secret anonymous investor from an untraceable account last night paid them enough for them to keep going for the rest of the year. Hmm, I wonder who that could be…? Then you’re going to win the Haven Food Festival. How? Because you’re the best and because I’m the smartest manipulator and schemer in the state. So, this is our fight back against our families. Are you in?”
I’m grinning, cheering, and hugging Lincoln at the same time.
Thomas (or the anonymous investor who is definitely Thomas), has just saved Vito and me.
Again.
“Yes!” Lincoln and I tumble out of bed, twirling each other around in excitement.
Thomas’ icy smile should frighten me, but instead, it makes me wet because it’s seriously hot. “This week, we should get to know each other. Also, cherish and love the hell out of each other. No one can take that away. Then behind the scenes, we plot. Oh, and take cheese for Sugar, when you visit Ghost. They both adore that treat. Ghost has been scheming with me from the start. It’s his plan to work out a way to use his situation to help every defective Rej Omega be free and not only himself. So, win over the cat to win the Omega.”