Chapter 42
Savannah
“Y ou're crazy.” I shake my head. “No. Stop. None of that makes sense. Do you think I’m stupid?” I shout. “Athena is two months younger than my baby. Just stop with the lies.”
“Their child would have been two months younger, yes, but the child you had was small. So very small. At two months old, she looked just like a healthy, fully grown newborn baby. Everything worked out so perfectly, don’t you think?”
“Stop talking, stop talking, stop talking!” I roar as I feel everything inside me snap. I put the gun down and grab my switchblade. Flicking it open, I lunge for him. “Shut up!” I scream over and over as I ram the blade into his throat.
His eyes widen as his mouth parts. Blood seeps past his lips, and I watch the life drain from his eyes, but I don’t stop. I’m not in control of my body anymore.
I just need him to shut up. To stop talking. No more talking.
“Savvy!” a voice shouts. “Savvy. Stop. He’s dead.”
Shaking my head, I keep stabbing, making contact with wherever I can; the blade has already made contact with his chest, neck, and eye.
When my hand goes up again, someone grabs my wrist. My manic eyes snap to Duchess’ worried ones. “Savvy, he’s dead. He’s gone. He can’t hurt you or anyone else again.”
But he did. He hurt not only me but my pack, too. How do I tell my pack that Athena isn’t theirs? He hurt me just as bad, so much so that it feels like someone shoved their hands in my chest and wrapped them around my heart and lungs. I can’t breathe. The pressure in my chest is too much.
“Savvy, breathe. You're having a panic attack.”
Is that what this is? No. This is so much more. Hyperventilating, I scramble off Corbin, falling to the ground. I crawl backwards like a cornered animal, eyes swinging to everyone around the room staring at me.
Jerry, Cobra, Lucy, Duchess. They’re all here. All safe. Good, that's good.
“Savvy, you're scaring us,” Lucy says, her eyes filled with tears. “What happened? What did he do?”
“She’s mine,” I croak, my throat feeling like I’ve swallowed rocks. “She’s mine.”
“Who’s yours?” Duchess asks, brows furrowing.
“She’s mine,” I repeat.
Everything inside me screams that he’s lying, that this is all bullshit. How could something like that be real?
But then, how could my last five years be real?
This was Corbin. He was sick and twisted. It’s sure as shit something he would do.
The more the words play in my mind, the more I feel like they’re true.
There’s been this connection with Athena since day one. I couldn’t be near babies, just the look of them broke me, but with her, all I wanted to do was hold her, love her, and protect her.
I thought it was because she was the daughter of my pack. And that is true to a certain extent. But there was something more, too. There was always something more.
Getting to my feet, I race out the door, ignoring the shouts from behind me.
Like tunnel vision, I have only one thought in mind, and nothing will stop me.
I rush outside, and a few of Duchess’ men ask if I’m okay, but I ignore them and get into the nearest car.
Slamming the door shut, I take off.
The whole ride home, I feel numb like I’m having some sort of out-of-body experience and am dissociating from my mind.
I don’t remember anything about the drive. Pulling the car into the driveway, I don’t even shut the car off, just put it in park and leave the door wide open.
I blink and I’m rushing up the front steps, through the front door, and up the stairs to Athena’s nursery.
She’s alone when I step inside, the soft music of her nightlight noise playing, casting little stars on the roof.
Slowly, I make my way over to her, and as soon as I see her face, this calming feeling blankets me.
“Hi, my sweet baby,” I whisper. Leaning over, I carefully lift her sleeping form into my arms and cradle her to my chest.
Sitting in the rocking chair, I smile down at my sweet girl.
My eyes take in every inch of her little face as I start to hum. Tears fall as I rock my baby girl.
My baby girl. Not a boy. I’ve spent months mourning someone who was never truly gone. I never had a son. I had a daughter.
Even as I say the words in my mind, it feels like I’m mourning for a whole new reason.
I’ve been lied to so much in my life. What is even real anymore?
“I have you, sweetheart. Mama’s got you,” I coo as I rock her back and forth.
“Savannah?” Walker’s voice makes me smile.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” I ask him, keeping my voice low so I don’t wake her up. “She’s so perfect.”
“Savvy, baby, what are you doing here?” Walker asks, stepping into the room.
“It’s over.” I run my fingers down Athena’s hair. It’s so soft. “It’s all over. He’s gone. He won’t ever hurt us again. We’re free.” I laugh softly. “You hear that, baby girl? We’re free. He didn’t take you away from me. I’ve got you back, and I won’t ever let you go.”
“She’s covered in blood,” Jake’s choked voice sounds, but I don’t look up.
Blood? Am I? I can’t tell, it’s too dark in here.
“She’s not all there,” Walker says, voice shaky. “She’s having some sort of breakdown.”
“No, I’m not.” I snort out a laugh. “I’m fine. I’ve never been more fine in my life. How couldn’t I be? I have my baby back.” I look up at them with a big smile. “My baby never died. She was here all along.”
I don’t like how they’re looking at me, like I’ve lost my mind. I haven’t lost my mind.
“You’ve had a long night. How about you give Athena over to Jake so I can help you shower and get you changed into something more comfortable,” Walker offers in a soft tone as he walks towards me.
I frown, holding the baby tighter. “No.” I shake my head. “I just got her back. You can’t take her from me.”
“I’d never take her away from you, baby. Never. She can come snuggle with us when you’re done with your shower.” Walker lifts her away from me, and as soon as she’s out of my arms, I panic.
“No. Give her back. Please, give her back,” I beg as he walks away from me. Why is he looking at me like that!
“Shhh.” Jake wraps his arms around me. “It’s okay. Everything is okay.”
“No.” I struggle in Jake’s hold. “Give me my baby back. That's my baby!” I start to sob. I fight against his hold with everything I have in me, but he’s strong. “Give her back! Give me back my baby. That's my baby! You can’t take her from me. I won’t let you!”
Walker takes Athena out of the room, and a heart-wrenching sob leaves my chest.
I can’t lose my baby. Not again. I won’t survive.
I fall to my knees as deep, heavy sobs leave my chest. Jake sits on the ground with me and holds me tight. He rocks me, mumbling sweet things in my ear as I cry.
His purring, the motion of his rocking, and the exhaustion of everything overpowers me, and I pass out.
Caleb
T he back of the van opens, and two men drag Leroy and me out. Setting us on our feet, they take off the restraints and gags.
“What the fuck?!” I roar when I see my sister standing there with her Omega at her side.
“I’m sorry, but Savannah didn’t want to risk losing you. And neither did I.”
“I’m a fucking cop! I’m trained for this shit,” I growl.
“And I was in the fucking military!” Leroy snaps. “We would have been fine.”
“That might have been so, but I was pressed for time, and I wasn't going to argue with my best friend. Look. It’s all over now, okay? Everyone is fine. We all made it out alive. Well, everyone who mattered.”
“Where is Savannah?” I demand, looking around, but not spotting her anywhere.
My sister gives Lucy a look, and my gut sinks.
“You said everyone was fine,” I snarl.
“She is fine... okay, not fine but alive.”
“What does that mean?” I growl. “Where is my Omega?”
“We found Savannah with Corbin. She wasn’t in good shape,” Daphne confesses.
“He hurt her?” I’d fucking kill him myself if he wasn’talready dead.
“No.” She shakes her head. “He was tied to a chair. Savannah was lost in some kind of trance as she stabbed him in the neck over and over again. When she snapped out of it, she got up and ran. We went after her, but she got in one of the cars and took off.”
My phone rings, and we all look down at my pocket. Thinking it's Savannah, I quickly answer it. “Baby girl? Are you okay?”
“It’s Walker,” his gruff voice fills the line. “Savannah is here.”
“Thank fuck.”
“Wanna tell me why she showed up here, covered in blood, holding Athena like she was having some sort of psychotic break?” he growls.
My brows furrow. “I-I have no idea.” I look up to my sister. “Is the baby okay?”
“She’s fine. Had to give her a bath though, she was covered in blood.”
“Fuck.” I run a hand through my hair. “What about Savannah? Is she okay?”
“No.” His voice breaks. “I don’t know what happened, but she’s not okay. Jake had to restrain her while she kept screaming, demanding that I give her the baby back.”
“We’re on our way home,” I inform him, worry bubbling up inside me. Seeing Corbin must have triggered something inside her, bringing up bad memories. I need to get out of here, I need to make sure my Omega is okay.
“We need to get back to the house,” I tell them, hanging up the phone. “Savannah is there.”
“We’re coming with you,” Daphne says.
“Why?” I narrow my eyes at her.
“Because I want to see if my best friend is okay,” she growls back. “And...” she sighs. “When we were looking through Corbin’s office, we found a different security camera from the ones in the building. It recorded everything.”
“I don’t like the look in your eyes, little sister.” My eyes flick between hers.
She looks away. “I’ll show you when we get to your place. The others need to see it too.”
The drive back to the house felt like it took a lifetime. I’m too worked up for this; I can’t sit still, and whatever my sister is going to show us... I just know none of us are going to like it.
“Are you okay?” Walker asks as we step into the house. He looks to Daphne and Lucy, then back to Leroy and me.
“We’re okay. Got tied, gagged, and shoved into the back of a van. So we’re just peachy,” I droll.
“Where’s Jake?” Daphne asks.
Walker sighs heavily, looking exhausted. It’s got to be around three in the morning at this point.
“He’s upstairs with Savannah.”
“Go get him. He needs to see this.”
“See what?” Walker’s brows furrow.
“Just go!” Daphne snaps, pushing past him as she heads towards the living room.
“Just tell us,” I demand as she sits down on the couch. She grabs Jake’s laptop from the coffee table and opens it up, ignoring me.
I’m a hot mess, my mind is coming up with all these outrageous scenarios.
Jake and Walker join us a few minutes later, letting us know Savvy is upstairs sleeping. Jake looks worse than Walker.
I want to go upstairs and see my Omega. To make sure she’s okay, to hold her, kiss her, and make her feel better.
But the look Daphne gives us all tells me I need to see whatever she’s about to show us.
“I’m sorry,” she starts. “And I’ll do whatever I can to help you get through this,” she says with sad eyes. What the fuck is on that tape?
We gather around the laptop, and she presses play.
It starts off with him just sitting in his chair. Then a moment later, Savvy comes in.
There’s gun shots, and I get a rush of pride for my girl at hurting that fucker.
The video goes on. Savvy ties him to the chair, and he says some pretty fucked up shit.
My girl holds on strong like the superwoman she is.
That is, until he says something none of us ever expected him to say.
By the time the video is done, we’re all stunned. My mind is reeling, my heart aching.
“This can’t be real,” Jake says, looking up at us with broken eyes. “He’s lying, to get under her skin, to hurt her more.”
“Of course, it’s not real,” Walker growls. “He’s lying!”
My eyes stay glued to the paused screen as I feel a part of my soul shatter.
I want nothing more than to believe he’s wrong. Athena is my daughter. My baby girl. This can’t be real.
“There’s only one way to find out,” I say, looking over to my sister. “Find Ashley.”