Chapter 4
Four
Max
T his was a giant clusterfuck. I’d sent off Joseph’s audio confession from an anonymous email address to every reporter, social media influencer, and animal activist I could Google, and then to the cops. There was no way that this would be buried.
I had, however, gone over the audio once more, just to ensure there were no references to the Omega in there. I didn’t want her to be dragged into this, especially considering how traumatized she already was. I wasn’t an Alpha, but even I could scent the bruised smell of an Omega in distress. I’d been extensively trained in body language, but I could have been blind and still know that she had shut down from the trauma.
It didn’t help that her appearance was causing the other two Omegas in the house distress also. Their soured scents were riling the Alphas, and this whole thing was now a powder keg of hormones.
I was going to blame that for what happened next. When the topic of the Omega and what should happen with her came up, I felt the words leaving my mouth, despite my better judgement. Despite the problems that might arise from it.
Despite Llew.
“She can come home with us. We have the space.” My voice sounded more sure than I actually felt, and I could feel Rio’s eyes on the side of my face. He probably thought I’d lost my mind.
Lance grunted. “I’m not sending her home with two unknown Alphas. She stays here.”
I was a little pissed he didn’t think I was as much of a threat as the two Alphas in our house, but he was probably right. Rio was shrouded in darkness and a healthy dose of PTSD. And Llew…
I’d forgotten that we’d told Lance about our other Alpha, Llewellyn, after a particularly hard group session at the VA. Llew had been our Packmate since we were kids. Three best friends who’d been through so much together. Our Packbond had been the kind that most people could only dream of, until the dream became a nightmare.
Rio growled. “What are you insinuating?”
Lance had the good grace to look a little guilty. Honestly, if we were talking about strangers and not my Pack, I’d probably have agreed with him. But something deep in my chest felt compelled to care for the Omega. Even now, I was fighting the urge to get up and leave the room, to make sure she was okay.
Rio was arguing softly with Lance about how there was no one better to protect her than our Pack—which I agreed with—when the girl reappeared, and my heart stopped. She was dressed in an oversized sweatshirt that hung to her thighs, and a pair of loose sweats that hugged her hips, but billowed down her legs.
Her face stole my words. Her features had mostly been obscured behind the veil, so all I’d seen was a small button nose, with eyes that were big and dark. Now, she’d lost the veil, though I could see it clutched tightly in her hands. On her head was a small knitted cap, but it didn’t hide the fact she had no hair.
Was she sick? Did she have alopecia? Her lack of hair did nothing to detract from her beauty, though; or the urge that burned in my limbs to stand up and scoop her into my arms. To hold her in my lap and tell her everything would be okay.
I noticed Truett, Lance’s Alpha Packmate, appear in the hall behind them, but he was already quickly moving back to his other Omega, Strat.
Clearing her throat, Otillie-James speared us all with a disapproving expression. “How about we let Paloma decide for herself? I think she’s probably had enough of Alphas telling her what to do to last her a lifetime.”
Paloma. Her name was Paloma. She met my eyes, and I tried to convey promises I had every intention of keeping, without looking like an overwhelming stalker.
Paloma and Otillie-James whispered to each other, and I couldn’t quite pick up their words. Otillie-James kept a careful amount of space between them, though, and she was doing a lot of validating nods. Finally, she gave the Omega a quick squeeze on her forearm and turned back to us.
“She insinuated that her Omega doesn’t like being around two other Omegas, and she wishes to go home with Max and Rio.” Paloma leaned close to whisper to her once more, while I tried to get my heart to restart in my chest. “Also, she’d like it if Doodles could come too,” Otillie-James added.
I was nodding before she’d even finished. “Of course.” I’d bring home the entire animal hoard if it made her more comfortable. A three-legged dog that looked more like a wire brush was an easy thing to give her, if it put her at ease.
Every Alpha in that room stared at Rio and I. While they had nowhere near enough training or Alpha strength to stop us from leaving with the girl, I found I didn’t want to fight. I would protect Paloma from violence at all costs, if I could. But if they prevented us from executing her wishes, I would do what was necessary to ensure our exit. I didn’t look too hard into why I was suddenly willing to throw down for a girl I’d only just met—probably some biological impulse because she felt so wounded. We were all wired to protect Omegas, even us Betas.
Which was quickly confirmed by Lance, the only Beta who might be able to stand between an Alpha and something he wanted. “She’s treated with the utmost respect. Her wishes are final. Or I will fuck you both up; I don’t care how well trained you are.”
I knew a little bit about Lance, and his time in the military. He could probably fuck me up, but he wouldn’t stand a chance against Rio. Not that we’d ever test that theory. If we ever disrespected Paloma, or any Omega, I’d happily lie down and let him kick the shit out of me.
Rio must’ve agreed, because he gave a short nod of assent.
After that, everything happened so fast. We borrowed a car from the Pack, and put Paloma in the back with the dog on her lap. She seemed… stressed to be in the vehicle. Her scent turned acrid as soon as I shut the door, and I couldn’t tell why. I wanted to sit in the back with her, but I didn’t want to crowd her, or make her feel like she had a prison guard.
I hadn’t thought this through at all, but we’d do the best we could.
“Paloma,” I said softly, tasting her name on my tongue. “Are you hungry? Is there something you’d like to eat?”
She frowned at me. “An apple?” she whispered so softly, I had to strain to hear.
An apple? “Sure, we have those at home. What about something more substantial? Chinese food, maybe?”
She looked at me, a small crease between her brows, but shook her head eventually. Rio hit the brakes hard as someone pulled into the intersection without looking, and the scent of Omega stress went through the roof.
I looked back at her. “Are you okay? Do you not like driving?” Had she been stolen from a car? Had she been in an accident?
“This is only my third time in a vehicle.” Her voice was trembling. How could anyone have only been in a car three times in their entire life?
Shooting a quick look at Rio, whose knuckles were blanched around the steering wheel like he was physically restraining himself from losing control, I sucked my teeth. “Would you feel better if one of us was in the back with you?”
She looked up at me, and I realized her eyes were a deep, almost impossible emerald green. “You?” she said softly, and I looked at Rio for signs that he needed to comfort the Omega so he didn’t lose his shit.
He was already pulling over onto the shoulder of the road, then tilted his head at the passenger door. “Go sit with her.”
I was so out of my depth right now. I could infiltrate a terrorist bunker, or a guerilla militia, or a cyber-terrorism cell, but consoling a frightened Omega seemed outside my abilities. But I’d try, just to ease the stench of her fear in the cab of the SUV.
Opening the door slowly, I gave her plenty of time to tell me to stop. To escape. To give me any sign that she might find my presence abhorrent. However, she just watched me with those gemstone-green eyes. I slid into the back seat, and wariness was all her body language was projecting.
Buckling myself back in, I placed a hand on the seat between us. Doodles the dog reached out and licked it, between all my fingers, like he was giving me a tongue bath. It was gross. I chuckled softly as Rio pulled back into traffic, wiping the dog slobber on my pants and putting my hand back out.
“I made a promise, and I don’t break my promises,” I told Paloma softly. “I’ve got you now. You’re safe.”
Her lip trembled, but despite her fear, she put her hand in mine. I threaded our fingers together, giving hers a gentle squeeze. A reassurance, even though she barely knew us and had no reason to trust my word. I couldn’t imagine the choice she’d had to make in that bathroom. Go with the strangers you knew, or stay with the strangers that were like you, but being near them made instincts inside you go haywire.
Nothing like being betrayed by your own designation.
I needed to tell her about Llew. Or at least warn her not to go to his end of the house, without it sounding like we were holding him captive.
“I need to tell you that there’s another Alpha at the house. He stays in his room almost all the time, but if you see him in the hall, he would rather stab himself through the heart than harm you. His name is Llew. I’ll try and introduce you, if he’s up to it.” If Llew was in the right headspace. If he was here with us, in the present.
Her eyes slid toward me. “Is he sick?”
Fuck, what did I even say to that? “No, not physically.” I met Rio’s eyes in the rearview mirror. How did I even start to explain Llew to someone who wasn’t in a Pack? “He went through something traumatic, and he’s still finding his way back from the darkness.”
We all were, but Llew… He’d had it the worst.