Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
River’s Clinic, Battle House, The Alpha Underworld
“ W hy do you take such risks, bella? Look at the ugly bruises around your beautiful neck.” River’s smooth voice isn’t sunny like normal but melancholy in a way that I haven’t heard before. Is he close to tears? “Do you know how scared I was, when you were carried in last night by an enemy Alpha? The pretty bastard was holding on so tightly that I thought I’d have to inject him with a sedative. I guess that he’s the type of Alpha who hurts Omegas and then feels bad about it afterwards.”
My eyes are still closed.
Gradually, I struggle toward full consciousness.
My head aches. I’m groggy.
Did River give me something to make me sleep last night?
I can feel that I’m lying on a small, narrow bed. By the unique spicy and floral scent, I know that I must be stretched out on the hard cot in River’s clinic.
I feel rested like I’ve been sleeping, despite the deep ache that’s ringing my throat.
Other than that, I don’t hurt like I do normally after a cage fight.
But then, Harbinger didn’t kick or even punch me. I was the one who got in the blows, slashing him with my nails.
Harbinger only threatened me, until he outsmarted me at the end and made me pass out in a single move.
My eyes smart with tears.
I lost the match for Feral.
I haven’t won the prize money that I need to buy out Feral’s contract and save him.
Plus, Dad was watching last night. He won’t have been impressed by my performance.
How can I become heir now?
I’ve lost River too, haven’t I?
My pack.
I’m about to open my eyes, needing River more than ever in the moment, this gorgeous Beta who has patched me up after every fight.
Until River starts speaking again like a hushed confession. “I could never say this to your pretty face, bella, because I need to be strong for you. Strong , isn’t it funny? I am a Beta who is half the size of every Alpha in the Underworld. You could throw me across this room. But I can still make you smile. Is that enough? I love you. I always have. But do you secretly laugh at me like your sister does? A mafia prince on his knees? Do you think that I am a joke for…? Do you even like my flowers?”
A sigh, which breaks my heart.
I adore River’s flowers. They mean the world to me.
River has always loved me…?
How can he not know that I’ve always loved him as well?
I attempt not to react to the gentle stroke down my cheek, despite being desperate to nuzzle into River’s hand.
“How would I live without you? If you died, I would too.” River’s lips are so close to mine that his breath gusts across my mouth. When he rests his cheek against mine, I can feel the wetness of his long lashes. I’m desperate to reach out and clasp my arms around him. But I can’t break this precious moment. “I know how tough you are. But don’t you see that you’re also as fragile as my beloved flowers? You don’t know what men like your papi or Vinnie are truly capable of, despite thinking that you do. How easily they could cut us all down. How can I let that happen? Feral is my Alpha, and you’re my l’anima gemella. In Sicily we have those. We have so much there. Equality for Betas . I have forgotten almost what that’s like. I’d give anything up, however, as long as I have Feral and you. Don’t leave me. ”
When River begins muttering in Italian, I stiffen.
River never speaks entirely in Italian, as if it’s too painful for him to remember his past life, before he was dragged to the Underworld in America.
He doesn’t speak Italian, even when he’s talking to himself and believes that he’s alone.
I know because one of my favorite things, when I was a teenager, was to sneakily lean in the clinic’s doorway and watch River, before he realized that I was there.
Okay, I had a serious crush.
River was a gorgeous Beta from Above, and I was fascinated from the moment that I met my brother’s new tutor.
River would hum and dance between his trays of flowers and herbs. He would croon to them like they were Omegas, petting them on their petals and promising to care for them.
Possibly, that’s when my obsession with wanting him to be my Beta started.
Who could resist a sexy Italian, who showed how lovingly he even cared for plants?
In those times, however, River spoke halting English, despite only just learning it.
Hearing him now whispering in anguished Italian is distressing.
He sounds younger.
Shattered.
Is he caught in a flashback?
I need to stop this.
Instantly, I open my eyes.
River stills, then to my relief, stops talking.
My cheek is damp with his tears.
River’s raven black curls brush my nose, as he pushes himself up. He wipes his hand hurriedly across his cheeks.
I gaze into his soft, blue eyes.
“Bella!” River smiles. But now I can see how ruthlessly he shoves down his pain beneath his mask of sunny bravado . What the hell has Dad done to this man? “You’re awake.”
“Looks like it.” I’m shocked at how raspy my voice is.
River is dressed in stained jeans and a black t-shirt. A ‘ C ’ for Companion is stitched onto his top.
I try to raise my hand to my throat, but River catches it between his. “Better not to touch, huh? How are you feeling?”
I swallow, painfully.
Shit, that hurts.
“Like I was strangled,” I croak.
“Funny.” River leaps from the bed.
He circles the stacks of ointments and pots of homemade medicines. He clatters on his bare feet over the rough wooden floorboards to the rickety stack of crates at the back of the room.
The clinic is no more than a large woodshed at the back of Battle House’s courtyard.
Weak light shines through the dusty window of the back door and over the chaotic lines of lovingly tended herbs and bright, multi-colored flowers. Medical kits that include bandages, splints, and as much equipment that River has been able to beg over the years, hang from nails on the far wall.
I don’t know what Lionzio needed to promise Dad in order to be given this woodshed. River was over the moon, however, at the chance to adapt it into a simple clinic to treat Betas, since only Alphas are technically allowed treatment.
River has found a way to help the unbonded Betas.
He’s a nurse and a hero.
I also know that my brother has sold his soul to Dad many times for River’s sake, including the right to work from this woodshed.
Possibly, for Feral and me as well.
It’s why I forgive my brother for the times that he’s controlling or cruel. It must burn that he needs to go to the Hades pack and trade shady favors in order to bring Feral the seeds, cuttings, and medical equipment from Above.
Lionzio has been raised in a world that isn’t kind. He has no positive role model of how Betas or Omegas should be treated.
Despite that, he still tries his best to give River what he needs.
As a Companion, River has no right to request anything.
Why can’t Lionzio understand, however, that River has the right to choose who he loves ? That he has the right to choose who he bonds with?
Why must Lionzio make his best friend frightened to tell him that he’s actually in love with his sister?
River is a prisoner of an enemy pack in a foreign country.
Isn’t that terrifying enough?
Yet here River is, smiling at me. “Tea, bella?”
I nod.
There isn’t a microwave or stove in the woodshed. So, River clicks on the ancient electric kettle.
As he waits for the kettle to boil, he hums a song that I don’t recognize.
“I’ll make you my famous herbal and honey tea.” River bends down to search out a clean, chipped mug from underneath the crate. He balances it precariously on the top. “It’s perfect for sore throats. Nurse’s orders, and that’s more important than doctor’s orders, when the nurse in question is as sexy as this one.”
He points at himself with a flourish.
I laugh.
True.
“What song is that?” I push myself slowly up against the metal headboard.
“You haven’t heard it?” River’s eyes light with excitement. “It’s a new one. Jin sang it at his concert last night, which was live streamed.”
“Is there anyone who isn’t obsessed with that Beta?”
Of course, I am too.
Jin is the most famous performer, both actor and singer, in the country. Yet somehow, he manages to make everyone feel like they know him.
The way that he can connect with people is a talent.
River tilts his head. “It’s inspiring to see a successful Beta. Yet his songs are stories. There’s something underneath them, a sadness. It’s like he’s flying free but is trapped at the same time. His life couldn’t be more different to mine, but somehow, his songs have helped me to survive. Sorry, it doesn’t make sense.”
“It does,” I say, quietly. I feel the same. So does Feral. Music is strange like that. It rises above language, borders, and dynamics. “So, you were listening to Jin’s concert, while I was fighting.”
The color drains from River’s cheeks.
He rushes back to the narrow bed and grabs my hands between his. “I’m sorry. I was listening to it to distract me. I can’t watch the two people I love risk their lives in such a brutal fight. The pits are the one place that I can’t…”
“Hey,” I hurriedly stand, ignoring my aching muscles and wrap my arms around River’s neck, “you don’t need to explain.”
Except, he’s shaking.
Has something happened to River in the pits? Is something triggering for him there?
He can’t have a phobia of blood, since he’s a medic.
As far as I know, River has never attended a cage fight. Yet I’ve overheard Lionzio argue with River about it.
One of the few times that Lionzio disciplined River was over his refusal to be an onsite fight medical attendant.
Lionzio made River kneel on the hard floor of the corridor outside his study with his hands held above his head as punishment to make him reflect on his duty to the pack.
Lionzio only relented after two hours, when River started silently crying.
As far as I know, Lionzio didn’t raise the issue again after that.
For him to have been so strict with River, however, he must have been getting pressure from Dad.
Why can’t River deal with violence like the fights?
What’s happened?
I pull back to look him in the face. “You’ve saved my life, Fer’s, and most of the fighters’ many times over. You stay up most nights caring for the other Betas, as I suspect you did last night for me. Whatever you can’t face in the pits, I’d never expect you to deal with that as well. You’re still the strongest Beta I know.”
“ Beta ,” River says, softly. “I know how you Americans view those.”
“Person,” I repeat, firmly. “Everyone in my pack is equal. And you are my pack. My soulmate.”
River draws in a sharp breath.
I don’t know if it’s the equality or soulmate that hits him so hard.
I think that it’s both.
Then River smiles, before he presses his full lips tenderly to mine. Once and then twice.
“L’anima gemella, you’re brilliant.” River kisses my forehead, before pushing me back to sit on the bed. “Tea.”
He twirls with his typical swagger to the crates.
I watch fondly the skillful way, as if mixing a potion, that River pours the hot water over a blend of herbs. Then he opens a pot of honey and mixes in a spoonful.
He clinks the spoon against the side of the mug like he’s composing a song.
Possibly, he is.
When I shift around on the bed, however, a single red tulip falls onto my hand. It must have been laid on the pillow next to my head.
I stroke over the tulip’s soft petals, biting my lip. “Is this for me, Riv?”
When River glances up and sees what I’m holding, he drops the spoon with a clatter onto the crate. “If you swear to stop turning up here unconscious, bella, I swear to leave a flower on your pillow every morning for the rest of our long, long , lives together.”
“What if I can’t promise that?”
“Then I swear that when you turn up wounded, I’ll spend the rest of our lives caring for your hurts and then leaving a flower on your pillow. At least you’ll wake up to something filled with beauty and love.”
“I simply need to wake up with you .”
There’s something underneath all of this.
What’s River trying to tell me?
A code of flowers?
Why is this important to him?
Yet the thought of River always being with me to treat my injuries — to be the person who cares for me — makes me want to purr.
Unfortunately, my throat hurts too much for that.
My eyes narrow.
Asshole Harbinger.
Harbinger has affected my ability to purr. Attacking anyone’s neck, where their scent gland and future bonding will be, is usually considered the lowest of blows.
To be fair, I did knee him in the balls.
Still, for an Omega who needs to purr, I won’t easily forgive him.
I’ll get Harbinger back for this.
River passes me the herbal tea. “This should help.”
“Thanks.” When I take a sip of the bitter tea, which is sweetened by the honey, my throat is instantly eased. “This is fantastic.”
“My own recipe.” River glows. “Luckily, Harbinger didn’t put much pressure on your neck. It’s strange. I was panicked, but then, it became clear that he’d actually applied the precise pressure in the stranglehold to make you pass out but not to do more than superficial damage. Most of the beasts in the Hades pack would have been crueler than that or at least, wouldn’t have been that skilled.”
“You’re praising him…?” I take another soothing drink of tea.
River runs his hands through his curls. “How about if I point out how sexy his hot villain vibes are? I do like a muscled bad boy. Also, that silver hair…?” He fans himself. I roll my eyes. “Don’t tell Fer.”
I freeze. “Fer must be going crazy.”
“Harbinger said that he was going exactly that in the octagon. He sounded amused that Fer almost tore his throat out for hurting you. Fer had to be shocked with his collar to stop him.”
My stomach lurches.
Not only did I lose the match but I led to Feral being shocked as well.
No longer able to stomach the tea, I place it down on the floor.
River’s expression steels.
He kneels in front of me, placing his head on his lap and looking up at me through his lashes. “Do not go blaming yourself, bella. Fer isn’t in control during those matches. It was his choice to defend you. I would have done the same. And this Harbinger is some kind of… I don’t know. But the gossip around the Underworld is that he’s the Hades’ secret weapon. Vinnie is determined to become Champion again by pairing with him. How could you beat the type of psycho who uses a steel chain like that?”
My hands ball into fists. “I will next time.”
“That’s the spirit.” River kisses my bare thigh. I shiver. Then my nose wrinkles at a pungent stink, which wafts from an open set of charred bowls that are stacked behind him. They’re filled with a sticky goo. “What’s that?”
“My latest experiment,” River replies, proudly. “I’ve been trying out some new combinations of poisonous flowers. Ah, I may have burned it. All scientists learn from their mistakes. I was going to try again and test it on myself this morning, but you know… Also, I may have used up the ones that I need. I never have enough.”
He raises his hand, touching his thumb and middle finger together, at the same time pulling a sad expression. I’ve come to learn that this is a Sicilian gesture for the difference between what he lacks and his desire for having it in abundance.
River uses it a lot, when I ask about his flowers, seeds, and herbs.
My eyes widen.
Poisonous…?
“No more testing medicines on yourself.” I wag my finger at him. He’ll ignore me. He’s had to self-teach himself everything. After the number of bones that he’s set and wounds he’s stitched, he’s not only a nurse. He’s more like a war medic. “Why are you growing poisonous flowers, Riv?”
“Herbs too,” he adds, helpfully.
“Why?”
He hesitates a moment too long, trying to look innocent.
Then he gives a dramatic shrug.
On him, the gesture is hot as hell.
Yet he’s using it to hide something.
I should never forget that River was once a powerful mafia heir in his own right.
One who has every reason to want revenge on my own pack.
“Riv,” I murmur, “you can’t let my sister find out what you’re growing.”
“I won’t.” River rests his head back on my lap. I run my hand through his silky curls. “Haven’t I been brilliant at being discrete so far, bella? In the right doses, poisons can be used to heal as well as to kill. Deadly things can protect too, can’t you see that?”
When his gaze, unexpectedly hard and clear, flicks up to meet mine, my breath catches.
I nod.
River licks his plush lips.
I can’t look away from this breathtaking Beta who is kneeling in front of me, as my hand is buried in his hair.
All of a sudden, it’s like I’m petting a panther and not a tame cat.
“Mamma would tell me which flowers were safe to touch and which were dangerous, when we hiked together in the mountains.” River’s Italian accent has become thicker. My breathing speeds up. I hold myself still, not wanting to break the spell that seems to have settled on River. In all these years, he hasn’t spoken about his parents. This is important and precious that he feels able to open up now. “We both loved nature. I miss it, being out in the fresh air of Mount Etna. Sicily’s countryside is beautiful. I miss… everything . The beaches, the blue ocean, and the sun . The festivals and carnivals. Eating fresh swordfish with Papa. Being treated to delicious gelato that smells like you. The friendly packs who never raised their hand to their kids. A slow paced life, where nothing was run on schedules . I miss my family .”
“Riv.” I tug River’s head up by his hair, until our gazes meet. “How can I help?”
“You already do every day.” River’s expression is open and vulnerable. “Accept the red tulip on your pillow. Believe that I’m your Beta soulmate. They exist in Sicily. It tears up my soul not to be in a pack. It means everything in Italy to belong to one. You live with your family, until you match with a pack. No one lives alone like this. I can bear to be your secret Beta, if I know that Fer and you love me as much as you love each other.”
My heart breaks. “We do. If we could claim you publicly right now, then we would. We fucking would. Fer struggles to allow you to leave each morning. You know how possessive he is — of you as well. We need you just as much. I will find a way to still become heir. And I will claim you as our pack.”
River turns his head, kissing high on my thigh enough to make my core throb. “Let me show you how much I love you.”
Red tinges my cheeks.
River is a virgin.
Intimacy is new to River, whereas Feral and I have already started to explore.
I want to teach River, however, that being a Beta on his knees isn’t always a bad thing.
It isn’t a bad thing with this Omega.
River kisses me again as lightly as a butterfly’s wings. “Teach me how to pleasure you, bella.”
My eyes darken. “How about you use your pretty, clever tongue between my thighs?”
I need to check in because this is a first for him.
By the way that River’s pupils dilate, and his citrus lemon scent becomes stronger, he’s turned on by the idea.
I smirk, tugging on his hair to direct him toward my clothed crotch. “Suck.”
“L’anima gemella.” River looks up at me with worship in his eyes. But then, worry darkens it. “What about your throat? I intend to make you scream.”
“Confident.”
“I may be new to this but I’m a quick learner.”
“Okay. But since your mouth will also be busy, tap me three times on my thigh if you want to stop.” I glance around me, before grabbing the thin blanket from the end of the bed.
I bunch the edge of the blanket and stuff it into my mouth as a gag.
It’s an unexpected sensation being unable to talk through my own choice.
I don’t hate it.
In fact, it heightens the excitement about this experience that River’s mouth will be silent because he’ll be busy tasting my pussy. At the same time, I’ll be quiet because I’m biting on a blanket in order not to scream my pleasure.
River’s eyes light up. His cheeks flush.
He likes this.
Kink unlocked.
“Raise your hips,” River says. Eagerly, I follow his instructions, and he rolls down my shorts to my knees. I raise my eyebrow at him, when he doesn’t remove my shorts entirely. His flush deepens. “I like the look of you, bound and gagged.”
Kink definitely unlocked.
River runs his hands experimentally up and down my thighs. I let him take it slow, as he explores.
My skin tingles.
I loosen my hold on his hair.
He must have removed my lethal claws from last night. I scratch my short nails now on his scalp, however, and he moans.
He looks up at me with half-hooded eyes, before he licks his lips. “I want to make you feel good. Please you. Use me, bella. I’m your toy to bring you pleasure.”
My eyes widen.
Does he mean that?
My pussy becomes wet.
Feral is dominant. I’m not used to taking control like this.
By the way that River is humping against the side of the bed, as if he doesn’t know that he’s doing it but without reaching down for his cock, shows me how much this is turning him on.
It turns me on to have this gorgeous Beta submitting to me.
I tighten my hold on River’s hair, yanking him toward my clit, experimentally.
River’s eyelashes flutter. He groans.
That proves it. He loves this.
River’s fingers curl onto my hips. Despite how desperate he looks, his focus is entirely on my pleasure.
As he offered, I use River like a toy.
I direct him to my clit.
For a moment, he seems unsure what to do. Then he licks, tentatively.
Shit, that’s amazing.
When I shiver, River’s hands tighten on my hips. He licks again with more confidence. I hold his face more firmly against my clit. He takes the command for what it is, licking and sucking with dedication.
I want to come from just this — all his focus on a single, tiny part of me.
It feels like both of our souls are focused on the core of my pleasure.
River tips his head to the side, lavishing his love and care, as if my clit is one of his flowers.
I moan around my gag, struggling to sit still.
Yes, fucking yes.
The sensation is overwhelming, as pleasure winds through me faster than I’m expecting.
I hold River hard against my clit, as he tries out different techniques, circling and then tapping me with his tongue.
I can tell that he’s running out of breath but I want him to breathe in the scent of me, to have his mouth covered in my slick, and to think of nothing but the taste of me in his mouth.
He doesn’t fight my hold, as I start to grind against his face, riding him as I ride the crest of the wave toward my orgasm.
Instead, River remains still, letting himself be used.
He doesn’t even try to shake off my hold, as his chest rises and falls rapidly, burning for oxygen.
Almost there…
Then I can feel that he’s licking out words against my clit, despite the rough way that I’m grinding against him: L’ANIMA GEMELLA .
In surprise, I glance down at him and meet his dreamy blue eyes.
The depth of his awe-struck love is enough to push me over the crest of the wave.
I bite hard onto the blanket to stop myself from screaming, tightening my hold on his hair.
He doesn’t stop sucking, until I’m shaking from oversensitivity.
Fuck, that was incredible.
Finally, sated and exhausted, I let go of River’s hair.
Aware of my strength, I gently push him away. Then I spit out the blanket, wiping my hand over my mouth.
He looks dazed but satisfied.
He licks over his lips that are wet with slick. “Bella, that was even better than I’ve imagined.”
“You’ve imagined that?”
“Many times.”
“You were a good student. Top marks.”
River looks delighted. “Normally, I’m the tutor. See, I can be taught as well.”
He helps me to pull my shorts back up. “Do you want to finish your tea? Sorry that it will be cold. Shall I make some more now?”
I shake my head. “I feel well enough to go back to the attic. I want to see Feral and check that he’s okay. You may need to treat his burns, if he was shocked. Also, you’ll get to meet Laurent that way.”
“Ah, the legendary Laurent. The Betas who were at the fight were fangirling over him all breakfast. Is he truly the most beautiful Omega in the world ? Of course, not including you.”
Awkward, I look away.
How will River feel that Feral and I think that we’ve found the male Omega for our pack?
Will he feel rejected? Threatened?
River sits back on his haunches. “What’s wrong? Is he actually the most beautiful dick ?”
“You’re definitely the sweet to his sharp.” Then I get out in a rush, “We haven’t had the time to discuss it with Laurent yet, but he’s my Omega soulmate. He’s also Feral’s scent match. But that doesn’t need to mean anything—”
“Amazing!” River bounces to his feet, lighting up like the sun. He gestures wildly like he can’t work out what to say or do first. “You’ve finally found our male Omega? Your soulmate? Feral’s scent match? This is brilliant. Our pack is complete, bella.”
I laugh in relief, caught up in his excitement.
I should have known that a kind and pack orientated man like River would react like this, rather than be jealous.
River grabs me by the shoulders and drags me to my feet. I laugh again, when he twirls me around like he needs to express his joy.
His grin is infectious.
“This is the best news.” He kisses me. “The best day of my life. We should be celebrating…”
“We should at least introduce you first.” I push a stray curl behind River’s ear. What will my cool black cat male Omega make of my golden retriever Beta? “You’ll both love each other though, I’m sure.”
I mean, I think.
Hope.
Fifty-fifty.
“ Love , bella?”
The tips of my ears redden. I open my mouth and then close it, unsure what to say.
River takes a deep breath of my scent, pulling me close against his neck.
His voice becomes low and dangerously smooth. “I can’t wait to meet the man who can make my beautiful Omega speechless.”
I clear my throat. Then I wince, remembering why I shouldn’t do that.
“Laurent is still a prize in Dad’s Championship Special,” I explain. “He’s not part of our pack, until Fer and I win him. And we just lost the last match. I failed to free Fer from the chains that bind him to Dad.”
“Can’t you claim Fer, if you become heir?” River’s brow furrows.
How do I tell River this?
I wrap my arms around River tighter, as if I’ll never have to let him go this way.
Like now I can remain forever in this rundown Eden that River created with its artificial sunlight that allows his flowers to survive.
“The only advantage that I have over my siblings is that I can fight. And I just lost,” I admit. “My brother guards Dad’s secrets as well as his books. My sister is the First Omega, the good one. If Allegra chooses the Hades, then she’ll also unite the strongest packs and heal the feud between them. She’ll make up for the fact that I rejected Vinnie publicly. So, why would Dad choose me as his heir?”
“Your Dad has reasons for everything he does, including turning all of you against each other in this cruel scramble for succession. He retains the control then. He’ll never give it up.” River’s blue eyes blaze. “He values ruthlessness and courage. We simply need to think of something shocking, spectacular, and unexpected that proves to him that you’re stronger than your siblings will ever be. You also have something that neither of them have: a found family. Fer and me . We’ll do anything to help make you heir and keep this pack together. But first, I need to bring you all breakfast. I’m also eager to meet the final member, Laurent. What’s the bet that the pretty playboy is lounging lazily in a nest, ordering the servants about, and just waiting for a brave Beta like me to save him?”