Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Heir’s Suite, Battle House, The Alpha Underworld
“ R eport,” Dad barks. “What the hell is wrong with my daughter? Has she been poisoned?”
Is the worry in Dad’s voice really for me?
I’ve never heard him sound like that for my sake. It jolts me back to consciousness with a bolt of panic.
I struggle to open my eyes.
I’m lying in the center of my nest in the Heir’s Suite.
How did I get here from the ballroom?
Someone must have helped Laurent. Despite everything that’s happened, was it Lionzio?
Laurent is lying next to me in the nest, stroking the hair back from my sweating forehead. He’s built the nest up firmly around us both with the silky blankets, satin cushions, and his jacket, waistcoat, and shirt, which he’s stripped off.
River’s waiter jacket has also been added to the clothes.
I’m still wearing my dress, but my shoes have been removed.
I rub my face against the pillow, taking as deep a breath as I can of my nest. It smells of our mingling scents of chocolate chip ice cream, rose truffles, and lemons.
It’s never smelled so delicious. I’ve also never needed my nest more.
I’ve been dreaming about spending my first heat with my pack for years.
But this is all wrong.
Dad hasn’t allowed me to claim Laurent yet. And my Alphas are going to be in a fight to the death.
My mind is foggy. I can’t think clearly.
I turn my face against Laurent’s chest to hide my sob.
Laurent stiffens, before he leans down to whisper against my hair. “I’m here, Harley. I’ll help you through it. I’m not going anywhere.”
“She’s awake.” River’s voice is tight. “Bella, can you drink this for me?”
River perches on the edge of the bed. He coaxes me to turn my head.
When I peer up at him, he smiles. Yet I can see the concern in his eyes.
He lifts a water bottle to my mouth.
I take greedy sips, thirstily.
I feel like I’m burning up inside.
Although my skin is itching with fever, the air around me is cold and refreshing on my overheated cheeks because a fan has been set up on the nightstand.
I bet that River is responsible for that.
“Slowly.” River takes the water away before I’m ready.
I pout. But will always deny that I am.
He places the bottle down on the nightstand. Then he gently holds my wrist to take my pulse.
“Well?” Dad paces from one side of the room to the other. “I told you to report.”
I whine at the furious stink of his scent.
In my current state, it’s too hard to take.
I could tell Dad what’s wrong and I’m not a medical professional.
The slick between my thighs is hard for me to miss.
I don’t know how I’m in heat, however, because I’ve been taking suppressants since before my heats would have come in. It’s dangerous to take them long term. It was the only way to retain my independence, however, unless I wanted to be vulnerable during heats with Alpha fighters from rival packs.
In the Underworld that was too much of a risk.
I don’t know how the suppressants have failed now but I’ll simply have to deal with it.
Dad can be persuaded to let me spend this heat with Feral, right?
I need my Alpha.
More slick gushes from my pussy at the thought of Feral.
At the same time, however, the memory of dancing in Harbinger’s arms flashes into my mind.
What if I could have two Alphas? Two powerful, dominant Alphas?
Yet River hesitates to tell Dad the truth.
Why won’t he simply explain to Dad?
Laurent wraps his arm protectively around my shoulder.
Dad stops pacing to turn his glare on River. “You’re the nurse. I hold you personally responsible, if anything happens to my daughter. Do you understand that, you little shit? I won’t feed an orphan Companion who is worthless. If anything happens to my heir, then I’ll put a bullet between your eyes.”
The terror for River clears the fog in my mind.
I struggle to sit up, even though my limbs feel like jelly. Laurent supports me.
I’m not used to feeling this weak.
“Don’t,” I beg. “Dad, this isn’t Riv’s fault…”
“Hey,” River urges me to rest back against Laurent’s chest, “don’t worry. Lie quiet. You’re okay.”
Stiffly, River stands up and walks toward Dad with his curls covering his face. He may be much smaller than Dad and only a Beta but he’s attempting to protect his patient from him anyway.
River is a brave man.
River stands squarely in front of the bed, as if he can block Dad’s enraged pheromones as well as his view of me. “Mr. Battle, may I request that you keep your voice down and your pheromones in check around my Omega patient? You are making her distressed.”
I flinch, when Dad slaps River.
I know that it’s only a warning, however, because it’s with an open palm. It’s more to humiliate and remind River of his place, than to hurt.
River struggles to remain standing. His hands ball into fists.
“And may I order you to fucking tell me what’s wrong with my daughter?” Dad bellows.
I shake, unable to cope in my fevered state with Dad’s rage.
“Please, you’re scaring me, Head Alpha,” Laurent soothes in the sweet voice that he saves only for my dad.
Dad flicks a glance over River’s shoulder at Laurent, and his oppressive Alpha pheromones lighten.
I take a relieved breath, as Laurent combs his fingers through my hair.
“It’s all right, tesoruccio,” Dad reassures. “I’m not angry at you . But wipe that shit off your face. You’re a pure, clean elite. You should know better. Don’t let anyone paint you up like a whore again.”
Something deadly flashes in Laurent’s eyes, before he gives a smile with too many teeth. “Whatever you say, Head Alpha.”
He’s drawing the attention onto himself to distract from both River and me.
He does that a lot — sacrifice himself .
In this, he’s similar to Harbinger.
My Alpha .
My core throbs. I moan.
My Alphas.
Laurent kisses my head, attempting to calm me. “Hang on. I’ve got you.”
Yet I desperately need my two Alphas.
“She’s in heat,” River quietly replies.
For a moment, Dad simply stares at him.
Then he snarls and grabs River by the throat, dragging him up onto his toes. “Say that again, little Beta. We both know that it should be impossible, hmm?”
Shocked, I struggle to push myself out of bed to help River, but Laurent holds onto my shoulder to stop me.
“Dad,” I plead. “Let Riv go.”
“You did this.” Dad’s eyes are snapping with fury. When he tightens his hand around River’s throat, River struggles. “I knew that letting you live was a mistake. My son begged for mercy for you because you were a kid. I thought that Lionzio and you simply got on as friends when you first met. Maybe my son had a pathetic crush on you even then. I should have wiped out your entire family, when I had the chance. Letting the baby viper live to grow up to bite its venom into you as an adult is a mistake. But I’ll cut off your head now.”
What does Dad mean?
“It wasn’t me,” River rasps.
My eyes are misty with tears. “Don’t touch him. Riv is my promised bonded Beta. Whatever you think he’s done, you swore that I could choose my pack. Riv is mine .”
“What he’s done,” Dad shakes River, “is swap out your heat suppressants for fake ones. He’s the one who delivers the medicines on the Battle estate. How else would you have fallen into a heat in the middle of the ball, where I’m announcing you as heir…and him as your bonded?”
I freeze.
I feel chilled.
River hasn’t done that, right?
River wouldn’t.
But then, I remember the poisons that grow beside the flowers in River’s workshop.
River’s talk of revenge.
Dad killed River’s entire family in Sicily
River adored his parents…his entire life in a country where he was valued.
Where he would have become not only a mafia heir but also, a doctor.
Dad dragged River into the Underworld instead, to be beaten and used as a servant.
Why wouldn’t River ruin the moment of Dad’s naming of his own heir in front of every pack?
River’s shoulders are slumped like he doesn’t think that I’ll believe him, as he repeats more softly, “I didn’t do this. I would never hurt your daughter. I love her.”
No matter how much evidence may point at River, I’d never believe that he’d do this.
River has every reason to seek revenge for the death of his family.
To seek revenge for having his life destroyed.
My heart aches for what’s been done to him.
Yet I trust him.
“I believe you,” I whisper.
River’s head snaps up like I’ve just given him the best gift.
“So do I,” Laurent adds.
Despite the pain of Dad’s hand around his throat, River still manages to smile.
“Dumb Omegas.” Dad shakes his head. “Innocent as little lambs. This is why you need Alphas to protect you.”
River’s expression steels, as he narrows his gaze at Dad. “You can kill me after your daughter’s heat but not before. She needs me to help her through it.”
“Why would I trust you near her at all?”
“Because he didn’t do anything to the suppressants,” Laurent coolly replies. “Allegra did.”
Dad glares at Laurent. “Choose your next words carefully, or as much as I don’t want to damage you, I will still give you a spanking that you’ll never forget for slandering a good Omega like my daughter.”
“Laurent,” I warn.
Laurent tilts up his chin. “Allegra has been the Omega head of this household, hasn’t she? She’s the one who orders in the suppressants, not River. Why don’t you check whether I’m right? What River is holding back from telling you (because he’s foolish enough to protect every Omega, even the vicious ones who don’t deserve it), is that she is responsible for the Omegas’ medicine. She stores the heat suppressants and not the medic who you’re currently blaming.”
Shit, is that true?
Typical Laurent that he’s analyzed the complex workings of this household in a way I’ve never bothered to. After all, as Second Omega, I’ve never needed to.
In some ways, I’m lucky that my sister and brother are the only ones who have had to work hard on such details.
Laurent is astounding that he’s unraveled this.
He’s a smart detective.
Dad shakes River. “Is that true?”
River’s anguished gaze meets mine. “She’s still your sister. I couldn’t condemn her…”
Dad throws River onto the bed.
River groans, rubbing his throat.
I hold out my arms to him, needing to feel him safe and alive in my arms.
River crawls up the bed toward me. I nuzzle his throat, licking the reddened skin to soothe it.
“Allegra would never do something like that.” Dad stands in the middle of the room, looking confused and like his world view has been shattered. “She’s good .”
Dad has no idea how easily manipulated he can be.
He’s been manipulated by Allegra her entire life.
“ Good? ” River’s expression darkens. “You think that she wouldn’t sabotage her sister for her own advantage? Just like she wouldn’t whip me, until I’m bloody? Or lie to her brother that I’m secretly in love with him, in order to break his heart? Or try to bond with an enemy pack that Harley rejected in order to plot to overthrow you?”
Shit.
“Shut up,” Dad commands but he looks shaken.
I am too.
Also, poor Lionzio .
If Allegra has been whispering lies about River having feelings for him in his ear, then that explains why Lionzio has acted the way that he has toward his best friend.
It looks like we’ve all been played.
River tests my temperature with the back of his hand. “Now, we need to concentrate on getting Harley safely through her first heat. It will be intense, since it has been brought on like this after so many years of being on suppressants. Especially after her training and fights. Without a slow withdrawal, it’s dangerous.”
“Dangerous?” Laurent demands.
River’s expression becomes tight. “Do you want the truth?”
I nod, frantically.
“The chances of survival are slim.”
My pulse roars in my ears. I tremble.
I could die in my heat…?
Laurent’s arms tighten around me.
“Then make them better,” Dad roars. “Because if she dies, then so do you.”
“If she bonds with an Alpha during the heat, then her chances improve.” River meets Laurent’s gaze over my head. “ Multiple bonds improve her odds to about fifty-fifty. She’s close to the time, when she’ll be too lost to her heat to properly consent. She needs to make her choice now.”
Fifty-fifty.
I’ve stepped into the octagon with worse odds than those.
But multiple bonds…?
So far, Dad has only allowed me to bond with River.
I struggle up to meet Dad’s eye. “I’m making my choice now. I want to bond with Feral.”
Dad’s hands clench at his sides. “I can bring you as many Alphas to rut you as you need. The entire fighters dorm…”
“I want Feral,” I reply, more firmly.
“His rut will be intense as well,” River explains, “as he hasn’t been allowed to experience one before. I’ll need to work hard to keep Fer under control. Well, that may not be possible. But I will keep you all hydrated, fed, and safe. His high sex drive will be a good thing, since the next twenty-four hours Harley will also be lost to an extreme heat. They’ll match.”
“Bond with that beast then. But he’ll still fight in the NPH,” Dad warns.
“Heartless,” Laurent hisses.
And my heart? I don’t know how to feel.
Yet I’m still shaking both from the fever and fear.
I’m going to be able to bond with River and Feral.
If Feral dies, however, then my bond will be shattered. Having seen Mom die from a broken bond, I’ve had nightmares about what it must have felt like for her.
What would it be like to experience Shattered Bond Syndrome, from the death of your bonds?
Only Omegas suffer it, but I hear that it’s like dying as well.
Yet I’d face my worse fear in order to bond with Feral.
I’d face anything for him.
Plus, if I die tonight, then I need him to be by my side. I need all my pack to be with me in my nest for one final time.
“Come with me, tesoruccio.” Dad strides to the bed, snatching Laurent’s arm. “A lovely little thing like you would be torn to pieces caught in the rut with an animal like Feral. I’ll take you to my room for your own safety.”
His room…?
Laurent and I both tense at the same time.
“I’m more concerned with your daughter’s safety.” Laurent replies coldly. He tries to shake his arm free but can’t. “She needs another Omega’s supportive presence. One who has experienced a heat before. Will an Omega bond help save her as well?”
“Yes,” River replies, hurriedly.
I don’t know if River is telling the truth, or if he’s getting the same creepy vibe from the possessive way that Dad is holding onto Laurent.
“Sweet Thorn,” I manage to say, even though words are becoming hard for me, “I want to bond with you. But what happens if I don’t make it through the night? You’ll feel it like a Shattered Bond, and those can kill.”
Finally, Laurent manages to prise Dad’s fingers off his arm.
He looks down into my face.
His gray eyes are fierce and determined. “Then at least we will have had this heat together as a bonded pair. And if at the end of it we die together, then I’ll die the happiest Omega in the world.”
I purr, nuzzling against him.
“Idiot Omegas,” Dad mutters.
Suddenly, savage growling bursts from the doorway, along with loud knocking.
Dad casually pulls out his gun from his holster and marches to the door, wrenching it open.
To my shock, Harbinger is standing in the doorway.
Or more precisely, leaning in it.
He looks a mess.
His white suit is damp with sweat. His tie is hanging loose. The top buttons of his shirt are lost like he tore his shirt open uncaring that he was ripping them off.
Harbinger has fallen into rut.
His pheromones — rich and perfect — flood through the room.
I moan, as they pull me further into my fevered heat.
Then I sniff at the bodice of my dress. Harbinger’s faint sweet smell still clings to it.
But I need more of his scent to be added to my nest.
I need my second Alpha.
“Alpha,” I whine.
Harbinger’s electric gaze snaps to mine, as if we’re already bound together by a thread.
Mesmerized, Harbinger takes an unsteady step toward me.
Immediately, Dad raises his gun and rests it on Harbinger’s forehead.
I forget how to breathe.
Behind me, Laurent gasps.
“Are you dumb enough to come into a rival Omega’s territory, when they’re in heat?” Dad presses the gun even more firmly against Harbinger’s temple. “Where’s my security?”
“Taking a nap,” Harbinger replies through gritted teeth.
Harbinger is holding onto his control by balling his hands into fists. By how hard he is in his pants, I’m impressed that he’s so coherent…and has been able to take out our security.
Did my heat trigger his rut, when we danced together earlier?
I bite my lip guiltily.
Why the hell is Harbinger risking his life by coming here now?
Yet I’m so fucking glad that he has.
“Want Wolf,” I say, reaching out my hand. “My Second Alpha.”
Dad glances between us, before ignoring me and focusing on Harbinger. “You’ve forfeited your life by sniffing around, while my heir is in heat. Does Vinnie know that you’re here?”
“She needs more than one Alpha to increase her chances of surviving. Yeah, I was listening outside the door. Aren’t I wicked?” Harbinger doesn’t look away from me. “Let me bond with her.”
Dad gives a cruel laugh, glancing at me. “You’ve enchanted an enemy Alpha on your first heat. Smart Omega.” Then he slips the muzzle of his gun down Harbinger’s cheek, before using it to tip up his chin. “Vinnie is your Head Alpha, and there’s no fucking way that he’s granted you permission to bond with my daughter. He’ll kill you for this.”
Harbinger’s gaze becomes frosty. “Let him, as long as Harley lives.”