28. Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Dante
I’d been in the gym all morning, alternating between taking out my frustration on the punching bag and lifting iron, avoiding Liam like my life depended on it. I wasn’t sure what I’d do if I saw him - if I could even look at him without letting my anger boil over. Vigo and I noticed they never returned from their date last night, and when we checked on him he texted that they were fine and he’d explain later.
Bullshit.
There was only one reason I could think of that they were out all night. Being out that late wasn’t in the plan. She got to him. I was sure of it.
If he fucked her… I was going to tear him to shreds, or worse.
The door opened, and I whipped my head around, setting down the weights I’d been lifting. Vigo strolled in, tossing a water bottle toward me. I caught it mid-air and guzzled down the cool liquid like I’d been stranded in a desert.
“You gotta take it easy. You’ve been in here for hours. Any more, and you’re going to tear a muscle.” He drawled, leaning against the wall as he assessed me with those knowing eyes of his. I knew I must look haggard. I’d barely slept, pacing the house as I wondered what my pack mate was up to with that witch.
“Just practicing,” I muttered, grabbing a towel to wipe my face. “I’ve got another match in a few months. If things ever calm down here.”
Vigo hummed in amusement, pushing off the wall. “Yeah, yeah, I know. You and your obsession with fighting. If I had a dollar for every time you tried to put one of us in a hold just for ‘practice,’ I’d have retired already.”
A reluctant smirk tugged at the corner of my lips, but it was fleeting. Back then, when our pack was just starting out, I used to practice my martial arts moves on them. We were just teens when we all met, but I knew right away we’d form a pack. Besides Elijah, they were the only people in my life who I'd ever trusted.
We’d all practiced together back then. Training in back-alley gyms, sparring after long shifts, bruised knuckles and sore ribs, but always together . Even though I was the only one who still fought competitively, they always supported me. We were a team. At least, until Celeste showed up and made them lose their minds.
“I see Liam hasn’t come out of his room yet. Wonder why that might be.” I said with a scowl.
Vigo acted casual, but I could tell he was concerned about me.
“Look at the bright side. Elijah had all that additional time to dig through her stuff.” Vigo remarked with a raised eyebrow. He was right - Elijah had spent hours trying to break into her laptop while Liam kept Celeste occupied. He’d had a small breakthrough when he was able to get her linked to our internet. We still needed her password to get any further, and all the software we tried so far still hadn’t cracked it. I knew we’d probably need to find a hacker who could work for us, but hiring one on the black market would be risky, especially one who was taking on Harringday’s data. They weren’t easy, and the ramifications would be severe if caught.
“It’s a start, at least.” I admitted.
“She will be held accountable, Dante. Trust in the process.” Vigo tried to assure me.
I hated her - everything she stood for. But every time she walked into a room, my body betrayed me, aching for something my mind refused to want. And now, she was finding the cracks in our pack. And we still needed to get the evidence of what she was really up to.
“I need the proof. I need justice!” I said, frustrated at everything. I was angry that my packmate suddenly thought it was alright to disappear with my greatest enemy all night, angry that it bothered me as much as it did. I was angry that all of our progress still hadn’t resulted in the information I wanted.
Vigo put his hand on my shoulder, steadying me. “We’ll get it, Dante. Hold on a little longer.” He said quietly, trying to give me clarity.
“How can we do that when she’s our scent match.” I said back through clenched teeth. “She already got to Liam. I know it.”
“Whatever she and Liam were up to, it doesn’t change the fact that we know what she’s done. We can use the scent match complication to our advantage, too.” Vigo said with a wry smile. “You know omegas are more emotional. Their willpower isn’t the same. She’s probably much more desperate, deep down. We’ll use that to get the proof we need.” He said with encouragement.
I turned to face him, my emotions still burning me up.
“I can’t sleep, Vigo!” I practically shouted as I turned to pace, reaching up and gripping my hair as I shut my eyes. I could see the carnage as if I were there. “The images run through my mind every night that she’s here, under our roof. All those people, Vigo! Every second I think of their pain, their suffering! And all the while, she gets to sit there, unaffected, reaping the rewards of her cruelty!” My words were getting louder, and I turned to see Vigo looking at me with concern in his eyes.
“Try to hold on, Dante. She can’t know that you know about it.” His tone held a warning in it, and I knew I had to lower my voice. He was right. She could never know what I knew. It was the real reason she was here. The bullshit she pulled in Tedena was just a ruse. We needed proof of what she’d done in Arkala. What she’d done to the people. To my family.
My heart was racing. I needed to get out of here and cool off. I pushed past Vigo, ignoring the look of sympathy he gave me as I left the gym. I could feel my packmate’s concern at how I was closing myself off, but I didn’t care. They weren’t the ones plagued by visions each night of their home being desecrated.
I stalked down the hallway, headed for my room, when I saw Liam quickly turning from the kitchen. He froze when he saw me. I wasn’t close to him, but even at this distance I could smell it.
Her.
Her slick.
On his skin.
I saw red, and before I knew it, the sound of a roar filled the hallway.