Chapter Thirty-One
Ican already feel a bruise forming on my eyebrow from the amount of hits I have taken since being tied to the chair in the decrepit cabin Scott took me too.
I have seen a few other unfamiliar men who have come and gone from the moment my blindfold was removed.
It's been hard to keep my attention on them though.
No matter how hard I try to breathe through the hits rained down on my body, I struggle to keep consciousness.
But I won't stop.
I can’t.
Because the moment I finally do is the moment I sign my death wish.
It would be so easy to do too.
The thought of going back to the same spot I was in all those years ago is enough to make the grim reaper weep.
But it's them.
Amity, Cal, Olis, and Vic.
It's them I fight for.
Now that I have had the taste of what my life could really be, I could never just give it up that quickly. It’s something that Scott seems to understand, landing his last hit before standing back and panting.
The Alpha before me is a mess.
The wolfsbane I used to poison him did some kind of damage.
If every single feature of his wasn’t etched into my psyche, I wouldn’t have recognized him.
He looks as though he has aged thirty years.
His hair is a fowl gray color, the strands matted which only seems to bring out the insanity in his gaze even more.
There is a scar on his face, covering his entire right cheek that never used to be there.
The bags under his eyes hold a permanent darkness.
His skin is wrinkled and leathery, adding the finishing touches to a feral Alpha.
I glare at him, shooting him daggers that I wished weren’t just a part of my imagination.
He snarls at me before turning and kicking a chair across the room. His hands shake, the evidence of insanity as he grips is hair, ripping some strands as he paces.
He is feral, beyond the point of saving. Even if he was worth that.
Which he isn’t.
In a way, the scene before me is hilarious.
Little old me was able to fuck this Alpha’s life up to the point that he is completely gone. It makes me cackle out loud which I know is a huge mistake the moment those bleary eyes turn back my way.
Rushing me, he backhands me again, the action only making me laugh even more.
“You psychotic fucking bitch! Do you think this is funny, do you? You fucking killed my brothers! We gave you everything!”
I cackle a laugh, the sound perfectly mirroring this moment.
“The only thing you gave me Scotty, was fucking trauma. You really think you did anything right by me the entirety of the time you and those cunts you call brothers held me captive? You murdered my parents in front of me all because I told you ‘no’.”
He snarls, getting right in my face.
“You were just playing hard to get, you little slut! I’ve seen the way you dance on that stage for me. The way you teased me with your body. It was the same way you used to walk through all of those dinner parties. You pretended like you were too good for us.”
His snarl turns into a devious smile that has my gut churning. “That was until you sat on our knots.”
I spit in his face, grinning maniacally as he snarls before roaring in my face. The move is meant to terrify me and maybe a small part of me is scared but I don’t let it show. Instead, I continue to laugh, fueling that anger and praying he makes a mistake.
I need to time it well.
I have already been spending the entire interrogation rubbing the rope that has tied my wrists against the wooden backrest of the chair I am secured to.
I can feel it beginning to fray.
I just have to keep his attention on me. Get him close enough when the time is right so I can strike.
I may be an Omega but since the moment I escaped his clutches, I refused to allow myself to be weak in a moment like this ever again.
So I wait, painstakingly.
After further abuse, my body sore and aching, Scott finally gave up and left the room.
It gives me the perfect opportunity to work on both the rope and my bond to Olis.
Years ago, there used to be rumors about a small fact relating to an Alpha and Omega’s bond. That if the two were true mates, there was a possibility of being able to communicate telepathically.
While I don’t have any interest in being a damsel in distress, it would be much fucking easier to get out of this position with a little extra help.
I know they are already looking for me. I can feel Olis’ emotions down the bond. He is beside himself. His pain is raw and crippling, a struggle to breathe through.
I do my best to send comforting emotions down the bond but either it's not reaching him yet or something else is the cause of his pain.
I just hope it's not the latter.
Not being able to feel my other two Alphas in the way that I can feel Olis is a problem that I need to rectify the moment I am out of here.
I need to feel them. To know that they are okay. To reassure them that I am alright.
Mostly.
I’m sure this will all come to bite me in the ass before I know it but I don’t have any other choice.
The front door opens and a new figure walks into the room. I blink my eyes, trying to clear the blurriness from them against the sun.
The figure walking into the room is much smaller than Scott but judging by the overall stature, I know that he is male. A Beta possibly.
My breath hitches as I finally get a clear view of him.
“I know you,” I whisper, my voice laced in shock.
The familiar face nods, a bright smile turning up his lips at my words.
“I knew you would remember me, Mom.”
I frown, my eyebrows raising at the use of the name that this grown-ass man should certainly not be calling me. The Beta, one that I gave a dance to not all that long ago, takes a few more steps into the room.
I can’t help but feel sympathy for the male that is now on his knees before me, his features full of hope that I know I can’t give him.
It’s obvious that the poor guy is confused. That he potentially has some kind of mental health issue that has led him to be convinced of the impossible.
He is young, maybe eighteen so there is no chance of him being mine.
Softening my features as best as I can, I look down at him. “Sweetie, I’m not your Mom.”
His face saddens as the hope that one bloomed in his eyes dampens. “But you are my Mom. Dad rescued you from those Alphas. He promised me that he would get you back for me. That I would finally have someone to love me.”
Tears shone in his eyes as the Beta sunk in on himself. My heart breaks as I take in his emotions. They are raw and desperate. A poor young man in need of love and care.
I can see just how much he wants to be loved.
To be accepted.
Deciding to not cause him anymore pain or confusion, I give in. I nod back at him, forcing a smile on my face.
“You are right, sweetie. I am your Mom.”
His bright smile returns, shooting to his feet. Engulfing me in a hug, he squeezes me as sobs begin to wrack his body.
I do my best to comfort him, wishing that I could do more for him. He needs help. Help that requires a professional touch.
But for now, I coo in his ear, giving him as much as I can. He eventually backs away, wiping the tears from his face, leaning back on his knees.
“What’s your name? Your father has never gotten around to telling me your full story.”
I can see a hint of heartbreak at my words, something that rips me up inside, but I need to know the truth. Not only so I can get out of here but so I can also help the Beta.
I refuse to just throw him back to the wolves.
“My name is Makari. My biological mother is named Gwen. My father is named Jason.”
I blanch, hearing the names of his parents.
“G-Gwen?” I murmur, feeling the color drain from my face.
He smiles but I can tell it's forced.
“She died when I was only a few months old. Papa said that she needed to go be with the angels.”
I see the war of emotions on his face. He knows just as well as I do that there was much more to his mother—Gwen’s—death.
In fact, I think it's more than either of us could possibly fathom.
I feel my heartrate pick up in my chest as I mull over the next question. I have no doubt that my fears are true. But I need to confirm it.
“Makari, can you remind me of which of your fathers you call Papa?”
“Scott, of course,” he smiles but it fades, obviously remembering something, “I used to have three other Dads but they had to leave me too.”
Quicker than I can blink, his features change again. “It's okay though! Papa said that now that we have you and my sister back, we can finally be a family.”
A gut wrenching sickness drowns me as the door behind Makari opens. Scott walks into the room, Amity following close behind him.
“Our son is right, Valentina. Now that our daughter…” he emphasises the word by putting his hands on Amity’s shoulders and squeezing, “is here, we can finally be a family.”