Chapter 2
TWO
THISTLE
I existed in this world by a thread.
Hot water swallowed me, and each breath clogged with panic.
But his touch was lightning skittering across my skin, short-circuiting me, trying to drag me back, and honied bourbon was still faint in the steam, grounding me.
Knox was gone…
For a flash, I was watching again as he knelt before Bella. When his teeth sank into her flesh. When he left me.
I could barely take a breath.
Pieces of Thistle were still scattered around. I kept trying to pick them up—to force them back where they should go—but nothing would fit right.
They slipped through fingers that splintered just as quickly.
H-he was supposed to be mine…
Bunny… we… we weren’t enough.
Never enough.
He was gone.
I couldn’t breathe, and the pieces weren’t fitting back together without him here. Not in this bond.
A choked sob tore from my chest as my body trembled, hot and cold searing every inch of my skin with goosebumps.
Tears were stolen by the shower.
Gone…
The touch of an Alpha I didn’t know still lingered, shrivelling me up. I was back there again. Again, and again, and again. With Bella’s Alphas touching me—threatening me.
I couldn’t get away.
Bunny’s insides were ripped out —another shock of lightning struck me. It snapped my brain straight for a moment.
Then ice-blue eyes burned in my vision, and fingers dug into my cheeks.
A growl rumbled between us.
The thunderous storm around me froze, towering walls of clouds suspended in the sky, torrents of rain glittering faintly as my breath stilled.
He was all I felt.
But Knox was gone.
Bonded.
My Alpha—ripped away.
Another moan splintered the peace. “Mine…”
I hurt.
I hurt so fucking badly.
My own whine shocked me from the spiral as pain burst through my neck. I let out a choked gasp as his teeth dug in again, over the bite he’d given me once before. It was a furious demand, and the connection between us blew open as he consumed me.
He was everywhere.
Mind, body, and soul.
My god Alpha.
Mercilessly, he tore me from myself, and I became untethered with him, swallowed by feral instincts that offered refuge as I tumbled into oblivion.
ROGUE
Thistle was safe for the moment.
I slipped through the back stairwell again, and when I shut the door, I waited for the lock to click shut.
There had never been a resident of this house who hadn’t had to worry about enemies, and the basement was designed to be almost impossible to get into without the code or a key. The back stairwell entrance was locked by a code, and that was the way I left.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and frowned at a text from Knox: hide her .
In the corner of the screen I saw I had signal—earlier it had been down. This must have been what he’d sent me before.
Bella’s pack had jammed the wifi. They’d likely done more than that—Oh.
My mind raced back to the security feed I’d pulled up days ago, when I’d seen two devices online. I’d thought it was the Misfits, but with how thoroughly Bella’s pack had dismantled the systems…
Shit.
I should have said something.
But I couldn’t focus on that right now.
The silence was eerie as I took the stone steps all the way up to the second floor. Vance’s body was still slumped against the stone wall.
He was right where I’d left him—knocked out and motionless. There was little chance he’d have made it out safe if he’d followed me into the fight. I barely knew how I had.
I picked up his limp form with ease—he was lighter than Knox.
Using the back stairs, I carried him across to the east wing.
The Misfits had locked down, leaving their lounge silent and empty. I spotted a bowl of noodles on the counter, untouched. I edged past the scattering of couches to the bland, thick door beside the wall-mounted TV.
I banged on the door with my elbow before leaning back, angling Vance toward the camera above.
There was a long moment, then the comms buzzed.
“What are you doing?” That was Callum, and he sounded unsure. “We’re supposed to be in lockdown.”
“They ran. Got a heat to manage downstairs. Can’t keep an eye on him, too.”
There was another long pause.
“We can’t.” I heard Tanisha hiss.
“I can take him,” I said. “But I figured he’d prefer to wake up here.”
Naturally, that was enough.
“What are you—?” Tanisha’s voice cut off. “Fuck!”
I heard the click of the door, and within seconds it was being hauled open. I was met with the barrel of a gun and a chalk-faced Callum. His eyes darted from me to Vance, who was still out cold in my arms, then he hauled the door open wider. “Get inside.”
Ducking my head under the low frame, I headed into the bunker Knox had installed a few years back.
Through a small doorway ahead, a TV played an old sitcom.
Through another, I could see a stocked pantry.
In the main space, a couch sat beside a desk, and beyond an open frame lay a slim room lined with narrow beds.
There was enough space and food to keep the six of them safe for a good while.
I rarely saw them, but I was haunted by Knox’s dedication.
It hadn’t been long after we’d switched places that Knox had begun rescuing people from the Ring. The time and care he took, sometimes suffering sleepless night after sleepless night with traumatised victims… that had been the first time I’d felt a true change to my marrow.
Callum moved a book from the couch and pointed toward it with the gun.
I stepped in, lowering Vance onto the cushions. Tanisha, a fierce Omega with glossy, dark brown hair and deep sandstone skin, was glaring at me, her hand on a gun at her side.
I almost opened my mouth to tell them no one needed a weapon, but I thought better of it.
Waste of breath.
I knew what they thought of me. A perfect painting of everything they’d ever feared, and I couldn’t rightly argue against it.
I saw movement and glanced up to see Petal entering from the bedroom, her eyes wide. A notebook slipped from her fingers, sprawling on the floor as her gaze dropped to Vance. She took a step closer, then her eyes flicked back up to me.
I saw the flash of terror in them.
Petal was a female Alpha with long red hair and a lean, willowy frame. She was blind in her left eye, and there were old burns on the same side of her face and neck. Injuries from a past life—one that had given her the fear I saw in her eyes as she stared at me.
She was one of the Misfits who rarely left the quarters, and I could count on one hand how many times I’d seen her face to face.
Still, she looked torn. I took a step toward the door, almost backing into Callum.
“What’s wrong with him?” Callum asked as Petal finally slipped across the room, kneeling by Vance’s side and cupping his cheek. I watched as Tanisha entered the bedroom.
“He’s just knocked out,” I said.
“How do you know?” Callum asked.
“Because I did it.”
“You did what ?” He spun back on me, gun up again as Tanisha arrived with a medical kit in her hands.
Oh, for fuck’s sake. “It was chaos. He was ready to run in and get himself killed. Knox would have my fucking neck if I?—”
“We’re supposed to believe?—?”
“Fine, I’m lying—check the footage. The tooth fairy put him in a chokehold. Make sure he’s got all his fucking canines?—”
“Get. Out.” I didn’t think I’d ever heard Petal speak, but there was command laced with fury in her voice as she looked up at me.
I raised my hands. “Exactly what I’m trying to do.”
“Wait—where’s Knox?” Tanisha asked. Her voice was shaky as she took me in again.
I knew why they hated me, but I really didn’t have time for this.
Callum’s eyes narrowed as they all fixed on me once more. “Why didn’t he bring Vance?” I noticed the gun shift in his grip, and I could almost feel his paranoia.
“He should be fine,” I grunted, stepping toward the door.
“ Should be?” Callum blocked my way, jamming the metal against my neck and drawing me to a halt.
“ If you let me go,” I snorted. “Need to get him to the basement.”
“We’re supposed to believe you’re going to save him?”
I looked back. “Happen to fucking need him, remember,” I snorted, tapping my neck.
Callum didn’t move, eyes wide and unsure as I waited, eyebrows raised with my fist on the door handle. Finally, whatever he saw seemed to be enough.
He stepped back, letting me unlatch the heavy door.
I made for Knox, daring to give the ballroom a quick glance.
It was still but for the faint, slow drip of blood.
I slowed, scanning the pieces of bone and tendon splashed around.
From the utter mess where Thistle and Ace had been, I saw the clumps of brown hair.
This was what remained of Quinn Hayes, the Alpha Bella had chosen to torture her?—
I swallowed back my growl, unable to bury the images.
His foot had pressed down on her throat. “Beg, you mangy little whore.”
He’d pinned her to the marble as the gun had shook in my hands, useless as this vile Alpha tore back her clothes. If Ace hadn't slammed through the doors at that moment, I would have broken.
It was only a small relief, seeing the scattered remnants, not even enough to bury…
There was something I hadn’t seen before: a crimson trail leading out of the room. I followed it carefully until I found him by the front doors.
An Alpha.
Not dead—not quite.
Blood pooled around him, but his chest heaved irregularly, a faint gurgling sound rising with each breath.
Victor.
He’d stood behind Bella. He’d been the one who pressed a gun to Knox’s head while Bella made him watch what they were doing to my Omega.
Crimson seeped into my vision, my veins shuddering with the fire of adrenaline.
Time behaved strangely.
In a flicker, I was kneeling over him, turning him on his back until his eyes creaked open.
I was losing it.
No time for this.
But then I heard the vibration in his jacket pocket.
The phone I pulled out was slippery with blood, but I managed to answer it, dropping it to the marble beside us.
“Victor?” The male voice on the other end was a low growl. “Thank fuck—!” Then he cut off. “Victor?”
My fingers shook, rage burning down to my bones as I took Victor’s fist, the one still curled around the gun, and lifted it.
He’d lost too much blood, and he stood no chance of stopping me as I pressed the barrel against his chin.
He hadn’t lost enough to pass out, though, so he understood what I was doing.
He shifted beneath me, but I moved my weight, pinning him easily as the sticky, bloody phone lay silent, the call still ongoing.
An image flashed in my mind.
This Alpha, with his fist at Knox’s neck as they’d tortured him and Thistle.
Another guttural vibration rolled up my chest. My finger closed around his, threatening the trigger.
I could feel her in the bond, trying to hide away. I’d felt her every moment. I’d felt the shame and terror they’d forced upon her.
Victor let out a strangled sound. In his eyes, I saw that same terror, terror I knew every member of his pack would feel.
That’s what I needed.
They’d brought this war to me, and I would make sure their regret would eat them alive.
His struggles were weak, eyes bulging as he strained to get away. The low, desperate whine was the sound of an Alpha who knew just how close death was.
“Every member of your pack will know what happens when you touch what’s mine.”
I moved his finger, pressing it against the trigger.
He knew right before it happened. That visceral realisation must have shot through the bond like a lightning strike, because I heard it through the phone.
“Wait—!”
BANG!
With a jolt, I found release as my fury poured free, and the world came back into view. The call had cut—I’d picked up the phone and cracked it in my fist.
I returned to the closet, knowing I’d already spent too much time up here. If Bella’s pack returned, I needed to be downstairs.
With my pack.
I stared down to find Knox where I’d left him. His eyes still blinked sluggishly as if he could see the shift in the shadows. His skin, which was usually a rich tan, was ashen, and he was shivering.
Numbness prickled along my skin, across my body. My mind was quiet now.
In the bond, Thistle had finally calmed.
Ace had done his job.
I knelt down beside Knox, hearing his breathing pick up.
His scent shifted, ink and antique wood charring more than it already was.
I stood, hefting his body in my arms and glancing down as I felt his chest heave. I shouldered the door open, his fury and fear shifting to utter panic. Head lolling back, I could still see the glint in his eyes, constricted pupils fixed on me as I carried him down the hallway.
It wasn’t until I was through the door to the basement with it locked behind me that I finally uncoiled. The tense, alert parts of my brain began to unwind, but I was on shaky ground that I knew would crumble once the silence died.
What happened tonight would collect its dues.
But I wasn’t ready.
I reached my room and laid him down on the bed, limp and still.
I don’t know if it was her scent, fresh in the room, or hearing the basement door click shut behind us, but finally, Knox’s eyes shut. His scent was calmer in the air, and he passed out.
I checked his pulse, finding it uneven, but present.
Safe.
Somehow they were all safe.
But as silence rose, in its place was the faint ringing of an alarm.
What the hell had I done?
My fingers brushed the small device lodged in my neck as I pressed my hand to the wall to steady myself.
I could have let Bella take him.
Years. Years of torture, and I would be free of him in a blink. Thistle could bring Ace back and make him disable the device—the endless threat on my life. I shut my eyes, shaking the thought away. I had claimed Knox years ago— that had been my choice.
Finally, I took a step back and turned to the bathroom. I gathered up some clothes for her and Ace, then halted at the door, fist on the handle.
Could I go in?
In the bond, I could feel her suspended in peace.
Ace belonged to her, an Alpha with feral instincts guiding him, and I was just… me. Would I ruin this peace if I interrupted?