Chapter 14 River
River
Ifreeze, hearing my brother’s panicked voice.
My eyes drift up to the mirror, seeing the bloody mess I’ve created.
My legs become weak, threatening to give out.
I drop the blade to the floor, gripping the counter, my head hanging low not wanting to face my brother.
The shame coursing through my veins is too great.
Heat. I should still be in it. But I’m not. My mind is clear. I don’t get a chance to ask Storm about it before he’s shouting again.
“Torin,” he screams. “Get up here now.” Storm crosses the room, cutting the distance between us as he yanks a white hand towel from the rack and presses it to my wound. Gathering me in his arms, he guides me out of the room and back to the bed. He doesn’t speak, and neither do I. What can I say?
Storm has me scoot back against the headboard as he continues to apply pressure to my wounds. I should be embarrassed, being naked in front of him, but how can I when he’s seen me in the middle of a haze, begging for my captors’ knots?
“What do you…” The man I vaguely remember rescuing me gasps when he steps inside the door, seeing the bloody towel against my chest. “What the hell happened?”
“She found a razor and was cutting at the damn bond mark.” Storm’s voice is frantic, mixed with…an emotion I can't place.
“I’ll be right back. I need to get my bag, then it’s time for you to think about what we talked about,” Torin says gruffly as he gazes at me with tender eyes. Storm nods his head, his eyes shifting to me.
“Fuck, River, I am so sorry I didn’t get there sooner. That I couldn’t stop…” His words drop and I reach out, my hand cupping the side of his face.
“There’s nothing you could’ve done. What happened to umm…them?” That is the only question I’m able to get out even though there’s a million more.
“Shhh,” he whispers. “There’s a lot we need to talk about, but Torin needs to take care of your chest.”
Torin. The omega.
“Is he your omega?” My voice is soft as my hand drops from his face.
“No,” a voice chuckles from the doorway. “Most definitely not. My alphas would murder him.”
“Oh,” I mumble, trying to cover my bare chest.
“Alright, move out the way Storm, so I can see what she’s done to herself,” Torin orders him, and I can’t help but smirk at how this omega is telling my alpha brother what to do.
And then when he actually does it,I shake my head.
I know he always bends over backwards for me, but I’m his sister.
So who is Torin and why does he listen to him without a second thought?
“Are you sure you’re not my brother's omega?” I ask again when he sits down in the spot abandoned by my brother.
“Again, positive. Now let’s see the damage you’ve caused.
” He removes the hand towel, gazing down at my bare chest, and the mark.
The hideous mark that you can still see pieces of through the sliced flesh.
He opens his bag, reaching into it and pulling out a clean cloth and some antiseptic. I watch as he places some on it.
“Okay River, I’m not going to lie, this is going to burn like hell, but I need to clean the wounds before I can try to stitch them up.”
I nod. Biting down on the inside of my lip, holding back my scream as Torin starts to clean my wounds. Torin didn’t lie. It fucking hurts like hell. I catch Storm pacing at the end of the bed, knowing that it’s killing him to see me in pain.
“How long?” I ask.
“How long, what?” Torin questions softly.
“Since you found me. I’m not in my heat anymore. How did you get me out of there?”
Torin looks over at Storm, as if he’s asking who’s going to tell me the answer to my question. Storm swallows hard, his Adam's apple rising and falling with the movement.
“I told you earlier, Dad told us what he did. Torin is not only a genius with the medical shit, but he’s a computer whiz, and he was able to find where you were and get us inside.” Storm continues pacing. “Just wish we weren’t fucking late,” he mumbles.
“We accounted for everything, knowing there would be a fight. You being in heat wasn’t something we were prepared for, however. I’m sorry, by the way,” Torin adds.
“For what?”
“You were so out of it I couldn’t get you to leave on your own, so I had to knock you out.
Then, when I got you out of the building, I gave you a sedative so that we could keep you unconscious until your heat passed.
.” He finishes cleaning the wound, placing the rag and antiseptic on the nightstand before reaching back into his bag.
“I’m going to need to numb you up so that I can stitch up some of the ones that are deep. Sorry, but there’s going to be scars.” I can’t help but notice the pointed look on his face, like he means more with his words than the obvious.
Scars. What’s a few more? It’s not like I don’t have enough of them and now that I’m marked with an Arcane bond, any hope of a future with a pack, if I wanted one, is over.
Storm clears his throat, hesitating before stepping over to the bed and sitting down on the edge of it. He reaches out, taking my hand in his, giving a comforting squeeze. I watch as his mouth opens, but clamps shut.
“Okay, I’m going to numb up the area so I can stitch you up. The needle’s going to prick a little,” Torin cuts in, saving Storm from having to say whatever it is that’s on his mind. He sticks me with the needle, and I flinch.
“Sorry,” he whispers.
“When did you start?” Storm’s voice cracks.
I know what he’s talking about. There’s no way the scars on the inner part of my thigh or along my stomach weren’t noticed by him.
“Storm—”
“No, River, when did you start carving yourself up with a blade? Why didn’t you tell me? Talk to me if something was bothering you so bad that you would do that to yourself?” His voice rises an octave as he speaks.
I don’t know what to say. There’s no answer I can give that won’t upset him.
“Storm, calm down,” Torin tells him. “I need the both of you to be calm. Let me stitch her up, and then we can all discuss everything.” He locks eyes with me. “I need to go over everything that happened while you were unconscious.”
I gulp. What could’ve happened? It couldn’t have been anything worse than what was done to me by the Hartman Pack.
For the next half hour, there’s silence while Torin stitches me up. Storm turns his head, not watching as he closes the cuts on my breast. I glance down, hating that even with all the damage, the stupid Arcane bond mark is still visible.
“I don’t even remember when I started. I just couldn't handle everything. Dad and his abuse and then school. The cutting was so I could feel something else. It was my way of taking control over something in my life. It was never about trying to end it.” My voice is soft as I spill my secrets to my brother. To Torin.
“What was happening at school?” he growls, before gaining control of his emotions. “You always talked about how much you enjoyed going there. Your friends.”
“I lied.” The truth finally comes out. “I did like the time I was away from Dad. Out of the house. But the abuse there was just as bad, just not physical. I knew if I told you how bad it was you’d try to find a way to fix it and there wasn’t one.”
“But I could’ve done something to help you so that you didn’t think you had to do this to yourself.” He chokes on his words, holding back his tears. “You have to promise me you won’t do it again. One day you’re going to cut too deep, and I’ll lose you.”
I wish I could promise I won’t do it again. But I would be lying to him, and to myself, because I’m craving doing it again, right now, as we have this conversation.
“She’s not going to be able to stop, Storm. We’ve talked about this. She needs counseling. Help to find a new way to deal with her pain.” Torin speaks while finishing up the stitches.
“And we’re done. Get your sister a shirt to put on so we can have the rest of our discussion.”
Storm rises from the bed and moves across the room, to where there are boxes sitting. I peer around Torin, taking a double look at some of the items flowing over the top. It’s my stuff. Stuffies from my pitiful little nest I had in my closet, and clothes. My clothes.
He rummages through the box until he pulls out a nightgown and brings it to me.
“This is my stuff,” I state more than asking.
“Yeah.” He lifts his hand and runs it through his shaggy locks, far longer than he normally wears it. “While you were…ummm…sleeping, Jaylan and I went and got your things. Mine too. There’s no way in hell either of us are ever stepping foot in that house again.”
“Jaylan?”
“My pack mate,” he tells me. “Once we’re done and you’re feeling better, I’ll introduce you.”
“I’d like that.” But would I ever be better? Even feel like myself again?
Torin clears his throat. “Storm said you’re not eighteen yet, so we know you went into heat early.”
“Yeah, they gave me a couple of shots. I’m not sure what was in it, but they said it’d make my heat start. They umm…” I bite my lower lip, my eyes dropping to my lap, not wanting to look at either of them in the face. “Wanted to bond and get me pregnant.”
“We didn’t have a way to do bloodwork, but that does answer that question. Which brings us to the next topic. You were in heat, and from the state we found you in, we know at least one of them did have sex with you.” I nod my head, confirming he’s right.
“There’s a high probability that you’re pregnant. We didn’t do anything while you were unconscious, as this is a decision for you to make. It’s too late for the morning after pill, however if you are pregnant, there are options.”
“I can’t have their baby. I can’t.” Tears burst from me. Storm reaches out, wrapping his arms around me as I rest my head on his chest and cry. I shed tears for everything I’ve lost. Everything that was taken from me without a choice.
“It’s okay, Rivvy, we’ll make sure you don’t,” he whispers, using the name he called me as a kid.
“The Hartman Pack was registered with The Omega Foundation, which means we do have their medical records and they are free of any sexually transmitted infections." I can’t help but sigh a bit of relief with Torin’s words.
“What I find interesting is that the paperwork notifying the addition of you to their pack was filed with them, but on the date of your eighteenth birthday.”
“How?” I ask, turning my head so I can see them.
“We’ve been investigating the Foundation and found a great deal of corruption. Seems the Hartmans knew the right people to ensure that you being in their pack processed without any issues.” Torin presses his lips tightly together.
“And my dad?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“To some degree he was in on it,” Storm says before Torin can respond. “There’s so much I just wish you would’ve talked to me about.”
Storm rests his head on the top of mine as he rubs his hand on my back, comforting me as we both cry.
Torin gives me a moment, letting me break down.
I feel a shift in the bed and then the door opens and closes, but Storm and I don’t let go of each other. No, we cling to each other even tighter.