Chapter 47 Ayden
I tried to keep my nerves in check. Tried to not let my anger get the better of me. It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do. The man who orchestrated the brutal gang rape of my omega had taken her again. I was out for blood, and I didn’t give a fuck who got in my way. Cain pulled the car to the side of the road in front of Jeremy’s house.
My phone was in my hand before he put it into park. I was already typing out the code that would bypass the gate and security system. Hitting send, Cain pulled through the opening in the gate. He sped up the driveway, slamming on the breaks in front of the house. We all got a flash of pure rage through Calliope’s bond before it went dark again.
“God damn it,” Dax growled from the back seat.
“It means she’s alive.” Cain was calm, too calm. “We need to hold onto that. Remember, we don’t know where in the house they are keeping her.”
Dax ignored him, opening the door and leaving us sitting there. Cain and I shared a look before following him. His foot was up, as we closed in behind him. The door flew open, splinters from the door jamb going everywhere. We were moving before it came to rest. Sweeping as one into the large living room. The sight that greeted me made my chest tight.
Calliope was on her knees in front of Jeremy and his pack. Bruises covered her throat and arms. Something that suspiciously looked like a shackle was wrapped around her ankle. It pissed me off even more. I launched myself at Jeremy, flying over Calliope’s head as Cain pulled her to safety. He met me in the air, our fists moving as we each tried to score a hit on the other. I saw movement on my left that made me turn.
Dax was fighting with three men who clearly thought they had the upper hand. I turned my head back to Jeremy as his fist came toward me. Throwing my arm up, I blocked the blow before issuing one of my own. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he collapsed. I turned to help Dax, but he had already incapacitated his victims and had them tied up, tightening the ropes until red showed beneath them.
I could feel his excitement through the bond. Cain had disappeared somewhere leaving Calliope standing alone. She was shaking—Dax didn’t notice it. It was subtle, but I knew my omega well enough to know she was close to breaking down. I moved across the room in three quick steps before pulling her into my arms and burying my face against her throat. Her scent was tinged with fear, making me spin her around. Her hands gripped my shirt, holding on to me like I was her lifeline.
I brushed a gentle kiss across her forehead. “It’s over, baby girl. You’re okay, I’ve got you.”
As soon as she heard my voice, she released a keening sound that broke my heart. She buried her face in my chest, inhaling deeply. Her hands moved and I knew what she needed, tugging my shirt over my head, she pushed as much of herself against me as she could get. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight against me. Every tear that fell from her eyes made my heart ache even more. The beast I had spent so many years holding back reared its ugly head.
Rage pulsed through me until I was shaking from it. I couldn’t stop the growl that rumbled from my chest. Calliope froze in my arms. I kicked myself as soon as I realized what I’d done. Her head turned up and I saw her eyes puffy from crying. “I’m okay.”
Just as she was pulling out of my arms, Cain came out of the kitchen with an omega following him closely behind. Too close, but as soon as he cleared the doorway, he came to us. “I found him hiding in the kitchen. He begged me not to rape him.”
Calliope’s head popped up, her eyes scanning the room. When they stopped on the omega, she snapped, “Dax, my love.”
“Yes?” His eyes shone with excitement. It should have been terrifying, but it made me love him even more. He was pack—there was no doubt about that.
“That’s their omega. Not property—theirs.”
When I looked down, I saw death in her eyes. I caught Dax’s nod in my peripheral. His movement drew my attention back to him. Dax was already moving, grabbing the omega, and taking him to his knees. A grip on the omega’s hair gave Dax the leverage to control him. The alpha’s hand came out and Cain was there placing a length of rope in his hand.
“Get me a chair.” It wasn’t a bark, but it was close.
Cain jumped to do as he was told, bringing a chair from the dining room. Dax dragged the omega across the room by his hair before forcing him into it. Using the rope, Dax tied him to the chair, kneeling in front of him. “No use for tears. Save those for when I kill your pack.”
Dax ignored the omega’s begging and pleading. There was nothing the smaller man could do to persuade him. I knew that as well as anyone. They had dared to touch Calliope, dared to try and take her from us. That was unforgivable. Dax moved around the room, dragging each unconscious member of the pack until they were propped upright against the couch.
When he got to Jeremy, he turned to Calliope. “Where do you want him?”
She scanned the room, spotting a cast iron chandelier hanging from a hook in the ceiling. “Hang him from the chandelier.”
Dax grabbed another length of rope, wrapping it around the metal circle in two places. Moving back to Jeremy, he lifted the smaller alpha until he was able to tie both of his hands. Dax held his hand out. “Come, my love, let’s get your revenge.”