24. Nash
Iwatch Mason and Radley walk into the boathouse and then crush Mason in a hug. I’ve never been so fucking scared in my life. Seeing all that blood pouring from Mason’s neck almost gave me a heart attack, and then, when he passed out, I almost froze.
“I’m fine, Nash,” he says, hugging me back. “How’s the camp looking?”
I pull back and look him over. Other than being slightly pale, he looks fine. “We lost some cabins, but other than that, everything is getting cleaned. The alphas who helped us fight are helping with the cleanup.”
“Where’s my mother?”
“Luther has her locked up at their house. For what it’s worth, Mason, I believe her. She appeared out of nowhere and helped your dad dose Monty. She said she would have been here sooner, but some asshole from their hiding spot tried to stop her.”
“Rocky,” Bryce grumbles. “The asshole’s name is Rocky.”
“Is that the one who touched you?” I demand, and Bryce nods. “Is he dead?”
“No. Marie said she left him for me,” Bryce answers. “He’s tied up in their bunker.”
“He’s as good as dead,” Radley replies.
“My bloodthirsty omega,” Bryce sighs, pulling her into a hug.
“Stop,” Radley laughs, pushing at his stomach.
“Are you ready?” I ask Mason, gesturing to the closed door. “Daniel’s been awake, demanding to see his daughter.”
“I’m not his fucking daughter,” Radley growls and then clears her throat. “Apparently, I have some anger issues to work through.”
Bryce laughs and pops a sloppy kiss on her cheek. “We’ll be here to help, My love. But it’s hot as fuck. When you rolled Daniel…” Bryce bites his lip and groans. “Hot.”
“Stop,” Radley says, pinching his side. “You are so bad.”
“But you love me,” Bryce grins.
“That I do. Let’s get this over with.”
I pull the door open, and Daniel’s head snaps up. We made damn sure he wasn’t getting away, so we tied his arms above his head, and his chains are locked to the wall. His eyes land on Radley, and I see a challenge in his eyes. She stares back, completely unfazed. I’m so damn proud of her for how she handled everything today. She was a fucking badass, and we underestimated her. We won’t make that mistake again.
“Hello, Daughter.”
“Don’t call me that,” Radley barks. “You’re nothing to me.”
Daniel’s eyes go to Mason. “I was so close to finishing the job.”
“But you didn’t, and now you’re locked in a goddamn boat house. How does it feel to know your pack turned on you?” Mason asks, taking a step forward.
“They were weak anyway. I found what I came for.”
“Me?” Radley asks. “You really think you’re getting out of this?”
“Do you really think this is all I had?” Daniel counters.
Radley tilts her head to the side and crosses her arms over her chest. “Yes. I do. I don’t know how I know, but I do. You truly know you’re fucked right now. I have a question. Why couldn’t you follow my scent?”
Daniel’s nostrils flare in anger. “You were blocking me.”
“I was right inside the house. For a powerful alpha, you sure missed something that was right under your nose. How was I blocking you?”
“I don’t know,” he answers, but I can tell he hates the idea that he doesn’t know something.
Monty finally groans and lifts his head, looking around. He looks up at his chains and starts laughing. “Well, fuck. This is a twist. Where’s Marie?”
“That’s none of your fucking business,” Mason says. “All you need to know is this is it for you.”
“Are you going to kill a defenseless man? That’s not very peaceful of you. Isn’t your pack all about peace and all that bullshit?”
“Not when it comes to you,” I say. “I’ll gladly rip your throat out where you sit.”
Monty shrugs and leans back against the wall. “Go ahead. It will be your conscience you have to live with.”
“Shut him up,” Mason barks. My fist snaps out, and I relish the feel of the bones crushing under my knuckles. Monty’s head drops forward, out cold again. “Why did you leave just to come back for her?”
“I didn’t want to deal with a fucking kid. I needed a strong leader, and she turned out to be one. Too bad she aligned herself with a pack of pussies.”
Bryce moves, and I reach for him, but he slips through my fingers. He starts pummeling Daniel’s face. I look at Radley, but she’s watching it all go down, completely unaffected. Bryce is muttering something under his breath, and I wrap my arm around his waist. I pull him back against my chest even as he struggles. “Breathe, Baby beta.”
“He let him touch me!” Bryce yells, struggling harder. I spin him around so he can’t see Daniel anymore, trying to calm him down. “He knew what that guy was capable of and sent him in there anyway. He almost raped me, Nash.”
“Shhhh,” I soothe even though I can feel the anger coursing through my veins. That’s the first time someone has said the words out loud, and I feel them like a punch to the gut. “We’ll get him.”
“Can we end this?” Bryce whispers. “I can’t look at them anymore.”
“Come on,” Radley says, holding her hand out to him. She gives him a sweet smile when he slides his hand into hers. She tugs him toward the door. “Let’s go see what kind of mischief Grandma has caused.”
Bryce gives her a watery laugh. “I love that woman.”
I give Radley a grateful smile, and they slip through the door. I turn toward Mason. “What do you want to do?”
“Kill them,” he says simply. “They won’t tell us anything, and they don’t deserve to live. Not after what they were going to do to Radley and what they did to Bryce.”
“I want to see blood dripping from the guy who touched him,” I say in a deadly voice. I can already taste his blood on my tongue.
Mason claps me on the shoulder. “He’s all yours. How do you want to do this?”
I grin. “Wolf style.”
We sit down on the bench and wait for both of them to wake back up. Daniel is the first and Monty follows right behind him. Mason and I exchange a look and shift at the same time. Their fear hits me square in the face, and I inhale deeply. We move at the same time, and my teeth rip at Daniel’s neck. I listen to him gurgle, and it’s the first time I’ve ever felt relief from killing someone. It’s necessary sometimes because we are predators, but it’s never been anything I’ve enjoyed until now. As soon as we take care of this Rocky motherfucker, this chapter of our life is closed.
The next one is making Radley our wife.
We finally make it to the bunker right when the sun is setting. Radley chose to stay home, so Mason stayed with her. Bryce was quiet all the way here, just running silently beside me, but I could feel his anger the whole way. Bryce doesn’t get mad, so the fact that he is shows how much this affected him.
We shift to human form, and Bryce pulls the door open. I grab his arm before he can step inside. “Can you handle this, Baby beta?”
Bryce sighs, and his shoulders droop. “I don’t like hurting anyone, but he was going to take something from me that wasn’t his.”
“I can do this alone, Bryce. You don’t have to watch.”
“I need to, though, or I’ll see him in my nightmares.”
I grab his face and give him a long lingering kiss, pushing all the bad thoughts away. He latches onto my forearms like he doesn’t want to let go. “I love you, Baby beta.”
“I love you, too.” He pecks my lips one more time, and I watch as he prepares himself for what”s next. “Let’s go.”
Bryce slips through the door, and I follow behind him. He sniffs the air, and I know he caught the guy’s scent when his nose wrinkles. He stops outside a locked door and pauses with his hand on the handle. He takes several steadying breaths and jerks it open. It hits the wall with a crash, and the guy’s head snaps up. “Is the beta back for me?”
I go to rush him, and Bryce puts his hand on my chest, stopping me. “It takes one sick fuck to hurt someone like that,” Bryce says. His voice is steady. All the lingering fear is gone. “How many people have you done that to?”
Rocky starts laughing, but it’s too high, showing that he’s actually scared. “More than I can count. The best feeling in the world is feeling a weak beta fighting against you as you shove your cock in them raw.”
Bryce strides forward, lifts his leg, and kicks Rocky in the chest. The chains swing wildly. “You sick motherfucker,” Bryce growls. When he uses Rocky as a punching bag like he did Daniel, I don’t stop him. This is how Bryce will get his power back. I flex my fists, fighting against taking over. My alpha instincts are screaming at me, but I know what my beta needs.
“Fuck you!” Bryce yells, swinging again. Rocky’s head drops, and Bryce steps back, breathing out of control.
“That’s all you’ve got,” Rocky wheezes. His eyes are already starting to swell, and his nose is pouring blood.
“No, but I’m not wasting any more energy on you.”
“You’ll think about me daily. Wishing you would have gotten a taste of my co?—”
Bryce shifts, and Rocky screams as Bryce sinks his teeth into his neck. Bryce shakes his head wildly, and Rocky’s throat gapes wide open. One more jerk and his head separates from his body. Bryce lets it fall from his teeth and shifts back. He hits his knees, big sobs wracking his body. I drop to mine beside him and pull him into my arms. I know it’s relief and sadness. There isn’t a mean bone in Bryce’s body, and all day, he’s had to defend himself by killing others. It’s something that I never want him to go through again.
I whisper soothing words into his ear as he clings to me like a lifeline. “It’s over, Baby beta. Let’s go home.”
I help Bryce to his feet, and he walks swiftly from the room. I hear the door shut outside and find the gas can with the matches Marie said we would find. I douse the place and step outside. I flick the match and toss it inside. Watching the place go up in flames is almost cathartic in a way.
With my beta by my side, we make our way home.
To our omega.