Chapter 24
Chapter
Twenty-Four
Dhara
Earlier that Evening
My mother was in rare form today. She’d been gone overnight again, but this time Gavin and I hadn’t bothered searching her room.
Instead we’d enjoyed the peace. I made homemade pizza and we watched a movie. It was a night without screaming.
Like always, it felt like the calm before the storm.
It had been over twenty-four hours since I’d passed my findings to the guys through Lydia. I hadn’t heard a single thing back.
I shouldn’t have been surprised. Mom had cut off my phone days ago. Just another way to isolate me from my pack.
I’d listened to hours of her screaming about what an ungrateful daughter I was. She threatened to take Gavin and disappear again if I didn’t fall back in line.
Today she’d been eyeing me but holding something back. I assumed it was another way to keep me from fighting back.
Now she sat across the diner watching me work.
Her eyes tracked every movement I made. If I lingered too long with a customer, if I smiled or looked happy, I could practically feel her irritation growing.
She was suffocating me.
I knew I was pushing my luck just by speaking to Lydia. There wasn’t much either of us could do and I knew Lydia was at her wit’s end.
“They’ll figure it out,” Max said quietly as he handed me another plate.
This pack had become my lifeline. His words hit me so hard I couldn’t even answer him. If I spoke, I was afraid I’d fall apart.
It felt like I was always balancing on the edge of a breakdown.
When I turned around again, my mother was walking out the front door with her phone pressed to her ear.
My stomach dropped. When you grew up with someone like her you learned to read body language. Hers was dangerous right now and with the way she’d been on and off the phone all day, I knew something was happening.
“It’s going to be a long night,” I muttered.
Lydia passed beside me. “Grab Gavin and come to our place. We’ll keep you safe.”
Another person willing to risk themselves for us. I couldn’t let her. We’d eventually be forced back and it would be worse than ever.
Right now I was keeping Gavin safe. That had to be enough.
I had just delivered another table when the front door slammed open.
“Your shift is done, bitch.” My mother’s face was twisted with fury. “Get your ass to the car. We’re leaving.”
The diner went silent as her sharp words rang out. Every customer turned to stare but no one dared to move and intervene.
“I’m so sorry, Lydia,” I whispered.
Before she could react, my mother seized my wrist. Her nails dug into my skin as she dragged me outside.
I wanted to pull away. To scream and fight. But if she was this angry, I couldn’t risk her going home.
I’d rather lose my job than have her lay a hand on my brother.
She finally released me beside the car. My wrist already throbbed. Angry, crescent-shaped marks bloomed where her nails had broken the skin.
“I said get in!” she shrieked. I’d barely sat when she tore out of the parking lot. She drove like a madwoman all the way home, tires screeching as we pulled into the driveway.
The moment we stepped inside, Gavin bolted toward his room.
“Sit down!” she screamed at him, freezing him in his tracks. “You’re going to watch this.”
“Gavin, go!” I shouted.
He turned away, listening to the desperation in my tone. Thank god. The moment he turned, my mother’s fist slammed into my temple, catching me off guard. She wasn’t usually this bold.
Pain exploded through my skull as I crashed to the floor. Warm blood poured into my eye. It stung already and started to swell shut.
“Stop!” Gavin threw himself between us and horror hit me as she shoved him to the floor. I hated how helpless he looked as he crumpled there. We both deserved so much better than this.
“Go,” I pleaded. She turned back to me and he stood and ran to his room.
I prayed he was calling them. We needed help. Something was different tonight. She was unhinged and if we didn’t get help, I wasn’t sure I’d live through this.
My mother grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the kitchen.
Toward the basement door. Dread hit me at the thought of that place. As a child she’d locked me down there for hours. Days sometimes.
She was taking me there because no one would hear me scream.
I fought back and tried to stop her but something had taken over her. She was strong and half-feral as she dragged me to the stairs and shoved me down. I curled into myself, hands wrapping around my head before I slammed into the cement floor.
All I could pray for now was that she’d tire herself out.
“This is what you get for stealing my alpha!”
Another kick slammed into my ribs. I cried out, wishing like hell my pack would get here.
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about!” I pleaded. “Stop.”
“He keeps talking about you!” Her face twisted with rage. “Telling me what a pretty, little omega you are. How much money you’d make us. How perfect and submissive you’d be.”
She looked at me like I’d betrayed her. Like I’d somehow encouraged that disgusting man to think about me like property. The thought made my skin crawl.
“You don’t find that sick?” I gasped. “He wants your daughter.”
That only made her angrier. That feral gleam was back in her eyes and her muscles strained as she rained her fury down on my body. I barely felt the blows anymore, but something inside of me snapped.
It was never enough with her. This time, Gavin had seen it all.
If I didn’t fight now, I wasn’t leaving this basement alive.
The next time she stepped toward me, I grabbed her ankle and yanked. She crashed backward. The back of her head cracked against the concrete.
I staggered to my feet. Thanks to my fall down the stairs and her punch to the temple, I could barely stay upright.
Adrenaline fueled my movements as I braced for her next blow. This time, I fought back. I scratched at her face, kicked out against her, swung wildly.
Anything to survive.
She stumbled toward a metal shelf. I raised my hands, expecting her to swing back but her hands closed around something.
I barely had time to register it before the object slammed into the side of my head. Stars exploded across my vision and I hit the floor hard.
Everything spun around me. I expected her to come back for more when something crashed upstairs. She froze, breathing hard like a bull as she glanced up at the ceiling.
Footsteps ran through the house and another crack followed. Shouts echoed out and for one impossible second I smelled cedar, citrus, and basil.
My mates were here.
A tiny smile touched my lips.
“You came...”
Then darkness swallowed me.
...
The next thing I heard was a steady beeping. Every inch of my body hurt as I stirred. A quiet whimper escaped before I could stop it.
“Firecracker?” August’s voice. “Are you with us?”
My eyelids felt impossibly heavy. They were swollen from the attack, but I forced them open.
Three blurred figures slowly came into focus.
August.
Lachlan.
Conrad.
The sob escaped before I could stop it. They were here. My pack came for me.
“There are those gorgeous, blue eyes,” Conrad whispered. He tried to smile for me but it didn’t reach his eyes. He looked as broken as I felt. Like he’d been the one to survive that nightmare instead of me.
“I couldn’t take it anymore.” My voice cracked against another sob. “I fought back this time.”
“You did so good,” Conrad praised me, his warm hand wrapping tightly around mine.
I swallowed hard before forcing out the question that terrified me the most.
“Tell me she didn’t get Gavin.”
“No, baby.” Lachlan’s answer came without hesitation. “She didn’t. He’s with Coach right now. We practically had to force him out of this room to get some lunch.”
“He’s been by your side every second he could,” August promised.
The breath I’d been holding escaped in another broken sob. The dam finally shattered. All three of them crowded closer, carefully wrapping me in a gentle embrace as I fell apart completely.
Emotions crashed through me too fast to decipher them all. Grief, pain, horror, and anger were at the top.
Everything I’d been holding inside came crashing down. They simply held me while I cried. They didn’t offer false reassurances or empty promises. Nothing they could say would erase what happened between us.
When the tears finally slowed, I looked up at my pack. At the three men I’d been forced to deny for so long. The exhaustion written across their faces broke my heart.
The last few weeks had taken a toll on all of us.
“I hate that I put you through this.”
August immediately shook his head. “You didn’t, firecracker. You survived. That’s all that matters.”
Conrad reached over and brushed a strand of hair away from my face. “You weren’t starting to give up on us, were you?” It was meant to be a teasing comment but I frowned and shook my head.
“No, of course not. I wondered why I didn’t hear anything, but I knew you’d never stop trying.”
“Never,” Lachlan said vehemently.
“Waiting was just torture,” I admitted. “She was worse than ever. I had no way to contact you. How did you even find me?”
The three of them exchanged glances.
“Gavin called us,” August spoke first.
“How?” he didn’t have a phone or their numbers.
“The night we left, we hid a phone in Gavin’s room. I left him a note to call in case either of you needed us. We couldn’t leave you without a lifeline,” Conrad explained gently.
“We knew your mother would use us against you,” Lachlan finished. “This was the safest option.”
I stared at them, barely believing they were real. “You did all that?”
August smiled softly. “Of course, we did.”
I shook my head. “Sometimes, it’s hard to believe you guys are actually real.”
Conrad chuckled quietly. “You’d better get used to it. We’re not going anywhere. You’re stuck with us now, baby.”
“I think it’s the other way around,” I teased weakly. “You might never get rid of me.”
“Good.” All three answered at the exact same time.
Their certainty stole my breath, but I smiled despite myself.
“What happened to my mother?”
I braced myself for their answer. For once, I needed her to face the consequences of her actions. She has needed a date with reality for far too long.
“She’s not getting out of this,” August said firmly. “I recorded everything so she couldn’t lie her way out of it.”
“Gavin also witnessed it,” Lachlan added. “The hospital documented the injuries and took photos.
“We ignored the officers telling us to stay outside and went in anyway,” Conrad said. “There were witnesses this time. Real evidence. She couldn’t talk her way out of trouble this time.”
“What about the drugs? I thought once you got my note you’d have them search the house,” I said. It felt like we were all throwing lifelines out to each other but didn’t quite connect.
Conrad frowned. “We wanted to, but our lawyer asked for two days. He wanted time to dig and make it stick. He was afraid of spreading the custody case too thin and thank god he did. He discovered your mother and the police chief were working together. They searched the house after everything happened and found a hell of a lot more than one box of drugs. There’s nothing she can hide behind to save her ass now. ”
“The whole department saw what they recovered. The chief is cooked right along with her,” Lachlan added.
“If our lawyer and the city has anything to say about it all, they’ll both be spending a long time in prison,” August finished.
“And Gavin?” I whispered, afraid to hope.
August smiled for the first time. “You were granted emergency custody,” Conrad smiled. “Or rather, our pack was given custody.”
“If she somehow makes bail, we’ll still fight for permanent custody,” Conrad said. “But right now, he’s ours.”
Emergency meant temporary. I knew it wasn’t the end of this battle. But this time, I wasn’t fighting it alone. My mother had officially lost her control over me and the world no longer bought her pretty, little lies.
This was my first real chance to choose my own life. I wasn’t even sure what that looked like, but I couldn’t wait to find out.
“We’ve got the pack house ready.” Lachlan shifted closer so I could focus on him, his fingers trailing gently down my battered cheek. “For both you and Gavin. We spent the last few weeks making it feel like a home. It’s not empty anymore.”
“You guys went overboard, didn’t you?” A laugh escaped me. Immediately followed by a groan as pain flared through my ribs.
“Easy there,” Conrad gently adjusted my blankets. “You’re going to have to take it slow. You’ve got some healing to do.”
“She’s awake!” Gavin’s excited voice echoed from the hallway. Before I could even react, he launched himself toward the bed. Conrad caught him midair. The alpha’s strong arms stopped him and put him back on his feet.
“Easy, buddy. Remember her ribs.”
“Sorry,” Gavin mumbled, face red now. He climbed onto the bed much more carefully this time. The moment he curled against my side, I wrapped my arms around him. Pain be damned.
He buried his face against me. “Is it over?”
My sweet brother sounded so small.
“Yes.” I kissed the top of his head. “It’s over.”
“She has a record now. Plus, we have proof that I’ve been raising you. I’ve kept every receipt, we have people who can speak out for us. She can fight all she wants but she won’t be winning this battle.”
“She already lost,” August agreed. “The hearing will just make it official.”
Gavin looked up at me. Hope filled his crystal blue eyes as we both cried quietly for the lives we always wanted but didn’t dare to hope for.
“Once you’re ready, Coach says you get to come back to practice,” August promised him.
Gavin blinked up at him in shock. “I do?”
Conrad laughed. “Our pack is about to have emergency custody of you. That means your sister doesn’t have to clean the locker room anymore. You’ve got a slot no matter what.”
Gavin looked at me with pure wonder. Neither of us had ever really known what it felt like to be loved.
It was going to take some getting used to.